"You're good at everything. What's not good enough for me?," Russel said with a laugh, "Don't use self-deprecation as a way to reject me."
I sighed inwardly. Russel had managed to avoid falling into Bonnie's trap, but it seemed like he was going to get hurt by my stubbornness.
I really wanted the best for him, whenever it was. "I don't want to waste your time, so don't worry about me. I'm sure there are plenty of women who would love to be with you. Any one of them would be just as good as me, really." I tried to persuade him sincerely.
"Can you give me a chance to prove myself? Two years ago, I was always concerned about Neil. It wasn't until you quietly left for abroad for two years, not even replying to my messages, that I realized that love needs to be fought for and that reason doesn't always apply. This time, I want to give it my all," Russel was adamant.
To be honest, if I hadn't been hurt by Neil before, I would definitely be moved by Russel now.
Russel's eyes were full of passion and love for me, unlike the usual cool and aloof him.
I had once loved someone with all my heart, so I knew what that look of love was like. It was something that couldn't be faked, but how should I respond?
"Russel, I..." I was about to speak.
"Don't rush to reject me. I stand by what I said earlier. Until you meet the next person you truly love, I won't give up."
Russel paused, "Irene, I've never confessed my feelings to any woman before. I don't know what's considered romantic or passionate, but I will always be by your side. I'm ready to give you everything, anytime you need me."
Even though I didn't have romantic feelings for Russel, his words touched me deeply.
I knew he was serious. He wouldn't have said such things without careful consideration.
"Can we just let things happen naturally?" I took a step back.
"Okay." A small smile appeared on Russel's face. He unbuckled his seat belt, "Be careful on your way home."
I nodded my head. After Russel left the car, I turned around and left.
My mind was a whirl of thoughts on the drive back, with Russel's words echoing in my head.
In my distracted state, I didn't notice a white car following me until I was about to make a right turn. The white car suddenly accelerated and caught up with me.
"Bang!"
My car was rear-ended, and it was severe. The white car behind me pushed my car off the road with great force, and the brakes were useless.
My car hit a tree. Even though the airbag deployed, I was still injured.
Before I passed out, I saw the front of the white car was dented, and then it quickly left the scene.
Someone called the police, and they arrived quickly to handle the situation.
"Mr. Whitmore, those two guys are out. They're Finn's lackeys."
"Lock them up for now."
"Alright."
I vaguely heard Neil talking with someone else. I opened my heavy eyes and saw his figure not far away.
I was in a hospital again, which seemed to be a place I couldn't avoid.
But why was Neil here?
I moved my mouth slightly and felt some pain on my face, as if it had been slashed by a knife, but my body didn't feel any discomfort.
"Rena, are you okay? I'm on my way!" Stella said anxiously.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. I just have some injuries on my face." I replied.
"How can I not worry? Do you know this car accident might have been intentional? Neil is going nuts. He bailed out those two guys who hit you, I don't know where he took them. Mitch is afraid he might kill them if he gets too violent!" Stella said in one breath.
I was stunned. Neil was the one who bailed those two out?
At that moment, I heard Mitch's voice from Stella's end, "Irene, you need to call Neil and calm him down. He's not in a good mood right now, and I'm afraid he might overdo it. It's not a big deal if he beats them up, but it would be disastrous if he killed somebody."
Was it really that serious? I felt a bit uneasy. Neil had a bad temper and was impulsive, but he wouldn't repeatedly stand up for me, would he?
After the call ended, I hesitated for a while, but eventually decided to call Neil.
It took three calls before Neil picked up. It was very quiet on his end.
"What's up?" His voice came out of nowhere, sounding normal.
"No biggie, you home yet?" I casually asked him as an excuse.
"Yep, I'm home. You should hit the hay early too," Neil replied.
I sensed he was about to hang up, so I just spit it out, "Neil, if today's car crash was a hit on me, I believe the cops will get to the bottom of it and nab the jerk. You don't need to get involved, you don't owe me a thing, and I don't want to owe you either."
Neil went silent for a few seconds, then said, "Alright, I got you."
I finally hung up with a sigh of relief. I really didn't want him to lift a finger for me, I just wished everyone would be safe and sound, just like familiar strangers.
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