Feeling guilty, Gerard replied, "Well, it's not really like that."
Then, he thought, "I occasionally indulge in a little rebellion."
Vespera left work ahead of schedule. She had injured her left foot, but it didn't hinder her ability to drive. She headed to an osteopathy clinic.
Back in high school, her parents relocated the house closer to the school for her convenience. Typically, her father would visit this clinic whenever he sprained his ankle during a game or experienced back pain.
The moment she walked in, the boss, John Kectt, recognized her immediately. "You're Vespera, Professor Gildon's daughter."
Vespera acknowledged with a nod and a smile. "Mr. Kectt, you still remember me."
"How could I possibly forget? Whenever you came here with your father, those fellows from the barbershop next door would always come by. Your father acted as if he were protecting you from thieves."
"My father tends to exaggerate," Vespera replied.
"Not exaggerated in the least. If I had a daughter as beautiful as you, I'd shoo away those delinquents as well."
Vespera found his comment entertaining. After exchanging a few friendly words, she brought up her sprained foot and requested his assistance in examining it.
She sat in the examination chair while John assessed her condition.
"The bone is fine. It's nothing serious," he reassured her. "I'll apply some medicated oil and then give you a dose of medicine."
He stood up to fetch the medicated oil. Meanwhile, Vespera pulled out her phone to occupy herself. Just then, another individual entered the room, bypassed John without greeting anyone, and plopped down in the chair beside Vespera.
…
Within the company, Dominic tried calling the secretary's office next door, but there was no response. At that moment, Gerard knocked on the door and entered.
Noticing Dominic's frown as he held the phone, Gerard quickly comprehended the situation. "Are you trying to reach Ms. Gildon, Mr. Reid? She's already gone."
Dominic then set the phone down.
Noticing the cold expression forming on his face, Gerard hurriedly clarified, "Vespera didn't intentionally leave work early. There's a reason for it. She..."
He was about to say "sprained her ankle," but an idea struck him.
She glanced back, her face full of despair. "What a coincidence."
Despite her ignoring him, Luke decided to strike up a conversation. Vespera acted as though he wasn't there, pretending to focus on her phone while thinking to herself. It can't just be a coincidence.
Earlier that morning, she might have accepted that he just happened to be nearby when she left the residential area and saw her.
But what about now? It seemed unbelievable that he hadn't gone to work and had instead waited at the entrance of Tavian Group all day. Had he installed a tracker in her car? A shiver ran down her spine.
Whenever she believed he would finally leave her alone, this bastard turned out to be just like a boomerang that always came back. Was the only solution to hire someone to eliminate him?
John emerged from the back room and noticed a new customer, a strikingly handsome man dressed in attire that suggested affluence.
He asked, "Sir, is something troubling you?"
Luke glanced at Vespera's icy demeanor with a downcast expression and said, "I'm not feeling well here."
John paused, eyeing the handsome man and the medicated oil bottle in his hand before saying resignedly, "Uh... would you like a massage?"
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