Double Trouble

"You are quite the celebrity now, aren't you Jasmine?" A familiar voice sneered from behind. Jasmine flinched in surprise and turned to gaze at the culprit.

Her eyes widened in surprise, a flicker of fear danced in her chest. It had been a year since she last saw Alex, not since she had finally found the courage to leave him. The memories of his abuse still lingered in her head, it felt like she had returned back to that dark place.

"Al-ex.." Jasmine stuttered.

"Long time no see Jazz. It has been a long while, am I correct?" Alex stepped out of the elevator. His eyes glinted with malice as he eyed her. "You look a lot more better now. Looks like you have been taking good care of yourself." Alex muttered.

Jasmine gulped a lump down her throat. She quickly pushed the fear aside, her expression hardened as she spoke in a firm tone. "What do you want from me Alexander?"

Alex chuckled in response and replied. "I saw you and your precious Chad all over the news.You must think you are so much better than me now." Alex paused to scoff.

Jasmine ran a hand through her hair in frustration. Her relationship with Chad was the trending topic on all socials. Everyone seemed to be talking about it and she had run into a few reporters on her way to the hopsital. Even the doctors around here gave her weird stares and whispered words about her.

"I want to believe that seeing you at the hospital is just a coincidence and we will not be meeting each other in the future again." Jasmine said, her voice sounding like a warning to Alex but he was not buying any of it.

Alex chuckled, his eyes now glinting with amusement. "Oh, I am just here to see how the golden couple are doing. I expected to see Chad here with you." He said, his voice dipping with sarcasm. "You and Chad....the perfect couple, I am sure he is thrilled to be dating a girl with so much.....baggage."

"What is your problem Alex?" Jasmine asked, her face flashed with anger but she clenched her fist tight she tried her best to remain calm and collected.

Alex shrugged. "No problem Jazz. I am just happy that you have found someone who is willing to put up with you. I have to say though, i am finding it difficult to believe that you were able to snag someone like Chad." 

"You know absolutely nothing about Chad." Jasmine said in a defensive tone.

"Are you sure about that Jasmine? He seems to be way out of your league, right?" Alex grinned widely. He enjoyed tormenting her, especially because she had not ended things with him on a good note.

Jasmine felt a sting from Alexander's words but she refused to let him get through the walls she had managed to build for years. "You know what Alex? I am not going to dignify that with a response. Enjoy the rest of your day." She said, without any hesitation, she turned around and attempted to leave but Alex's words caused her to halt in her steps.

"Oh and by the way Jazz, you might want to enjoy your little romance witn Chad while it lasts because I am going to make sure my cousin knows what he is dealing with. No one wants to get stuck with an expired product like you." 

Jasmine's eyes widened in shock as his words cut deep. She turned around to gaze at him with her brows furrowed in confusion. "Did I just hear you say cousin?" 

Alex's smirk widened. He tucked his hands into his suit pants and cocked his head to the right. "Say hello to your sick mother for me." 

He pressed his phone close to his ears and began to walk away. Jasmine yelled his name several times but Alex chose to turn a deaf ear. He was more than satisfied with the suspense he had put her in.

Jasmine attempted to catch up with Alex but Doctor Regina, the doctor in charge of Jasmine's mother's treatment appeared in front of her with an enthusiastic smile plastered on her face.

"Hey Jasmine. I did not know you were around. Have you seen your mother? She looks so much better than the last time." 

Jasmine could tell that even doctor Regina was suspicious of how she was able to suddenly come up with the huge amount of money for her mother's treatment.

"Thank you so much Doctor. I will be headed to my mum's room." Jasmine mumbled. She brushed past the doctor and made her way to the hallways. She pushed the door to room 314 open and stepped into the room.

"Hi darling. I am so happy to have you here." 

Dr Regina was right. Jasmine's mother looked so much better. Her smile was bright and it was obvious that Chad's money was having a good impact on her.

It calmed Jasmine but at the same time it feared Jasmine. Alex's words stuck in her head. He was Chad's cousin and somehow that meant trouble for Jasmine.

Jasmine became worried, she feared that Alex would find a way to convince Chad to back down from their deal. If Chad happened to fall for Alex's scheme then that would officially terminate all the money being spent on Jasmine's mother's treatment.

"Baby, is everything okay? Why do you look so worried?" Her mother's soft voice jolted Jasmine out of her thoughts and back to reality.

Jasmine snapped her head towards the direction of her mother. She forced a smile on her face and waved it off. "Everything is fine mum. I just have to excuse myself for a minute. I will be right back." 

Jasmine hurriedly left the room without waiting for her mother's reply. She leaned on the wall and fetched her phone from her purse.

She dialed Chad's number and pressed her phone close to her ears. She needed to inform Chad about Alex's schemes.

"Hello?" Chad answered on the first ring.

"I need to tell you something important." Jasmine jumped straight to the point.

"Alright. Be quick about it because I have something to tell you as well." Chad said.

He had something to tell her? Had Alex reached out to Chad already?