Chapter 5

Angeline gradually recollected her senses and stared at Ned. The look in her eyes grew cold and hard, just like how her heart had become.

"If there's one thing I regret the most, it's bringing you out of Emmerson Village! You're just a fucking rapist's daughter, the dirtiest scum to ever exist on earth! Jodie Emmerson, it's no surprise that the Lawsons want absolutely nothing to so with you—"

Before Ned could finish his sentence, something hard hit him on the head. He then lost his footing and fell against a tree.

Angeline, whose face was now half-covered in blood, now stood at where Ned was standing just seconds earlier. She just continued shivering as she held half a brick in her hands.

Ned was also knocked silly from the hit. He stared dumbfounded at Angeline as blood trickled down his face and entered his right eye, turning it into a bloody mess.

Zachary and Ingrid were both stunned. To say that they were both shocked was a gross understatement. Neither of them thought that Angeline would attack Ned like that.

Angeline's face was pale and ghastly. She pretended to stay calm as she threw the brick into the pond. Then, in a hoarse voice, she said, "Ned Fletcher, we're even now."

…

"Ned Fletcher, we're even now."

Blurry images started appearing in Ned's mind.

The sunset cast a bright orange glow on the school building. Behind it, a neatly-dressed female student was trapping him against the wall with her cheeks flushed pink. She laughed and said, "Ned Fletcher, we're even now!"

His heart started thumping against his ribcage. His nostrils were filled with the pleasant gardenia scent that was all over the female student's body. It was blooming season after all, and the attractive white flowers against the walls were all in full bloom.

So was the female student's bright smile.

…

Ned held a hand to his heart and shook his head violently. Before he could get a better look at the female student's face in his mind, the images disappeared completely.

"Ned, are you okay?" Ingrid asked.

Recollecting his senses, Ned touched his head and realized that it was all covered in blood too. He cursed aloud and glared at Angeline.

"Ned!" Ingrid cried, rushing forward to hug him and stopping him from retaliating.

Zachary also rushed toward Angeline and pulled her behind him, shielding her from Ned.

Angeline's waterlogged winter jacket felt heavier than bricks. She had a frail body to begin with, and hitting Ned had taken up all of her remaining strength. So, when Zachary pulled her behind him, she couldn't stop herself from staggering backward.

Before she could fall, however, someone with long, lithe fingers grabbed her from the back and steadied her.

Angeline turned around, meaning to thank the person, when she caught sight of the person who saved her. At once, her voice died in her throat.

The bloodied Ned also froze in shock when he was who the newcomer was. Then, he begrudgingly greeted the person. "Hi, Mr. Sean."

The person who caught Angeline and stopped her from falling had just turned 30 years old. His brows were knitted in a deep frown. He was wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses on his perfectly sculpted nose.

His facial features were prominent, and he was wearing a black blazer over a tailored gray shirt underneath. He was tall and had a perfectly proportionate body ratio.

He was only four years older than Ned, but Sean Lawson emitted a calm, restrained aura that felt quite compelling to others. He gave off a completely different vibe from Ned's playfulness. Sean was the epitome of maturity.

Also, he somewhat looked slightly similar to Angeline.

Sean looked at the wound on Angeline's head and pressed his lips together. He quickly undid his tie with one hand, wrapped it around his palm, and pressed the makeshift gauze to her head to stop the bleeding.

His dark eyes swept across Ned as Sean picked Angeline up and turned around. "To the hospital, now!" he said in a cold voice. His assistant hurriedly ran over to the car and opened the door for them.

Ned watched as Sean tried to stop Angeline's bleeding and bundled her into his car. Ned then ran after him and yelled, "Mr. Sean!"

Sean was just getting into his seat when he stopped and looked at Ned through his gold-rimmed glasses. If looks could kill, Ned would have been dead by now.

…

Angeline and Ned were both sent to the emergency ward one after another. They had their wounds treated separately as well.

The nurse put on her disposable gloves and got ready to clean Angeline's wound. She then noticed that Angeline was still wearing her bloodied and sopping wet scarf and winter jacket. "Let's take off the wet scarf and jacket for now, alright?" she asked.

Angeline was stunned. She then asked politely, "Do they affect the cleaning and dressing process?"

"They don't, but don't you find it a little uncomfortable to still be wearing them?" the nurse responded as she pulled her cart of medical supplies toward her. "Let's take them off."