Chapter 82: You Will Always be the Hostess of the House
"Get in." Edward didn't reject her.
Jacquiline smiles and she intended to open the front passenger door but she remembered that five years ago when he was starting out, he once said to Alice, that she will always be the woman who can sit beside him in his car.
She sits in the rear seat and Jacquiline sees Edward drive away. She wants to say something but when she opens her mouth out comes words of consolation. "Auntie didn't do it on purpose, it's the situation just now that agitated her. That's why..."
"I know." Edward said coldly and was obvious that he didn't want to say anymore. In the awkwardness of the situation, Jacquiline also dare not say anything else.
Twenty minutes pass and they reach their destination.
She recognizes the place and her heart sinks. Edward came to look for Alice.
...
Alice just finished evaluating the patient. She doesn't know if she can safely conclude this case. It caused her to be extra detailed and careful since this no longer is a big facility. It was a small clinic and she has to be extra careful and prevent what happened in the past. Thanks to her attention to details and extra care, the patients felt particularly comfortable and trust her. This made many patients recommend her.
"John, go home to rest once you finish your work. Your night shift is already very tiring and you still come over to help out and thereafter back to your night shift." Alice says to John who is wearing a white robe as she tidies up the place.
John listens and smiles caringly, "No problem, when I was overseas, it was common that we'll not rest for an entire month. Furthermore, coming here I'm just assisting you and it's not that difficult."
Even so, Alice still feels that there is a lot to thank John for. As she was disinfecting some of the apparatus, she accidentally cut her finger with the scalpel and blood instantly oozes out. "Alice!"
John places down his things and rushes over to Alice. He grabs her hand and is about to suck out the blood on her finger when a fist came over.
Boom!
John is knocked onto the ground.
Alice reacts and sees a furious Edward, "What are you doing!"
"What am I doing, Alice, once I'm not around, you starve for attention?!" Edward spoke angrily and wants to rush to John but is restrained by Alice. He shouts, "You are my woman!"
Jacquiline follows him in but didn't expect it to turn out this way. She is stunned to see Alice struggling to hold back Edward. Edward starts to stand up after being knocked down and the corner of his mouth starts to bleed which goes to show how vicious the punch was. "I'm alright." John notices Alice's wide-open eyes and smiles assuringly.
"Release me, Edward!"
"Did you forget what had happened?"
Alice is stunned and thought about the current smooth running of the clinic and her mother's condition. She bites on her lips frozen in place. John couldn't keep quiet and has to speak out, "Edward, what are you good for other than threats! Have you ever been concerned over her all these years? Do you know that she..."
"John!" Alice shouts to prevent him from continuing. She must not let Edward know that she gave birth to two of his children, definitely not!
John flared and was stopped by Alice's shout. He realizes that he almost leaked out her secret and didn't continue. Edward naturally detects that they are hiding something from him. He stares at John, "Know what?"
"Nothing, you are a scoundrel and not fit to be with Alice. These few years Alice and I were very happy and blissful without you. We..."
With John repeating "We", Edward is triggered to take another swing.
"John!"
"Edward!"
Both Alice and Jacquiline shout anxiously when both men started to fight.
John was caught off guard during the first punch but now that they are face to face, they are evenly matched and landing blows on each other.
But no matter what, John's personality is more gentle and holds back his punches.
"John!" Just when Edward lands another punch onto John, Alice worries that he is hurt and rushes between them to block the blows.
Edward sees her rushing over and quickly retrieves his punch for fear that it will land onto her. At the same moment, John delivers a punch that knocked him back a couple of steps.
Jacquiline runs to his side and askes warmly, "Edward, are you alright?"
It appears that Edward didn't hear what Jacquiline says and he stares at John and Alice. He laughs and grabs Alice's hand and pulled her out.
"Where are you taking her!" John blocks Edward and hears him shout, "Fuck off!"
Alice knew that she angered Edward when she went to protect John. She couldn't help but feel guilty and didn't resist. She just said to John, "I'm fine." John clenches his fists and watches helplessly at Alice disappears from his sight.
In his helplessness, he rushes to the table and punches it in fury. A woman's voice said, "You still like her, don't you?"
John lifts his head and looks at Jacquiline, stunned for a moment, "It's you!"
"Yes, it's me, I'm back."
"Aren't you the same?" Just as Jacquiline sees clearly his heart, John is well aware of her secret passion for Edward. "I didn't expect you to be back."
"I was out there for these many years and feel that the home country is better, that's why I came back." Jacquiline laughs and helps John tidy up the treatment room.
It was as if the two men were conscious of the expensive equipment during their fight and didn't touch any of them during the fight.
At this point, Jacquiline is envious of Alice and askes a question, "All these years you were with her? I heard that both of you got married?"00000