Chapter 2
Alexander was reckless—barely out of the hospital and already racing in the pouring rain.
He floored it, but the brakes failed, and his car shot straight off the track.
Fortunately, a tree halfway down the mountain caught it—stopped him from rolling further.
The second I heard the crash, I didn't even grab my umbrella—I just raced down the road.
Alexander was trapped in the wreck, face covered in blood—horror movie material.
Panicking, I dialed 911.
"Hang on! The ambulance is coming!" I shouted.
Right after I dragged him out, a deafening explosion went off behind us.
Freaking out, I threw myself to the ground but still shielded him tightly with my body. "Stay with me, Alex! Don't you dare pass out!"
Dazed, he stared at me for a long moment before murmuring, "Claire."
"What?" I pretended not to hear, yanked off my sweatshirt, and pressed it against his wound.
Suddenly, his cold hand gently wiped away the tears of fear on my cheek.
"I'm the one dying here. Why are you crying?"
"You're not dying. Ambulance will be here any second, and I'm staying right here."
He paused, then chuckled, his fingertips brushing my lashes. "Not even close."
I was confused.
They loaded Alexander into the ambulance, and I went with him.
When he woke up, I was staring at a bill, totally at a loss.
My jeans and sweatshirt were caked in mud. I looked awful.
"You're awake!" Relief flooded my voice. "The doctor said you made it just in time. You're out of danger, but you need to stay a few days for observation."
He looked at me quietly. "You saved my life. What do you want?"
"Nothing. I just happened to be there."
I paused, embarrassed. "Could you... pay me back for the hospital bill? I spent months saving that money working part-time. Now I'm broke—can't even cover rent..."
He arched an eyebrow, surprised.
"I'll pay you back, but you have to stick around and take care of me for a few days."
"But I have to work—"
"Seventy thousand."
Honestly, Alexander was high-maintenance.
But 70 thousand a month just to make sure he ate and take him on walks? Easy money. Too good to be true.
I was constantly chattering away, even passing on the gossip from the old folks downstairs.
Alexander kept his distance, though, never really warmed up. But sometimes he'd zone out, staring at my face like he was somewhere else.
When I wouldn't shut up, he'd cover my mouth.
"Why do you talk so much? You look just like—" He stopped mid-sentence.
I didn't take it personally and just gave him puppy-dog eyes. "I just don't want you to be bored."
He turned away, awkward, avoiding my gaze.
After a while, he finally asked, "So what happened with Mr. Healy's family?"
When he was finally doing better, I vanished for an entire day.
No messages returned. Phone was off.
Alexander finally couldn't sit still anymore and showed up at my apartment.
I always bought his sandwiches from the restaurant by my building—he recognized the logo.
My door was busted, and Alexander barged in to find the place trashed.
Curled up in the corner, I jumped at the sudden commotion and hugged myself, paralyzed with fear.
"I'll pay you back! Please just let me go!" My voice shook.
Alexander softened his voice and crouched down in front of me. "It's me. Don't be scared."
I looked up, eyes red—fear and hurt washing over me. Instinctively, I threw my arms around him.
He froze, clearly thinking about pushing me away. But feeling me tremble, he hesitated, then gently patted my back.
"What happened?"
"Debt collectors showed up, and cops took forever. I'm sorry I disappeared all day..." I sobbed.
"Didn't I give you 70 thousand?"
"That went to my mom's medical bills."
Mom was sick, Dad ran off, and debt landed on me. Perfect sob story.
I clung to his shirt like a lifeline. Couldn't hide how vulnerable and desperate I was.
He stared at me, then gently touched my cheek. "Ever thought about being with me? Three hundred thousand a month."
"O... okay."
Inside, I couldn't help but smirk. Finally, he took the bait.