Jacob was rather shocked. "You have come to tell us Scott's order and watch us?"
Kevin looked apologetic, but he nodded. "Yes. It's Mr. Scott Anderson's order."
This is too much. To ask a woman to walk home in this pouring rain! Jacob thought and gave Scott a call.
"Scott, aren't you being too cruel to her?" Jacob asked.
"Ha. Why? Don't you think you care too much about her?" Scott sneered. "This is between her and me. You'd better stay away, or I shall be crueler to her."
"Scott," Before Jacob could explain, Scott hung up.
Angered and frustrated, Jacob punched the steering wheel. "Sorry, I...I can't help you." He looked at Brianna apologetically.
Brianna shivered in the rain and smiled a bitter smile, "As long as you don't play any more tricks on me, I'll be grateful to you." She kept on walking.
Kevin followed behind with an umbrella. Jacob watched them, feeling more frustrated than ever.
I shouldn't have talked to him about dignity or freedom. How stupid I am! I can't show my emotions. I can't be human. I'm just a dead robot, and I should only do whatever he asks. Brianna thought. She had finally learned what it was like to disagree with him.
She did not regret it. She had at least understood now how cruel a person he was; that even if she became financially independent, it was still up to him to decide if she could be free; that she and her mother's life was in his control.
She had no idea how long and how far she had walked. She started to feel her feet grow heavier and heavier. She felt cold, and at the same time, her head was burning.
All of a sudden, she collapsed and fell into a little puddle of rain. Kevin stopped, hesitated, and took out his phone.
Back in the Home for Sol, Scott was standing at the balcony of his study, watching the storm, smoking absent-mindedly. The scene of the little girl struggling to save her in the snow and the image of her worried look with tearful eyes and red nose kept repeating in his head. He remembered her shouting desperately at him, "Hold on! Stay with me!"
He was badly injured then, and he was slowly losing his consciousness. He could barely remember what she looked like, but somehow he could still see the tear-shaped mole at the corner of her left eye.
Sol is the little girl that saved me, not Brianna, but why does it irritate me, and it even hurts to see her walking in the rain. Why do I feel sorry for her? He questioned himself. She's just a replacement. She's just a toy.
One of his bodyguards knocked at the door gently. "Mr. Scott Anderson, Kevin just called and said that Mrs. Brianna Anderson has fainted."
Scott frowned and clenched his fists. "She didn't apologize?"
"No. Kevin said Mrs. Brianna Anderson had walked for an hour and fifty minutes before she fainted."
Stubborn! Let's see how long you can last then! Scott thought angrily. He couldn't help feeling agitated, more for the fact that she actually made him feel emotional. "Bring her back." He snapped.
"Yes. Should we call for the doctor?"
"No. She wants to be tough, then let's see how tough she can be. Bring her back and leave her alone."
Stubborn woman! Scott thought angrily. Isn't she a clever one? Why does she have to be so stubborn when she should compromise? Is she challenging my patience intentionally?
The image of her determined look reappeared in his mind, and it irritated him even more. Bang! He picked up a vase and threw it onto the wall.
The servants and bodyguards heard clearly, and no one dared to comment. The storm refused to give up, and when Brianna finally woke up, it was still pouring down. Her head ached terribly, and her body was sore. She shivered and sneezed, feeling cold. As she tried to pull up the blanket, she fell off onto the floor, and only then did she realize she was sleeping on the sofa in the living room at Home for Sol. Her clothes were still wet, and so was the thin blanket.
She rubbed her forehead and slowly recalled what had happened.
The AC was on, and it blew cold air right onto her. No wonder she felt cold. She struggled to get up and curled up on the sofa, shivering, looking around. She wondered how she got back here and where all the servants were.
Suddenly, she caught sight of Scott sitting on the stairs, smoking and looking down at her coldly. Startled, she sat up straight and exclaimed, "Scott..."
"Are you pleased now?"
Brianna's nose and eyes were red from sneezing, and her cheeks were pale. She bit her lips and said briefly, "No."
"What's your next move? Have you not had enough, huh?"
"I'm merely following your order, Scott Anderson."
"You still don't understand, do you?" Scott snapped. "Kevin, get a bucket of ice water and wake her up."
Kevin hesitated. "Mr. Scott Anderson, Mrs. Brianna Anderson had been sleeping with wet clothes on. She's shivering. I'm afraid she..."
"Look at her face. Don't you see how stubborn she is?!" Scott cut him short, thinking she bloody fainted and is pale as a ghost, but she still glares at me, refusing to give in! He wanted to tame her. He wanted her to come to him and apologize like a little puppy, but she acted instead like a big tough cat.
Brianna opened her mouth, intending to say something, but instead sneezed a few more times again. She thought she must look pathetic now.
Somehow it reminded Scott of the little girl again, of the scene when she was trying so hard to save him, grabbing his hand tight. It touched his heart.
He went over, sat down next to Brianna, picked her up, and sat her down on his lap. Looking at her pale face, he said, "Brianna, I've been very patient with you. All you need to do is apologize and promise me not to have any physical contact with Jameson, Scott, or any other men, and I will forgive you this time. Don't ever betray me."