Chapter 588:
Alexa, not ready to give up, scrambled to her knees and reached for Carol’s hand. “Please, just stay safe. Don’t rush into danger again!”
“Get your hands off me!” Carol snapped, jerking her arm away sharply. Alexa recoiled, a sharp twinge from her earlier injuries stabbing through her.
She had no time to assess her own pain as she watched Carol storm off, her heart pounding with worry.
“Carol, wait! There’s something you need to hear!” Alexa called after her.
Carol halted and spun around, her face set in a harsh scowl. She strode back and hissed, “What could you possibly have to say that matters? Don’t think saving me entitles you to meddle in my affairs. You have no place in my life.”
Standing her ground, Alexa caught her breath and spoke, but then she noticed the bruising on Carol’s cheek for the first time.
Alexa’s eyes widened in shock as she instinctively reached out to caress Carol’s cheek.
“Why are you touching me?” Carol exclaimed, slapping Alexa’s hand away with a look of disgust. “Keep your filthy hands to yourself!”
Despite Carol’s harsh rejection, concern darkened Alexa’s features.
“What’s wrong with your face?” Alexa’s voice trembled with anxiety as she hurriedly pieced things together. “Did someone hit you?”
Carol opened her mouth to respond but caught the deep concern in Alexa’s gaze—a concern that mirrored the worry she had seen in Jeffrey’s and her parents’ eyes. For a brief moment, Carol was overwhelmed with disgust. How dare Alexa, merely a servant, assume a maternal role? What gave her the right?
Angered by these thoughts, Carol’s reply was even harsher. “Why should you care?”
She pressed her secret close: Jeffrey had struck her.
Struggling to control her emotions, Alexa pleaded, “Someone has hurt you badly. Your face is swollen. Please, let me get some ointment for you right away.”
Carol’s face twisted with a flicker of rage. “This is all Linsey’s fault! I swear she’ll pay for this!”
Alexa, taken aback, had not expected Linsey to be involved.
Just as she was about to speak, Carol fixed her with a determined stare and instructed, “You used to shadow Linsey, right? Join me for the next scheme.”
Hesitating, Alexa remembered their previous failures against Linsey, each attempt ending disastrously. Yet, confronted with the sight of Carol’s bruised face, she found it impossible to refuse.
“Okay,” she said softly. “I’ll assist you. I’ll do whatever you need, just to see you smile again.”
