Chapter 339


    Laney narrowed her eyes at Garrett, who returned her stare with a quizzical one of his own.


    She didn’t want him to feel indebted to her, for anything. “You can just pay me in cash, and we’ll call it


    quits.”


    He shed her a lopsided grin. “No way. You should know that the life of the Harding family’s precious


    son cannot be measured by money. You have managed to preserve a priceless treasure.”


    His gaze turned serious then. “I owe you my life, and that is that. If you need help in the future, don’t


    hesitate toe to me. The Harding family will see to it that you don’t encounter any difficulty in


    Seacisco.”


    Laney raised an eyebrow and rolled her eyes. What an arrogant man!


    She decided to ignore his gant derations and shifted her focus back on the falling snow outside.


    After another moment of silence, Garrett got up from his seat and walked over to Laney’s bed. He


    knocked his knuckles lightly against the top of her head. “Come on, Miss Garcia, don’t be rude to me.


    Fine, you can ignore me if you like, but you’d better stay here and recuperate properly. You can’t go


    back to work in your current condition.”


    Laney didn’t want to give in to him, but she knew he was right. She had no choice but to grumble in


    agreement.


    When Ethanter found out that Laney was hospitalized yet again, he immediately canceled Garrett’s


    application for a vacation.


    The other man naturally felt aggrieved by this.


    “It’s your fault that Laney has to take time off work,” Ethan exined casually. “All things considered,


    this punishment isn’t as severe as it should be.”


    “But I’m not the one to me,” Garrett argued. “That’s the thing. You know my ex-girlfriend’s temper


    very well.”


    Ethan was having none of it, though. “Of course, you’re to me. You keep messing around with the


    wrong women.”


    Garrett had nothing to say to that.


    J didn’t learn about the incident until she got off work that day. They were supposed to go home


    together, but Laney was nowhere in sight, so J went to Garrett to ask where she was.


    Once informed about her friend’s situation, J headed straight to the hospital and stormed into


    Laney’s ward. “Can you rein in your sense of justice for once?” J huffed. “Mr. Harding is a grown


    man! Why did you feel the need to block his assant with your own body?”


    She was visibly angry when she had first arrived, but her expression instantly softened when she


    caught sight of Laney’s bandaged shoulder.


    Laney didn’t know how to exin herself. As a matter of fact, she had acted out of instinct. “I wasn’t


    really thinking at the time,” she said sheepishly. “Don’t worry; it’s just a minor injury.”


    “Well, I suppose it’s a good thing that Mr. Harding is your boss. He wouldn’tin even if you asked


    for additional days off. I just don’t understand why you would go to such lengths…” Now that J had


    looked at her closely, she realized that Laney had lost a lot of weight after the two sessive


    encounters.


    Something clicked in her mind. “Oh!” J exined, her face lighting up. “Is Mr. Harding pursuing


    you?”


    Laney physically recoiled at the suggestion, as if the mere thought of it frightened her.


    “That’s ridiculous! You have a very wild imagination, J, but I’m not sure that I appreciate it.”


    Since Laney stayed in the hospital, J had to travel back and forth between work and home by


    herself.


    Winter in Seacisco was a magical sight to behold. The whole city was draped in snow, and the air


    practically sparkled as more snowkes fell and glinted in the sunlight. It could be pretty brutal, too,


    however. Some days, it would be too foggy to see anything a few meters away.


    On one such day, J found herself trudging through the snow. A thick scarf was wound around her


    neck, and an equally thick hat covered her head and ears. She was bundled in heavy clothing, with


    only her tiny, flushed face exposed to the cold winds.


    She suddenly stopped in her tracks and whirled around. She had felt another presence behind her.


    “Who’s there?” J surveyed her surroundings, wary and alert. Soon, she spotted a short figure


    standing beside a tree just a few feet away.


    The man was wearing a green and padded military jacket, and a ck, knitted wool hat over his brow.


    He looked to be in his fifties, and was smoking a cheap cigarette despite his already gaunt stature.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    When their eyes met, he flicked the cigarette to the ground. He pocketed his hands and walked up to


    J with a big smile on his face. “Are you J Lind?”