Chapter 0532


    It was already 10 p.m. Alex''s voice sounded hoarse as he said, "I''m really happy that you came to


    see me, Candice. I miss you a lot, I really want to see you."


    Candice lowered her eyshes. "I don''t want to see you."


    "I know..." Alex smiled bitterly, then looked at the neon lights outside the hotel. "I just missed you


    and felt like I had to tell you."


    Candice heard the wind on his end, her breath hitched slightly, and she reminded him with closed


    eyes. "It''s alreadyte."


    Ignoring her, Alex obstinately continued, "What I said was true, not drunk talk, but what I truly feel.


    I''ve never wanted to hurt you."


    "And, I''m downstairs at your hotel now, Candice. I..."


    She interrupted him. "If you don''t hurry back, Sieg will think you''re missing again."


    As soon as she finished speaking, a loud thunderp suddenly came from the phone, and she


    remembered that the weather forecast had predicted rain for today.


    It was already summer, and the weather was indeed unpredictable.


    Candice took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "It''s going to rain, Alex. Don''t be so childish."


    "I''m not being childish." Alex''s voice seemed muffled as if his throat was stuffed with cotton. He


    spoke with difficulty, one word at a time. "That day, you said to let me let you go and let myself go,


    but I can''t do it."


    "Candice, I really can''t..."


    "You can hit me, scold me, but don''t drive me away. It''s even worse than killing me..."


    Alex''s voice no longer had its usual rity and coldness. Instead, it sounded hoarse and weak. After


    waking up in the afternoon and learning from Sieg that Candice had left, he came here.


    He was desperate to see her. The emotions that had been deliberately suppressed in his heart


    surged out in another tumultuous way.


    Alex had always thought he had strong self-control. His upbringing had always made him feel that


    hecked the ability to love.


    He never expected or desired such emotions. Seeing Helen and Daniel''s life, he felt it was already


    horribly bad.


    He always thought love was absurd and insignificant, far less important than what could be held in


    hand, so he always valued interests.


    Candice''s appearance was unexpected. At least initially, Alex just thought Candice was simr to


    him.


    Equally tolerant, equally good at pretending.


    At that time, he just wanted to see how long she could endure and how long she could pretend.


    So, he patiently orchestrated a meeting, a meeting that now seemed unbelievable.


    And this meeting with ulterior motives was just the beginning.


    They were so alike, they fit together, and Alex, in his bliss, almost thought he had finally received a


    gift from fate.


    Until he saw Candice with Justin and until Daniel threw those things in front of him.


    Then he suddenly woke up, realizing that a selfish and self-centered person like him had no right to


    talk about love.


    Alex was conflicted and tormented. On one hand, he loathed himself; on the other hand, he forced


    himself to stay away from Candice.


    He felt she was like poison, something he shouldn''t touch.


    But the surface of poison was always sweet, just like Candice.


    He couldn''t resist his own desires. A person ustomed to darkness, upon suddenly encountering


    sunlight, would never be willing to return to the darkness.


    So, he thought, if only Candice could be more insightful, it would be better if he left—


    If only she could hide it from him.


    If only she could stay.


    Those cruel and malicious words, when uttered by Alex, who was enduring his own disgust and


    self-hatred, became like knives stabbing into his own heart repeatedly until that area was thoroughly


    mutted and left with no good parts.


    Alex hated himself more than Candice did.


    Especially when he saw Candice''s increasingly desperate and silent gaze.


    But what could he do? He was like a snail, only able to evade Candice. Yet he couldn''t help but


    repeatedly test her silence...


    Like a lunatic.


    And his repeated testing finally drove away the person who had been patiently apanying him,


    so he finally mustered the courage to crawl out of his shell and clumsily chase after her.


    But would a snail, crawling so slowly, really catch up?


    Alex didn''t know.


    He just felt he was really stupid and bad. Clearly, it was he who isted Candice with his own shell,


    yet he repeatedly tried to provoke the emotions she had suppressed, hoping to make her boil over


    once again.


    He was truly despicable.


    Raindrops fell on his face, and Alex looked up. Just then, a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky.


    He covered his eyes with his hand, and a drop of water ran down his chin.


    Upstairs, Candice stood by the window. The moment lightning illuminated the sky, pouring rain


    followed.


    It also illuminated the figure downstairs.


    Behind the curtain, Candice stood with a calm expression on her face, but her lips were tightly


    pressed together, almost as if she was enduring something.


    Alex...


    She closed her eyes, and a hint of bitterness finally appeared on her lips.


    She let out a sigh and picked up her phone to call Sieg.


    Sieg arrived quickly. Candice watched Sieg take Alex away before turning and leaving.


    That night, perhaps because of the rain, Candice slept well, dreamless.


    She stayed in Dorrington City for another two days. During these two days, there was no news from


    Alex, only a message from Sieg saying that Alex''s condition had worsened due to getting caught in


    the rain.


    Candice didn''t reply, and Sieg didn''t send any more messages.


    But Darius reminded her that she should prepare to return to the other side of the country.


    He said that for now, she didn''t need to be in Dorrington City. Candice replied, "After the contract


    abroad ends, I won''t be here anymore."


    She felt quite oppressed; all matters had toply with Darius'' arrangements.


    Darius replied, "Fine, that''s your freedom."


    She asked again, "Didn''t you say you were looking for someone in Dorrington City? Did you find


    them?"


    He was silent for a moment. "I found them."


    "Is it Be?"


    Candice had recently seen a lot of news about the Quimby family. It seemed that they had truly


    changed hands, and Solomon Quimby, the second son of the family, had disappeared. In other


    words, the Quimby family had finally fallen entirely into Darius''s hands.


    Darius''s voice suddenly turned cold. He said, "That''s none of your business."


    Candice didn''t ask any further. Originally, she and Darius were not particrly close; they were just


    using each other.


    But when she was packing her luggage, she felt a bit ufortable.


    She felt like she was a marite, constantly being pushed around by others. Whether it was Alex


    or Darius, it seemed all the same.


    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    The day before Candice left, Yana came to find her and brought some news. "Alex has been


    discharged from the hospital."