The Substitute Bride

When Vicky realized what Cassie had said, the latter was already gone. Vicky was furious, but there was no way for her to vent her rage.

"Damn it! Even a lowly nurse treats me like that!" Infuriated, Vicky climbed down from the bed and looked for a landline.

David had confiscated her phone, telling her that it had been because he was concerned about her health. He had also said that it was to prevent her from spending too much time playing on it.

Now that her phone wasn't with her, there was no way to reach Charles. Even if she wanted to throw a tantrum or open up about her emotions, the right person just wasn't there.

Vicky walked out of her ward and into the corridor. When she finally managed to find a landline, she stood in front of it and lifted the receiver, only to realize that she hadn't memorized Charles' number. Of course, she also didn't know how to reach David.

Agitated, Vicky forcibly tugged the phone line out of the wall.

"Miss Ruan, don't you know that this is public property? What you're doing is vandalism!" A nurse confronted Vicky upon seeing what she had done to the phone.

She didn't care who Vicky was and what sort of power she had. Everyone here was either a patient or a patient's visitor. No one had special privileges here.

"Don't you know who I am? How dare you speak to me like that? Do you think I can't pay for this phone?" Vicky lashed out at the nurse. It was as if, finally, she now had someone to receive all her anger.

"Miss Ruan, I don't care who you are. Here, you're a patient, just like everyone else," the nurse declared, showing no indication of being intimidated by Vicky. 'She was in the wrong. How could she still behave like she's the boss around here?' the nurse wondered.

The nurse didn't take this act of vandalism lightly. To teach Vicky a lesson, the nurse called up her superior and brought the matter to his attention.

"Sir, the patient in room 805 is making a scene in the hall," the nurse reported the matter. She made it seem as though it was graver than it actually was.

"Okay, I'll be there in a minute." The department manager hung up the phone and quickly headed to the eighth floor.

Growing nervous, Vicky pulled the n

oment she spotted him.

Having been accused unfairly, the nurses felt like slapping Vicky.

Charles didn't say anything. He simply took her back to her ward.

David stayed out in the corridor to straighten things out with the nurses and the management. After helping Vicky back onto her bed, Charles asked emotionlessly, "What do you want from me?"

"Charles, are you avoiding me? Are you in love with another woman?" Vicky suddenly burst into tears.

Charles had planned on scolding her for being too temperamental, but he didn't have the heart to do this to a crying woman.

"Charles, just answer me!" Vicky pleaded, shaking Charles' arm.

Charles gently shook her arms off and said, "No, why do you think so? Is this what this is all about? You only wanted to ask me this? Don't you know that I have a lot to do at work?"

"I'm so sorry, Charles. It's just that you haven't visited me for days. I was afraid that something had happened to you. That's why I wanted to call you. I was worried about you, and I've missed you!" Vicky felt like she had been wronged.

Heaving a helpless sigh, Charles said, "I'm fine. Nothing's going to happen to me. Don't worry. And remember one thing: I have a lot of things to deal with at Shining Company right now. I don't have the time to visit you every day."

Vicky fell silent after hearing Charles' explanation. She didn't want to keep whining for fear of making Charles hate her. She didn't want to drive him further away.