Chapter 5 She Added Uncle Henry on Facebook

Oliver blurted out, "Uncle Henry, what the heck are you doing?"

Mia grabbed a rectangular wooden box from the study, and Henry pulled out a wooden stick. "You need a good whooping."

Oliver's face went pale. He knew that stick's wrath all too well. "Uncle Henry, come on, let's talk this out. Whatever I did, I'll fix it, okay?"

Henry towered over Oliver, standing at 6'4". He sneered, "Now that Alice has changed, you wanna backtrack?"

That was exactly what Oliver was thinking, but he couldn't admit it. "No way, I just think she's kinda pitiful."

The stick came down hard on Oliver.

"This one's for betraying Alice for Clara!"

"This one's for your ditching Alice when in danger!"

"And this one's for your dirty thoughts!"

Oliver crumpled to his knees in agony. Henry kept swinging, each hit harder than the last.

Oliver gritted his teeth, veins popping on his forehead. Sweat drenched his shirt, and his back felt like it was on fire. Paloma felt a twinge of pity but thought Oliver had really messed up this time. She shook her head and helped Dash back to the room.

Henry only stopped when Oliver was flat on the ground.

He put the stick back in the box. "Stay away from Alice. You picked Clara, so stick with her." With that, he turned and went upstairs.

After a shower, Henry came out in a bathrobe.

He dried his hair with a towel, his long bangs covering his intense eyes, making him look less intimidating.

He glanced at his phone, seeing messages from an unknown number.

[Uncle Henry, you home?]

[Uncle Henry, does your wound hurt?]

[Uncle Henry, I added you on Facebook. Accept it!]

[Uncle Henry, don't forget the ointment!]

Henry sat by the floor-to-ceiling window, tossing his phone onto the table. He lit a cigarette, the flame flickering.

In the swirling smoke, Henry's eyes were dark and unreadable.

He let the messages pile up until the last one came in at midnight. Henry picked up his phone and saw Alice had sent nine messages.

Alice seemed really worried about him. His eyes landed on the last message: [Uncle Henry, good night.]

He opened Facebook, accepted Alice's friend request, and replied: [Good night.]

Henry's lips curled into a barely-there smile.

Images of Alice's curvy body and her teary eyes flashed in his mind.

The smile vanished. He stubbed out the cigarette and tossed it in the ashtray.

He hadn't expected Alice to stir up such primal desires in him. He rubbed his temples, thinking he needed to keep his distance from her.

In the VIP hospital room.

Alice lay on the bed, swinging her legs. She looked at the messages she sent, which were not replied, and there was no friend acceptance on Facebook. Her heart sank.

Did her wild actions last night scare him off?

No way!

If Henry was really scared, he wouldn't have brought her food himself.

Old guys were so hard to figure out!

Just when Alice was losing hope, she saw she had become friends with someone named "Hen" and got a message: [Good night.]

Alice was over the moon. She kept staring at Henry's starry sky profile picture, her smile never fading.

The next morning, Alice had just finished washing up when there was a knock on the door.

She opened it to see Ethan smiling and holding a breakfast bag. "Miss Savoy, Mr. Howard asked me to bring you breakfast. Lunch will be here around noon. In the afternoon, I'll handle your discharge paperwork."

Alice took the bag and smiled, thanking him.

Just as she was about to close the door, a large hand stopped it.

Her father, Lester Savoy, and stepmother, Elodie Brown, walked in arrogantly.

Alice's face instantly darkened.

"Alice, how are you?" Lester asked.

"Well, I'm not dead," Alice shot back, not even bothering to look at them. She walked over to the bed and placed the bag on the table. Elodie, all dolled up in a champagne-colored dress with her hair in a perfect bun, clutched a designer handbag, looking like she was ready for a fashion show instead of a hospital visit.

Elodie's eyes flashed with disgust at Alice's stunning face.

Why did this country bumpkin have to be prettier than her daughter Clara?

Elodie plopped down on a chair, not holding back. "You burned Clara's face on purpose, and I'm letting it slide. But listen up, Oliver loves Clara, so back off."

Alice smirked, "You know Clara. I splashed her because she pulled her usual crap on me. If she tries it again, I might do worse. And Oliver? I don't like that piece of trash because I'm not a dumpster."

Elodie was taken aback by Alice's sharp tongue. Just like Clara said, Alice had really grown a backbone! She gritted her teeth. "Are you calling Clara a dumpster?"

"That's your words," Alice replied with a sly smile. "But remember, the Howard family agreed to the marriage with the Savoy family because my grandpa took a bullet for Dash from the Howard family. Dash specifically wanted me to marry Oliver. Clara might have taken the Savoy name, but she's not really one of us. Would Dash agree to that?"

Elodie's nails dug into her handbag. She was fuming. "Oliver and Clara are together now, so the Howard family has to accept it. It's none of your business anymore."

Lester chimed in with a smile, "Alice, there are plenty of rich families in Loshanda. I'll introduce you to someone better."

Alice chuckled. "So, I'll be useful again the next time the Savoy family is about to go bankrupt."

Lester fell silent. Elodie snorted, "You should be honored to help the Savoy family! You really don't know how to be grateful, disappointing your father who cares so much for you!"

"Cares for me?" Alice sneered. "Then why did he come to see Clara last night and not me?"

Elodie hesitated. "Clara was raised by your father! You haven't been around all these years, so let it go."

Alice laughed. "Anyone who didn't know would think Clara was Mr. Savoy's real daughter!"

Lester's face stiffened.

Alice blinked. "Did I hit a nerve? Clara and I are the same age. If she's really related to Mr. Savoy, wouldn't that mean he committed bigamy back then?"

"Stop talking nonsense! Calling your father Mr. Savoy—where are your manners?"

Alice replied coldly, "You deserve it. The reason I am like this is something you should reflect on!"

Elodie was nearly trembling with rage. She suddenly stood up and dragged Lester out. At the door, she turned back and said, "Smoky eye makeup and colorful hair suit you better!"

Ethan, standing outside, heard everything.

After leaving the hospital, he got into the car, fastened his seatbelt, and merged into traffic.

"Mr. Howard," Ethan glanced at the rearview mirror.

In the back seat, Henry was focused on the documents in his hand. His long fingers held a pen, making marks on the papers.

The morning sunlight bathed him, giving him a golden glow, like a deity. His voice carried a hint of laziness. "Speak up."

"Miss Savoy's father and stepmother just visited her."

"Okay."

"They said a lot of harsh things. And they already know about Olive and Clara being together. Miss Savoy's stepmother also said that smoky eye makeup and colorful hair suit Miss Savoy better."

The pen paused, but Henry's expression remained unchanged. He continued reading the documents. "You don't need to tell me about such things in the future."

Ethan wondered if he had misunderstood.

Did Henry risk his life to save Alice just to prevent a tragedy?

This cold-hearted Henry showed no emotion even when signing billion-dollar contracts. But the tension and relief Henry had when saving Alice last night—was it all just Ethan's imagination?

Ethan pressed his lips together and decided not to comment further. After all, he didn't want to end up in the HR department.