Chapter 3Noisy Men

Listening to the voice on the other end, I let my tears spill over, crying silently and beautifully.

I hung up the phone. Completely ignoring the mess I had made and not even bothering to tell my manager, I bolted toward the hotel exit.

Asher chased right after me. He reached out, instinctively wanting to wipe the tears from my cheeks.

But his hand hovered in the air, stopping just short of my skin.

I did not let him pull away. I grabbed his hovering hand, letting my tears fall thick and fast.

"Sir, do you have a car? It is impossible to get a cab around here right now. Could I please beg you to drive me to City General Hospital?"

In the passenger seat, I kept up a quiet, heartbreaking rhythm of soft sobs.

Asher kept his eyes on the road, freeing up one hand to pass me a tissue.

"Did something happen? Maybe I can help."

I bit my lip, looking incredibly embarrassed. "We are complete strangers. You driving me is already too much of an imposition."

Asher glanced at me. "It is fine. I just like helping people."

Getting the exact opening I needed, my cheeks flushed red, and I asked with hesitant desperation, "Could you... could you possibly lend me some money?"

Terrified he would think I was a scammer, I quickly promised, "I swear I will pay you back. I can write you a formal IOU right now."

My mother was diagnosed with acute leukemia last year. She required long-term hospitalization and aggressive chemotherapy.

The hospital had just issued a final notice. If we did not clear the massive balance today, she was getting kicked out of her bed.

I watched Asher's brows furrow deeply. I lowered my eyes, playing the tragic victim.

Thanks to the comments, I knew Brittany's entire persona with Asher was stolen straight from my actual life.

A dead father, a critically ill mother, and a beautifully broken girl holding it all together.

Brittany had milked a fortune out of him using my real tragedy.

Same face. Same exact tragic backstory.

If Asher could not put the pieces together now, his IQ was genuinely in the single digits.

When Asher finally spoke, his voice was tight and raspy. "Are you absolutely sure you have never heard the name Ash?"

I tilted my head, pretending to search my memory very hard.

"I really have not. But it does sound slightly familiar, like someone mentioned it in passing."

Asher did not say another word for the rest of the drive.

When we got to the hospital billing department, he bypassed me entirely and deposited a flat hundred thousand dollars into my mother's account, guaranteeing we would not have to worry about bills for at least three months.

Because of Asher's massive deposit, the staff even upgraded my mother to an intensive care VIP suite.

Watching my mother sleep peacefully, a massive weight lifted off my chest.

I pulled out my phone and sent a twenty-dollar tip to the nurse who had agreed to call me at that exact time.

Exposing Brittany's lies to Asher was really just a side quest today. Securing my mother's treatment was the real victory.

Finally catching my breath, I looked up at the floating comments.

[Is this side character completely insane? Her little stunt just threw the female lead's entire plan into chaos.]

[Asher is completely ignoring Brittany's texts. Brittany is throwing a massive tantrum in the dorm, blaming the female lead for giving her a terrible excuse.]

[Our female lead baby has never been treated this unfairly! She tried to help, and now she is getting yelled at. I am so mad!]