17 Chapter 17 : In The Hospital

"Nonsense Anne! I did not know you're now a liar as well. I'm standing right at the door of Miss Alice's house. Where the hell are you? " Antonio shouted through the phone.

"I'm really with Miss Alice."

"Anne! It's almost 11 o'clock and you're telling me you're with Miss Alice?" Antonio simply did not believe her: "Are you sure you are not with Terry?"

"What Terry?" She had no idea what Antonio was talking about, and who was Terry?

Beside her, Alice stretched out her hand and took the cell phone from Anne." Hello Antonio, hope you having a good evening."

Hearing Alice's voice from Anne's phone, he relaxed for a bit, but just for a little while.

He had simply asked her to do some work outside the office and this lady didn't return to the office the whole day. It was impossible to reach her on phone too. Immediately after work, he drove straight home, thinking she had gone back to the house instead of returning to the office. He opened the door and alas! He was met with total darkness. She wasn't home yet and she wasn't at the office either?

Still very angry and unexpectedly, he received a call, Stacey was back!

Antonio was pleasantly surprised, he was being invited to dinner. The dinner had been on his mind the whole day, he had to pass by the house to freshen up and get ready. But it was almost 11 o'clock and this damn woman wasn't home yet!

Terry! Is this damn woman with Terry?

He rushed to Terry's house, but he wasn't even around. Then he remembered, he had sent her on an errand to Alice's house earlier in the day. And Alice's house wasn't so far from Terry's end, he decided to walk there.

Antonio couldn't find her there either. He had been dialling her number incessantly, more than 20 times without being able to connect to her number.

"It's extremely late, how could she still be with you?" Knowing that Anne had been with Alice all along brought him some relief but it was short lived. The mere thought that Anne had the guts to stay out this late without his knowledge of her whereabouts, and causing him to look everywhere for her got him furious all over again. He angrily asked Alice over the phone, "Where did you take her?"

Alice was stunned ... Antonio, although usually cold and rude, always behaved politely and acted like a gentleman around her. He had never raised his voice at her.

A flicker of disbelief washed over her face ... does Antonio really hate Anne that much?

"Be rest assured Antonio, how can I abduct such a fully grown woman? But it's already late, Anne will spend the night with me. You need not to worry about her safety. She would be at work early tomorrow morning in one peace."

Antonio barked into the phone: "No way! Don't bother, where is she now? I will come get her."

Alice lifted her eyes in Anne's direction, implying that the ball was in her court, she needed to make her own decisions.

Could she be discharged in this condition?

Anne was caught up in her thoughts. She couldn't allow Antonio to come to the hospital. Once that happens, she would be exposed and her secret would be no longer hidden.

Taking the phone from Alice's hands, Anne mustered up the courage to speak up for herself. The first time ever in three years, she refused to do Antonio's bidding: "Sir, do not worry about me, Miss Alice and I are out to get something to eat. You don't need to pick me up, and my cell phone is out of power so bye."

After speaking, she didn't wait for his response and immediately hung up and turned off the phone.

Antonio looked at the phone, the call was disconnected. "Toot toot-"-he could only hear the busy tone of the phone. He immediately tried calling again, "Sorry, the number you have dialled is currently switched off"

Antonio couldn't believe this, his face was red with fury!

Do try again later, the operator responded.