Chapter 16 I Hate You

• Ian was taken aback by the woman's icy demeanor so he checked the caller ID to make sure it was Rosie. Feeling puzzled at her sudden change in attitude, he scratched his head and thought, weren't we a loving couple when we parted ways in the morning? Why does she sound so displeased at me now?
• Ian immediately took a cab to the hospital after he had unloaded his bag of rare metals. When he arrived at the ward twenty minutes later, he was greeted at the entrance by an annoyed Rosie. She glared at the man and demanded, "Explain yourself, Ivan Griffin. Why did you do that?"
• "Honey, there's no need to call me by my full name." Ian tried to lighten the mood as he had no idea what had sparked Rosie's rage. He then probed gently, "What did I do wrong?"
• "Stop acting innocent!" Rosie bit her lip and tried to fight back her tears. She pointed at Ian and shrieked, "It's okay if you are dumb and weak, but why did you lie to me? It's fine if your lies are directed at me but why did you harm my father? Are you trying to gamble his life away?"
• Ian's heart wrenched when he saw Rosie's forlorn expression. He coaxed, "I have never lied to you, Honey."
• Rosie bellowed, "Shut up! I'm not your wife! Stop being such a disgrace, Ivan Griffin. My greatest regret in life is to marry such a useless fool like you! I hate you!" She bit her lip even harder to stop her tears from rolling down her cheeks.
• Ian was still perplexed as to why Rosie was so upset. Undeterred by the chidings, he probed once more, "What's the problem, Honey? I'm not sure what you're talking about."
• "You can keep up with your pretense for all I care. Follow me!" Rosie dragged Ian by the arm into the intensive care unit. Wilhelm lay on the bed with tubes inserted all over him. He seemed unconscious and on the verge of death.
• Ian was astonished to see Wilhelm in such a dire state. The elderly man was in high spirits when they visited him at the hospital in the morning. Just then, Ian thought of a possible reason for Wilhelm's condition. He turned to Rosie and asked, "Was there something wrong with the medication?"
• Rosie hissed, "Are you admitting that this is all your fault? It's all right if you fail to get the drug for my dad. I know that you tried your best to help him. However, why did you have to pretend that you have gotten a box of the medications? He's now in a critical condition all thanks to you!"
• The woman was experiencing a mixed bag of emotions. She was heartened by Ian's commitment and concern throughout the past few days. She thought there was a chance that the man had changed for the better. Little did Rosie know that Ian was still the dumb and useless man he used to be. Furthermore, he had the audacity to risk Wilhelm's life by using bogus medications.
• Rosie thought to herself, how could I be so stupid to not realize that whatever Ivan said was a lie? How's it even possible for an old man to offer 5 million dollars for some cheap metal pieces? Moreover, he claims that the old man is Othar's God of Medicine. No one has heard of the legendary figure for almost ten years. It's foolish to believe that he would suddenly appear and be willing to gift Ivan a box of rare drugs, expecting nothing in return. I can't believe that I fell for Ivan's evil plot! His story is so illogical that an eight-year-old kid could see through his lies. Perhaps I'm the one who's stupid after all, much more so than my foolish hubby.
• The woman felt a strong pang of sadness as she stared at the silent Ivan. She could not believe that she had allowed herself to be duped by the man. Moreover, she felt responsible for her father's predicament.
• Ian furrowed his brows and pondered an explanation. After some time, he eventually said, "I know what happened."
• Rosie scowled and replied curtly, "Oh yeah? I'm glad you have finally decided to admit your mistakes. Today, I met three swindles who claimed to be Wilbert Ashford.I had no idea you'd turn out to be one of those scumbags on the streets who prey on others. Was that how you got the five million dollars?"
• Given his intelligence, Ian was able to quickly deduce the cause of the situation. However, he had no intention of defending himself. He believed that it was pointless to try and change one's bias thinking. If Rosie trusted him completely, she would believe whatever he said. If she had no faith in him, she would be outraged if he persisted to defend himself.
• Ian suddenly had a gloomy outlook on life. In his previous life, he was free to do whatever he liked as he possessed enormous power and authority. After his rebirth, he sought to devote his time and energy to loving and protecting a woman. However, he had no idea it would be such a difficult task. It was now evident to him that Rosie had never believed in him.
• Ian took a deep breath and reached out to brush Rosie's tears away. Instead of being moved, the woman's face was one of disgust. He said calmly before leaving the room, "I understand. I promise never to annoy you in the future."
• Meanwhile, Kyle was hiding in the corridor and watching the event unfold. He was pleased to see Ian and Rosie having a disagreement. He smirked and thought to himself, does he really think he can win me? A fool like him is no match for a genius like me.
• A sting of melancholy and confusion filled Rosie as she watched Ian walking away. She thought, why can't he just explain himself? Argh, never mind. I should hate him instead. He nearly killed Dad! I can't be bothered about him anymore. He can continue swindling others and I'll arrest him if I catch him in act.
• Ian suddenly turned around after taking a few steps. Rosie felt her heart pounding in her chest as she wondered, why is he turning back? Is he prepared to apologize and explain himself? Or did he concoct another lie to trick me?
• Ian kept a straight face as he took out a credit card from his pocket. He headed back to the lift after placing it on the window ledge. Rosie scoffed inwardly, perhaps the few thousand dollars is nothing compared to what he has.
• After seeing Ian had left, Kyle walked out of his hidden corner and pretended to walk pass. He called out, "Hey, Rosie!"
• The woman quickly wiped away her tears and forced a smile. "Hi, Kyle."
• The man assured, "Don't worry, I'm sure Mr. Young will be fine. I'll perform the procedure myself, so you can be confident of the outcome. I promise to help you get the medication he needs." He peered at Rosie's perfect figure and thought to himself, I'm definitely getting my hands on her. She's gorgeous enough to be my mistress. I shall have my fun and never let go of her. She will never have thought that I'm responsible for changing the medications. No one can stop me now that Ivan is gone.
• Rosie was relieved that Kyle did not ask her to spend the night with him to return the favor. She replied gratefully, "Thanks, Kyle."
• "You are welcome. Have you eaten? Shall we grab a bite? Please take care of yourself, Rosie," Kyle said warmly.
• Even though Rosie did not have an appetite, she did not wish to turn down Kyle's invitation as she had to depend on the man to save Wilhelm. Hence, she nodded her head and replied, "Sure, it's my treat."
• Meanwhile, after leaving the hospital, Ian rested against a tree across the street. He was confident that the drug provided by Wilbert was genuine. The only reasonable explanation for Wilhelm's condition was that Kyle had tampered with the medication. However, it was pointless to beat the man up and force him to admit his mistakes. Rosie would have thought that he had coerced Kyle to take the blame instead. Hence, Ian had decided to take the opportunity to test Rosie's character. If she gave in to Kyle's demands and bedded him, she would be unfit to be his wife.
• The corner of Ian's mouth quivered when he saw Kyle and Rosie walk out of the hospital and into a nearby restaurant. He lit a cigarette and slowly made his way back to the villa.
• As soon as he arrived at the villa, Ian began packing his belongings and planning for his next move. He had to fix the cauldron and then raise money to purchase the rare ingredients required to make the miracle pill. The most important task was to regain his vigor and be freed from his weakened body. It was no longer worth his time and effort to deal with his failed love life.
• Ian decided to put up his makeshift home under a bridge near the junkyard because he did not have much money with him. He was oblivious to his living conditions because he had lived in a similar dismal state for ten years when he was a nobody.
• The rare metals began to pile up as Ian scavenged at the junkyard day and night for the next few days. He saved some of the metal pieces to rebuild the cauldron and sold the remainder to cover his living expenses. The man had to scrimp and save because his earnings were barely enough to get by.
• One fine day, Ian decided to visit Wilhelm at the hospital. Although he was relieved, he was not surprised to learn that the old man's condition had improved. After all, Kyle was determined to treat the man in order to gain Rosie's favor. Nobody noticed Ian paying Wilhelm a visit during his brief stay.
• Time passed quickly and Ian's makeshift home was soon filled with various rare metals. He had finally finished collecting the raw materials required to fix the cauldron. The next step was to purchase the centrifugal fan and some coal to melt the metals and mold it into the cauldron.
• Ian broke into a wide grin when he saw that his three days of hard work had given rise to significant progress. He had managed to melt all the rare metals to create a golden-looking ore. He then used a sharp knife he found in the junkyard to repair the cauldron with the ore.
• After a day of hard work, the cauldron was finally fixed. Ian heaved a sigh of relief as he was one step closer to accomplishing his goal. It was now time for him to raise money to purchase the raw materials required to make the miracle pill.
• Ian was disheveled, with unkempt hair, an unshaven face, and messy clothing. He resembled any of the homeless men in the neighborhood. As he stepped out of his makeshift home to tidy himself, he noticed a fair woman in a simple white tee and jean shorts approaching him. She yelled, "I've finally tracked you down, liar!"