Chapter 7 Surprise!

• Aileen's heart sank.
• She felt upset. Although she couldn't find anything wrong with what Alvin had done...
• But didn't this seem a bit too cruel?
• The surgery went smoothly. Brenda was still unconscious when they wheeled her out. She looked so frail.
• It was an unfortunate situation.
• Brenda's accident was a freak accident. She was minding her own business, walking on the pavement, when an electric scooter crashed into her.
• The driver hit and ran. They haven't been able to find him yet.
• Even if they did find him, they would unlikely be compensated.
• Brenda's biggest worry was the cost of the surgery. She didn't have health insurance. Everything had to be paid for out of pocket. Their family lacked nothing but money.
• Given the severity of her knee fracture, she wouldn't be able to return to work for at least half a year.
• Aileen stared unseeingly at Brenda from the bedside.
• All of Aileen's savings would have to go into paying for this. It took her a long time to save up this much money for a down payment on a house.
• But that dream seemed even more out of reach now.
• Her phone vibrated. It was a text from Nancy, a cardiac nurse.
• She had chatted with Nancy while waiting for the surgery to end. They spoke a little about Cole cheating on her.
• Nancy was very understanding and was filled with righteous anger for her. She immediately understood Aileen's plans without her needing to go into details.
• But Nancy reported all of Cole's and Sandra's movements to her.
• The office was empty. Sandra went out for lunch. Cole is still in surgery.
• After contemplating, Aileen decided to retrieve the key.
• It's her problem to fix. She couldn't burden anyone else to do it for her.
• Aileen informed the attending nurse that she would be stepping out for a bit and took the elevator up to the cardiology department.
• She had been there plenty of times and knew the way.
• Aileen entered the office confidently, and thanks to their framed photo on his desk, she quickly found Cole's spot.
• This was taken when they went hiking. Their faces were pressed together, smiling happily at each other.
• His coat was hung across the back of the chair. Aileen rummaged through his pockets and his desk drawers but found nothing.
• He wouldn't have brought it with him to surgery, would he?
• Hearing footsteps approaching, Aileen instinctively ducked under the desk and hid.
• Two people were coming her way.
• Reg chuckled, "I told you she was trouble. I didn't actually think you would give her your spare key card. Now that the key is in Cole's hands, what will you do about it?"
• Alvin said nothing. He pulled out his chair and started to read some medical documents on his desk.
• Reg sipped his tea. Leaning against his desk, he continued, "Maybe we underestimated Aileen? Maybe she approached you on purpose as part of her revenge plan. She might have planted the key for Cole to find. If Cole finds out about the two of you... He'd be furious. Things are going to get awkward."
• Alvin did not react, nor did he comment.
• Reg stared at him. Alvin was acting as if this had nothing to do with him.
• "Are you going to continue with her?"
• Alvin picked up a pen and jotted down some notes. "Nope. I'm over it." He said coolly.
• "Are you truly over it? Or is it because you plan on getting back together with your ex? I heard you spent the night with her last night."
• The sound of a chair screeching against the floor caught them by surprise.
• They exchanged glances.
• Reg was about to investigate the source of the sound when Cole returned with Sandra in tow. She had bought him lunch.
• Among their department, Sandra no longer hid the fact that she was sleeping with him. In fact, she acted like she was his girlfriend.
• Boldly, she held onto his arm and said, "My birthday is in a few days, and I'd like to throw a party. Can I do it at your house?"
• "There's two of us now. You can't refuse me because I outnumber you."
• There was a loud crash.
• Cole's chair fell onto the floor. Aileen emerged from under the desk with open arms and a big smile. "Surprise!"