fanqie novel
Chap 12
12.
“Wait! Please repeat what you just said!”
“I’ve liked you for a long time, Uncle,” Clara confesses, louder than before.
“Are you serious, Clara?” Joe glares at the young girl. How could she, at 17 years old, dare to love him, now 35 years old and soon to be divorced?
Clara is taken aback, afraid to meet the man’s gaze. Then, she straightens her head briefly to glance at Joe, feeling scared. She turns around, running down the stairs.
Mrs. Linn sees Clara with surprise. It’s only been about five minutes on the second floor, and now she’s already on the ground floor.
“Why? What’s wrong, Clara?” Mrs. Linn scolds.
“I want to go home now, Mr. Bond, Mrs. Linn. I think I forgot something!” Clara says and quickly walks towards the front door. She steps out, walking down the alley until reaching the main street. Then, she immediately orders a motorcycle taxi online through the app on her phone.
=====???=====
It’s been 3 weeks since Clara confessed her feelings to Joe. During that time, Clara has been trying hard to forget him. Since then, Clara has never called Joe. Likewise, Joe has been busy with work and his personal affairs.
Now, the man is officially divorced from Vivian and a handsome, wealthy widower admired by many women.
Clara slides her work screen. Several articles about Joe’s divorce from Vivian are trending on various online media platforms. Clara swallows, realizing she’s nothing compared to being a rival to the model. Vivian Rosaline, Joe Sebastian’s ex-wife, is beautiful, intelligent, and wealthy. It’s reasonable for Joe to love such a woman.
“Are you not going to send a message or call him?” Nadia asks, redirecting her gaze to Clara.
“No, I won’t send a message or call him,” Clara chuckles, still staring at her phone screen, curious and continuously stalking Vivian Rosaline’s Instagram.
“Tomorrow is the end of the month, and in the afternoon, aren’t we having an outbound event for the farewell and handover to the new scout organization?” Nadia protests, knowing Clara will need a lot of money for that event.
“I still have money in my savings; I can use it for the next 4 months,” Clara confidently replies. She won’t meet or send a message to Joe before he contacts her first.
“Come on, Clara! It’s okay; you just need to apologize and promise not to repeat your recklessness. That’s all you need to do, rather than going hungry during lunch and not buying anything!” Nadia persuades, knowing Clara loves snacks from the school canteen.
“No, I don’t dare. Even now, when he rejects me, I still like him!” Clara says, not understanding her feelings. Her affection for Joe is too deep.
Clara gets up from her seat, looks into her wallet, and realizes her money is running out. There’s a school event tomorrow that will require her to spend more money. She can only sigh in frustration, resisting the temptation of buying snacks outside and having dinner with the provided menu in the dorm.
The next day…
Something bad happens to Clara. While rock climbing, she falls and can’t walk. She even faints because her head hits the floor.
Nadia and Mario immediately take Clara to the nearest hospital with one of their supervising teachers.
“We need to contact Clara’s guardian!” Mrs. Santi, their supervising teacher, instructs.
“Yes, ma’am, I will call them,” Nadia replies. Meanwhile, Clara is undergoing treatment.
“Alright, Nadia, I’ll go back to the school event. You take care of Clara and call me when Clara’s guardian arrives,” Mrs. Santi says.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“You better go home or return to the school event. I’ll take care of Clara,” Nadia orders Mario, who sits next to her, looking very worried.
“I’ll stay here until Clara wakes up!” Mario insists. They keep a close eye on Clara, hoping she regains consciousness soon.
“Uncle Joe,” the teenage girl mutters without opening her eyes. Sweat dampens her forehead and face.
Nadia is startled, wanting to contact Joe immediately. After all, he’s the only person who can be asked for help. Clara has no one else.
Mario looks at Nadia, and vice versa.
“I’ll call Uncle Joe,” Nadia says, grabbing Clara’s phone and dialing his number.
The call connects.
“Hello,” Joe answers after seeing Clara’s name on his screen.
“Uncle, it’s Nadia, Clara’s friend,” the teenager replies.
“Yeah, what’s up?” Joe asks, currently having lunch with his friend.
“Clara is in the hospital, Uncle,” Nadia says.
“Why did that happen?” Joe asks, concerned.
“Clara fell while rock climbing and hasn’t regained consciousness, Uncle,” Nadia explains.
“Okay, I’ll come right away. Send me the location,” Joe responds, deeply worried. He intentionally didn’t contact Clara because he wanted her to forget him, fearing he might hurt her if he openly discussed his feelings.
“Yes, Uncle,” Clara replies, then ends the call.Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.
Before locking her phone screen, Nadia shares her location with Joe. Then, she goes back into Clara’s room. Mario is still there, always keeping watch over Clara with a sad expression.
“Who will pick up Clara later?” Mario asks, his gaze always on Clara, who is still unconscious.
“Uncle Joe,” Nadia answers firmly.
“What about Clara’s parents?” Mario probes. “Why does that man have to pick up Clara?” Mario protests.
“Uncle Joe has replaced the role of Clara’s deceased parents!” Nadia explains.
“Are they close?! How close are they?” Mario’s curiosity grows, becoming more intrigued with Uncle Joe, especially the extent of his role in Clara’s life!
“Very close. Uncle Joe has always treated Clara well, taken her on vacations, bought her a phone, and they met. Until everything changed a month ago!” Nadia whispers the last three words.
“Why? What happened?” Mario’s voice also lowers, his curiosity increasing. He wants to ask Nadia, who may understand what happened between Clara and the older man.
“Clara confessed,” Nadia whispers, covering her lips with her index finger.
Hearing that, Mario doesn’t ask any more questions. He just feels heartbroken, but there’s still hope because it seems Uncle Joe has rejected Clara’s feelings.
To be continued…