This woman wasn’t the “innocent act” type. She looked gentler and more fragile than that, and she was in a wheelchair.
Her eyes met Danielle’s, and they sized each other up.
“Dr. Shelly…” Alex’s confused voice came from the phone.
“Hmm, got it,” Danielle replied, ending the call.
The woman smiled, “Hello, Ms. Shelly. Let me introduce myself. I’m Emma, a friend of Ross.”
‘A smooth operator,’ Danielle thought.
She smiled and shook Emma Holland’s hand. “Hello. I’m Danielle, Ross’ girlfriend.”
“I’ve really wanted to meet you,” Emma said. “I’m sorry for dropping by unannounced, Ms. Shelly. You won’t mind, will you?”
Danielle smiled, “It’s nothing.”
“Could I buy you a coffee?”
“Guests should be treated. My treat.”
“Thank you.”
Danielle changed her clothes, handed over her work to another doctor, grabbed her bag, and left with Emma.
No one thought much of Emma in her wheelchair at the hospital, but once they were outside, they drew plenty of stares.
Emma seemed not to care at all. They crossed the street and entered the café opposite the hospital.
Danielle ordered a latte and a cappuccino.
Across the table, neither gave anything away.
Emma took a few sips of coffee and started talking, “I never thought having dinner with Ross would end up trending. He didn’t stay long when he dropped me off at the hotel. I hope you don’t mind.”
Danielle didn’t say yes or no. “Have you known Ross for long?”
“I’ve known him since he was 20,” Emma said, her eyes dropping, a hint of sadness in her voice. “But…” She trailed off.
Danielle prompted. “But what?”
Emma gave a bitter smile. “Seven years ago, I saved Ross and ended up with paralyzed legs. All these years, I’ve seen countless doctors to get treatment, but none could fix my legs.”
‘An old friend, who saved Ross and ended up in a wheelchair because of it. Wow. What a drama,’ Danielle thought, sneering inwardly.
Still, if that were true, Ross owed Emma a huge debt of gratitude.
And seeing Emma still in a wheelchair, it seemed her legs hadn’t gotten better after all these years of treatment.
Danielle didn’t believe Emma had come back just to catch up. Danielle’s voice was calm. “There’s a highly respected senior orthopedic doctor at Yaleview Hospital. You could go see him.”
“Thank you, but I’ve given up. I’m not getting treatment anymore,” Emma said.
Chapter 541
Danielle wasn’t sure how to respond.
Then Ross called back.
Danielle smiled at her. “I need to take this.”
“Is it Ross?” Emma asked.
“Yeah.”
Danielle didn’t like other women–except Shermaine–acting so close to Ross. After all, in her book, that kind of closeness between unrelated men and women carried a hint of intimacy.
Danielle believed only she got to be affectionate with Ross.
Emma seemed to put away all her sharp edges. When she heard Ross was calling Danielle, she didn’t seem to care. She looked out at the busy traffic and sipped her coffee.
Danielle didn’t hold back and answered the call.
Ross asked, “Danielle, are you still at the hospital?”
Danielle replied, “I’m at the café across from the hospital, chatting with your friend.”
Ross frowned. “Emma went to see you?”
“Yep,” Danielle said, sounding thoughtful. “Want to come over?”
Ross nodded. “I’ll be there.”
Danielle let out a soft huff and put down her phone.
“Ross is coming?” Emma asked.
Danielle nodded.
Emma smiled, “You two have a great relationship.”
Danielle said nothing.
Emma didn’t act like a typical rival. It was as if she’d really come just out of curiosity to meet Danielle.
Danielle hoped she was overthinking it, but there was a strange feeling in her gut.
They waited like that.
In the meantime, Danielle checked Twitter on her phone. She saw that Jean Group’s official account had issued a denial, and the hype had died down a bit. But there were still plenty of doubts online.
People even brought up Jameson, saying he had a bad reputation and maybe Ross had inherited his womanizing ways.
In short, the storm wasn’t over yet.
Now that Shermaine and Joshua were gone, too many people were keeping an eye on the Joan and York families.
The Wilson and Clark families, in particular, had risen to fame over the past two years and were watching most greedily.
Half an hour later, Ross arrived.
Chapter 541
Danielle was angry, but she still ordered him a hot cocoa to warm him up.
As soon as he got there, the waiter brought it over.
Ross sat down next to Danielle, a man fresh from the cold, his crisp, cool scent carrying a chill.
Danielle reached over and twisted his waist hard.
Ross’ hand holding the ceramic cup trembled slightly. With his other hand, he grabbed Danielle’s to stop her from pulling away.
Danielle didn’t want to hold his hand, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t yank her hand back.
But his hand was really cold, so she gave up struggling.
Ross looked at Emma and asked, “What are you doing here?”
Emma replied, “I was bored staying at the hotel, and I really wanted to meet Danielle, so I came over.” She smiled, “You’re not mad, are you?”
Ross set down his cup. “No.”
“Good,” Emma said with a smile.
The three sat at the table. The mood wasn’t awkward, but it felt a bit odd.
Thankfully, after another 30 minutes, Emma said she needed to go back to the hotel to rest.
Danielle and Ross walked her back to the hotel together. Once they’d dropped her off, Ross took Danielle to the apartment they usually stayed in.
Danielle grabbed Ross by the tie, led him to the couch, and pushed him down, straddling him. “Nice going, Ross. Another admirer, and this one’s top-tier - definitely a pro.”
Ross, who was elegant, now had messy hair and a tie skewed from Danielle’s tugging. He looked surprisingly alluring. He chuckled, “She did save me once, but I won’t throw myself at her just to repay a debt.”
“Easy for you to say. I’ve read those cheesy novels where the guy broke up with his girlfriend to pay back a favor.”
Danielle ran a hand from his eyebrows down to his Adam’s apple, twirling it playfully. “If you ever break up with me, I’ll break your legs and lock you up.”