Chapter 232
Alicia remembered that when she was in kindergarten, no one dared to bully her because they knew that she had an unreasonable elder brother who could fight. Those who pulled her hair would either be warned or scolded. In worse cases, Nicholas beat them up.
Therefore, he had gotten into a lot of trouble for her. Sometimes, he even got punished by their parents.
However, Nicholas had always been her shield. Everyone thought of him as a rebellious punk. Even their parents punished him often but Alicia knew that he was kind and he would protect her! Moreover, Alicia never saw him picking a fight with anyone. He was just misunderstood.
He was kind at heart!
Alicia's school days were smooth- sailing because of him. Her classmates liked her and those who hated her did not dare to pick a fight with her.
There was a kid who liked Alicia when she was younger. He kissed Alicia and she cried. The next day, the kid was beaten up by Nicholas and his mouth was swollen. From that day on, nobody dared to take advantage of Alicia. In her first year of high school, a girl was jealous of her looks and put a dead frog in Alicia's bag. It frightened Alicia and she was sick for days. After that incident, that same girl often found some animal corpses such as snakes and mice in her bag and lunchbox. Finally, the girl couldn't withstand it anymore and got herself transferred.
He was rebellious and unlike any of his peers back then. Alicia thought so too.
Even their parents were not accepting of how Nicholas was. Martin, who had never resorted to violence, ended up whipping him. Despite that, Alicia was still close to him.
Whenever Nicholas got punished, Alicia would sneak some food and medication for him. In return, he would get her flowers and toys! No matter what their parents or others said, Alicia liked him. He wasn't home often but he always kept in contact with Alicia. Sometimes, he would check on her at school to see if anyone is bullying her.
But one day, he ran away from home.
From that day on, Alicia never heard from him or saw him again. From what she remembered, Alicia had not seen him since senior high.
Later, Alicia overheard her mother mentioning something about Nicholas. Her parents had demanding clerical jobs before going into business. At that time, they only had one child but her parents yearned to have two children. Flora did not want to get pregnant so soon as it might affect her career. Somehow, she only realized that she was pregnant after four months. Coincidentally, she was also placed outstation for work. That was how Flora kept it a secret and Nicholas became a foster kid under the Gail family, a distant relative of theirs.
Therefore, Nicholas's surname has always been Gail.
Their living conditions weren't great initially, therefore Alicia's parents were focused on work. They led this kind of life for many years. Later, Martin got lucky and became rich so Flora quit her job. Hence, they got Nicholas back.
However, Nicholas was not close to his biological parents because of the time apart since he was a kid. Their parents did not adapt well to the habits he developed at the foster family. Even if Martin and Flora were tolerant of him, it was inevitable for him to get into arguments that distanced their relationship. As a result, Martin rarely mentioned him when he was outside. He had no intention of doing it either. Nicholas was sent into boarding school later. He couldn't understand why Martin and Flora did this. They couldn't bear his attitude as well. Their relationship was so bad that Martin almost disowned him.
Not knowing what happened, Nicholas ran away from home!
Therefore, Mrs. Blanchard always felt that they were the reason Nicholas became who he was at present. To prevent history from repeating itself, they treated Alicia well and felt sorry for Nhim.
"Hang on, Nicholas! Let's go!"
Alicia drove all the way to the nearest hospital but he refused to suture back his finger even when it was possible. In the end, the doctor stitched his wounds.
Right then, Alicia gave him an update on the family. She was thrilled that he was back, just as she was when Martin was awake. As long as the family was reunited, she was happy.
"Let's go home! Mom and Dad will be delighted to see you!"
Walking out of the hospital, Alicia grabbed Nicholas by the arm. She was like a little girl holding on to her brother.
He stopped in his tracks and shook his head.
"Wouldn’t I just make them worry if I go back looking like this? Ally, please don’t tell them that I'm back, let alone the fact that you've met me! I don't want them to see me this ragged. It has been so long. Waiting a while longer wouldn't hurt. I hope to give them a surprise when I meet them."
Instead of another disappointment!
"Promise me that you won't tell them? Think of it as a little secret between us! Just like the old times!"
"Fine. But, you need to promise me not to cause trouble anymore. Not to mention murder! You gave me the shock of my life earlier! I don't want anything to happen to you! Nicholas, it's okay if we don't
have money. We can still work! Now you've only lost a finger, what if you lost a hand or a leg?"
Alicia was mortified at the thought of it and she couldn't help but choke up.
"Silly girl, don't cry! I'm fine! I was just scaring them. I just came back from a hell of a place. Why would I cause trouble for myself? Now, I have a little princess to protect!"
Messing her hair up, Nicholas hugged her and said, "I'm sorry for not being a good brother!"
Alicia had suffered for years. She worked hard to support the Blanchard family. At that moment, he was overwhelmed by guilt. Belongs to NôvelDrama.Org - All rights reserved.
"I still need to honor our parents and protect my little princess! But for the time being, just keep the secret for me, please?"
"Okay! Where are you staying tonight? I could get you a hotel for a night or two! We can plan what comes after later on! Your clothes are filthy too. I'll get you some new clothes later. Are you hungry? Let's go and eat something!"
As Nicholas didn't have any identification on him, they could only stay at a cheap hotel. They bought takeaway. Alicia had no appetite and Nicholas was tired, not to mention that he was wounded. After taking his medicine, he fell asleep instantly. Meanwhile, Alicia tidied up and then left the room.
"I'll help get some change of clothes for you. Don't go anywhere and wait for me!"
Alicia drove to the nearest street and walked into a men's clothing store. After purchasing some clothes, she bought two pairs of sneakers from a shoe store that was still open.
Although her hands were full, she still wanted to get some daily necessities and food at the supermarket nearby.
Following the road sign to the supermarket, she crossed the road. Glimpsing around, she saw Frederick standing in front of a hotel up ahead. A woman of age wearing a skin-tight short skirt with a seductive vibe was standing next to him. They were whispering in each other's ears. Based on their body language, they seemed pretty intimate. From time to time, the woman would giggle and try to lean on Frederick.
An unknown rage started to flare up inside of Alicia. She gritted her teeth.
What a prurient man! He really isn't picky!