I’m Someone Else

Chapter 27

Thomas narrowed his eyes and glared at Ophelie. If the way that she had spoken to him a day ago was due to a pure misunderstanding, then he was convinced that she was just being a nuisance at this point. After all, the doctor had already stated that he hadn’t harmed Olivia—in fact, he was the one who saved her! Why is she still talking to me like this? Does she think I’m a pushover? Thomas was about to lose his temper when the door to the ward was flung open.

Norman heard some noise coming from outside, so he walked out to check things out. “Oh. It’s you,” Norman said with a hint of surprise as he stared at Thomas. What’s this guy doing here again? Is he here to visit Olivia? That doesn’t make sense. They just encountered one another by chance—isn’t he a little too much by coming over to visit? Norman was the head of the Pearson Group so he was a busy man, but he had taken out some time in the morning just to visit his daughter. He hadn’t expected to bump into Thomas here. Norman and Ophelie exchanged glances as they tried to figure out the reason Thomas was there. Soon enough, they came to the same conclusion. He must be here because he wants some form of reward!

The Pearsons were a reputable family in Irieson, and there were tons of people queuing up to be on their good side. Thomas was clearly one of those people! However, Norman still found one thing rather puzzling—Why didn’t Thomas just ask for a reward yesterday? Did he only think about it this morning? Could he have realized something after waking up today?

“Give me a moment.” Norman stood at the door without any intention of making way for Thomas to enter. Instead, Norman pulled his phone out and dialed a number before pressing his phone against his ear. “Can you get someone to bring 150,000 in cash now?” Norman asked. Despite feeling a sense of disrespect toward Thomas, Norman understood that Thomas was the one who had saved his daughter. The doctor made it clear the day before—Olivia wouldn’t have survived if it hadn’t been for Thomas. So, Norman found it reasonable to offer Thomas a reward.

“Pfft!” Ophelie gave Thomas disdainful scoff. Why is he acting all high and mighty? What’s up with that icy look on his face? He’s just here for the money, isn’t he? If he’s so desperate for the money, he should play the part, at least! Soon enough, a man in a black suit and black sunglasses showed up with a white suitcase. The man walked directly to Norman.

“Give it to him!” Norman ordered. The man in black nodded and opened the suitcase before presenting it to Thomas. The bright green bills caught the attention of everyone else in the hospital. “Woah! How much is that? There’s at least 30 grand there, isn’t there?” someone cried. Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

“30 grand? No way. I bet there’s at least 50 grand there!” another one said.

“This is what I’m paying you for saving my daughter. It’s a total of 150,000. You can take this as a thank-you gift,” Norman said to Thomas. “150,000 isn’t a small sum, and I bet you’d take years to earn this amount of money. I’m sure it’s enough for you,” Norman added.

“How shameless!” Ophelie rolled her eyes. Saving another person’s life is supposed to be an act of unconditional kindness. Isn’t he shameless for coming over just to ask for a reward?

Thomas froze in his spot. He had only stepped forward to save Olivia out of pure kindness, and he hadn’t expected anything in return. Furthermore, Olivia was nice to him, and she was his boss. He felt like it was only right for him to have offered a helping hand. What did they think when they decided to offer me this money? he wondered.

“Is it not enough?” When Norman saw Thomas standing still in his spot, Norman assumed that Thomas had expected more than 150,000. So, Norman pulled his chequebook out of his pocket before scribbling something on it and throwing it into the suitcase. “Here’s another 300,000. You can have it.”

Thomas nearly laughed out loud. Norman’s an interesting character. Does he really think I’m interested in such a small sum of money now? That’s a total of 450,000. It’s really no big deal. I just handed 2.8 million out yesterday!

“Is it still not enough?” Norman’s face darkened as he wrote another cheque. “This makes it a total of 750,000. Take the money and leave. You’d be considered a rich person in Irieson with 750,000 cash in your hands,” he uttered. One should have limits to his greed! I’m not going to play nice anymore if this young man continues to push for more money!

“Hey! Didn’t you hear what my dad said? Take the money and leave! I hate greedy people like you.” Ophelie couldn’t bear to witness this scene any longer. The people around them were starting to whisper among themselves as well.

“Yeah, he should know when to stop. He has 750,000 already!” someone commented. “There are people who might never get that amount of money in their lifetime…”

“I would just take the money and leave. We need to know when to be content, you know,” someone else added. Thomas took a deep breath. If the two people standing in front of him weren’t Olivia’s biological relatives, he might have just punched them in the face. They claimed to be kind enough to provide him with a thank-you fee, but it was obvious that they were only doing such a thing because they were looking down on him.

Why does it matter if they’re rich? Do they think they can use their money to trample all over my pride? “I don’t want the money. I’m not here for the money,” Thomas uttered. Norman and Ophelie exchanged puzzled glances. Does he not want the money? Why would he come here, then?

Thomas held his finger out to point at Ophelie. “Didn’t you say I have no right to see your sister? Well, I’m afraid I do. In fact, I have the right to see her every day.” Ophelie pouted at the sound of this. “Stop bluffing! What makes you say that you can see my sister every day? You’re just a poor freak who’s trying to get into my sister’s pants!”

Thomas shook his head. “I’m Miss Pearson’s professional driver. Wouldn’t I have to see her every day?”

“What do you mean you’re a driver; you—” Ophelie stopped herself as she widened her eyes. “Did you just say that you’re my sister’s professional driver?” So… he wasn’t bluffing. He really has the right and reason to see Olivia every day… Ophelie felt her cheeks burning with shame. I can’t believe he embarrassed me like that!

Thomas walked into the room while Norman and Ophelie were still processing their shock from hearing his words. Olivia had already awakened from her coma, but her face was still extremely pale. She smiled when she saw Thomas. “Thank you for yesterday,” she said. She had already heard from Ophelie and the doctors that she would’ve died from severe blood loss if Thomas hadn’t pierced her with the brooch.

She was filled with gratitude toward the man before her eyes. This was the second time he had saved her life, after all. Thomas waved his hand to dismiss her. “It’s fine. Look, now that you’re hospitalized, how am I supposed to work?” he asked.

“You can go home and rest. You don’t have to work,” she offered.

“Hmm…” Thomas took a deep breath. “You’re not going to deduct my pay, are you?” he asked.

She couldn’t help but laugh. “Of course not!”

“Great. You should get some rest, then. I’ll head home now,” he uttered. Norman couldn’t believe what he saw when he witnessed the exchange between Thomas and Olivia. What is going on in this guy’s mind? He didn’t want the 750,000 we offered him, but he’s worried about getting his salary deducted. How does that make sense?