Chapter 403 - 383: How Long Are You Going to Hide From Me? (2)

"No, it’s not that!" Nancy Hughes said with an awkward smile. "I’m just going to step outside to take a call!"

Ms. Chandler let the others into the private room. "And she says it’s nothing. Look how fast she’s walking!"

The call was from someone Nancy Hughes never expected; how could she not hurry?

She hurried to the entrance, took a deep breath, and brought the phone she was clutching to her ear. "Hello? Is there something you need?"

Silence on the other end. Her heart felt like it was about to leap out of her throat.

’Did Zane Lennox dial the wrong number? Was the person he actually wanted to call not me at all?’

Zane Lennox. She gave a bitter smile. To think that in her entire life, she’d actually be lucky enough to get a call he initiated.

"Nancy Hughes, are you free right now? Can you come over?" Zane Lennox’s voice was low on the other end of the line.

"Yes. Where are you?"

Zane Lennox gave her an address, then paused for a moment before adding, "By the way, do you have any money on you?"

"Hang on, I’ll be right there!"

She rushed to the address Zane Lennox had given her, only to find it was a police station.

Walking inside, she stopped an officer. "Excuse me, do you know where Zane Lennox is?"

"I don’t know. You can ask inside."

"Okay, thank you!"

She had never been to a police station before. It was chaotic, with officers hurrying back and forth and several arrested suspects making a commotion.

She walked up to the information desk. "Excuse me, where can I find Zane Lennox?"

The officer at the desk looked up. "And you are?"

"Oh, I’m a friend of his."

"Come with me."

The officer stood up and came out from behind the desk. Nancy Hughes hurriedly followed her.

Zane Lennox was being held in a closed room. Nancy Hughes glanced in and asked, "Um, excuse me, what did he do?"

"Nothing too serious. Just drunk driving. He hit another car and then assaulted a traffic officer, so we brought him in." The officer sized Nancy Hughes up. "Are you his girlfriend?"

"No, I’m just a regular friend!" Nancy Hughes explained, shaking her head repeatedly.

"Well, you can post his bail and get him out then."

"Okay!"

When she saw that the bail and compensation amounted to a staggering 30,000, her eyes widened in shock.

All the money she had to her name right now was a mere 3,000.

Thirty thousand was ten times that amount.

Besides, she never imagined Zane Lennox would be at a police station.

"Why is it so much money?"

"He hit a brand-new car. The owner is asking for this amount, and it’s actually on the low side."

Nancy Hughes gave an awkward smile. "One moment. I need to go get some money."

She hurried outside and scrolled through her contacts, realizing she barely knew anyone with that kind of money.

Scrolling to the end of the list, her eyes landed on Liam Sheffield’s name. She called him without hesitation.

"Nancy? Why are you calling? Is something wrong?" Liam Sheffield exclaimed happily.

"Um, could I ask to borrow 30,000 from you? I know this is really sudden, but it’s an emergency. I’ll pay you back as soon as I have the money," Nancy Hughes said urgently.

"Nancy, just give me your account number. I’ll wire it to you right away," Liam Sheffield agreed without a second thought.

"Thank you, thank you so much!" Nancy Hughes thanked him profusely before texting him her bank account number.

Upon seeing Nancy Hughes’s text, Liam Sheffield was about to transfer the money, but he suddenly remembered a very serious problem.

Just two days ago, his father, Mr. Sheffield, had taken control of his finances. In short, he was broke too.

Whenever Liam Sheffield was in trouble, he always turned to Dylan Heston for help, and this time was no exception.

Dylan Heston readily lent him the money. Over the phone, Liam Sheffield was overcome with gratitude. "Cousin, if Nancy and I get together, I’ll have you to thank for it!"

"..."

Nancy Hughes waited a little while, and soon a text alert notified her of a deposit to her bank account.

She then followed the officer to pay the fees, and Zane Lennox was released from the room.

The first thing Zane Lennox said to her was, "Sorry to trouble you."

Nancy Hughes shook her head. "It’s fine. Are you hurt anywhere? Should we go to the hospital to get you checked out?"

"No need."

"Oh."

Nancy Hughes lowered her head and walked behind him.

Zane Lennox had long legs and he walked with large, quick strides. Nancy Hughes couldn’t keep up with him at all.

At that moment, an image of walking with Dylan Heston suddenly popped into her head.

Dylan Heston was a completely different person from Zane Lennox. He was good-natured and knew how to be considerate and attentive to women. When she walked slowly, he would deliberately slow his pace to wait for her.

Zane Lennox’s car had been impounded by the police, so the two of them walked outside.

"Where’s the bus stop?" Zane Lennox suddenly stopped and turned to look at the woman following behind him with her head down.

Nancy Hughes didn’t react in time and nearly crashed into him. "Ah!" she yelped. "I’m not sure!"

When she had rushed over earlier, she had been afraid of keeping Zane Lennox waiting, so she’d taken a taxi.

She wasn’t very familiar with the bus routes in this area.

"Wait, let me check." In her panic, her brain still managed to function. She pulled out her phone and started looking up the route.

The two of them stood on the side of the main road. Zane Lennox took a cigarette from his pocket and started smoking.

The acrid smell of smoke drifted toward her on the breeze, and she coughed twice. "The bus stop is pretty far. We have to walk up ahead."

"Then let’s go."

"Oh."

Zane Lennox stubbed out his cigarette, tossing it on the ground. The butt, crushed under his foot, still glowed with a red ember as Nancy Hughes hurried to catch up to him.

’A sudden question popped into her head. Why didn’t he just take a taxi home?’

’She glanced at his expensive suit. It would definitely get dirty and wrinkled on a bus.’

Nancy Hughes followed behind him, and after about ten minutes, she saw the bus stop.

"Do you have any change?" Zane Lennox asked her.

"Yes."

Nancy Hughes took two coins from her pocket and placed them in his palm.

There weren’t many people at the stop, but the bus itself was crowded.

When they got on, it was so packed there was barely room to stand.

Nancy Hughes stood behind Zane Lennox, craning her neck to look at his back.

She thought back carefully, trying to remember why she had fallen for this guy in the first place.

It seemed to start with their first meeting. She had seen Zane Lennox get on the bus with a few of his friends.

They looked like they had just come from playing basketball. Even though they were all wearing the same clothes, Zane Lennox was still the most eye-catching one in his group of friends.

She was sure that almost every woman there had been captivated by Zane Lennox at first sight.

The second time, she was rushing home on the bus after finishing her part-time job.

She ran into Zane Lennox again. He was standing in the middle of the bus, listening to music with his headphones on.

The bus wasn’t very crowded this time. With her heart pounding, she moved closer to him.

Slowly, she drew nearer, until only a few centimeters separated them.

Her heart leaped at being so close to Zane Lennox. But in the next second, the driver suddenly slammed on the brakes, and her body lurched forward.

She thought she was going to fall gracelessly, but when she opened her eyes, she found herself in Zane Lennox’s arms.

’A hero saving the damsel in distress,’ she thought. ’It must feel just like this.’

Back then, Zane Lennox didn’t know her. He had simply asked, "Are you okay?"

Nancy Hughes was mesmerized by his eyes, her body stiff as she leaned against his chest.

It took her a long moment before she, heart pounding and face flushed, jumped out of his arms, apologizing profusely.

’The first time I saw Zane Lennox, it was just a simple attraction,’ she thought. ’But him saving me like a hero... that must be the real reason I fell for him.’

The bus was crowded, and the throng of people gradually separated them.

Nancy Hughes stared at his back, desperately trying to get closer, only to find the distance between them growing wider.

’Some things are just fated,’ she thought. ’You can’t force them.’

She stopped trying to move forward and turned her head away.

At every stop, a wave of people got off, and the bus quickly emptied out.

When they reached their stop, Nancy Hughes reminded him to get off.

The night air was cool and crisp, just like her heart.

Nancy Hughes stood beside him and heard Zane Lennox say, "Thanks for tonight."

"It’s fine. We’re alumni, after all!" Nancy Hughes let out a hollow laugh.

"I’ll pay you back the money."

"Mm."

"Well, I’m heading back now."

"Okay. Be careful on your way."

Zane Lennox stood on the side of the road and casually hailed a taxi.

Watching the taxi drive away, she grew even more confused.

’He took the bus just now, but now he’s taking a taxi home? I really don’t get it.’

She sighed, then walked toward the bus stop on the opposite side of the street. Forgetting someone was truly difficult.

She thought she had already forgotten Zane Lennox, but the moment she saw him, she realized she had only hidden him away in a deeper part of her heart.

So deep that even she couldn’t find him.

Zane Lennox was very efficient. The next morning, just as she was getting up, her phone buzzed with a notification: a deposit of 100,000 had been made to her account.

It startled her so much that she leaped out of bed, thinking someone had made a mistaken transfer, until she saw the text from Zane Lennox below it.

Nancy Hughes hesitated before texting back, "You only need to pay me back 30,000!"

She didn’t get a reply from Zane Lennox until she had already arrived at work.

"Consider it payment for taking the bus with me last night."

"..."

’The extra 70,000 is probably enough to buy a whole bus.’

"I should just give the money back to you. I don’t feel right holding onto it. Send me your account number!"

Since Nancy Hughes insisted, Zane Lennox went ahead and sent her his account number.

During her lunch break, she went to the bank, returned the extra 70,000 to Zane Lennox, and paid back the remaining 30,000 to Liam Sheffield.

On Friday evening, Nancy Hughes was in the studio teaching children how to draw when the phone she’d set aside suddenly rang.

She glanced at it. "You keep drawing for now. Teacher will come check on you in a bit."

She picked up the phone and stepped to the side. "Hello, this is Nancy Hughes."

"It’s me."

Her heart skipped a beat, and her voice instantly softened. "Mr. Heston, is there something I can help you with?"

"This weekend, are you free?"

’This weekend? Isn’t he supposed to be going out with Hannah Gunn?’

Nancy Hughes answered subconsciously, "No."

"Mm."

Their conversations always stalled after no more than three exchanges, followed by silence.

Silas, a little boy, suddenly ran out. "Teacher Hughes, I finished my drawing! Look!"

The little boy held up a drawing, proudly showing it to Nancy Hughes.

Nancy Hughes hastily put her phone away, lowered her head to earnestly admire the boy’s artwork, and nodded in praise. "This is very beautiful. Can you draw a little kitten for Teacher Hughes?"