On the other side, Emily went to work as usual and saw Jonas, who had just been discharged from the hospital.
He was dressed in simple clothing. The bruises on his face were fading, but they were still evident upon a closer look. He moved with an obvious limp, and he was still wearing a cast on his arm. Overall, he looked miserable.
While he was interacting with his co-workers, he suddenly noticed the woman who was about to take a turn to avoid running into him. He turned to his peers and calmly said, "Sorry, I just remembered that there's something I need to do. Excuse me." He started to walk away.
"Wait, why don't you finish what you were talking about first?"
Despite his companion's protests, Jonas still made his way to the corner of the corridor and managed to grab Emily's sleeve before she was able to get into the elevator.
Emily was taken aback by his grip and quickly shook him off. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked with gritted teeth, annoyed.
Upon seeing her angry expression, Jonas looked down with a sad face, but he was also kind of agitated. "I'm sorry for startling you. I was just a little excited to get to you."
Emily was sensible enough to not respond. She took a small step back and suddenly felt embarrassed. "The elevator is here. You'd better go in now."
Jonas shook his head. "No, you misunderstood. I wasn't in a hurry to get into the elevator. I just wanted to ask why you're avoiding me."
"I'm not avoiding you." Emily awkwardly smiled and looked at him as if she had just noticed his bandaged hand. "I didn't expect that they would discharge you from the hospital so soon. Are you sure you're recovered enough to come back to work?"
When he heard this, Jonas realized that the woman in front of him wasn't completely innocent and naive.
He forced a bitter smile. "It's good enough. I haven't seen you in days. I was worried about you."
"I'm all right," Emily answered. She gave him a tight-lipped smile. "I thought I made myself clear on the phone last night," she reminded him.
"You mean we really can't be friends anymore?" Jonas tried his best not to lose his composure. He was smiling at her, but his fists were clenched. "Come on, the situation isn't that serious. I don't think it warrants you cutting me off completely. Do you really believe everything he told you?" he asked, with a hint of animosity in his voice.
However, once he noticed the angry look in Emily's eyes, his expression softened immediately. "Don't get me wrong. I didn't run after you to fight with you. I just feel wronged. He even controls who you can and can't be friends with. I feel sad for you."
His tone was gentle, but his choice of words was very strange.
Emily furrowed her eyebrows. "Do you have anything else to say? If not, then I'm leaving," she replied.
She didn't want to waste any more time interacting with him. There was a hint of impatience in her eyes already.
Jonas chose to ignore the increasing agitation in her eyes and continued to talk in a gentle tone. "I came here as soon as I left the hospital because I wanted to see you. I don't want to lose you. You're my friend.
I just want you to know that I befriended you not because you look like anyone, but because I genuinely like being around you. You're good company, Emily." Jonas blocked her way. "Can you please just give me another chance?"
"Do you like me?" Emily suddenly asked, giving him an exasperated look.
Did he like her? What on earth was she dreaming about?
A woman like her wasn't his cup of tea. He wouldn't take a second glance at her even if she was right in front of him. As far as he was concerned, he had only approached her because of the task assigned by his boss.
Today, Emily was dressed in a black and white formal suit, which, admittedly, outlined her figure perfectly. Dressed in that suit, she looked powerful and capable of doing anything. She didn't have an ounce of gentleness in her. She looked like a wolf ready to bite anyone who stood in her way.
She looked at him with expectant eyes. She was starting to regret her question, but she was really curious about his answer to her question.
Jonas was confused by her question. He blinked at her, shocked. After a few seconds, he finally recovered and asked, "Did I hear you wrong?"
Honestly, he wanted to avoid answering the question if possible, but Emily didn't give him the chance to do so. "No, you heard me correctly. Since you don't like me, why do you care so much about being my friend? So, what is your purpose?"
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