CHAPTER 4 - CONSIDER IT A DONATION
967 Words
That's the kind of word Cece loved to hear Freddie say to her before. Whenever Freddie would say it, what came after always sweetened Cece's heart. But this time, she was indifferent. She just kept looking at him with the same hatred she had developed for him.
When Freddie realized that she was not moved by what he said, he went ahead and dropped an envelope beside her.
"That's $500,000, compensation for the NeuroSpace idea. I don't want it to look like I stole your idea or something, so this is me appreciating your brain," said Freddie.
Cece laughed to herself.
"This is for me, right?" Cece asked.
"Yes," Freddie replied.
She laughed again.
"Okay, here's the thing, Freddie: this money might seem to you like you're doing me a favor or purchasing my innovation, but the truth is, I'm the one doing you a groundbreaking favor. As for my innovation, you cannot put a price on it. The fact that you're offering me $500,000 means you don't know the worth of my innovation. But it's cool; it's like what they say: you'll abuse what you don't know the value of," Cece said to Freddie.
Cece's words silenced everyone. In addition to this silence, Freddie and Amelia felt awkward. In an attempt to break the silence, Freddie said, "So, do you want me to give you more money?”
Cece laughed out really loud this time.
"More money, you say?" she asked in return.
"Yes," Freddie replied like a gullible soul.
"I don't need your money, Freddie. In fact, you need it more than I do."
Freddie didn't know that this money meant nothing to her, considering she came from a wealthy family, an integral part of her life she had kept from Freddie.
"You said you're getting married this weekend, right?" Cece asked.
"Yes," Freddie replied.
"You can add this $500,000 to your honeymoon fund. Consider it as a donation from me to you," Cece said.
Dr. Jones looked closely at Freddie to see if he would take the money back.
"Wait, you really mean that I should take it?" Freddie asked in surprise, wanting to be sure.
"Yes, take it. It's yours," Cece replied.
"Wow, this is so wonderful, Cece, thanks so much."
"Unbelievable," Dr. Jones said. "What is wrong with you, Freddie?" Jones asked.
"I didn't ask for the money; she gave it back to me," Freddie pointed out.
"You never really wanted to give her the money in the first place," Dr. Jones accused.
"Dr. Jones, it's okay. Let him have it," Cece said.
"Thanks, sis. That's why you are special," Freddie said.
Freddie left the room with the brown envelope he had brought for Cece initially, smiling and giggling with Amelia as they walked out of the hospital.
Dr. Jones looked at Cece for a while without blinking, making Cece feel uncomfortable.
"What?" Cece asked.
"I just have one question for you," Dr. Jones replied.
"Okay," said Cece.
"How did you fall in love with him in the first place, let alone think of marrying him?" Dr. Jones asked.
Cece laughed as hard as she could.
"You know, I don't really know what I saw in him. It seemed good at the time," said Cece.
After Dr. Jones was sure Cece was feeling fine, she left the room to attend to other patients. As soon as Dr. Jones left, the young man from before entered again.
"Hi again," said the young man.
"Hi," Cece replied.
"I just saw a guy and a lady leave this room with a brown envelope, and he seemed very happy, so whatever you're giving out, I'm ready to collect mine," said the young man.
"Oh, I only give brown envelopes to gold diggers. Are you a gold digger?" Cece asked.
"Show me where the gold is, and I'll dig very hard," replied the man.
This made Cece laugh so much, and the young man laughed as well.
"Thank you once again for bringing me to the hospital," Cece graciously thanked the young man again.
"It's no biggie," he replied casually.
"My name is Cece," she said.
"My name is George Bishop," said the young man.
"Well, nice to meet you, George," Cece said.
"The pleasure is all mine," George replied.
"Can I ask you a question?" Cece asked.
"Of course," George replied.
"Why did you stay until I woke up? Don't get me wrong, it’s such a good gesture and I appreciate it, but you don’t even know me to begin with," Cece asked.
"Well, no specific reason actually. I realized I had a little time to spare and I also wanted to make sure you were well before I left."
Hearing this made a fresh breeze wash over Cece; she felt loved, she felt drawn to George, but the moment she remembered what Freddie did to her, she called herself back to her senses.
"Well, that is such a good thing to do. I really appreciate your kindness," Cece said.
"So what are you going to do now after I leave?" George asked.
Cece tried to come up with a good answer, but she really didn't have one.
"I really don't know for now, other than to rest a little more and then leave this place," she said.
"So in the meantime, take good care of yourself, Cece," George advised.
"Okay, I will," Cece replied.
George left the room, and Cece was alone. She reminisced within herself about what to do moving forward.
"I cannot go back to Freddie's place, I cannot," Cece said to herself. "I need a fresh start."
She picked up her phone from her bag beside the bed, dialed a number, and when the person on the other end picked up, she said, "Come and pick me up at Central Hospital.”
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