Chapter 102: Are you alright?
Charles proceeds to get a cosmetics product for himself and after purchasing his skincare product and settling the bill, Charles stepped out of the cosmetics store, his heart still fluttering from his encounter with Reuben.
A soft smile lingered on his lips as he made his way to Augustine’s mansion, his mind replaying every word, every glance, every little smirk.
Once inside the bedroom, he plugged his phone into the bedside socket.
As soon as the screen lit up, a flood of messages and notifications poured in.
’I really haven’t turned my phone on since yesterday,’ Charles mused, a soft smile tugging at his lips.
As the last notification faded from his screen, he settled onto the bed, fingers gliding over the device.
With a deep breath, he began scrolling through the messages, his heart unknowingly anticipating something—or perhaps, someone.
"Hey, how are you doing, Charles? Hope your health is good and that you aren’t in a serious situation."
The first message Charles opened was from the head cleaner staff manager.
His eyes lingered on the text for a moment before he sighed softly, touched by the concern.
Charles smiled warmly as he typed out a reply.
"I’m doing great now, and I truly appreciate you checking up on me. Rest assured, I’ll be back to work on Monday."
After hitting send, he moved on to the other messages flooding his screen.
Most were from his co-workers, their words filled with concern and well wishes.
It was surprising and at the same time comforting, to see how many people had taken the time to check in on him.
And then, Charles opened the message of Freda.
"You scared me, Charles, and you’re scaring me even more. I asked CEO Augustine’s secretary about your health, and he said you were already discharged from the hospital. But how can you be discharged so suddenly when your health seemed to be at risk?"
A small smile tugged at the corner of Charles lips.
Freda always had a way of worrying about him like an older sister would. He quickly typed out a response.
"I’m fine, Freda. Really. It wasn’t as serious as it seemed. I promise I’ll explain everything soon, so don’t stress too much over me, okay?"
He hit send, exhaling deeply before moving on to the next message.
The next messages, all came from Freda
"I know this is not the right time for me to start asking questions and all that, but I’m scared. Seeing blood coming out of your nose was truly a frightening scene. Please call me when you’re feeling better."
"It’s been more than three hours since my last text, and you still haven’t replied. Can’t you at least call me to put my mind at ease?"
Guilt settled in Charles chest. He hadn’t meant to worry her this much.
Charles swallowed hard as he read through Freda’s messages. Each one carried more urgency than the last.
"Hey! Are you planning on dying? If you do, then I’m going to kill you until you wake up. Fucking turn your phone on before my blood pressure rises more than it already has."
"Charles, you know you can talk to me, right? Please, what the hell is going on? I’m worried."
"Your phone is still switched off. I already went to your apartment, and I was informed that you moved out. Charles, please talk to me. Are you alright?"
As Charles continued to read the text messages of Freda, his eyes immediately welled up as tears threatened to stream down.
He smiled softly, feeling warmth spread through his chest.
Freda’s concern was genuine—she had always been a good friend.
’She truly cares,’ he thought as he continued scrolling through her messages.
There were over thirty unread texts from her, each one filled with worry and frustration.
After reading about fifteen of them, Charles sighed.
It was clear that no text reply would ease her mind.
Without hesitation, Charles exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair.
Freda had always been dramatic, but he knew her concern was real.
Without hesitation, he dialed her number. The phone barely rang before she picked up.
"Charles?!" Her voice was frantic.
He sighed. "I’m okay, Freda. I promise."
"Hey!" Freda yelled, forcing Charles to pull the phone away from his ear due to the sheer volume of her voice.
"It seems you’re the one trying to kill me with that loud voice," Charles teased.
Freda from the other end of the phone call couldn’t help but chuckle in delight. "S... sorry." She mumbled before taking in a deep breath. "I have been waiting for your call for like forever." She added.
Charles chuckled, placing the phone back to his ear. "I am also sorry, Freda. I have made you restless and it was never my intention." Charles stated, his voice sounding apologists as it conveyed his feelings.
Freda huffed. "Do you have any idea how scared I was? You disappeared, your phone was off, and I had no way of knowing if you were okay!"
"I didn’t mean to make you worry. I just... needed some time."
There was a pause before Freda’s voice softened. "Are you really okay?"
"Yes, Freda. I’m alright, and I’m doing better now."
Freda let out another sigh. "Charles, I don’t even know where to start... but if you don’t mind me asking, what caused it? Why was there so much blood coming from your nose?" she asked sincerely.
"Umm... according to the doctor who attended to me, he said my body reacted that way due to excessive stress. He advised me to avoid overworking myself for the time being, focus on fewer tasks, and get enough rest. If I follow his instructions, I should recover in no time."
Freda became silent for a while.
Freda knew Charles had a habit of overworking himself due to his numerous jobs, but something about his explanation didn’t sit right with her.
"Freda, are you still there?" Charles probed when the silence stretched longer than expected.
"Yeah... yeah," Freda blurted out before swallowing hard. "Charles, for the last time, are you sure you’re alright?"
Charles nodded, forcing a smile even though she couldn’t see him. "Yes."
But in reality, his health was far from fine.