Love My Friends with Benefits

I didn't dare to drive when I was so dizzy. I put on the mask, left the hospital, and hailed a taxi.

The driver asked, "Where to, missy?"

"Take me to..."

I was about to tell him to take me to my neighbourhood and when my stomach started growling.

I paused and rubbed it.

I hadn't even taken a bite since this morning. Perhaps it'd be better to get something to eat.

I was living alone, and there was nobody to take care of me. I'd have to cook myself something to eat if I were to go home.

The driver started to lose patience. "Out with it, missy. Where to?"

"Take me to Silver Palace," I said after making up my mind.

There was a street littered with food stalls there.

I paid the fare when we arrived and started to scavenge for food.

I had to admit that there were plenty of choices, such as chilli con carne, pork chops, and many more. It looked like business was booming for all of the stalls.

I sat down by one of the stalls and ordered a chilli con carne.

It wasn't my first time here, and the waiter recognised me. When he saw the injuries on my face, he said kindly, "Miss. Jones, it's not good to have spicy food when you're injured." "Oh, it's fine," I shook my head uncaringly.

I'd been suppressing myself for far too long. All I wanted to do at the moment was to make myself happier, even if I had to resort to something close to self-abuse. Soon, my meal was served.

The chilli con carne here had always been extremely spicy. It was one of the reasons that I loved it.

It was delicious, but the spiciness also made me gasp. Even when the sauce burned my split lip, I just wiped it away and continued eating.

I ate very slowly. By the time I was done, my clothes and hair were already dry.

I got up to leave. However, the waiter stopped me and gave me a gladiolus.

What was this for?

Slightly taken aback, I accepted the flower and asked, "Did you guys always have this service?"

"It's a gift from us." The waiter smiled at me. "To give someone a gladiolus is to wish them a speedy recovery. We hope that your injuries will heal soon."

I suddenly felt the urge to cry. "Thanks."

A stranger's kindness when I was at my worst truly moved me.

There were very few people who were kind to me in this world.

The waiter smiled and watched me leave. I hailed a taxi home, still holding the gladiolus. I couldn't help feeling a lot better.

However, my good mood didn't last long.

The moment I opened the door, I saw a tall, slender figure standing by the bed. My heart immediately plummeted to my feet.

It was Leonard again.

"What are you doing here?" I asked coldly.

I walked over to the dining table and put the gladiolus in a vase.

When I saw the takeaway next to it, I couldn't help feeling revolted. I picked them up and threw them away.

Leonard turned around. When he saw my actions, his expression turned stormy. "What's wrong with you now?"

I rolled my eyes.

His fiancée had beaten me up so badly, yet he had the nerve to come here and ask me what was wrong.

Well, I supposed it made sense. It was only natural for him to act like this.

"Answer me." Leonard's tone was frosty.

Was he not going to drop the subject? I walked up to him and pointed at my face. "Don't tell me you're still interested in me when I look like this, Mr. Nell. You're not choosy at all, huh?" I saw my reflection in his eyes.

My whole face was swollen, and there were a few handprints clearly stamped on my cheeks.

Tsk, Phoebe had really gone all out.

Leonard was stunned when he saw me. "You... how'd you end up like this?"

What a hypocrite. I didn't believe for a second that he didn't know what had happened.

I curled my lip, not in the mood to chat with him at all. "This is my house, so please leave."

Leonard stared at me. He didn't move.

I walked past him, wanting to head to the kitchen to get some cold water.

The chilli con carne was so spicy that it was making my head spin. I could still taste it in my mouth.

Leonard grabbed me when I was next to him. "You need to go to the hospital."

Who did he think he was? What gave him the right to boss me around?

I frowned. "No."

"You have to go, whether you like it or not."

Leonard's tone was domineering. He wasn't giving me the chance to even argue with him.

He was gripping my arm so tightly that it hurt. "Let me go!"

"You don't know what's good for you!"

Leonard snorted and spun me around so that I was half-lying in his arms.

I was already dizzy, to begin with, and this made me completely lose my head.

"Queena, you..."

He started to say something, then stopped abruptly. He seemed to think that something was wrong with me and felt my forehead, then said loudly, "Did you know that you're having a high fever?" Of course, I didn't.

I looked up at him and smiled defiantly. "What does that have to do with you? Mr. Nell, you really should get back to your precious Phoebe and make sure she doesn't go around causing trouble." I was deliberately trying to provoke him.

Leonard frowned, then pulled me towards the bed and pushed me down onto it.

Was he still interested in me in my current state?

I felt a little surprised. Was Leonard really that desperate?

Fortunately, he didn't do anything else to me. After forcing me to lie down, he went to the kitchen to do God-knows-what.

I couldn't stand the dizziness anymore. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep.

I'd just only dozed off for a short while when Leonard shook me awake. "Queena, take your medication."

"What are you doing?" I grumbled.

I opened my eyes just a little and saw him holding some pills and a glass of water.

I felt a little angry when I saw those pills.

Did he think I would be so easily appeased? That he could sweep everything under the rug by treating me kindly after his fiancée had given me such a beating?

I turned away. "I don't want to."

Leonard didn't say anything. He grabbed my jaw and forced my head back, then stuffed the pills into my mouth.

I was caught off guard and had half a glass of water poured into my mouth.

A sharp pain suddenly shot through my stomach and I couldn't stop myself from vomiting all over Leonard.

...

He didn't say anything.

I glanced at him and saw that he looked murderous.

For a moment, I was lost for words. I wiped my mouth and pointed at the bathroom. "Uh, you can take a shower. Feel free to use the bathroom."

He didn't seem to hear me, merely growling, "I said, take your medication."

Feeling a little guilty, I opened my mouth and obediently swallowed the pills.

His expression became less stormy at my obedience. He took his dirty shirt off and threw it onto the floor.

I could tell that it was tailor-made for him. It wasn't something that could be bought off the rack.

However, there were a few red spots on his shirt, around the chest area. I took a closer look and realised that they had probably come from the chilli con carne I'd had earlier.