I Refuse to Be Your Second Choice novel Chapter 149

Natalie sighed and leaned down, looking Alexander straight in the eye.

"Don't push your luck, or you can take care of yourself."

She wasn't falling for his act, nor did she believe a simple fever had left him this weak.

Alexander immediately loosened his grip. "You said you wouldn't leave. You'll be just outside."

He couldn't keep up the pretense, so he latched onto her promise instead.

Natalie straightened up. "The water is right there. If you're thirsty, get it yourself."

With that, she left the bedroom.

Alexander let out a soft, humorless laugh. "Hard-hearted woman," he murmured to himself.

While he might have been exaggerating his weakness, the fever was real.

He rolled over, his eyelids feeling heavy and hot. It wasn't long before he fell asleep.

The apartment layout was identical to hers, with three bedrooms.

Natalie chose not to sleep in one of the spare rooms, opting instead to lie down on the sofa where she could more easily attend to him.

She set an alarm on her phone and closed her eyes.

Sometime later, the alarm went off. She opened her eyes, momentarily disoriented before remembering she was at Alexander's place.

Natalie tiptoed to the master bedroom and quietly pushed the door open.

Alexander was sleeping soundly. She gently touched his forehead; it wasn't as hot as before.

The glass of water on the nightstand was half-empty and had gone cold. Natalie went to the kitchen and returned with a fresh glass of warm water.

By the time he woke up, the fever should be gone.

Natalie placed the glass on the nightstand and quietly slipped out.

She didn't stay any longer, letting herself out and returning to her own apartment.

The next morning, Natalie opened her door to leave for work.

As soon as it swung open, she saw Alexander leaning against the hallway wall, apparently waiting for her.

Natalie jumped, startled. Once she'd composed herself, she asked, "Is your fever gone?"

Alexander stood up straight and walked over, his deep, dark eyes fixed on her. He didn't answer her question, instead asking one of his own. "You broke your promise."

His fever had completely broken that morning, and he felt refreshed and clear-headed.

He had expected to see Natalie when he woke up. She had said she would stay, but the living room was empty. He had even checked the other two bedrooms, but she was gone.

"Your fever was down in the middle of the night, so I went home," Natalie explained.

Sophia stepped out, wearing sunglasses.

"Ms. Green."

A voice called out to her.

She turned to see a woman she didn't recognize.

As the woman approached, Sophia's assistant stepped in to block her. "I'm sorry, Sophia has to get to work. Are you a fan? You can give any gifts to me."

But the woman ignored the assistant and spoke directly to Sophia. "Ms. Green, we met at the auction."

Sophia took a closer look, studying the woman's face, and finally recognized her as the person she had bumped into that day.

"Are you here for compensation?"

Camila White took a brooch from her purse. "No. I bumped into you by accident that day, and I believe you dropped this. I picked it up and wanted to return it to you."

Sophia took off her sunglasses, revealing her beautiful but disdainful eyes. "I never bother with things I've dropped. And you don't need to use this as an excuse to get close to me. I've seen plenty of fanatics like you."

Seeing her disbelief, Camila tried a different approach.

"My name is Camila White. I'm the daughter of the chairman of The White Group."

Sophia's gaze shifted, her eyes scanning Camila again. Her face immediately darkened.