I was speechless and just silently stared at Neil.
Neil walked to the car, opened the passenger door, quickly got in, and sat down. "I was just joking. Take me to a nearby hotel."
"Why don't you drive yourself?" I was somewhat reluctant.
"Out of gas. I was in a hurry to find you; I didn't have time to fill up." Neil replied calmly.
I had to admire his composure. He not only figured out where I was going but also tailed me from a distance, not missing a single beat.
But, even without Neil, I needed to find a place to rest.
Lucas liked peace and quiet, living in a villa in the suburbs. So I still had to drive into town to find a place to sleep.
I didn't say much and just drove off.
On the road, I discovered that Neil had actually fallen asleep in the passenger seat. He looked a bit vexed; even in sleep, his brows were slightly furrowed.
Then a ringtone rang. It was coming from Neil's pocket. He was deeply asleep with no reaction.
I pretended I didn't hear it, but the phone rang again and again, like it wouldn't stop unless it was answered.
Finally, the phone woke Neil up. He took out his phone, took a glance, answered the call, and put it aside. "Who is this?"
It seemed like an unknown number.
"You finally answered my call!" Bonnie's voice came through, excited, even a tad choked up.
Upon hearing Bonnie's voice, Neil wanted to hang up.
Bonnie seemed to have anticipated Neil's intention, quickly adding, "Neil, the Finch family is on the brink of collapse; you don't need to think about Irene anymore. Why let her drag you down?"
Neil looked at me, his hand hovering over the ‘end call’ button.
I kept a poker face, pretending I hadn't heard. After all, Bonnie had said that countless times in front of me.
"What have you been up to behind my back?" Neil deliberately asked. I knew he was asking for me.
"You should know, it doesn't matter what I want to do; what matters most is my mom. She loathes Irene as much as I do." Bonnie gave Neil the straight dope.
I already knew Gloria was a major player in that. Without her, Bonnie wouldn't have been able to accomplish anything.
But I never expected Gloria's values to be the same as Bonnie's, both harboring deep hatred for me.
Neil asked again, "So what are you trying to say, that I should cut off all ties with Irene?"
"Shouldn't you? It's been so long since you two divorced. She might have been worthy of you in the past, but not anymore, and you know about her dad's issues. If you keep associating with her, you're bound to get into heaps of trouble." Bonnie spoke in a rush, seemingly desperate to convince Neil.
I took a long look at Neil. How could he not understand those things?
Suddenly, a white dog appeared out of nowhere. I jumped, blurting out, "Where did this dog come from?!"
Hearing my voice, Bonnie fell silent for a few seconds at the other end, then said angrily, "Neil, are you with her again? Have you forgotten that she's Russel's girlfriend now?"
I was helpless; I didn't mean to piss Bonnie off.
But she and Neil had nothing to do with each other anymore. She had no right to be angry.
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