Chapter 7 Sweet Company

The police officers on duty arrived at the scene soon after.

Cherry, Jacob and the thief were all taken to the police station.

"You can go back home, this has nothing to do with you. I don't want to waste your time," Cherry turned to Jacob and said nonchalantly.

"I'm the one who caught the thief and I'm a good, upstanding citizen. What are you trying to accomplish by driving me away?" Jacob asked with raised eyebrows.

Cherry narrowed her eyes, unsure of what she should say.

She had been having a hard time dealing with him since the moment they met. Her impression of him had finally changed for the better, and yet he still argued with her. "Whatever."

She gave her report to the police after he had.

By the time they were done, it was already late into the night.

She left the station and found Jacob still sitting on the bench outside.

"Are you waiting for me to drive you home?" Her hands were still numb from the fall she had taken and she wasn't sure how well she'd be able to drive.

Jacob glanced at her and said flatly, "Your wounds need to be treated. And I'm a doctor."

She was stunned.

She was still digesting this turn of events when Jacob had already got to his feet and pulled her down to take a seat.

There was a small bag beside him containing simple cotton, disinfectant, anti-inflammatory drugs and various other medical supplies.

"You keep this stuff with you all the time?" His preparedness surprised her. She just couldn't help but ask.

He looked up and pointed in the opposite direction without saying anything.

A huge signboard that read 'Pharmacy' was clearly visible.

Cherry blushed from embarrassment.

It seemed he was too smart for her to handle.

He took care of her injuries with a gentle and deft touch. She winced through the pain when the medical alcohol touched her bleeding wound. "Ouch!" she squealed. He stared at her and said, "So now it hurts? Why were you pretending to be strong just now?"

"When did I pretend to be strong?" She was still holding onto her bag tightly and said, "Here is a little repayment for tonight. It's the least I could do. If all the money had been taken with my bag, I would have lost so much."

The look in Jacob's eyes suddenly changed.

She was single-minded and stubborn, that was enough to make a soft woman tough when she needed to be.

Jacob had seen that in her.

Adela Mei saw Cherry wrapped in bandages and asked in shock, "Oh my God! What happened? Are you hurt?"

"Don't worry about it, it's nothing. Just some really bad luck!" Cherry sat down and took the money out of her bag and continued, "I was almost robbed. By the way, this money is for the staff who helped with the party planning."

Adela looked at her and shook her head worriedly. "Cherry, you..." She took the money and said, "You're badly injured. Why don't you stay home for a couple days, and take some time off? I've told you being an agent is not a dependable career..."

Cherry sipped her coffee gingerly and said, "You're more of a nag than my father. You're my friend, why do you act like my mother?"

Adela couldn't help laughing. "Am I that old?" She touched her face, examining her features. "Never mind. Maybe it's because I've been a teaching assistant for so long that I just naturally act a little motherly."

Cherry blinked cheekily and replied, "In that case, maybe you should find yourself a handsome man to put an end to your single life."

Adela Mei sneered, "Oh please, as if you're going to get married."

"Hey, I don't think we can still be friends if you talk like that."

"Don't be my friend. It's fine. I'm your senior." Adela Mei waved her hand and called the waiter over. "Can I have two blueberry cakes, two cups of ice cream..."

"No, just one of each," Cherry hastily cut her off.

"Woman, what will your money be used for if not to eat?" Adela said rolling her eyes. "If you eat and gain a pound, you can curse me to gain two pounds!"

Cherry rested her head on her hands and replied, "You don't gain weight. Besides, I'm in so much pain I can't go out. Are you trying to fatten me to death?"

"Just relax and take it easy," Adela said comfortingly. She cut her a piece of cake and pushed it over to Cherry. "A woman should love herself more when no man is loving her."

"Then find a man to love you."

"Well, if men were reliable..." Adela Mei suddenly curled her lips and smiled.

Cherry sighed.

Adela Mei had no family. She'd been independent and on her own since she was a child. She was only two years older than Cherry, but as a teaching assistant at the University, she had to take on a lot of part-time jobs. She hadn't bought herself a house in H City, instead, she bought shops and rented them out.

"Ah, don't say that." Cherry put some sugar in her coffee and continued, "Don't always drink such bitter coffee, life can be so much sweeter."

Adela smiled brightly and said, "Come on, you hypocrite. You should find a man to love you, I don't need it. I'm fine on my own."

She then remembered something. "Cherry, I want to buy a new store. Come with me this afternoon?"

"Why? It's not like I'll have any share in it if I go with you to see it." Cherry sighed and went on, "But, I guess I'll go since you asked so nicely."

However, her thighs were not very presentable at the moment.

"Didn't you just buy one last year? And you are already considering buying another one this year?"

"Yes. I need to pay the bank loan."

"Then why..." Cherry started with confusion.

"I've changed to another school." "My job hopping has paid off and my annual salary has been doubled. So I thought I'd reward myself."

Cherry decided she just ate the cake silently.

Compared to her friend, she was truly useless.

After a while, she continued, "It's good to work in a new place. You can find a handsome man there to be your boyfriend."

"I don't think I could," Adela replied. "There are only some really old men who are going to retire soon in the university."

Cherry sighed. She wished she could live as care-free as Adela.

It was a rare day off for Cherry and her father had arranged a blind date for her in the evening.

She was only 27 years old and already her father was treating her like some stock in his inventory that needed to be cleared as soon as possible...

A single woman was pathetic, as he saw it.

"No, I won't," Jacob objected firmly. He was eating and didn't even look at the number plate his mother had placed in front of him.

Another blind date...

Why was she being so mysterious and asking him to meet some stranger at a reserved table? Did she think that would somehow ignite sparks between them?

Donna pursed her lips and tears were about to roll down her face. "My life is so miserable..." she said wiping her eyes, "You are my eldest son and also the son I am most proud of. Your siblings are still so young. I just want to have grandchildren like all the other 55-year-old ladies. Is that too much to ask?"

He was backed into a corner and didn't know how to get out.

York coughed and added, "What harm could it do to just go and see what you think of her?" He would have exposed his wife's poor acting skills if they hadn't been married for more than 20 years. He knew better than to do that.

"No." Jacob was determined not to fold under pressure. "Mom has probably arranged for me to meet Cherry."

Last time he had seen Cherry, he had accompanied her to the police station to give their report and then drove back. He had come home late at night and his mother was hiding in her room, peeking out at him through a crack in an opened door, giggling to herself like a child. Did she really think he hadn't noticed?

"Cherry? Who is Cherry?" Donna asked, pretending to forget.

Jacob snorted and ignored her ridiculous attempt at ignorance.

"I swear, it really isn't her." Donna cried out, "Go, go, son... please..."

"If you don't, that girl will have to sit there on her own for who knows how long..." York sighed, "I don't think that's a good thing to do to her."

Jacob's heart skipped a beat, stuck between a rock and a hard place.

He lowered his head and looked at the number plate in front of him. He reached out and grabbed it in his palm.

"Fine. I'll go," he said softly.

A smile instantly beamed off Donna's face, "I knew my son is the best, most obedient child there is!"

"After this one, I'm not meeting anyone else for a month." With that, Jacob pushed the bowl away and got to his feet.

Donna's face changed when she heard that.

She soon brushed it off and shook her head, comforting herself.

"It's okay. Perhaps this time it will work," she said.

She was still full of hope that the girl would like her son.

How was she to know that her son had no such hope in mind and didn't care at all?

The man Cherry was set up with had chosen the coffee shop.

She was already half full after eating all afternoon with Adela and decided she would not eat on this date.

Their date was supposed to be at half past six, but the man didn't arrive until seven thirty.

If he wasn't the son of her father's boss, she would have left without thinking twice about it.

The man's face was covered in pimples and the repugnant perfume he wore could be smelled from a few blocks away. Cherry felt sick when he came close, but she hid her disgust well.

"Are you hungry?" the man asked right away. He didn't apologize for being late. Truthfully, he didn't seem sorry about it. "Well just order something to eat. I'm starving to death."

Cherry's eyes widened, stunned by the man's behavior, "Then order whatever you like."

The man licked his fingertip and thumbed through the menu. "I told my father I wanted to have dinner at his restaurant but he said I couldn't. He said I should take you out and well, the food here is so expensive I can't believe it," he said through a sigh. He was so shocked it seemed as though he'd discovered a new continent. "Hey, you girls all want to lose weight, right? I suppose you can't eat too much for dinner then."

He was so proud of himself for finding a way around having to spend too much, and called the waiter over to order for the both of them.

Cherry pricked up her ears and heard the man order her a green salad.

"Is that okay?" He even smiled at her, clearly pleased with himself.

"Sure." Why not?

She was already trying to figure out how to refuse him. She couldn't make it influence her father's work.

She had never come across such a stingy man before.

He ordered a steak for himself and began wolfing it down the second the plate hit the table, one huge mouthful after the other.

The sauce dripped form his mouth onto the table and he was sweating profusely. He looked like he hadn't eaten for a few days.

Cherry was glad all she was having was a vegetable salad. She wouldn't be able to stomach anything else with the way this man ate.

The man finished his meal and Cherry's salad was pretty much untouched.

"What's the matter? Aren't you hungry?" The man was surprised, leaning back in his seat with his belly full and bulging.

"Well, I did have afternoon tea." Cherry smiled awkwardly, "Or..."

"Well, let's not waste it. Why don't I eat that for you?"

She was aghast as she watched the man take the salad from her and began eating it in front of her face.

The woman who was going to marry him would probably starve to death.

She had little doubt about that.

Once the man was done eating, he rubbed his big hands together in satisfaction.