Luke’s competition results soon reached to the country. Although it was five o'clock in the morning,
Brian believed that his father must be willing to hear such good news at the beginning of the day.
"The fifth? Really?"
Rufus could not believe it.
"Yes, he ranks the fifth. You heard me right."
Brian said. He knew what his father was feeling. After all, he had been there before.
"Luke is awesome. He ranks the fifth in the world. I didn't even think he could do that."
Rufus's mood could not be described with language. He was more than excited than Brian and Winnie.
"Tell me the details later. I'll call your grandfather to make him happy."
With that, Rufus hung up the phone and then called Felix.
So this morning Rufus' task was to call and tell all the people who should know, the last one he called
was Isobel.
Fortunately, Isobel picked up his call this time.
"Isobel, you finally answered my phone. Is it because you knew it is good news?"
"Luke enters into the final ranking the fifth. The fifth! The fifth in the world."
Rufus's excitement had been reduced a few. But as Isobel picked up the phone, his excitement cannot
be restrained, because of Luke, and because of Isobel.
"Really? Great, Luke is so excellent."
Isobel was also excited, but her voice was hoarse, even if she was excited, she sounded feebly.
"What's the matter with you? Do you fall ill?"
Although Isobel forbore it strenuously, Rufus still heard something wrong.
"No, I haven't woken up. It's just my throat."
Isobel denied it, but the more she talked, the more she revealed her discomfort.
Isobel had been ill for two days. When she first saw it was Rufus call, she did not want to answer the
phone.
But who she made an operation error and touched the answer key.
Hearing the exciting voice of Rufus and the good news of Luke, she was excited and spoke, forgetting
the fact that she was ill.
"You're lying. You must be ill. Where are you, how did you get sick. Is there anyone around to look after
you?"
Rufus suddenly became worried, this ups and downs of the mood made his heart intense.
"I am not sick, I just haven't wakened up. I gotta go."
Isobel did not dare to continue to say, hung up the phone and then turned it off.
She was ill, but did not want anyone to know, because she did not want anyone to worry about her,
especially Rufus.
Rufus called back, but it was turned off.
Isobel's last sentence no doubt made him more worry. If he remembered right, Isobel had always been
an early riser. If she hadn't been sick at that time, she would have been out doing morning exercises.
How could she have been asleep?
Rufus fidgeted back and forth in the living room. He could not tell Winnie and Vanessa, or they would
be worried. So he had to call the people tailed after Isobel.
After the call, he was sure that Isobel was ill. Rufus wanted to come to her to take care of her, so he
booked a flight to C City.
At breakfast.
"Vanessa, I will go out for a few days, Paul will pick you up these days. If you need help, tell Paul and
Raya, I will come back as soon as possible."
Rufus said to Vanessa feeling worried.
"Don't worry about me. You can go away for a few days if you want. Paul is busy, so I can go to school
by myself."
By this time, Vanessa felt she was the burden of others. She was sorry, but she did not say it out.
"No, I will worry about you if you go to school alone. If Paul doesn't pick you up, I won’t feel at ease
outside. So let Paul pick you up."
Vanessa was moved by that. Rufus was like her father who cared about his daughter. It had been a
long time since she did not feel her father's love.
"Well, I'll listen to you. Don’t worry, I will ask Paul to pick me up and take me to school."
Vanessa now took Rufus as his father, a tree that she could rely on. She wanted to feel the father’s
love.
"Good girl. Paul, I will leave in a while, I will ask the driver to send me and you send Vanessa to school.
While I'm away, you must ensure the safety of Vanessa."
Rufus said to Paul feeling uneasy.
"Ok. I can take care of Vanessa."
Paul knew Rufus was worried about both Isobel and Vanessa.
Rufus and Vanessa left together. One went to school, the other to the airport.
Four hours later, Rufus got off the plane. The person in charge of tracking Isobel met him at the airport
and went straight to Isobel's hotel.
Isobel had taken medicine, but still lied in the bed feeling dizzy. She woke up and fell asleep from time
to time. She was hungry, but she could not get out of bed to cook, because once she got up, she felt
more dizzy.
As she was feeling dizzy, the doorbell rang. She struggled to get out of bed, holding on to the wall all
the way to the door.
She had to admit that she was old. An epidemic cold tortured her a lot.
When Isobel reached the door, she didn't even bother to ask questions, but opened the door.
She raised her dim eyes, only to see Rufus standing in the doorway.
"What are you doing here?”
Surprised, Isobel asked in a hoarse voice. She even felt that what she saw was not real and thought
she was dreaming.
“I was worried that you were ill, so I came to see you.”
"You look terrible. I'll take you to the hospital."
Rufus reached to help Isobel. Seeing that Isobel was haggard, hearing that her voice was hoarse, he
wanted to take her to the hospital.
"Rufus......"
Isobel wanted to refuse and wanted to ask questions, but Rufus did not give her a chance.
"Stop talking, ask questions when you see the doctor and after I make sure you are fine."
Rufus took off his coat and put it on Isobel and then supported Isobel to leave the hotel directly.
At the hospital, after a precise examination, it was determined that Isobel did not have a simple
influenza, but pneumonia. So Isobel was hospitalized for treatment.
Rufus arranged VIP ward to Isobel and then she got infusion.
"This ward must be very expensive. We don't need to waste money. You'd better change me to a
common ward."
Isobel was not used to living in such an expensive room, she didn’t think she worth it. She was an
ordinary person who could afford to live in a room like this.
"Don't think so much. There are too many people in the ordinary ward. If you go there, cross-infection
will be bad for your condition. Stay here and don’t worry about anything."
As Rufus said this, he brought a chair over and sat down beside Isobel's bed.
Isobel did not know how to refuse. Even if she insisted on going to an ordinary ward, Rufus would not
agree.
"I will pay you back after I discharge. All my things are in the hotel, so I can’t pay you now."
"Isobel......"
"Or I can call Winwin and ask her to transfer the money to you..."
"Isobel, do you think I want you to return me the money? Can you not mention money at this time?
Winwin is with Luke to attend the competition. She is abroad, aren’t you afraid she would worry about
you?"
Rufus interrupted Isobel twice. If she insisted to give him back the money, she didn’t take their previous
relationship seriously.
“How can I make you spend money for I'm ill? When I get out of hospital, I'll pay it back to you."
With what identity Isobel spent Rufus' money? They had nothing to do with each other.
"You...... Well, we will talk about it when you're discharged."
Rufus knew he could not convince Isobel, so he could only answer perfunctorily.
After that, Rufus got up from the chair, found a glass and poured a glass of hot water to Isobel and then
sat down.
"I just asked the doctor and he said that this pneumonia is the flu. It is widespread, a lot of people got
infected. When you get out of the hospital, come back with me. I'm afraid you might get infected again."
Rufus wanted Isobel to go back. On the day she left, he had been thinking when Isobel could go back.
This was an opportunity, and he didn't have to worry all day at home.
"I don't want to go back yet. There's the flu, I can go to another city. I haven't enjoyed myself yet."
Isobel refused. Since she had come out, she did not plan to go back. She had been looking for a city
that suited her best and she would settle down once she found one.
"Isobel, you..."
“By the way, how did you find me?”
Isobel interrupted Rufus' words, because she suddenly thought of this question. If she remembered
correctly, neither Winnie nor Vanessa knew exactly where she was.
"Do I have to say?"
Rufus did not want to lie, but if he said it out, he was afraid Isobel would be angry.
"Why can’t you say? Have you sent someone to follow me?"
Isobel had guessed it, because in those days when she left, she was followed by someone, and she
took a lot of effort to get rid of him.
"Yes, I am worried that you go out alone, and I'm afraid you'll never come back, so I sent someone to
follow you."
Since Isobel had guessed, Rufus could not conceal it any longer. He admitted it like a child who had
made a mistake.
"You...... What shall I say? We're over. You don't have to worry about me. Most of the reason I left was
to avoid you. Can't you give me some freedom?"
Isobel wanted to get angry, but found that her strength was limited, she could only say in a hoarse and
low voice.
She hated the feeling of being watched, especially by Rufus. So what was the point of her evasion?
"You think we're over, but I don't think we've had a broken relationship all these years. I worry about
you and it is my business, you don't have to worry about it. It is for my own peace of mind to have
someone follow you, and you needn't think about it."
"Isobel, we are old and you should have someone around you. I know our conditions do not allow us to
be together, but you cannot refuse my care. If everything works out, I still want to be with you."
Rufus expressed his thought. He could leave now, or his kids would have doubts. Otherwise he would
like to leave with Isobel and to travel around the world.
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