Chapter 289
San Angelino.
The moment she got her answer, Naomi turned to grab her bag. She checked that all her important documents, including her passport, were inside it. At the same time, she said to Amelia, "Amelia, which hotel are you at? What's your room number? Tell me right now."
Amelia was already beginning to feel dizzy, but when she heard that, she perked up. She knew what Naomi was going to do. Naomi wanted to come to San Angelino because she was worried about her. Amelia immediately propped herself up and tried to make herself sound as normal as possible. "I'm fine, Naomi. I'll go to the hospital myself. You don't have to come here."
All of a sudden, she let out a gasp. For a split second, her abdomen was in so much pain it felt as though all her organs were being twisted in a blender. She felt like she would pass out at any moment. Naomi's tone was solemn. "Amelia, stop it. I'm going to ask you one last time. If you don't tell me where you are, I won't be your friend anymore."
Naomi had always been good-natured and rarely got mad at anyone. However, once someone got on her nerves, she was capable of holding a grudge for a very long time. Therefore, Amelia knew not to mess with Naomi when she was serious.
"I...I'm at the Holiday Inn Hotel. Room 1713."
"Okay. Call 911 right now and wait for the ambulance to arrive. I'm heading to the airport. Keep your phone with you at all times. If you can, try to charge your phone so it's at full battery. I don't want to lose contact with you at any point during this time."
"Naomi, you don't have to come. I'm just..."
"Enough. Do as I say, and I'll call you in a bit," Naomi said before Amelia could even finish, then hung up.
At the same time, she slung her bag over her shoulder, closed her room door behind her, and quickly strode out of the hotel.
Amelia was usually by herself when she went on business trips. Although Naomi was not sure whether Amelia had any coworkers around who could look after her, she still wanted to go to San Angelino to see for herself.
She was worried about Amelia.
She went online to book her tickets as she left the hotel. By the time she reached the sidewalk, she had already booked the tickets for the next flight out to San Angelino. She hailed a taxi and got in. "Hello, sir, to the airport, please."
"Sure thing, miss."
"Please try to step on it. I'm trying to rush for a flight."
"Will do. Don't worry, there isn't much traffic at this time of the night. You'll be at the airport in less than an hour."This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.
"Thank you."
"Don't worry about it. Sit tight!"
With that, the driver stepped on the gas, and the car sped into the night. Naomi clutched the roof handle with one hand and her phone in the other. Her mind was racing a hundred miles a minute as she stared out at the twinkling city lights before her. She decided to call Charles.
At the same time, Charles had just passed through the security clearance at the airport when his phone rang.
He glanced at the screen and was surprised to see that it was Naomi. He froze and checked the time. It was already 11:20 p.m. Naomi should have been asleep by now.
He did not think twice before picking up but did not stop walking. "Hi, Naomi."
Naomi, who was about to say something, paused when she heard. the background noises coming from the other end of the line. She could vaguely hear the sound of an airport announcement being made. "Charles, are you at the airport?"
Charles was rushing for his flight and thus did not stop to take the call in a quieter place. He paused, then replied, "Yes, I am. I need to leave for a while to take care of something important, but I'll be back tomorrow morning."
He did not tell her the truth about his grandmother because he did not want her to worry.
Naomi could sense the change in Charles' voice. He was anxious, which meant that whatever he needed to deal with was urgent, so she cut straight to the chase. "I see. Do you have Sean's number?" Naomi did not have Sean's number, and she thought it would be best to inform Sean of what was happening to Amelia.
Charles furrowed his brows and paused. "Sean?"
Before Naomi could reply, he asked, "Is something wrong?"