Chapter 240: Fainted from Hunger
He was dizzy with hunger, and of all days, he’d forgotten to bring money. Amina’s phone wasn’t linked to any bank cards; there wasn’t a single cent on it.
By nine in the morning, Zeke Walton felt like he was going to pass out from hunger...
Ever since Gwen Morgan had aggressively insisted on working at the Vaughn Group, Ryan had been on high alert regarding Cecelia Archer’s presence.
Today, he had specifically arranged to meet Cecelia Archer in Damien Vaughn’s car precisely to avoid Gwen Morgan.
The car was parked on the side of the road. Cecelia Archer got in, and Ryan gave her a flawless explanation.
"My apologies, President Linden. President Vaughn’s schedule is incredibly full these next two days. We know you’re busy too, and thought it would be a waste of time for you to go back and forth to the office. That’s why we arranged to meet you on the road. We’ll have to trouble you to follow our car for a little while. Thank you for your patience."
For Damien Vaughn to find time in his packed schedule to see her was an honor for Cecelia Archer. Ryan was being far too polite.
"Not at all, Ryan, you’re being too kind. Reporting to President Vaughn is part of my job. Shall we get started then?"
As she spoke, she pretended not to know him well, giving Damien Vaughn a polite nod before opening the file in her hands.
Just as Ryan was about to start the car, Cecelia Archer remembered something important.
"I’m sorry, please wait a moment. I left my phone in my car."
The car remained stationary. Cecelia Archer quickly opened the door and ran out.
Just as she was about to go back to her own car to get her phone, a wobbly electric scooter suddenly zoomed over and headed straight for her.
Thankfully, Cecelia Archer had quick reflexes, dodging out of the way with a swift movement.
Inside the car, both Ryan and Damien Vaughn frowned as they watched the scene unfold.
Ryan hurriedly rolled down the window. "Miss Linden!"
"I’m fine, I’m fine." Cecelia Archer waved her hand at him.
This delivery guy on the electric scooter was quite a sight. He didn’t manage to knock her down, but with all his wobbling, he ended up knocking himself over instead. Now Cecelia Archer had to go back and help him up.
"What were you doing, riding so carelessly? How bad was the fall? Are you okay? Can you get up?"
Zeke Walton was dizzy from hunger and his limbs felt weak. As Cecelia Archer lifted his head and got a look at his face, she gasped.
"Zeke Walton?"
Even though he was wearing a helmet and a delivery driver’s uniform, Cecelia Archer recognized him at a glance.
"Why are you working as a delivery driver? What are you..."
She sat right down on the ground, letting Zeke Walton lean against her as she began to check his arms and legs.
"Did you hurt yourself anywhere? Why do you look so pale? Don’t scare me."
Inside the car, Damien Vaughn’s frown deepened.
’I can’t believe I’m running into Zeke Walton here. How did he let himself get into this state?’
When Ryan heard Cecelia Archer call out Zeke Walton’s name, he was about to get out and help, but Damien Vaughn stopped him.
"Don’t move."
Ryan thought he hadn’t heard who the person on the ground was. "That’s Zeke Walton... Mr. Walton, President Vaughn..."
"I know. I said don’t move, so don’t move."
Leaning against Cecelia Archer’s warm, comfortable chest, Zeke Walton’s light-headedness eased a little.
The voice by his ear sounded very familiar. Although he really just wanted to fall asleep right there, he forced his eyelids open.
Cecelia Archer’s face swam before his eyes. "Cecelia Archer? Is that you?"
"It’s me, it’s me. What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Does it hurt anywhere? I’ll take you to the hospital."
"It doesn’t hurt," Zeke Walton murmured weakly. "I’m so hungry. Do you have anything to eat? I’m starving to death."
’Starving to death? In this day and age? And with 7,000 on him, how could he let himself get like this?’
Cecelia Archer didn’t have time to ask more questions. She figured his blood sugar must have dropped from extreme hunger and quickly shouted towards the car.
"Ryan, do you have any food or candy in the car? Or a sugary drink? His blood sugar is low, bring me something!"
’His blood sugar is low?’
Ryan’s girlfriend loved candy, and as it happened, he had bought a box of chocolates yesterday to give her after work today. It was coming in handy now.
He rushed over to Zeke Walton with the box of chocolates, and together, he and Cecelia frantically unwrapped the pieces.
As a piece of chocolate melted in his mouth, Zeke Walton felt as if he were eating the most delicious thing in the world. He finally got some of his strength back.
"Are there more?"
"Yes, yes, we have more. Don’t rush. I’ll unwrap them for you, just take your time."
They unwrapped one piece after another, and he ate one piece after another. His mouth was soon smeared with chocolate from how he gobbled them down. It was a pathetic sight.
Through the car window, Damien Vaughn watched Zeke Walton, who looked like a complete wreck, and honestly didn’t know how to react.
After eating the entire box of twelve chocolates, Zeke Walton finally seemed to come back to life a little, but he was still weak.
"How did I run into you guys here? What are you...?"
Ryan quickly explained, "Ceci— This is Luna Linden, President Linden, a business representative from the Grant Group. She’s currently cooperating with the Vaughn Group on the international airport project. President Vaughn is on a tight schedule today, so she was briefing him on the road. We didn’t expect to run into you here. Mr. Walton, what are you..."
’So what Ryan is saying is that Damien Vaughn is here right now?’
Zeke Walton quickly looked around, and almost instantly, he spotted the familiar Bentley parked under a tree across the street.
Fuck.
He was a pathetic mess. The last people he wanted to see him like this were his parents and Damien Vaughn, and now they’d all seen him.
Zeke Walton was proud. He staggered out of Cecelia Archer’s arms and went to pick up his electric scooter.
"I’m not Zeke Walton. You’ve got the wrong person. Thanks for the chocolate, but I have to get back to work."
Ryan and Cecelia Archer were speechless.
’He’s recovered a bit, but he’s still obviously very weak. There’s no way he can ride that scooter.’
He tried lifting the scooter twice, but it wouldn’t budge. Cecelia Archer helped him right it and pushed it to the side of the road.
"I don’t know what kind of fight you had with your family to end up like this, but I know you’re in no state to get back on that scooter. Zeke, if you won’t talk to me, you can at least talk to Damien, right? Get in the car and come back with us. Even if you want to be independent, to get away from your parents, there’s no need to torture yourself like this. It’s just foolish not to use the friends you have."
Zeke Walton refused to get in the car.
He turned his head slightly to glance at the silent, imposing car.
’Damien is sitting right in there. He’s obviously seen me, but he won’t even crack the window open, let alone come out to check on me.’
’He refuses to forgive me. Fine. I’d rather starve to death, die in poverty, than go begging him for peace.’
"I appreciate your kindness, but my business is none of your concern. You should get back to what you were doing. I’m leaving."
Zeke Walton insisted on leaving, but Cecelia Archer insisted on not letting him go.
Zeke Walton was special to Cecelia Archer. He was perhaps her only male friend to whom she could bare her soul.
Back when she was at the Vaughn’s, Zeke Walton had stood up for her several times. Later, when she nearly died in the hospital, it was he and Shane Grant who had saved her.
Now that he was in trouble, Cecelia Archer would absolutely not stand by and do nothing.
"I’m not letting you leave. You’re already in this state; if you keep riding, you’ll die. If you don’t want people close to you seeing you like this, then I won’t give my report. We’ll find a place to talk alone. You wait here for me."
With that, Cecelia Archer pulled the key from his scooter, turned on her heel, and ran towards Damien Vaughn’s car.