Loving A STRANGER 155 Chapter 155: I Am Not Interested Hearing Your Excuses

Lucas turned back and found that he'd lost what little ground he'd made. Frowning, he cursed, took a deep breath, and ran in the direction of the thief.

Kylie squatted in front of the old lady and asked her if she was alright. She had planned to help her stand up, but the old lady was trembling, which meant that Kylie didn't know what to do. The old lady tried to speak, but it was apparent that she could not. Furthermore, she was obviously in pain. 

The old lady looked at Kylie and pointed to her chest. "Is there something wrong with your heart?" Kylie asked her. "I'll call 9-1-1."

Before she could get out her phone, though, the old lady grabbed her pants and wheezed while pointing to her throat. Suddenly Kylie understood exactly what the problem was. She pulled the old lady to her feet, and, as she had been trained to do, she performed the Heimlich maneuver on her. After a few compressions, a chunk of meatball flew out of the old lady's mouth.

Once she'd caught her breath, the old lady looked at Kylie and said, " Thank you so much. If it hadn't been for you, I would be dead already."

"It was nothing," Kylie replied. "I am just glad I was here to help. I am still going to call 9-1-1 for you, though. It is very likely that you've sustained internal injuries. My name is Kylie, by the way."

The old lady nodded consent and said, "I appreciate all that you are doing for me. My name is Beth. My husband pa.s.sed away last year, and, though I am anxious to be with him again, he would tease me for all eternity if he learned that a meatball had murdered me…" 

Not wanting to leave Beth alone, Kylie rode with her in the ambulance to the hospital. Once they arrived, she called Lucas and told him what had happened, where she was and asked him if he'd caught the thief.

"He got away, and the purse wasn't recovered," Lucas sighed, "but I am beginning to think that it doesn't even matter. I just spoke with the President, Laurence. He just called me. It seems from the times that I've recalled my memory. We were given a lot of wrong information. I suspect that it was done on purpose to make us look unprofessional and, perhaps even, to have us removed from the roster."

"When is the first meeting?" Kylie sighed.

"It just started," Lucas replied. "Even if we leave right now, we will be very late…" 

Kylie hung up the phone, turned to Beth and said, "Ma'am, what is your family's number? I can call someone for you, but I can't stay any longer. I have to go right now."

"Where are you going?" Beth wondered.

"Ma'am," Kylie replied. "I came to Hamorna for work. It's really important. I'll visit you again when I've finished my work, alright?"

"That would be very nice of you," the old lady said with a smile on her face.

Khloe rolled her eyes as Kylie entered the meeting room with Faith and Lucas in tow. "Look who finally showed up," she scolded them. "Do you think you are so high and mighty that you don't need to respect other people's time?"

David looked displeased. "What's wrong with you," he demanded. "Khloe is right to scold you as she has. I told you that today's meeting is really important. So, why are you late?"

"And why do you look like that?" Aiden scowled as he pointed to her soiled clothing. Kylie was wearing a pair of pants and a short T-shirt, which accentuated her slim waist and long legs, but her entire attire was stained with vegetable soup.

Looking at her, Nina Fanning, the producer, said, "I've just made up my mind to dismiss Kylie."

Lucas met Nina's eyes and said, "Nina, we have known each other for a long time, and I have always given you the final say. Nothing about that has changed, but for my sake, would you please consider giving Kylie a second chance?"

"Please," Kylie added. "Normally, I would never show up for a meeting dressed like this, or late, but this morning was quite an ordeal. I can explain everything if you'd like."

"I am sorry," Nina replied. "It was a stretch from the beginning, to have you on the show. You have no experience. You don't have much of a fan base. And now this. I am not interested in hearing your excuses. I am ready to move forward, positively, without you."

"Bulls.h.i.t!" Kylie snapped. "This is some kind of conspiracy. After the press junket I recently was involved in, I am at the top of my game as far as the public goes. Any project that I would be involved with would be lucky to have me. Furthermore, I have tons of acting experience. Whoever told you differently obviously didn't know what they were talking about. My guess is that your source was Mr. Ham, so it doesn't surprise me that the information he gave you was inaccurate!"

Hearing her response, Nina's jaw nearly hit the floor. She hadn't expected Kylie to stand up for herself. Most actresses didn't. 

"Kylie Finch," David shouted, "Nina is the boss around here, and she has given you her decision. Stop what you are doing. You are making a fool of yourself!"

Kylie turned to David and said, "The only reason I was late was that you gave us the wrong time. I will leave now because I am obviously not welcome here. This is not over, though. You will rue the day that you snubbed me!"