'Oh, great.' Simeon felt he had made things worse.Hayden looked clearly irritated. "Get out."Simeon chuckled awkwardly. "Alright, alright, I'm leaving. You two chat." With that, he quickly opened the door and left the room.After Simeon left, the room fell eerily quiet. Finally, Wyneth turned to Hayden. "So he wanted to 'work with you' on this?"Hayden responded, trying not to show any emotion, "I had no idea he was like that." Wyneth did not say anything. He added, "If you're not a fan of his, we can avoid him from now on."Raising an eyebrow, Wyneth asked, "He came up with this scheme for you, and you're saying you didn't realize he could do something like that?""It might look like he was helping me out, but I don't play games like that," Hayden said as he took her hand. "I wouldn't pull something like this."Raising an eyebrow, Wyneth replied, "Really? You sure about that?"Hayden simply nodded. "Yes.""Oh?" Wyneth's curiosity piqued. "So that pain you mentioned earlier
"Really?" Hayden's face darkened. "But you called someone else's nickname."Feeling cornered, Wyneth tried to make sense of his reaction. She figured it was not about the nickname but the fact she had a special connection with someone else. If Hayden had not overheard, maybe he would not have been so bothered. Given the tension between them, the idea of giving Hayden a nickname now seemed unthinkable. Absorbed in these thoughts, Wyneth's face clouded with uncertainty."Yeah, I used a nickname for someone else. So what?"Hayden's expression changed immediately. "Are you upset with me?" Nervously, he reached out, taking her hand. "I won't mention it again, okay?"Wyneth was not sure how to react. She had put on a stern face to test his reaction, and, to her surprise, he reacted just as she had hoped. 'He sure backed down fast,' she thought. She felt a laugh bubbling up but managed to keep it in. "Really? You promise not to bring it up?""Mhm, I promise.""And if you go back on that
Hayden had barely drifted off when Wyneth's phone buzzed with a message from Simeon.Simeon: [How's Hayden holding up?]Wyneth: [You're his doc, right? You tell me.]Simeon: [He looked too drained to even speak earlier. But with you here, he seems fine. Think I got his diagnosis wrong? Maybe more tests?]Wyneth hesitated, thinking, 'He's this weak, and more tests?'Wyneth: [Dr. Beard, is this your usual patient care?]Simeon: [My other patients don't perk up like he does, even when they're sick.]Wyneth thought with a sigh, 'Same old Simo, always cracking jokes.'Simeon: [On another note, I can tell Hayden has strong feelings for you. I genuinely want to help him. Just ensure he rests. He needs recovery.]Wyneth realized the gravity of the situation and replied: [I understand. I'll make sure of it.]She put her phone in her pocket and glanced at Hayden, who was asleep but still holding her hand tightly. This made texting difficult. Feeling hungry and a bit drained, she tried
Wyneth sighed. 'If people see me with another woman, they won't care much. But if I'm seen with a man, the news might create fake stories about us.'Simeon: [Want me to pack it up? You can eat in my office.]Wyneth brightened. 'Great idea.' She quickly texted back: [Thanks, Simo. I'm starving.] Then she glanced at Hayden and said, "I'm gonna get something to eat."Hayden's eyes flicked open, a hint of tension in his gaze. "You're heading out to eat?""Yeah, Simo is getting lunch for me. I'll be back after."Hayden's brow furrowed. 'That Simeon guy... What's he up to? But she needs to eat, so I should be grateful.' "Okay, go ahead."He was more agreeable than Wyneth expected, and his lack of anxious comments took her by surprise. "Alright, get some rest," and with that, she turned to leave."You..."Hayden's voice made her pause."What's up?"Hayden hesitated. "Nothing. Just come back soon."Wyneth raised an eyebrow but did not respond, walking off. She knew Simeon's office l
After lunch at Simeon's, it was half an hour later. Wyneth did not eat much. Most of that time was because Simeon waited in line for nearly twenty minutes. She only took about ten minutes to eat before she stood up to leave."You ate so quickly, Wyn?" Simeon asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are you hurrying back because of Hayden?"Not wanting to admit her concern for Hayden, Wyneth said, "You think celebrities eat a ton?"Simeon slapped his hand against his leg and said, "Oh! Eating with you, I forgot you're a big star now. Always on camera, you have to watch your image. Guess you can't eat like we did as kids." He sighed, "Poor Wyn. Since becoming famous, you can't eat much. Maybe just a third of a plate. That's tough."Wyneth thought, 'He's such a drama king, more dramatic than any actor I know.'"You should head back," Simeon said. "You've been gone for thirty minutes. Hayden will be waiting, and he might get antsy."Wyneth nodded and left.After she left, Simeon checked his phon
Hayden's expression darkened as he pursed his lips. 'It's been ten minutes. Why hasn't she come back? The walk from Simeon's office isn't that long. She might've gotten held up. Maybe she went to the restroom or stepped out for coffee after her meal.' With these thoughts, his anxiety eased slightly, and he continued to wait.Ten more minutes went by without any sign of Wyneth. Feeling uneasy, Hayden texted Simeon: [Didn't you say she was back? Where is she?]Simeon took a minute before responding: [Hasn't she been with you this whole time???]The exaggerated question marks only deepened Hayden's concern.Hayden: [No, she hasn't been with me. Can you check if something's happened?]Simeon: [Okay. I'll go right now.]Hayden then texted Wyneth: [Where are you?]He got no reply. Wanting to call her but worried she would find him annoying, he hesitated. "Just twenty minutes without seeing me and you're already chasing me down?" he imagined her saying. Yet, his concern for her safety
Simeon blinked, confused. "Didn't you get that?" Hayden asked. Simeon nodded. "Alright, I'll ask right away."While Simeon went to inquire, Hayden started to shuffle toward the exit. A nurse from the next room rushed over—it was the same one who had treated him earlier. Her eyes widened at the sight of the IV needle hanging from Hayden's hand, blood dripping. She went pale."Why are you out of bed, Mr. Hamilton?" the nurse exclaimed. "You shouldn't be walking around, especially with that bleeding hand."Hayden replied sternly, "I have urgent business.""No business is worth worsening your condition. Please, get back to bed. I'll help with your wound."Hayden simply continued moving forward, ignoring her plea.The nurse sighed in frustration. 'Do all patients ignore advice these days?' Despite her annoyance, her concern for Hayden was evident. Grabbing medical supplies, she hurried after him. "Mr. Hamilton," she called out, "if you want to keep walking, fine. But let me treat that
Upon hearing the nurse say "Finn Spencer", Hayden's uncertainty vanished.The nurse looked taken aback. "He's in the ER.""Can you show me the way? Thanks.""Uh, sure."Hayden followed the nurse to the ER. She recognized Finn, a renowned singer. The entire hospital buzzed when he was admitted with severe injuries. Given his fame, the news quickly grabbed major headlines, and everyone was discussing it.Hayden's phone rang after only a few steps. Picking up, he was met with Simeon's urgent voice."Hayden, I found out something. A patient named Spencer was admitted to the hospital today. Word is, he's a big celebrity and got seriously hurt when a lighting rig fell on him at an event."Hayden's eyebrows drew together. "I know. I'm heading there now."Simeon blurted, "You're going there? Does he work with your company? And, aren't you supposed to be looking for Wyn?" He could not understand why Hayden was suddenly concerned about someone else, especially with Wyneth still missing.