Mercer let out a smug chuckle upon hearing this. "Calla will never fall in love with another man!""Are you that sure of yourself?" Simon asked."Of course." Mercer spoke briefly, then stared out the car window and into the night. His eyebrows drew together in a thoughtful frown.After work that evening, Pierre headed straight to Calla's place. This had become routine; if he had no business engagements, he usually had dinner there. Both Fiona and Calla were there, saving him from having to cook for himself, which he couldn't do himself anyway.As soon as he entered, Pierre saw Calla sitting on the couch, holding a bottle of liniment. Grimacing in pain, she applied it to her ankle and calf."What happened?" Pierre put down his briefcase and walked over with a concerned expression."I took a fall," Calla replied with a strained smile.She had indeed taken quite a hard tumble today, so much so that she couldn't get up for a while. Fortunately, the people around were kind enough
Calla felt a tight grip around her waist as she was pulled into a warm embrace. Fortunately, she didn't fall in a clumsy, embarrassing way.She had such a tiny waist that Pierre's quick reaction pulled her right into his arms.At this moment, he realized with a start that his heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst out of his chest. Pierre recalled the last time he felt this way was when he was a young, inexperienced lover. That first, innocent romance was something he'd never been able to recapture. No matter how many women he'd been with, it remained elusive.Calla hadn't fallen, but she was properly startled. She'd taken a bad fall earlier today and was still shaken. The fear of another fall had her heart racing. Unlike Pierre, her heart was pounding out of fear.Though Pierre could see that Calla had regained her balance, he was reluctant to let go of her waist.With a small smile, Calla said, "Thanks." She then gestured with her arm, as if to create some dist
Things were not going as Calla had expected. Pierre had been avoiding her altogether for several days. His absence only made her feel more uncomfortable.After dinner one evening, Calla was packing some orders on the living room floor. Meanwhile, Fiona was busy clearing the table.As she wiped the table, Fiona asked, "Ms. Sherman, do you think I did something to offend Mr. Garland? Why hasn't he come over for dinner today even though he's back home? Maybe he dislikes my cooking now."Hearing this, Calla looked up and asked, "Pierre went straight home after work tonight?""Yes, I saw him when I went out to take the trash. I even asked him if he wanted to come over for dinner, but he said no," Fiona replied.Calla then realized he was avoiding her on purpose. "Maybe he has a date later."Fiona suddenly said, "Oh, I remember now. Mr. Garland seems to have a bad cold. He was sneezing a lot just earlier, and he didn't look well.""What? Is he sick?" Calla frowned at this."Yes, that
Startled by Pierre's sudden embrace, Calla's hand shook, spilling the rest of the water from her cup.She could feel him trembling. Knowing he had a high fever, Calla helped him lie down and covered him with a blanket."Don't go! Don't leave..." In his sleep, Pierre had a tight grip on Calla's wrist.Calla frowned as she attempted to free her hand from his grasp but to no avail. Seeing him babbling incoherently from the fever, she felt sorry for him. She sat by the bed, eventually letting him hold her wrist.After sitting like that for more than half an hour, Pierre suddenly started shivering under the blanket and muttered, "I'm so cold... it's so cold!"Seeing this, Calla felt his forehead and noticed he wasn't sweating. She was starting to get anxious. A high fever without sweating was very hard to bring down.Looking around, Calla forcefully freed her hand and went to the next room to grab another blanket. She covered Pierre with it, hoping to induce sweating.Yet, Pierre kep
This time, Pierre didn't grab Calla's wrist to prevent her from leaving as he had before. The next moment, Calla slipped on her shoes and fled.It wasn't until he heard the soft sound of the door closing that Pierre opened his drowsy eyes. Calla had left only a dim wall lamp on for him.He rested his head on his arms, gazing at the ceiling, and a satisfied smile spread across his face.Earlier that afternoon, he had been cursing this sudden cold. When he got home from work last night, his body was so sore that he couldn't even get out of bed. But now, he believed that this cold was a blessing in disguise—especially the high fever. It had brought him unexpected gains.Pierre buried his face in the blanket, inhaling deeply. There was a scent left by Calla, a pleasant smell that left him savoring. Calla returned to the unit across from Pierre's. After checking on Clover, who was sound asleep, she turned and went into the bathroom to shower.The hot water rained down on her, was
Calla turned her head back, staring at the elevator's indicator, silently willing it to hurry up. It seemed like the elevator was taking forever to arrive, stopping at every floor. She pressed the button several times more, but it made no difference.The next moment, Pierre emerged from his apartment wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase.Calla felt a little awkward facing Pierre, but she tried to maintain her composure as he joined her before the elevator. "Aren't you going to rest at home before heading to work?"Pierre's face showed no signs of anything unusual. Calla began to doubt whether she had been reading too much into it.Pierre smiled and said, "There's a pile of work waiting for me at the firm. I can't afford to rest."He glanced at his wristwatch and frowned. "You're going to be late today.""Yes." Calla anxiously watched the elevator, growing more frustrated by the second."I can drive you there. We'll make it in time," Pierre offered."No need. We're not going
Under Pierre's ardent insistence, Calla couldn't refuse and had to get into his car.During the ride, Calla stared out of the car window. She was sure Pierre kept stealing glances at her, a subtle smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.That faint smile made Calla feel uneasy. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. His presence, once so comforting, now left her feeling unsettled and adrift."I apologize for troubling you last night. You were up all night taking care of me, missed your breakfast, and might even be late for work." Pierre finally spoke.Glad that Pierre had broken the long silence, Calla hastened to say, "It's not like you planned to be sick. And since you're driving me to work, I should be on time."She glanced at her phone; there was definitely still time before she'd be late. But his mention of taking care of him all night made her blush. In truth, it was more like they hugged each other all night.
Calla lowered her head and thought for a few seconds. Then, she looked up, her eyes meeting Pierre's with firm resolve. "Pierre, you're Clover's godfather. You're playing the role of a father now. "I've moved on and am no longer interested in pursuing a relationship, at least not right now. Given your exceptional qualities and character, you deserve someone better. I'm not the right person for you, being a divorced woman with a child."After getting to know him, Pierre was indeed the kind of man a woman could entrust her life to. Calla was touched by his deep affection for her. But in the end, he wasn't the man who could make her heart flutter.Pierre was too perfect—his looks, character, abilities, and even his family background were impeccable. She couldn't be selfish as to burden him with responsibilities that he shouldn't have to bear.At this moment, Calla felt a twinge of regret. She regretted embracing him last night to help him sweat out the fever. Perhaps she had given hi