Chapter 22 The Room

"Are you okay?" Axton glanced at Sierra briefly while keeping his focus on navigating the busy city streets at a dangerously high speed.

Sierra observed everything Axton had done—from carrying her out of the construction site without hesitation, leaving Mr. Smith behind, to recklessly speeding through traffic.

What exactly is this man trying to do?

“Hold on, we’ll be at the hospital soon.”

Receiving no response from Sierra, Axton spoke again, his voice filled with concern.

“Axton,” Sierra called out softly.

“Should I call Callie?” Axton asked quickly, stealing another glance at her.

Sierra shook her head. “No. Why would you do that?”

“What?” Axton frowned, clearly puzzled. “Do you want us to head straight to the hospital?”

“Nope. I don’t need a hospital.”

“You’re injured,” Axton countered, throwing her a skeptical look before refocusing on the road. “Your leg is hurt, and you need medical attention.”

“Not at all. I don’t need a hospital because my leg is fine.”

“And how would you know that? Are you a doctor?”

Sierra could hardly believe they were arguing over this.

“I’m fine,” she repeated firmly. “I just want to go home and—”

“We need to go to the hospital.”

“Axton,” Sierra reached out and touched his arm, surprised by how tense his muscles were. “I’m okay. I just want to go home. Can you take me home?” Her voice softened.

Axton glanced at her again, doubt evident in his gaze. “Are you sure?”

Sierra nodded. “I’m fine.”

***

“I can do it myself,” Sierra insisted when Axton bent down, ready to lift her again.

“Are you sure?” Axton asked, his expression doubtful.

She sighed. “I’ve lost count of how many times you’ve asked me that. I told you, I can do it myself.” With that, she stepped out of the car, only to lose her balance as pain shot through her injured leg.

Axton caught her just in time, his arms sliding beneath her knees and back to lift her effortlessly. “I’ve also lost count of how many times you’ve said you’re fine,” he replied dryly.

Sierra closed her eyes, draping her arms around his neck for support. It wasn’t exactly a comfortable position—especially with her head resting against his chest, where she could hear his steady heartbeat loud and clear.

“Are you sure you don’t need to go to the hospital?” Axton asked again, tilting his head to look at her.

“No,” Sierra shook her head, avoiding his gaze.

Axton carried her to her room, setting her gently on the bed. He knelt to remove her shoes, and she winced as he accidentally brushed against her injured leg. She silently vowed never to wear high heels to a site visit again.

“Where’s Callie?” she asked as Axton returned with a bowl of cold water and a towel, placing them on the bedside table.

“She’s with a friend, but I’ve already called her.” He had rolled up his shirt sleeves and undone the top two buttons, revealing a more casual side of him she rarely saw.

“What are you doing?” She instinctively pulled her leg back, only to regret the impulsive movement as pain flared again.

“Easy, Sierra,” Axton said calmly, taking her leg in his hand. “I’m just going to apply a cold compress to reduce the swelling. I think your leg is sprained, and this should help ease the pain.”

Sierra reached for the towel. “I can do it myself,” she said quickly.

Axton didn’t reply. Instead, he took the towel, dipped it in the cold water, wrung it out, and began carefully applying it to her leg.

Sierra tried to stop him but eventually gave up when it became clear he wasn’t letting go of her leg.

“You should head back to the project and meet with Mr. Smith,” She suggested, reaching into her bag for her phone. As she skimmed through her messages, she noticed several from different departments, all inquiring about Axton’s schedule.

Then, there was a message from Damian that caught her attention.

Damian Alexandrov: Are you okay? Can you tell me which hospital you’re at? I feel terrible and want to visit you.

Damian Alexandrov: I know you might be busy, but if you read this, I hope you can send me the name of the hospital. I’ll come, even if it’s midnight.

Sierra hadn’t expected to receive a message from Damian. He was, undeniably, very kind.

Sierra Kayleigh: I’m fine, and I’m not at a hospital. If you feel guilty, you can send lunch to the office tomorrow.

Damian Alexandrov: How can you not be at the hospital? Didn’t Axton take you there?

Damian Alexandrov: Are you at home? I’ll come over and take you to the hospital right now.

Damian’s quick reply made Sierra reach for her phone again, her eyes widening as she read his last message. She cursed silently, then composed herself enough to respond.

Sierra Kayleigh: I’m with Callie now, and my leg is fine. There’s no need for you to worry about me.

Damian Alexandrov: I’ll bring lunch to Axton’s house then.

Damn. That was not the response she had hoped for.

Sierra Kayleigh: I want my lunch tomorrow. I don’t want anything now because Callie has already prepared food, and I don’t want to offend her. There’s no need for you to come over, Damian. That’s too much. But thank you for your concern.

“Who are you texting?”

Axton’s voice startled her, and she looked up from her phone. “Just a few people messaging me,” Sierra replied, raising her phone and shrugging. “Work-related stuff.”

“Forget about them. I’ll handle all the work,” Axton said dismissively.

Another notification buzzed, and Sierra smiled at Damian’s latest message.

Damian Alexandrov: I hope you’re really okay, Sierra. I was just thinking of getting you high heels because you look amazing in them, but I’d rather not break your leg again.

Sierra chuckled at Damian’s mix of humor and sweetness.

Sierra Kayleigh: I didn’t ask for high heels from you. My voucher is still unused, and I’m not going to waste it on shoes.

Damian Alexandrov: Aye-aye, Captain!*

This time, she couldn’t hold back a laugh.

“Sierra?”

“Yes?” She glanced up, a trace of her smile still lingering, but she quickly looked away, realizing how silly she might have appeared. “Damian sent me a message. I think I need to ask him about Mr. Smith. I forgot to bring it up.”

Before she could type a reply, Axton reached over and took her phone. “No need to ask about Mr. Smith. I’ve already handled it,” he said, placing her phone on the nightstand.

Sierra wanted to protest but stopped herself. Axton had been more than helpful—carrying her, tending to her injury. It felt wrong to complain after all he’d done.

“Thank you for helping me, Axton. Maybe you should get back to the office; there’s still so much work waiting for you. Is it okay if I don’t return to the office today?”

“Of course, it’s fine. I’ll cancel all my meetings and reschedule them.”

“What?” Sierra’s eyes widened. “That’s completely unnecessary.”

“Are you hungry? I can ask the maid to prepare lunch for you if you are.”

“No,” she shook her head. “Aren’t you going back to the office?”

“Are you trying to kick me out?”

Sierra was taken aback. How could she possibly kick someone out of their own house?

“Not at all.”

“Okay, then.” Axton sat on the sofa near her window, scrolling through his phone.

Sierra frowned, unsure what to do. She didn’t want to ask after their last conversation, but watching him so at ease in her room left her restless.

“You… can leave, Axton. I’m fine now.”

“I’ll stay until Callie gets back. She’ll be here soon,” Axton said without looking up.

“I’m just going to sleep, and I’m sure I won’t need anything. So, I think it’s okay if you leave.”

“Are you sure?”

Sierra nodded. “As you said, Callie will be here soon, and I’m sure she’ll take care of me.”

“I mean, do you really not need anything?”

“I just need to use the bathroom, but I can manage that on my own. You’ve already helped me enough.”

Axton stood abruptly and slid his arms under her.

Sierra gasped in surprise. She opened her mouth to protest, but Axton beat her to it. “I’ll take you to the bathroom and leave after that.”

Unable to argue, she wrapped her arms around his neck and allowed him to carry her. He set her down carefully inside the bathroom.

“I’ll wait outside. Call me if you need anything,” he said before stepping out.

Sierra sighed as she turned to the bidet, only to discover the water wouldn’t turn on. She tried flushing the toilet, but it didn’t work either.

Oh no.

Thankfully, she’d checked the bidet before actually using the toilet. But now, she didn’t know what to do.

“Axton?” she called hesitantly, knowing she had no other choice.

“Are you done?” Axton opened the door and stepped in, his brows furrowing slightly.

“I think there’s a problem with the toilet. The water isn’t working, so I can’t use it.”

“Really?” Axton turned on the sink faucet, confirming her claim. He tried the shower, but the water was out there too.

"Is there an issue with the water supply?" Sierra asked.

"I'm not sure. I used the kitchen faucet, and there was no problem. I'll check the faucet in my room," Axton replied as he walked out.

Sierra waited patiently since she still couldn't walk on her own. It might take a few days before her leg fully recovered—hopefully, nothing was seriously wrong.

"The toilet in my room works fine," Axton said, returning to her. He moved closer to pick her up. "I'll take you there."

Sierra hesitated to use the toilet in Callie's room, especially since Callie wasn’t home. But she had no choice; she really needed a functioning bathroom.

"You can use the bidet here," Axton said, carefully lowering her onto the toilet seat.

Sierra stared at him briefly before nodding. "Thank you, Axton."

"I’ll wait outside. I need to call Callie and ask when she’ll be home," he said.

"Alright," Sierra replied.

She was relieved that Callie’s bathroom was working. At least she didn’t have to use a bathroom elsewhere, which might raise questions if the household staff saw her with Axton.

Deep down, she knew that sooner or later, the staff would piece things together. The day she carried Callie and Axton’s child, the truth would come out, even if they didn't understand how it all happened.

But for now, Sierra chose not to dwell on it. She had enough problems for the day.

"Axton, I’m done," Sierra called after washing her hands using the bidet.

"Are you sure you don’t want lunch? I can ask the maid to prepare something," Axton said as he carried her out of the bathroom.

Sierra shook her head. "I’m not hungry. I’ll call the maid if I need food."

"I tried calling Callie, but she didn’t answer. She’s probably driving," Axton said.

"That’s fine. You don’t need to disturb her. She’s happiest when she’s with her friends," Sierra replied.

"She’s also happy when she’s with you," Axton said.

Sierra smiled briefly. "I’m happy with her too. She’s the only friend I have."

"Yeah, I remember. You used to tag along with Callie when we dated, and I even thought about finding you a boyfriend," Axton teased.

"Excuse me?" Sierra tilted her head indignantly. "That’s insulting!" she said with a laugh.

"That’s because Callie never wanted to leave you behind and always insisted on bringing you along. Honestly, I didn’t mind, but for a while, I worried that you might have a crush on her—as a lesbian," Axton admitted.

"What the hell!" Sierra stared at him in disbelief, hitting his arm in mock anger. "That never crossed my mind, but you’re so annoying!" She laughed, and Axton joined in.

She couldn’t believe she was joking around with him, but perhaps this was what they needed.

Axton carried her through the door, and she helped him close it behind them.

"Axton, what are you doing?"

They both froze, hearing the unexpected question from a woman.

Axton turned, spinning Sierra slightly in his arms, and they both looked toward the source of the voice.

To their shock, it wasn’t Callie.

Sierra held her breath as she locked eyes with the woman standing before them.

Oh God, what’s going to happen now?