Caleb rushed in at the sound, taking in the mess. "Madeline, stay put. Don't move."He could not find her assigned nurse and had to grab someone from a different ward to tidy up.He lifted Madeline back onto the bed, his voice laced with concern. "You're still weak. You should be resting. Anything you need, just buzz for the nurse."Madeline offered a sheepish smile. "I just wanted some water.""That's what nurses are for. Where's yours, by the way?"The private ward nurses were supposed to be on call one-to-one. He had made a point of it just yesterday. Where had she gone?The nurse rushed in, breathless with apologies. "I'm so sorry. Mr. Gibson said they didn't need me, so I left."The nurse was almost in tears. The job was a godsend, and losing it would be a disaster.Madeline's face was pale.Caleb frowned as he said, "Enough. It's no big deal. Go grab a pitcher of water, will you?"The nurse hurried off with the pitcher in hand.A brief silence settled in the room befor
Trevon bit his lip, forcing himself to recover from the shock of the memory.As he looked down at Lydia, who was crying so pitifully, his heart felt heavy.Feeling his stare, Lydia's sobs grew louder. "Trevon, please, for the sake of our childhood, help me. I can't face prison."The bond of their childhood, was it?Trevon's mind wandered back to his childhood days.His dad had just died, and they were back in his hometown for the funeral. He bolted from the somber service and ended up taking a hard spill, his hands and knees bloody.However, he did not want to go back, so he walked around aimlessly.A little girl in a pink princess dress froze when she saw him, her eyes wide with concern. "Hey! You're hurt!"She was not scared off by his messy state. Instead, she hurried over and asked, "Does it hurt, mister?"Trevon pulled his hand away.The girl plopped down on the ground.She did not cry, though. She just got up and said, "That must hurt. I know when I take a fall, it hur
Trevon pursed his lips as he said, "I'll be right back.""I'm coming too!"He turned to Lydia, eyebrows raised in surprise.Lydia smiled sheepishly. "I mean, I'm her sister. She's in the hospital, and the Sanders family should show their faces, right?"However, Trevon was not having it.He remembered Madeline's words from the morning, laced with doubt, and decided it was best if Lydia did not show up just yet.Without another word, Trevon grabbed Simon and strode out, not once glancing back.Lydia gripped the doorframe, seething with frustration and anger.…Instead of heading straight to the hospital, Trevon made a detour to the Angelic Garden Residence.He might have been in a hurry, but he could not forget how Madeline had once cared for him. Bringing her some clothes was the least he could do.The sound of shuffling came from Madeline's bedroom. She could not have checked herself out, could she? That would be madness.With a frown, Trevon swung the door open, ready to c
In her slumber, Madeline's features softened. Her usual fierceness was gone and replaced by a delicate tranquility.If she were still her old self, their interactions would have been quite enjoyable, even more so than with Lydia.However, perhaps due to the weight of Trevon's stare, Madeline's long lashes fluttered as she slowly opened her eyes.Trevon looked away, setting the clothes he had brought on the nearby nurse's station.Recognizing him, Madeline propped herself up and leaned back against the pillows."Mr. Gibson, what brings you here?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.Trevon gritted his teeth. Was she that distant with Caleb too?Swallowing his frustration, he gestured with his chin toward the bag at the bed's head. "Grandma sent me with some fresh clothes for you."Madeline's expression changed, and a wave of red swept over her cheeks. The thought of him picking out her clothes must have felt like an invasion of her privacy.Had he seen all her soft, blush-col
After Lydia finished her shift, she made a point of going upstairs to find Trevon."Mr. Gibson was at the hospital this morning," Simon informed her."He hasn't returned?!"Simon shook his head as Lydia walked away, her spirit clearly shaken.Lydia sat in her red sedan, shrouded in darkness, and the interior lights were turned off by choice.Her face contorted with rage as she hissed, "Curse you, Madeline! Trevon is mine, and you'll never steal him away!"With that, she sped out of the garage.All seemed well until she took a corner too fast and slammed into the guardrail.The force threw Lydia forward, only to be snapped back by her seatbelt. A burst of sharp pain followed.Dazed, it took her a moment to register the concerned shouts from outside."Hey, you okay in there? Can you hear me?"A weak smile crossed Lydia's lips, tears streaming down as she dialed Trevon's number.Trevon was mid-meal when his phone rang. He stood up abruptly and asked, "You're not hurt, are you?
As the clock struck ten at night, the hospital halls fell into a hush.Madeline lifted her gaze from the computer and kindly asked the caregiver, "Could you fetch me a jug of water before you head off to bed?"She had a feeling Trevon would not return.The caregiver nodded and departed.Madeline glanced at the finished draft, pondered briefly, and sent it to Bernard.[Got the first draft done. What do you think?]Bernard's reply came swiftly. [Still up working, sis? It's late. Remember to look after yourself.]Madeline chuckled as she replied, [Looks like you're up too.]She voiced her concerns about the sketches. [I'm not convinced the action sequences are up to par. It would be awesome to see the characters duke it out in a game video.][No problem.]Madeline replied with a confused emoticon.Meanwhile, Bernard strode back into the training room, and his teammates jumped at his return."Cap?""What brings you back?"Bernard nodded, booted up his computer, and called Yah
Madeline quickly made adjustments to the sketch of the sorcerer's movements after watching Bernard's combat video.Bernard had a real knack for gaming. He had gotten the hang of the sorcerer's abilities in no time, pulling off moves that were as stylish as they were lethal.It was the perfect embodiment of a sorcerer.Once the artwork was polished and perfected, a mysterious and dangerous sorcerer seemed to spring to life from the page.Bernard sent her a flurry of thumbs-up emoticons in response.The sketch was a hit, so it was time to add color and detail.Madeline took a momentary breather when an unexpected visitor appeared in her hospital room.It was Lydia."I heard you were in the hospital, so I thought I'd drop by," she said.Madeline replied icily, "Cut the act. You know exactly why I'm here."Lydia was taken aback but kept her composure. "Madeline, what are you getting at? I'm lost."She was lost, was she? She would understand one day.Madeline did not want to was
A man with gold-rimmed glasses smiled as he announced smoothly, "Mr. Gibson has an urgent matter to attend to. Please bear with us."Without waiting for any questions, he slipped out, hot on Trevon's heels.As if he would stick around for a Q&A session. Daniel was an ace assistant—not a mind reader. How could he possibly explain Trevon's abrupt departure?After purging his stomach in the restroom, Trevon emerged to find Daniel waiting with a handkerchief at the ready.Taking it with a nod, Trevon cleaned up, washed his hands, and dialed Madeline with a scowl.The call was cut short. He tried again, only to be disconnected once more.Trevon's eyes were locked on his phone as he hit redial, his stubbornness refusing to let him back down.Madeline, clearly fed up, answered with a sharp edge to her voice. "What now?"Trevon clenched his jaw. "Is that any way to talk?"Without another word, Madeline ended the call.Trevon's gaze did not waver from the screen as he dialed her numbe