Lucian smiled purposefully."She wanted me to put in more effort."Nothing quite like mending a relationship with a child in the mix."Huh?" Calista expressed her confusion.Seeing how Lucian had no intention of elaborating, she didn't bother to pry. After everything was packed up, Calista wheeled him to the single-bed ward. The nurse who came to conduct routine checks was already at the door. So, she followed them. The bed in the ward was also three feet, except it also came with an extra cot for chaperones.Seeing how Lucian's gaze shifted between the two beds, the nurse rattled off routinely, "The beds cannot be moved. You cannot merge them into one bed."Calista said nothing. She didn't know if it was just her imagination but she had a feeling that the nurse was glancing at her lips out of the corner of her eye.The nurse left after measuring his temperature and blood pressure. Before she did, she reminded them. "Do not lock the door."Calista hadn't had much sleep last
The lack of oxygen left Calista's mind blank. His words had her asking, "What?"Lucian said nothing. He propped his hands against the bed and showed her what he meant by his actions.Calista was startled. Who would've thought that a patient who had just been released from the ICU this morning would be so agile? He was climbing around like a primate. She was worried that his ribs would break before the injuries in his legs healed.Lucian had become more proficient at climbing in and out of bed after the experience from previous attempts. He was already sitting on her bed before Calista could utter a word to reprimand him.Trying to accommodate two adults on a three-foot-wide bed, especially when one of them was a tall man, was quite the challenge. It was probably due to his weight that the bed creaked with every move. Calista was worried that the noise might be heard by people passing through the corridor outside. She couldn't afford to be disgraced because of this man.Just as
Calista's gaze slid down from the frown on Lucian's face, passing over his throat as he swallowed. Then, she watched the rapid rise and fall of his chest before her attention was directed to a certain area.He was turned slightly on his side. So, nothing obvious could be seen. However, it was clear that he was not having a good time with how raspy his voice had become. Calista raised a brow at him triumphantly."Your legs are broken. But, sure. Keep playing the tough guy. Serves you right. You'll just have to put up with it."Then, she went straight to the adjacent bed, lifted the covers, and climbed in. Once she was comfortably lying down, she switched off the lights.Lucian had just laid in this bed. His scent continued to cling to the sheets. When her face touched the pillow, his smell filled her senses. It was reassuring.The brightly-lit ward suddenly plunged into darkness. The fluorescent lights from the corridor seeped in through the glass window on the door, illuminating a
Lucian shot Calista a look that seemed to signal for her to ignore Christina because she was out of her mind. Calista was at a loss for words.While the pair kept their composure, Hector was much less calm. He was choking on air as he spoke in a disjointed manner, "What did you just call her?"Christina had spoken a little too hastily and made a joke about Calista being someone she sponged off of. Things quickly grew awkward with the three pairs of eyes scrutinizing her. If she tried to cover it up, however, it might lead to misunderstandings. She couldn't afford to ruin her financial backer's marriage. Otherwise, the Grey Group would be wiped off the map in Capeton.Since there was no way out of this, Christina had no choice but to tell the truth. She pointed to the bed where Lucian was lying."Mr. Northwood will soon be the Grey Group's partner. In this day and age, anyone who invests would be a sugar daddy."She then pointed at Calista."You're Mr. Northwood's wife. That mak
Calista pulled down the collar of her sweater and pointed at the red marks on her skin. They were all courtesy of Lucian from the night before. "Are you trying to imply that you're not stewing in dirty thoughts all the time?"Lucian thought she was laying the blame on a little thick. They were husband and wife. All he did was kiss her. What did it have to do with his dirty thoughts?"I'm a perfectly normal man. Isn't it normal to have urges and desires for the woman I love?" Calista rolled her eyes. Her earlobes flushed a faint shade of red."You should reign your urges in even if you have desires.""It's … not something I can just control," Lucian said.Otherwise, there wouldn't be a saying floating around claiming that men were animals who think with their lower halves."Who says you can't?" Calista's raised brow paired with the amused glint in her eyes clued Lucian in that he was not going to like what she was going to say next. He was about to change the topic when th
Lucian knew Calista was right. But, it didn't take away from the bad taste in his mouth. He muttered softly to himself, "There are ways to preserve fresh flowers if you want to."Calista heard him loud and clear. However, she pretended not to. She tilted her head."Did you say something?""It's nothing. I'm going to the bathroom."Lucian was currently still unable to go around on his own and had to rely on a wheelchair. Outsiders could not know about this before his identity could be officially disclosed. That was why they were the only two souls in the manor. Calista had the maid prepare a guest room on the first floor for him. Coincidentally, it was the same room where Hector had stayed in before. Even the bed and the sheets were the same. The sight only made him even more irritable.Lucian decided that he was going to dismiss David the day he had his identity reinstated. The assistant wasn't prudent at all. Did he not know that Calista was clueless on how to turn fresh
Lucian and Gabriel arranged to meet at a cafe. Shortly after the former arrived, a middle-aged man hastily entered. His lips wobbled when he noticed the wheelchair-bound man.There was a short pause before he awkwardly spoke, "Did you need something, Jordan …?"The resemblance between him and the missing man from the Northwood family was striking. Gabriel couldn't help but be momentarily stunned. Lucian nodded and gestured for Gabriel to sit."Do you have anything to say about the illegal fundraising, Mr. Lancaster?"Before he took over as the president of the Lancaster Group. Lucian had met with the Lancaster family once. Safe for Gabriel, no one else knew that he wasn't the real Jordan. The decision to appoint him as the successor was faced with strong opposition from the Lancasters.He had been a physically weak person who was brought back from the countryside. He hadn't attended a decent university. What right did he have to be the Lancaster family's successor? The one who
Selena shook her head and reverted to her usual indulgent demeanor."It's nothing. I'm probably just tired because I woke up a little too early this morning."She glanced at the door."Where's Lucian? Did he not come with you?""He's busy at the moment. So, I …"Before Calista could finish, Selena's phone began to ring. She glanced at the caller ID and hastily said, "I need to take this call."Then, she sped upstairs without waiting for Calista to finish. Selena remained upstairs even after Lucian arrived.Lucian glanced around the empty living room and wheeled himself over to Calista. He took her hand. Even though they were living together now, he didn't want to lose out on any opportunity to be close to her. "Why are you alone? Where's Mom?"Every time they visited the Stansend Manor, the women would get together and chat endlessly. It was as if they were mother and daughter while he was the unwelcome son-in-law."Mom went upstairs to take a call. She hasn't come down