Chapter 171
She lay quietly with her eyes closed, her skin so pale that the faintest blue veins showed through. A small crease pinched her brow, as if she were lost in some troubling dream.
Latham thought of the message he’d gotten not long ago, the one where she said she was already back at the hotel and about to sleep. Now here she was, looking so delicate and weak, like she might break if you so much as touched her.
All the frustration that had been weighing him down shifted to a sharp ache in his chest. He didn’t say anything, just glanced at the IV bottle on the stand. It was still half full. With a sigh, he reached out and gently rested his cool fingertips on her furrowed brow.
Dorothea wasn’t fully asleep. The sudden chill startled her awake. Her eyes flew open, wide and confused. She blinked, staring at him as if she couldn’t quite believe Latham was really standing there.
“Go back to sleep. I’m here p>
His voice was calm and a little cool, but his eyes were full of worry.
Dorothea parted her lips, but in the end she just closed her eyes again. She was always so cautious, never letting her guard down, but right now, maybe without even realizing it, she was letting herself trust Latham.
He let out a quiet sigh, his voice low and magnetic. “Dorothea, when will you ever pick me first p>
Dorothea wanted to open her eyes but just didn’t have the strength. Sleep pulled her under.
When she woke again, it was already the next morning. She looked around, noticing she’d been moved from the big observation ward into a quiet, private room.
The door opened and Latham walked in, carrying a bag of food.
“Awake?” His expression was calm. “I got you some porridge. Doctor said you need to stick to bland, soft foods for now p>
“No spicy stuff, and no seafood for a while p>
He set the food down and added, “And no coffee p>
He remembered how she liked her coffee, several cups a day. “Doctor said coffee is bad for your stomach p>
Dorothea gave a half-smile, a little bitter. “Okay, I get it p>
“Thank you. Honestly, I thought I was dreaming. I didn’t think it was really you last night p>
She remembered seeing Latham right before she fell asleep, but she hadn’t thought much of it. He was supposed to be in Cabinda. How did he just suddenly appear at her bedside?
Latham seemed to read her mind. “Carmen called me. She got my number from someone else. That’s how I found out you were in trouble p>
There was a hint of something like complaint in his tone.
Dorothea hesitated, then explained
“I wasn’t t
just thought you were so
trying to hide a bet
faraway, you couldn’t help even if you wa
to p>
He raised an eyebrow. “So Carmen’s help from afar is fine, but mine isn’t p>
Dorothea realized anything she said would only make it worse, so she just kept quiet.
Latham took out his phone and handed it to her. “Do you know why I asked you about your assistant that day? Because I got this p>
He didn’t sound accusing, just careful. “It’s not that I don’t trust you. I just think there’s someone behind him p>
She didn’t need to ask who. They both knew.
“There’s nothing between us. We’re just coworkers p>
Latham’s lips curled into a small smile. “If there was anything, I’d have made a scene ages ago p>
Dorothea took a few slow sips of porridge, sneaking a glance at him. He sounded jealous, but there was laughter in his eyes.
She honestly couldn’t tell when Latham was joking and when he was serious. He was always like that.
“Anyway… thank you p>
She was sure Carola was doing
everything possible to keep her from going to that wedding which just meant she had to go, no matter what..
“Latham, I actually need your help with something else p>
The next day, Albert got tagged in a
group chat,Albert
your niece was
asking around for Latham’s
number
yesterday. What’s up with that p>
He paused. “You’re sure it was my niece p>
Someone quickly dropped a screenshot into the chat. “Take a look. That’s her contact, right p>
The little cartoon rabbit icon was definitely Carmen.