Chapter 23: Not informing her husband?
“My husband works a lot of overtime and is quite busy. I didn’t want to burden him,” Victoria explained, lifting her hands to her temples and gently pressing to alleviate the heaviness in front of her eyes.
To prevent Nick from misunderstanding, she held onto the railing of the escalator and motioned towards him. “It’s nothing serious. Mr. Andrews’ car is right over there. I’ll walk you to your car.”
Nick briefly lowered his gaze. Given last night’s circumstances, if she had fainted in the bathroom, it could have been life-threatening. Yet, even in such a situation, she was still concerned about her husband.
Is she simply naive or deeply in love with her husband?
For some reason, he recalled the misunderstandings he had harbored about her earlier, and perhaps to make amends, he suggested, “Let’s get you to the hospital first.”
Victoria took a step down the escalator but nearly stumbled. Nick reacted quickly, pulling her back.
“Poppy?”
Victoria had pushed herself to the limit, displaying great resilience in the dining room. However, her exposure to sunlight outside only intensified her dizziness.
She heard Nick calling her, but it felt as though her throat was constricted, and she couldn’t utter a word.
Nick noticed that she was running a high fever, her body radiating heat like molten lava. It was remarkable how she had persevered until now.
He reached out to test her forehead, and perhaps the soothing coolness of his fingertips encouraged her to lean into his touch. She couldn’t help but nuzzle his hand. Nick froze momentarily, his hand recoiling as though shocked.
Their relationship was meant to last, so he couldn’t merely abandon her.
Frowning, he bent down and picked her up in his arms. However, as he proceeded towards the street entrance, a car pulled up in front of him, and the window rolled down, revealing Wesley’s face.
Wesley, unaware that Victoria had taken the order, had spotted Nick from a distance. He intended to greet him and make a favorable impression. However, when he saw the woman Nick was carrying, his pupils instantly contracted.
Nick also recognized him as the man who had been in the elevator with Victoria that night. At the time, Nick had mistaken their interactions for something inappropriate.
But if their relationship wasn’t as he had assumed, then who was the woman who had slapped Victoria afterward?
Wesley rushed out of the car and extended his hands to receive Victoria.Exclusive content from NôvelDrama.Org.
Nick narrowed his eyes. “And who might you be?”
Wesley didn’t expect Nick to remember that they went to school together. He hastily introduced himself, “I’m the owner of her studio.”
Nick withdrew his gaze, realizing that it had been the boss’s wife who had slapped Victoria that day.
Turning around, he gently placed Victoria in the backseat. “She has a high fever. I’m taking her to the hospital now.”
Seeing Nick ready to take Victoria to the hospital, Wesley hurriedly asked, “Can I come with you? Maybe you forgot, we attended high school together…”
Nick wasn’t accustomed to having strangers in his car, and was swayed by the mention of their shared high school experience. “Alright.”
Seeing him nod in agreement, Wesley would have preferred to sit in the back and tend to Victoria.
Nick opened the opposite door and took the lead.
Wesley hesitated briefly and then moved to the driver’s seat.
The car ride was mostly silent. Over the slight bumps in the road, Victoria appeared almost boneless. She slipped off the back of the seat and sank into Nick’s lap as she exhaled onto the fabric of his suit pants.
Nick stiffened and glanced at the man driving in front of him.
Unaware of the situation, Wesley continued driving while honking his horn. “The closest hospital is Central Hospital. She often goes there.”
“Is she unwell?” Nick inquired.
“No, her sister is hospitalized there,” Wesley replied automatically.
Nick lifted her up, concerned she might hit the window. He frowned momentarily but then positioned his hand to cushion her head.
Wesley, glancing at the scene through the rearview mirror, was slightly surprised. He had thought Nick was a hard-to-reach person, but he didn’t realize how attentive he could be.
Wesley drove quickly and arrived at Central Hospital in just fifteen minutes. He attempted to get out of the car to assist Victoria, but when he saw her nestled on Nick’s shoulder with her eyes shut, he hesitated.
He was concerned that Victoria had offended Nick, knowing that Nick didn’t appreciate women approaching him. However, since Nick appeared unruffled, he decided not to say anything and instead leaned over to help, though Victoria remained tightly pressed to Nick’s side.
Wesley felt a little embarrassed as he helped her out of the car. Nick leaned against the vehicle and cast a few more glances at Victoria, his tone casual. “She’s quite ill. Won’t she notify her husband?”