Chapter 281

"Oh, he didn't sleep at all because he and Amelia had spent the night discovering life's greatest miracle!"

Evelyn remembered.

Nathaniel's expression darkened when he saw the disgust flashing across her face. "Do I repulse you? All men grow facial hair, you know."

She snapped out of her thoughts, pushing away from him and putting some distance between them. "No. The beard suits you."

Whether he kept it or shaved it off was none of her business, so her opinion hardly mattered.

"You think I'm attractive then?" Heat flashed in Nathaniel's eyes—compliments from her were rare treasures.

Evelyn remained impassive. "Your looks are objectively good. My personal view changes nothing."

"Is that why you're always so cold toward me?"

"Should I throw myself at every handsome man I meet? The world's full of them—shall I cozy up to each one?"

Nathaniel's face clouded over. He yanked her back, depositing her unceremoniously on the sofa before shoving the cake box toward her. "Stop that nonsense. Eat."

Evelyn huffed as she landed awkwardly. 'Fine, I'll eat your damn cake!'

Her bandaged hands made gripping the fork difficult, but not impossible.

Abandoning further protest, she focused on eating while occasionally stealing glances at Nathaniel's laptop screen. He'd returned to reviewing documents, his long fingers dancing across the keyboard to annotate files with practiced ease.

Boredom gnawed at her. Sucking frosting from her fork, she asked, "When can I leave this place, Nathaniel?"

"Three more days minimum."

'Three days? That's eternity!' Hospital stays grated on her nerves. "I'll recover fine at home if I avoid allergens. Please?"

He turned—just as she was about to take another bite. His brows lifted expectantly as he opened his mouth slightly.

Evelyn froze. 'Is he... demanding I feed him? And that glint in his eyes—is this some twisted negotiation tactic?'

Irritation flared, but three more days here was worse. She set down her untouched bite and reached for a clean fork.

Before she could grab one, his hand closed around her wrist. He pulled her closer and—without hesitation—ate directly from her fork.

Her pulse stuttered. Flustered, she tossed the contaminated utensil aside and snatched a new one.

Nathaniel scowled. "Am I that revolting?"

She wiped her mouth. "It's unsanitary. Sharing utensils is basically swapping germs! You might not care, but I do!"

A dark chuckle escaped him. "Too late for that. Our germ exchange happened long ago."

'Germ... exchange...' The unspoken reference to that drugged, feverish night made her cheeks burn. She'd tried so hard to forget it.

"Nathaniel!" she snapped.

Amusement danced in his eyes as he took in her flushed face. Reaching out, he ruffled her hair. "Enough. Don't overdo the sweets—proper food's coming soon."

Evelyn gaped. 'Is he bipolar? Stormy one minute, playful the next!' She turned away with a disgruntled huff.

Nathaniel seemed to enjoy riling her up whenever bored.

Her phone buzzed suddenly. Setting down her fork, she reached for Nathaniel's device—her temporary phone—where only Lucas and Dominic's numbers appeared regularly. This caller was unsaved.

With bandaged fingers making swiping difficult, she answered clumsily with her chin.

Amelia's terrified shrieks erupted from the speaker. "Help! Don't—stay back! Nathaniel! I'm scared! Come quick—"

Evelyn's frown deepened as she thrust the phone at Nathaniel. "Your Amelia's in trouble."