Chapter 29
Heloise strolled over to Benedict’s car, reaching to slide open the back door.
His voice was deep and detached, “Who do you think I am, your chauffeur?”
Who in Southpeak Borough, let alone the whole country, would dare to treat Benedict like some driver? Heloise paused mid–action, her smile as harmless as a lamb, “As long as your future wife doesn’t mind, it’s cool.”
Benedict’s gaze swept over her face, taking in her faux smile in one go.
She opened the passenger’s door and hopped in.
As she sat down, her long dress swayed, and her ankles were looking pretty swollen.
Benedict, with a stern face, “You got a death wish or something?” Driving around with your foot all puffed up.
“It’s fine, not hurting,” Heloise said, wiggling her calf and checking to make sure her swollen ankle was covered by the hem of her dress. Suddenly, he was all up in her space, his warm hand grabbing her calf and lifting it.
Heloise instinctively tried to keep her dress in place, missing her chance to wriggle free.
When Benedict slightly moved her ankle, her face went white with pain, a cold sweat broke out on her forehead, her eyes reddened, and she couldn’t help but blurt out, “Easy!”
“I thought you said it wasn’t hurting?” Benedict’s expression was icy as he let go.
Bearing the pain, Heloise kept silent, stubborn as a mule, actually, make that ten mules!
“There’s some medicine for sprains and bruises at my place, just drop me off there, that’d be great,” she said, fixing her eyes ahead and straightening out her dress.
Benedict didn’t respond and just drove straight to a private hospital.
Roderic rushed into the clinic like there was a fire, finding Benedict standing tall by a chair, his coat hanging open, with a woman sitting behind him flaunting a pair of white high heels.
His first thought, thank God it wasn’t Benedict who was in trouble; his second, he mistook the woman for Beverly and frowned, but realizing it was Heloise, his frown deepened even more.
“What’s the deal here?” he glanced at Benedict.
“She twisted her ankle, take a look,” Benedict stepped aside to make room.
Roderic wanted to hit back with “Why aren’t you at the orthopedics department?“, since that wasn’t exactly his field, but the look Benedict shot him shut him up real quick.
He squatted in front of Heloise, gently moving her foot.
Heloise hissed in pain, and Benedict frowned, “You good at this?”
“If I’m not, are you?” Roderic adjusted her foot and looked up at Heloise, “Does this hurt?”
Heloise shook her head.
“It’s not a bone injury, just spray some medicine on it and avoid any heavy exercise for a while,” Roderic said, standing up and instructing a nurse to fetch the spray.
Heloise slipped her shoes back on, and Roderic frowned, “Don’t wear high heels, wear something flat and soft.”
Heloise loved looking good but was a good listener too, “Got it, Royal Doctor Garcia…”
She froze mid–sentence. ‘Royal Doctor Garcia‘ was her private joke with Jenkin about Roderic Garcia, who treated the Harrington family, the big shots of Southpeak Borough. With Benedict being the crown prince of the Harringtons, Roderic was pretty much the royal physician.
She accidentally let the nickname slip and touched her nose awkwardly, “Can I clean my feet?”
Just trying to change the subject.
“Sure, it’s not like you got an open wound,” Roderic snorted, slipping into character, “Anything else I can do for you, my queen?”
Heloise couldn’t hold back a chuckle, “Sorry about that.”
She held back her laughter at his minor joke, but looking at Roderic’s handsome face, she almost cracked up again. She had to pinch herself to keep from laughing at the thought.
“Something funny?” Benedict’s voice suddenly came from above her, stopping her laughter.
He had moved beside her, tossing a brand–new pair of slippers with a soft–looking sole at her feet.
14.48 #
Chapter 29
Caught off guard, her hand brushed against his pants, and before she knew it, both he and Roderic had left the clinic, leaving the nurse to apply the medicine.
“I heard from Quad, Heloise almost got assaulted?” Roderic leaned back in the office chair.
Benedict lit a cigarette, “Loose lips.”
“You’re like a clam, can’t get a word out of you. Quad’s the real deal, a walking CCTV camera – caught everything. Hey, that Kyrell guy isn’t bad, huh? Really looking out for Heloise.”
“Old news,” Benedict tossed the lighter on the table, “Child’s play to charm a little girl.”
Roderic wasn’t bothered, “Business is your game, but charming girls? Not so much. Guys like Kyrell, they know how to win a girl’s heart. If I were a woman, I’d be head over heels.”
“Even if you weren’t a woman, you could still fall for him,” Benedict stated coldly, “Just go for it.”
“Man!” Roderic was speechless, “I was just making a point!”
He glanced at the silent Benedict, yawned, “You’re pretty concerned about her, huh?”
Benedict flicked ash, then heard Heloise thanking the nurse outside and stubbed out the cigarette, “Let’s go.”
Heloise got up with the nurse’s help and looked up to see Benedict offering his arm to her. Surrounded by watchful eyes, she reluctantly hooked her arm through his.
“Thank you.”
Benedict looked down at her, her gaze determined, bracing herself.
Back in the car, Benedict didn’t start it right away. The private hospital was halfway up the mountain – a secluded spot where men with families brought their mistresses. Quiet, comfortable.
The night was silent, and a breeze began to stir in the mountain air. His voice filled the space, “At the restaurant, I stopped you from hitting Beverly, so you’re mad at me?”
“No,” she replied too quickly, clearly not being honest.
“Tell me the truth.”
“No.”
A brief silence followed.
Benedict chuckled softly, “Good. Between a future wife and a cousin who’s always trying to keep her distance from me, who do you think I should choose?”
“You’ve made the right choice, big bro.”
Benedict grabbed her chin, “You can joke around with Roderic, but you talk to me with this tone? Heloise, look at you getting all huffy with me now!”
“What do you want me to say? Just because I wish you’d take my side, you think you will? I know what self–awareness is, trust me.”
“You better actually get it.”
Heloise felt a lump in her throat; a wave of grievance surged up, and she fought hard to hold it back, not wanting to show her vulnerable side in front of Benedict.
She took a deep breath, “If Beverly’s been stirring the pot tonight, or even if she lured me into a trap, set this whole thing up, would you still choose her?”
The man let go of her, “Where’s the proof?”
Heloise blinked, she had expected this, no proof, just Beverly’s verbal admission. She regretted not bringing her phone to record in the restroom, but even if she had recorded it, would Benedict believe her? No, he wouldn’t. He’d said it himself, he chose his fiancée.
“It was an assumption.”
Benedict knocked a cigarette out of the pack, was about to light it up, but then he caught a glimpse of her cold profile out of the corner of his eye. She’d always had a hard time trusting people from a young age, and that look was her guard–up face.
He ditched the cigarette and lighter in the storage box, making a ruckus, then started the car, and said indifferently, “That won’t happen again.”
14:49
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