Chapter 140
Henry had a college kid's face, but his presence forced Caspian to stand rooted to the spot.
Caspian tugged at his tie in frustration.
In broad daylight, he didn't want to start a fight. He just watched them leave.
After pulling Henry along for a while, Monica finally stopped.
She took a deep breath, trying to appear calm. "Mr. Phillips, I'm sorry. You've seen way too much of a mess today."
"There's nothing funny about it. Come on, let's go handle your grandmother's transfer." Henry said calmly, taking the lead.
Monica stared at his back, frozen for a moment.
She hadn't expected that compared to Caspian, Henry would feel surprisingly reliable and reassuring.
"Why aren't you moving?" Henry walked a bit, then turned around when he realized Monica hadn't followed, looking puzzled.
He suddenly smiled lightly. "Do I need to hold your hand again before you'll walk?"
Hold hands?
Monica looked confused, then suddenly realized.
Earlier, in her rush, she'd grabbed his hand and pulled him along.
"No, no need." Monica laughed awkwardly.
Today had been nothing but humiliation in front of Henry. She hoped it wouldn't affect their collaboration!
By the time they finished the paperwork, it was already late at night.
Henry still showed no sign of leaving.
"Mr. Phillips, you don't need to trouble yourself anymore. It's so late—please go home and rest."
"Since I'm already here, wouldn't it be rude not to formally visit Mrs. Reed?" Henry said with a smile, walking toward the hospital room as if it were the most natural thing.
Monica was left speechless by his logic.
Back in the room, Amara had woken up and was chatting and laughing with Evelyn.
Evelyn had a natural way with elders, and she'd made Amara incredibly happy.
Amara noticed Henry behind Monica and paused. "Mon, who's this?"
Before Monica could answer, Henry plopped down by Amara's bedside and warmly took her hand.
"Mrs. Reed, hello. I'm Henry Phillips, twenty-five years old."
"After graduating from Summit Hill University last year, I started my own business. Besides managing my family's enterprises, I also opened a tech company."
Monica felt helpless. Did a self-introduction really need to be this detailed?
But Henry kept going.
"I'm the youngest in my family. I have two older brothers."
"My family runs a conglomerate with various businesses—pharmaceuticals, machinery, antiques, and so on."
"One of my brothers does internet business, the other does real estate..."
Monica froze. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was being interrogated!
Before he could finish, Amara was already grinning from ear to ear.
How could she not see this boy had feelings for Monica?
"If you two spend time together often, I'll be so happy." She patted Henry's hand with a smile.
"Don't worry, I'll definitely ask Mon out regularly."
Monica: "What?"
Wait, how did things progress to this point? She quickly pushed Henry toward the door. "Mr. Phillips, it's too late. You should head home early. I'll treat you to a meal another day!"
"Alright, then Mrs. Reed, goodbye. Miss Gray, goodbye." Henry knew when to quit while he was ahead and didn't insist on staying.
Henry had helped Monica so much today that no matter how much she wanted him to leave, she had to see him off properly.
So the two of them walked to the parking lot together.
A breeze swept through the parking lot, tousling Monica's hair.
Henry naturally reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear.
"Mon, have you decided what you're treating me to?"
"What?" Monica froze, only then remembering she'd casually mentioned treating him to a meal.
"I'll be waiting for you to ask me out!" He winked at Monica.
Monica nodded frantically.
Henry was amused by her flustered state.
He patted her shoulder and said seriously, "If anyone makes you do something you don't want to do in the future, you can come to me. I'll back you up."
Monica was slightly stunned.
Henry smiled, waved, and turned to leave.
Monica stood there, still feeling the warmth he'd left on her shoulder.
What was up with this golden retriever?
Today's events at the hospital had given her a new perspective on him.
He usually seemed so soft and approachable, but when serious, his presence was intimidating.
But...
Could it be that he... liked her?
Monica let out a breath.
Maybe that was a good thing? After all, they were still working on a collaboration!
If he had feelings for her, maybe she could negotiate a better deal!
She then confirmed her ostrich-like reasoning.
Yes, that's it!
What about after the collaboration ended?
Please. He'd just said he was twenty-five—a full three years younger than her.
She had no interest in playing the older woman role.
With Henry's interruption, Monica's mood lightened considerably.
She walked back to the hospital room with a spring in her step.
At the same moment, not far from the parking lot, Caspian and Vesper had witnessed the entire scene.
"Are they boyfriend and girlfriend?" Vesper asked curiously.
Caspian froze at the question, his expression instantly darkening. He seemed lost in thought.
"Caspian?" Vesper waved her hand in front of his face. "What are you thinking about?"
She wondered if she was being too sensitive, but Caspian's reaction to Monica didn't seem right.
It wasn't how a brother reacted to a sister.
"Nothing." Caspian spoke, cutting off her thoughts. "It doesn't seem right to keep your grandmother here anymore. With her condition fluctuating like this, I think sending her to a specialized care facility would be better."
"But that kind of place..." Vesper looked worried.
"I have a friend who runs one. If you trust me, I'll make the arrangements."
"That would be wonderful." Vesper happily took his arm.
Caspian's body stiffened imperceptibly.
"Let's go." He opened the passenger door, preparing to drive Vesper home.
On the way back, Vesper fell asleep in the passenger seat.
The scene from earlier kept replaying in Caspian's mind.
That man had brushed Monica's hair back and patted her shoulder.
And Monica hadn't resisted. She'd looked happy with him, smiling brightly.
Caspian, who never smoked in his car, gripped the steering wheel tightly, rolled down the window, and lit a cigarette.
Smoke drifted into the night, blurring his vision.
If he'd known earlier that Vesper's grandmother had pushed Monica's, he never would have come today.
His expression suddenly turned sharp.
At the end of the day, it was all Vesper's grandmother's fault.
People who did wrong deserved to be punished.