Chapter 182

Chapter 183

James chuckled softly beside me.

Embarrassed and angry, I turned to glare at him and gave him a push. "You've got some nerve laughing!"

He fell back onto the bed, his back hitting the mattress. He let out a muffled groan, his face instantly turning pale as he frowned.

I froze.

Then I saw the back of his hospital gown turning dark, the stain slowly spreading.

It was blood.

"James!"

I panicked and quickly pressed the call button by the bed.

The nurse rushed in, and when she saw the blood seeping through James's back, her expression changed, too.

"What happened? How did the wound tear open?"

I stood there, completely at a loss.

Aura was scared by the scene and huddled in the corner of the bed, not daring to speak.

The doctor arrived quickly.

He lifted James's gown and looked at the gauze, frowning.

"The wound has torn open. It needs to be treated again."

He turned his head, his gaze landing on me. He seemed to hesitate, but in the end couldn't hold back.

"The patient's injury hasn't healed yet. Even if you two want to... do something, you need to hold off until he's recovered."

My face instantly burned up. I wanted to crawl into a hole.

"No... that's not..." I tried to explain. "We didn't..."

The doctor waved his hand. "No need to explain, I get it. You're young, it's normal to have desires, but health comes first. I still suggest you hold off."

I weakly tried to explain: "I really wasn't..."

"Alright, alright, just wait outside for now. I'll take care of him."

Aura and I were sent to the living room.

I stood in the living room, my face still burning.

James laughed again from inside.

This guy could still laugh!

Aura looked up at me, asking curiously, "Mommy, what did the doctor mean just now?"

I covered my face.

I couldn't answer this question, so I could only say I'd take her to buy her favorite hair clips to distract her.

Aura immediately forgot about her question and happily pestered me to go buy hair clips.

For the next few days, I hired a caregiver for James. I'd come during the day, and the caregiver would come at night, to avoid being tempted by James to sleep with him again.

James stayed in the hospital for half a month.

His wound healed well. The doctor said he could go home to recover and just come back regularly to change the dressing.

During those two weeks, I went to the hospital every day to take care of him.

On the day he was discharged, he started handling work as soon as he got in the car.

"There's a party. Can you come with me?" he said.

I frowned. "What party?"

"A big company that just came back from overseas is hosting it. They want to build good relationships with us, local businesses, to make things easier later."

"At a party this big, there's bound to be drinking. My injury hasn't healed yet. If you're there, you can help me turn down drinks."

The way he put it, I couldn't refuse.

The party was held in a banquet hall at a five-star hotel.

When we arrived, there were already quite a few people inside.

Men in suits, women dripping with jewels, gathered in small groups, holding champagne and making small talk.

I helped James turn down several drinks. Once people knew, they stopped trying to get him to drink.

I grabbed a glass of juice and found a corner to stand in. I was scrolling through my phone, bored, when someone appeared in my peripheral vision.

I looked up.

James was standing next to me, holding a glass of juice.

"Why are you over here?" I lowered my voice. "Shouldn't you be mingling with them?"

He said calmly, "It's boring. I don't want to."

Fine, he had status; he could do what he wanted.

I went back to my phone while James stood quietly beside me, watching me.

A woman walked toward us.

She wore a red slip dress with a high slit, showing off her long legs. Her makeup was perfect, her features striking.

As she walked, the hem of her dress swayed gently, like a moving flame.

She walked straight up to James and stopped.

"Are you James?" She smiled. "I'm very pleased to meet you."

James glanced at her, his expression neutral. "You are?"

"Savannah Faith." She extended her hand. "I just came back from overseas. I'll be developing my business here, so I hope you'll look out for me."

When she smiled, her eyes curved into crescents, her gaze flowing, very charming.

James didn't shake her hand, just nodded.

Savannah didn't seem embarrassed. She withdrew her hand, her eyes sweeping over my face.

"And this is?"

"My friend," James said.

He knew I didn't want to reveal our relationship. I looked up and smiled politely at her with a nod.

Savannah smiled back at me, didn't ask more questions, and turned back to James.

"I just got back to the country, and I'm not very familiar with the market here. I heard Mr. Smith is very capable. Could I ask for your advice sometime?"

"I'm busy."

She paused, then laughed.

"Mr. Smith is such a big boss; of course, you're busy."

She wasn't bothered at all. Instead, she moved a bit closer to him, looking up at his face, her eyes flowing.

"Then I'll wait until you're free."

As she spoke, her fingers casually brushed through her hair, revealing her pale neck and delicate collarbone.

James took a step back.

Savannah didn't move, just stood there, smiling at him. "Mr. Smith, we have plenty of time ahead."

With that, she turned and walked away, the red hem of her dress swaying gently with her steps, drawing quite a few glances.

I stood there and witnessed the whole thing.

After she'd walked away, I couldn't help glancing at James. "You're pretty popular."

He frowned. "Which eye of yours saw that this woman was attracted by my charm?"

"Both eyes saw it." I took a sip of juice. "She practically threw herself at you. The way she looked at you, she clearly likes you."

He stared at me for a few seconds, then suddenly leaned closer.

"Are you jealous?"

I stepped back, creating distance.

Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, I protested shrilly, "You're overthinking it. Why would I be jealous?"

The corner of his mouth curved slightly, but he didn't say anything more.

The party continued. I didn't want to stay with him, to avoid being seen as a thorn in other women's sides.

I walked around the venue with my juice, exchanging business cards with a few people in the industry.

During this time, my eyes inevitably caught sight of Savannah several times.

She moved through the crowd, clinking glasses with her boss, making small talk with the CEO, completely at ease.

You could tell she was in her element at this kind of event. Her family probably valued her highly.

But one thing—every time she stopped, her gaze would drift toward James.

James stood by the window, talking with several men.

When Savannah looked at him, her gaze was completely undisguised.

Her eyes carried a sense of determination to get what she wanted. I shook my head, watching it.

When the party ended, I headed out first.

James caught up.

"Let's go together."

I didn't refuse.

As we reached the door, Savannah caught up from behind.

"Mr. Smith."

She stood in front of us, her gaze landing on me, smiling.

"Mr. Smith, I have a question I'd like to ask you. Could we talk privately?"

James looked at her. "No."

Savannah's smile froze for a second, then returned.

"Mr. Smith really is..." She tilted her head. "Then I'll just ask directly."

She looked at me, her smile still bright. "What's your relationship with her?"

James didn't speak, just moved half a step in front of me.

Seeing this gesture, Savannah laughed. "Alright, I get it."

She looked at me, her eyes appraising, as if looking at some object. "Miss, when you have time, let's get coffee and chat."

With that, she walked away in her heels, leaving behind a faint scent of perfume.

I watched her retreating figure, frowning.

What did she mean by that?