Chapter 46
The wind at the construction site was strong, whipping up dust from the ground and pressing his thin shirt tightly against his body.
I looked at his disheveled hair and the dark circles under his eyes, and the nameless anger inside me burned even fiercer.
"If I didn't come, was I supposed to wait for you to work yourself to death here?" My voice was colder than the night wind, my gaze falling on his rolled-up sleeve, where the previously bandaged wound looked even more worrying in such harsh conditions.
He seemed surprised by my accusatory tone. He froze for a moment, then regained his usual composure. He waved at the people around him, "You guys go handle things first."
After the others tactfully stepped back a few paces, he looked at me again, his tone softening slightly with a barely noticeable attempt at reassurance, "I'm fine. This will be wrapped up soon. You should go back."
"Go back." I stepped forward, closing in on him, tilting my head up to look directly into his eyes. "Benjamin, look at yourself. You call this fine?"
I reached out, wanting to touch his furrowed brow, but the moment my fingertip touched his skin, I flinched at the burning temperature.
He had a fever.
His arm injury hadn't healed yet, and he'd been out here in the cold wind all night, on top of the intense workload.
He really didn't care about his health at all.
"You have a fever." I pulled my hand back.
Benjamin seemed a bit surprised, too. He instinctively raised his hand to touch his own forehead, his movements showing a hint of sluggishness.
He probably hadn't even realized his body had reached its limit.
"Maybe a little," he lowered his hand, still trying to downplay it. "It's nothing."
"Benjamin!" I finally lost my patience, raising my voice and calling out his full name.
He was stunned by my angry shout, silently looking at me with complex emotions in his eyes.
I took a deep breath, suppressing the chaos in my heart, and grabbed his uninjured arm with a grip too firm for him to break free.
"Come with me." My voice wasn't loud, but it carried an unprecedented firmness. "Right now. Go rest immediately."
He'd probably never seen me this forceful before. For a moment, he didn't resist, letting me pull him outside.
I practically half-dragged Benjamin into my car.
He leaned back in the passenger seat, eyes closed. His usually sharp and imposing aura had completely faded, leaving only the exhaustion and vulnerability brought on by illness.
I took him to a hotel near the construction site.
Swiping open the door, I helped him inside and settled him on the sofa.
I turned to look for a first aid kit, but he suddenly grabbed my wrist.
I turned back to meet his open eyes. Those dark eyes had lost their sharpness in his illness, covered with a layer of moisture that made them look somewhat confused.
He looked at me and asked quietly, "Why?"
I opened my mouth, only to find that all my carefully constructed excuses seemed so pale and powerless in this moment.
In the end, I just pulled my hand back, my voice somewhat stiff as I replied, "You're my fiancé in name. I don't want to be a widow at such a young age."
With that, I fled into the bathroom and splashed cold water on my burning face.
That night, I barely slept.
I got a first aid kit and fever medicine from the hotel, clumsily cleaned the dust-contaminated wound on his arm, made sure he took his medicine, and repeatedly used a wet towel to cool him down.
He was quite delirious with fever, sleeping very restlessly, his brow constantly furrowed.
I sat by the bed, watching his sleeping profile, and realized that Benjamin, who was so capable in the business world, was just an ordinary person who could get sick and tired once you stripped away all the glory.
I don't know how much time passed before the sky outside gradually shifted from deep black to pale white.
Benjamin's temperature finally began to drop, and his breathing became steady.
After watching over him all night, my taut nerves suddenly relaxed, and overwhelming drowsiness swept over me.
I leaned against the bed, resting my head on my arm, and fell into a deep sleep.
I woke to the sound of a phone ringing.
I jerked my head up, feeling a sharp pain in my neck.
I shook my foggy head and realized I'd fallen asleep leaning against Benjamin's bed at some point.
On the bed, Benjamin was already awake, half-propped against the headboard, looking at me with a deep gaze.
His fever had broken. Though his face was still somewhat pale, his eyes had regained their clarity.
I didn't know how long he'd been watching me. I just felt that gaze was as deep as an ocean, carrying some complex emotion I couldn't understand, making my heart skip a beat.
My phone was still ringing persistently, breaking the quiet, somewhat intimate atmosphere in the room.
I hastily grabbed my phone and saw it was my assistant Vida calling. I quickly stood up and walked to the window with my back to him to answer.
"Ms. White, where are you? The meeting with Starlight Media is this afternoon, and their executives are about to arrive..."
I lowered my voice and quickly gave some instructions, then hung up, feeling somewhat unsettled.
When I turned around, I saw Benjamin had already thrown off the covers, preparing to get out of bed.
"What are you doing?" I quickly walked over and pressed down on his shoulder. "You just broke your fever. Lie down a bit longer."
He seemed surprised by my sudden turn, froze for a moment, coughed lightly, and looked away somewhat unnaturally. "I'm fine. I have work to do."
Looking at the suspicious flush at the base of his ears, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind.
When I turned around just now, was he...
I didn't dare think further. I reached out to feel his forehead—the temperature was normal.
After confirming he was okay, I finally relaxed, the weight on my heart finally lifting.
"I have to go back to the office for a meeting this afternoon," I withdrew my hand, stood up straight, and returned to my usual efficient tone. "Rest well, take your medicine on time, and don't push yourself anymore."
With that, I turned to get my coat and purse.
Behind me, Benjamin said nothing more, but I could clearly feel that calm yet burning gaze following my back until I closed the door.
On the drive back to the city, my mind was a mess.
The moment I closed the hotel room door, Benjamin's deep gaze felt like it had branded itself on my back, burning hot.
I forced myself not to recall the suspicious flush at the base of his ears, nor to analyze what exactly was hidden in the way he looked at me.
He and I were just business partners.
I told myself over and over, last night's care for him was nothing more than basic decency between business partners.
But my uncontrollable heartbeat was silently refuting all of this.
I ran into a familiar face as soon as I arrived at StoryArc Media.
Michael.