Chapter 136
"Take the medicine first, then have breakfast." Michael wasn't going to babysit Nora at all. He picked her up and shook her awake.
After all, when you're sick, you need to take medicine right away and eat properly, otherwise your immune system drops, and recovery takes forever.
"Sleepy." Nora was really tired and just wanted to sleep.
Burning with fever, Nora lay drowsily against Michael and kept sleeping.
Michael helplessly carried her to the dining table, coaxing her to eat first.
Nora's body was burning hot, her breathing scorching.
Michael felt a bit sorry for her, but mostly blamed himself.
What had he done to Nora last night?
"Mr. Smith." Outside the door came David's knock.
Nora woke with a start from her drowsy state, suddenly sitting up straight. She got up too fast and almost fell over.
Michael raised his hand to steady Nora, messily ruffling her hair. "Wake up a bit. Eat and take your medicine first."
Nora's heart was beating fast, her cheeks visibly redder.
Oh no, what had she just done to Mr. Smith?
Seeing Michael calmly get up to open the door, Nora finally relaxed.
"The hotel staff have all been dealt with. I tracked down the managers involved, too. After some pressure and persuasion, they admitted Isaac told them to do it." David spoke quietly, afraid of making Michael angry.
But Michael was already angry.
And he had every right to be - staying at his own hotel and still not feeling safe.
"What about those front desk receptionists? Fire them all?" David asked quietly.
"What's the point of keeping them?" Michael's voice was low.
"Nori, they were just following orders. You won't blame them, will you?" David, though he had no girlfriend, was quite good at feeling sorry for women.
The front desk girls were all fair-skinned, beautiful, and long-legged. When they cried and begged him, he couldn't change Michael's mind, so he could only appeal to Nora.
Nora's head was foggy as she looked up blankly.
"Those receptionists who stopped you from entering the hotel last night - what do you want to do about them?" Michael respected Nora's opinion, too.
"Last night..." Only then did Nora remember the people who suspected she was a prostitute and wouldn't let her into the hotel. "They were just following orders. You could tell they took their work seriously."
Michael frowned and sighed.
Being too kind isn't necessarily a good thing in the workplace.
"Tell them Nora pleaded for them." Michael had David go make the arrangements.
"Thank you, Mr. Smith," David said excitedly, looking at the table full of breakfast. "Nori, you can't finish all this by yourself. I just got back from outside, and I'm starving. You don't mind if I join you, right?"
Nora quickly waved her hands. "I don't mind."
"Well, I mind. Get lost." Michael warned David not to get too friendly with Nora, and not to sit so close.
David couldn't read the room. "Mr. Smith, don't be so stingy. You personally went to buy medicine for Nora when she was sick. I've got low blood sugar - let me have a few bites."
Nora's hand holding the soup spoon froze. She looked up sharply at Michael. He personally went to buy the medicine?
Michael looked back at Nora, his gaze intense.
Nora got scared and quickly looked down, burying herself in her porridge.
"Eat more, you're too thin." David kept trying to be helpful, putting dumplings on Nora's plate.
Nora didn't have much appetite and nervously waved her hand. "I can't eat anymore."
"You seem pretty energetic. How about going with James to supervise the desert project?" Michael said casually.
He'd transfer David when they got back.
David jumped up, grabbed a few sandwiches with his disposable gloves, and ran off. "Mr. Smith, I'll get right on it. You can't do without me."
After David left, Michael took away the plate in front of Nora and got her some lighter food. "Don't eat anything too greasy. Have some porridge, then take your medicine and go to sleep."
Nora's head was spinning. Michael's gentleness felt unreal.
Why was he being so nice to her?
Was she imagining this, or was it really happening?
Nora didn't quite dare to believe it.
After drinking a bowl of porridge, Nora held her water glass and took her medicine with a headache.
"Is it bitter?" Seeing Nora's eyes turn red, Michael asked.
"Not bitter." Nora shook her head.
How could medicine be bitter?
Back at the Adams family, what Nora feared most was getting sick and taking medicine, so she'd rather get an IV than take pills.
Every time she got sick, Aiden had to coax her for ages before she'd take it.
Back then, Nora naively thought medicine was the most bitter thing in the world.
Until she left the Adams family and went to prison.
That's when Nora learned that medicine wasn't bitter at all.
Life itself was much more bitter than medicine.
Nora drank all the medicine in one go and numbly looked up, only to see Michael hand her a candy and put it in her mouth.
The bitter taste of the medicine was instantly washed away, replaced by the sweet fragrance of milk candy.
Her eyes grew even hotter, and Nora felt like crying.
"When it's bitter, have a candy." Michael softly comforted her.
Nora stared blankly at Michael, her heart racing.
What should she do? She really might be done for.
She really seemed to have feelings for Michael that she shouldn't have.
Aria had seen through her thoughts after all.
Looking away, Nora got up in a panic and walked drowsily toward the bed. "Mr. Smith, you should go rest. I'll sleep for a bit. I won't delay this afternoon's bidding."
"Nora, what happened between Aria and me six years ago was just an accident. Do you mind?" Michael asked in a heavy voice.
Since he'd been with Nora and they were husband and wife, he definitely had to take responsibility for her.
But he needed to be clear with Nora about his past private life - that was basic honesty.
"Besides Aria, I've never had any other women around me. No scandals either." Michael spoke again.
Nora was a bit confused, not understanding why Michael suddenly brought up Aria.
Was he asking if she minded about last night? Did Michael really think it was Aria last night?
Sniffling, Nora nervously spoke. "I don't mind."
What right did she have to mind? Her identity as his "wife" was a transaction to begin with.
Michael could completely disregard her feelings and do whatever he wanted.
Yet he still asked her - how cruel.
Michael breathed a sigh of relief, seeming to be in a good mood. "I'll do my best to make it up to you. I..."
Michael hesitated.
As long as Nora didn't mind his past with Aria, that was good.
"If there's anything I'm not doing well, you can tell me." Michael had absolutely no experience with dating, let alone jumping straight into marriage.
Nora covered her head with the blanket, feeling terribly wronged.
She really wanted to tell him that it was her last night.
But if Michael found out, he'd definitely be so disgusted he'd make her disappear.
"Mr. Smith, I'm tired."
She just wanted to have a good sleep.
So tired.
"Okay, you sleep." Michael sat on the nearby sofa to work, as if he was going to keep Nora company.
Nora was so nervous. Wasn't he leaving?
"Mr. Smith, aren't you... Aren't you going back to your own room?" Nora stammered. Why wasn't he leaving?
"Isn't this my room?" Michael laughed helplessly.
Nora sat up suddenly, frightened.
Right! David had booked all the rooms. Michael slept here last night and woke up here too, so of course, he'd think this was his room.
And she came back here to shower and sleep.
Oh my god! What had she done?
"Mr. Smith, I'm... I'm sorry... I'll leave right now!"
This was terrible. Nora wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
"Let's sleep together from now on," Michael said casually while looking at his laptop.