Chapter 55 He Just Dropped Her
Nicholas froze for a moment, his mind going completely blank. This position was far too intimate!
He quickly helped her up, asking in a low voice, "Are you hurt?"
Emma deliberately raised her voice to mask the awkwardness, demanding angrily.
"Nicholas, what's your game? Are you seriously planning to keep me prisoner here?"
She gripped the armrest, struggling to steady herself. Despite the throbbing pain in her ankle, her defiance remained undiminished.
"Why did you block all the signals in the entire estate? Do you really think this rundown manor can keep me trapped here?!"
Nicholas watched her bristling with anger and seemed to actually relax.
"And here I thought something catastrophic had happened."
His tone revealed no emotional fluctuation.
"Serene River Estate has a very sophisticated network system that can even connect to satellites in orbit."
He raised his hand, pointing toward the misty mountaintop in the distance.
"See that? Those three umbrella-like signal towers on the peak? That's the Harrison family's private satellite ground station."
Emma followed his gaze and could indeed make out three massive white dish-shaped structures.
Emma raised her voice, "Then why couldn't I call Evelyn? I asked the butler! He said all external signals from the estate were blocked! You did this! You did it on purpose, didn't you?"
She stared at him intently, demanding an explanation.
Nicholas moved closer to her, slowing his speech as he patiently explained.
"This is only temporary, purely for your safety."
"I don't want anyone tracking your location through any means, especially while the kidnappers are still at large."
He deliberately emphasized that the kidnappers hadn't been caught, rather than saying the man had drowned.
Emma's lips moved slightly, as if remembering something.
Nicholas observed her reaction and added.
"When those kidnappers fled in panic, they even threw their camera equipment into the river."
"The gear was recovered later, but unfortunately the equipment and data were completely destroyed—nothing could be salvaged."
Hearing this, Emma's tense nerves finally relaxed slightly.
She had indeed been worried about the contents of that camera.
If what was inside ever leaked, it would be utterly humiliating.
Nicholas held his phone out to her. "You can use my phone to call Evelyn."
Without hesitation, she took it and quickly dialed Evelyn's number.
The call connected promptly.
"Hello, Evelyn, it's me."
"Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry."
"I just got a few minor injuries on my arm and foot when I escaped, but I'll be better in a few days."
"Don't worry. I'm somewhere very safe right now. I'll come find you once things settle down in a few days."
She tried to make her voice sound relaxed and natural.
After hanging up, she exhaled heavily.
Evelyn must have been worried sick yesterday—judging by her tone, she'd probably been ready to file a missing person report with the police.
She handed the phone back to Nicholas.
Nicholas took it and casually asked, "Anyone else you want to call? Feel free."
Emma shook her head, "No, that's enough."
After a pause, she spoke again, "But I need internet access. I have some work matters to handle."
Nicholas responded coldly, "You can use the computer in the study, just don't mess with anything else in there."
His tone carried a warning.
Soon after, the butler came upstairs to announce that lunch was ready.
"Time to eat!" Nicholas said to her.
Emma slowly hopped toward the bedroom door.
Nicholas's brow furrowed as he watched, and after a few steps, he strode forward and swept her up into his arms without warning.
The movement was effortless, as if the person in his arms weighed nothing at all.
"Ah! What are you doing!"
Emma cried out, instinctively struggling against him.
"Put me down! I can walk by myself!"
Nicholas felt both irritated and amused by her struggles.
"You call that walking? I'd call that hopping!"
He looked down at the restless person in his arms.
"Let you hop around a bit more and I'm worried your good leg will give out too. Then we can skip the crutches and go straight to a wheelchair!"
Emma was furious with him and gave him a light punch, though it had no real force.
"Nicholas! How many times do I have to tell you! Stop picking me up!"
She truly hated this kind of intimate physical contact and deliberately wanted to maintain distance from him.
Nicholas's icy voice cut through,
"Emma, if you weren't injured and hadn't miscarried my child, do you think I'd keep you here to recover?"
After a pause, he added, "Don't get any ideas you shouldn't have. You should know exactly what our relationship is."
He deliberately reminded her—the relationship of two people who had already signed divorce papers.
Emma felt a surge of emotion upon hearing this.
"Nicholas, put me down and have someone drive me back to my apartment right now. I don't need your protection."
Nicholas made as if to drop her, and she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck in fright.
"Enough noise. Keep your mouth shut, or next time I really will drop you!"
He added another threat, and Emma mentally cursed him a hundred times over.
He carried her downstairs with steady steps.
Arriving at the dining room below, the long table was already set with exquisite dishes.
Lemon herb steamed sea bass, chicken thigh with portobello mushrooms, clear chicken broth... The dishes all looked light and nutritionally balanced, obviously prepared specifically for her physical condition.
The butler stood quietly to one side.
Nicholas carefully placed her in a chair near the table and picked up his spoon to begin eating.
Seeing she hadn't moved, his cold voice sounded again, "Is your right hand injured too? Do I need to feed you?"
"Ah, no need!" Emma quickly grabbed her spoon.
But Emma had no appetite, just poking at her bowl with the spoon.
Nicholas across from her didn't eat much either—mainly because the atmosphere was rather awkward.
They really weren't familiar with each other; they'd never actually lived together.
He didn't know if, in moments like this, he should serve her food or do something else.
Before long, the butler approached carrying a dark bowl.
The bowl contained thick medicine that gave off an indescribably bitter smell.
"Ms. Rodriguez, the medicine is ready—perfect temperature. The doctor instructed that this medicine must be taken with meals."
The butler carefully placed it beside her.
Nicholas raised his eyes, his voice emotionless.
"Drink it."
Emma's scalp tingled—she absolutely hated taking medicine!
But seeing Nicholas's cold expression, she lost her nerve.
She picked up the bowl, held her breath, closed her eyes, and gulped it down in one go.
The medicine was bitter and astringent, sliding down her throat and hitting her stomach directly.
A powerful wave of nausea suddenly surged up.
Emma's face went pale as she shot up from her chair, stumbling and hopping to the trash can in the corner.
Everything she'd barely managed to eat, mixed with the awful medicine taste, came right back up.
The butler was terrified, "Ms. Rodriguez!"
Nicholas's brow furrowed instantly as he spoke with stern, unquestionable authority.
"Get a different doctor, change the prescription."
"Yes, yes, Mr. Harrison." The butler responded repeatedly before hurrying away to handle it.
Nicholas stood up, taking long strides to Emma's side.
He was very tall, and standing beside her created an invisible sense of pressure.
The lighting cast shadows across his face, making him appear even more severe.
He looked down at her disheveled state, his tone still icy.
"Are you going to finish eating?"
Emma wiped her mouth with a tissue, her stomach still cramping uncomfortably. She shook her head weakly, her voice a bit hoarse.
He said nothing more.
A well-defined hand extended toward her, supporting her uninjured right arm.
"I'll help you upstairs to rest."
Suddenly, a clear voice rang out from the doorway, "Nicholas!"
Nicholas startled and reflexively let go.
"Ah!" Emma crashed onto the cold floor!