Chapter 194 She Would Rather Find a Lowly Man Than Him
Cordelia didn't think Jason's apology was very sincere. After all, he was a patient now and had little choice but to go along with her.
Still, before leaving, she arranged a food delivery for Jason.
The next day.
Jason's condition had improved significantly.
As soon as Cordelia arrived at the hospital, she heard laughter coming from Jason's room.
Jason was fairly good-looking, and he had a a charming way of speaking that made the nurses happy.
The nurses who had been reluctant to deal with Jason yesterday were now especially attentive while changing his dressings.
During her rounds, Cordelia saw Jason lying on his side, absorbed in his phone.
"Wasn't your phone broken?"
Jason put down his phone and smiled at Cordelia, clearly in a good mood.
"I had this nurse get it for me."
Cordelia's expression darkened as she glanced at the nurse standing nearby.
The nurse smiled awkwardly and quickly replied, "It was along my way."
Seeing they were both willing participants, Cordelia didn't comment. She put on disposable medical gloves and walked over to lift Jason's shirt to examine his injuries.
Jason was unprepared and felt unusually uncomfortable as Cordelia lifted his shirt.
"Do you always do this? Just lift men's shirts whenever you feel like it?"
Cordelia kept her eyes fixed on his injuries, observing them carefully.
"Right now, I don't see you as having a gender."
Jason went silent.
Last night at the hospital, he had chatted with the night-shift nurses for a long time and learned several things about Cordelia. Everyone in the hospital, from doctors to patients, spoke highly of her.
The more Jason learned, the more uneasy he felt.
Most of the women he'd been with before were drunk, and things had just happened—one-night stands.
If Julian had actually brought Cordelia to him last night, Jason didn't even dare imagine the consequences.
"A bar isn't a place a woman like you should be going to."
"If there were fewer men like you in this world, women wouldn't have places they can't or shouldn't go." Cordelia pressed on Jason's bruise.
Jason gasped sharply.
Cordelia didn't look at him; she turned to give the nurse some instructions.
The nurse quickly went to fetch Jason's medicine.
Cordelia walked out of the room, but paused at the door to glance back at Jason.
"Hospital nurses don't get paid enough. Don't try to trick them."
Jason was stunned by Cordelia's words. He suddenly sat up in bed and waved his phone.
"I bought this with my own money! Do I look like the kind of person who would trick women out of their money?"
His voice was loud, causing Cordelia to rub her ears before replying.
"Don’t cheat them out of money, and don’t cheat them out of anything else either."
Jason choked on his words. He lay back down on the bed, grinding his teeth, muttered a few curses, and felt extremely annoyed.
That afternoon.
The professional caregiver that Jason's mother had hired arrived at the hospital.
Cordelia happened to run into her during rounds. She was indeed very beautiful, had a serious work attitude, and cared for Jason attentively.
Seeing such a competent female caregiver with him, Cordelia felt relieved—for without her, the nurses in their department would have to shoulder all the work.
Before finishing her rounds, Cordelia ran into Herschel as he came out of Jason's room.
She was momentarily stunned, then took the initiative to greet him.
"Mr. Trevino."
Herschel looked over and, seeing Cordelia, smiled with some surprise in his eyes.
"Cordelia, you work here?"
Cordelia nodded and asked softly, "You know Jason?"
Herschel said, "He's a VIP customer at our bar, and he got injured nearby, so I came to visit."
Cordelia nodded slightly, showing her understanding.
The two conversed as they walked toward the elevator.
The elevator opened.
Robert and Alaric were already standing inside.
Robert spotted Cordelia and greeted her quickly.
"Ms. Stone."
Cordelia nodded and glanced up at Alaric.
He wore a black shirt and black pants, perfectly pressed, which made his legs look long and straight.
His suit jacket was draped over his arm, clearly indicating he had just come from the office.
Cordelia was about to speak.
But she noticed Alaric's cold expression as he reached out to press the close button.
The elevator doors closed swiftly.
Robert stood beside Alaric, a look of mild confusion on his face.
Throughout, Alaric's expression remained cold, and his gaze barely lingered on Cordelia.
Cordelia paused.
After the elevator doors closed, it ascended to the floor where Ruth's room was.
Robert looked somewhat confused and asked, "Mr. Hughes, weren't we going to ask Ms. Stone for medicine?"
Alaric's medication had been accidentally misplaced.
He had missed taking his medicine at noon today.
Alaric didn't answer, so Robert fell silent.
Meanwhile, downstairs.
Herschel looked at Cordelia. "You know Mr. Hughes?"
Cordelia nodded and said, "Yes, I know him."
Her answer was brief. Herschel then changed the subject. "You don't have any other plans later, do you? Let me treat you to dinner."
Cordelia was about to reply when Herschel added, "It’s just nearby."
"Let me treat you instead. I said I'd buy you dinner that day," Cordelia said with a polite smile.
Herschel didn’t object.
After visiting Ruth, Alaric left the hospital.
On the way back, Robert stopped the car behind the crosswalk, waiting for the light to turn green.
Alaric sat in the back seat, looking out the window. Suddenly, he saw Cordelia and Herschel sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window in a restaurant, and his expression immediately turned cold.
The conversation between Cordelia and Herschel seemed pleasant, with Cordelia wearing a shy smile throughout.
Seeing that smile, Alaric felt a sharp pang of discomfort.
Although the scene pained him, he seemed to deliberately torture himself by refusing to look away.
Robert carefully studied Alaric's expression in the rearview mirror.
Seeing him gazing out the window, Robert glanced outside as well.
Seeing Cordelia and Herschel together, Robert immediately realized why the atmosphere in the car had grown tense.
When the light turned green, Robert pressed the gas pedal without hesitation and drove off.
Alaric then averted his gaze, sitting in the back seat with a cold expression.
He had intentionally avoided contacting Cordelia for two days.
If Cordelia were a player, she would definitely reach out to ask about him.
Yet over these two days, Cordelia hadn’t reached out to him.
Previously, she would occasionally ask about his medication and health, but over the past two days, she seemed to have forgotten he existed—not a single call or message.
Alaric's face remained cold as the image of Cordelia and Herschel together flashed through his mind, making his eyes look even darker and more intense.
"Tell me—why would she choose a low-class man over me?"
To Alaric, Herschel was low-class.
Why would Cordelia even be interested in him?
He couldn’t understand.
Robert was taken aback by what he heard.
Could Alaric really be feeling insecure?
He didn't dare respond, keeping his eyes fixed straight ahead and pretending to focus on driving.