Chapter 144 He Is Unwilling to Be a Backup
Cordelia stood there watching for a few seconds. Just as she was about to step into The Stone Manor, Robert's alarmed voice came from not far away.
"Mr. Hughes!"
Cordelia frowned and paused.
After leaving the restaurant, Alaric's stomach had been hurting, but he endured it the whole time, sitting in the back seat with a cold face and stiff expression.
Just now, hurt by Cordelia's words, the discomfort in his heart and the spasms in his stomach erupted together. As soon as he got in the car, he could no longer bear it and collapsed in the back seat before even closing the door.
Robert hurriedly got out of the car and walked around to the back seat.
Seeing Robert's rushed steps, Cordelia's eyes flickered. She took a breath and immediately walked over.
"What's wrong?"
She approached the car and asked.
Robert quickly answered, "Mr. Hughes has passed out."
He struggled to help Alaric lie down properly on the seat.
Alaric's thick eyebrows were tightly furrowed, his hand pressed firmly against his stomach.
Cordelia looked at his pained expression, her face serious. "You drive."
Robert quickly walked to the driver's seat and sat down.
There was still a narrow space in the back seat. Cordelia got in and closed the door.
Seeing the door close, Robert quickly started the car and headed to Sunrise Valley Hospital.
Cordelia observed Alaric's condition in the back seat, gently massaging his abdomen to ease the pain.
Sunrise Valley Hospital.
Robert had already contacted the hospital on the way, so as soon as his car entered the hospital, medical staff immediately came over with a stretcher.
Cordelia followed them to the emergency room entrance.
She wasn't working today, so she briefed the medical staff on Alaric's condition.
The medical staff quickly wheeled Alaric into the emergency room.
Robert waited anxiously at the door, and Cordelia's expression also showed some worry.
Earlier in the car, Alaric's forehead had been constantly sweating.
She had been married to Alaric for three years, and during those three years, Alaric had been very healthy. He got regular checkups every year, so Cordelia knew his physical condition well.
She hadn't expected that in just three years, he would damage his body to this extent.
Cordelia sat on a chair to the side, waiting.
Robert kept pacing back and forth in front of her.
Cordelia's relatively calm mood was somewhat affected by Robert's anxious behavior.
"Robert, you should go back and rest."
"Given his condition, he probably shouldn't go to the company for a while, so the company might need you to hold things together."
Robert's expression showed some hesitation.
"Ms. Stone, you and Mr. Hughes just had a conflict. I'm worried."
Cordelia rubbed her temples. "When he wakes up, I won't argue with him."
Only then did Robert feel somewhat reassured. He quickly said, "Then I'll trouble you, Ms. Stone. If there's any problem, you can call me anytime."
Cordelia nodded.
Robert glanced at the lit emergency room, sighed, and left.
About half an hour after Robert left, Alaric was transferred to a VIP room.
The doctor saw Cordelia sitting alone on the chair outside the emergency room and came over to brief her.
"Mr. Hughes's stomach problem is clearly caused by frequent drinking at business dinners and irregular eating habits over the past two years. He'll need to take good care of himself for a while. Otherwise, as you should know, if it develops into stomach cancer, it won't be easy to treat."
Cordelia frowned.
She took a breath, nodded gently, and said quietly.
"I understand."
Hearing this, the doctor said softly, "Then we'll leave Mr. Hughes in your care."
"Joe's intention is also that you should be responsible for taking care of Mr. Hughes's condition during this time. After all, if Mr. Hughes falls, it will also affect Sunrise Valley Hospital's future."
Cordelia nodded, and the doctor handed her all of Alaric's medical examination reports from the past three years.
Cordelia walked toward Alaric's room while flipping through the documents.
Alaric was lying in the hospital bed receiving an IV. His eyes were tightly closed, and perhaps because of the pain from stomach spasms, his brows were tightly furrowed.
Cordelia walked over, put the documents aside, and sat quietly beside him, looking at him with a complex expression.
His brows remained furrowed all night, never relaxing.
Alaric woke up thirsty. When he woke, he felt his lips were dry and he was extremely dehydrated.
Opening his eyes, he saw Cordelia, already asleep, leaning on his bedside.
A breeze blew in from outside. She was wearing only a thin shirt, and perhaps because she was cold, she hugged her arms tightly, her head resting on her arms.
Alaric looked at her, his eyes suddenly contracting, his heart stirring uncontrollably.
He watched her quietly, his gaze染ed with indescribable emotions, then his eyes grew deeper and deeper.
Cordelia had been leaning too long and her arm was numb. She slowly opened her eyes and stretched. Looking up, her eyes met Alaric's deep gaze.
"You're awake?"
Cordelia looked at him and said casually, her calm and composed attitude as if they hadn't had an argument the night before.
Alaric didn't answer. After glancing at her, he looked away.
Seeing this, Cordelia didn't continue talking to him. She just got up from the chair and reached out to check his temperature.
He had a fever last night and was uncomfortable all night.
However, as soon as her hand reached out, Alaric grabbed her wrist and looked at her with heavy eyes.
"Cordelia, don't you hate me? Shouldn't you stay away from me?"
"Or is this the same trick you use on Thomas and Dominic—playing hard to get?"
Cordelia looked at Alaric quietly, her eyes calm.
"Mr. Hughes, I think the fever has affected your brain. You're still talking nonsense."
Alaric threw Cordelia's hand away. "I'm giving you a chance to leave, or I'll consider it you trying to seduce me."
Cordelia looked at him quietly, then turned to take a thermometer from a drawer.
"Let me check if your fever has gone down."
Alaric kept a cold face and refused to cooperate. "Do you think juggling two men isn't satisfying enough anymore, so you're planning to include me too, to add some challenge?"
Cordelia raised an eyebrow, unable to understand Alaric's logic, but she didn't want to argue with him right now.
She lifted Alaric's arm while inserting the thermometer under his armpit.
"So are you willing to join my lover lineup?"
Her voice was very calm, as if she was genuinely asking his opinion.
Alaric hadn't expected her to answer like this. His face darkened, his chest feeling stuffy.
He hadn't imagined that after divorcing him, Cordelia would become a player.
And she wanted him, her ex-husband, to become a member of her lover lineup too!
He had been her legitimate husband before!
How could he be willing to accept this?
Alaric was so angry at her words that his chest hurt. He glared at her fiercely and then stopped looking at her.