Chapter 17 Easy to Cause Unnecessary Misunderstandings
Cordelia was taken aback when Alaric suggested having dinner with Donald right in the hospital room.
She stared at Alaric, confused.
Alaric met her gaze calmly, his tone soft.
"Hey Cordelia, you don't have any other plans today, right?"
Cordelia hesitated, suspecting Alaric had orchestrated this.
She sighed deeply. Since the Stone Group incident, Donald hadn't looked this happy in ages.
Naturally, she didn't want to ruin Donald's mood.
"Nope, nothing else."
She forced a smile, trying to stay composed.
Alaric's eyes narrowed slightly as he smiled and settled onto the sofa.
Donald was in high spirits, eagerly discussing various business matters with Alaric.
Cordelia felt lost, unable to follow their conversation. She pulled out her phone and sent an apologetic message to Dominic.
Dominic replied right away, saying that spending time with Donald was more important.
His understanding made Cordelia feel guilty. She had initiated the plan with Dominic, and now she was canceling it, which left her uneasy.
As Alaric and Donald continued talking, Alaric noticed Cordelia glued to her phone, unsure of whom she was messaging.
His expression darkened as he reached out, wrapping his arm around Cordelia's waist.
In front of Donald, Cordelia didn't resist but kept her head down, still fiddling with her phone.
Alaric kept chatting with Donald, but his grip on Cordelia's waist tightened slightly.
Cordelia winced in pain and looked up at Alaric.
"Seriously?"
She gritted her teeth, emboldened by their location in Donald's hospital room.
"Why are you pinching me?"
Alaric raised an eyebrow, glancing at the phone she clutched tightly, and spoke with a hint of reprimand.
"While I'm talking with Dad, you're glued to your phone. Isn't that a bit rude to the two most important men in your life?"
"Isn't it?"
His voice was deep and alluring, almost hypnotic.
If she didn't know their current marital status, Cordelia might have thought she and Alaric were a loving couple.
She bit her lip, silent.
Donald chuckled, observing Cordelia's obedient demeanor.
"You haven't changed a bit. If your sister were out there doing business and only focused on her phone, the clients would've run away ages ago."
"It's only because you married Alaric that you can be so carefree. In any other family, even if you didn't want to enter the business world, you'd have to learn."
Cordelia pursed her lips and shot a glare at Alaric.
He was clearly putting on a show for Donald.
Alaric met her gaze, smiled, and tightened his grip on her waist.
"The Hughes family doesn't need Cordelia to contribute to the business. She likes being a doctor, and I will fully support her."
Cordelia remained silent.
When it came to her career, the Hughes family had never expressed any opinions.
Ruth had indeed bought Sunrise Valley Hospital for Cordelia.
Donald nodded, satisfied with Alaric's words.
He had thought Cordelia and Alaric's marriage was cold, but now it seemed not entirely so.
Soon, the restaurant delivered the food to the hospital, along with a folding table.
During dinner, Donald was in high spirits, chatting with Alaric for quite a while.
Alaric remained patient throughout.
Afterward, Cordelia helped the maid Allegra clean up. As they took out the trash, Allegra smiled at Cordelia.
"Mrs. Hughes, it seems Mr. Hughes really cares about you."
"For someone as important as him to dine and chat with Mr. Stone at the hospital, he must truly like you. Love for you extends to those you care about."
Cordelia felt a pang of sadness at those words.
She knew very well that Alaric didn't love her.
Cordelia didn't respond to Allegra's comment, only giving a faint smile and remaining silent.
Returning to Donald's hospital room, Cordelia saw Dominic at the door and paused.
Dominic was carrying a fruit basket and stepped into Donald's room with a smile.
"Mr. Stone."
Donald looked at Dominic with a hint of surprise, almost not recognizing him.
"Are you Dominic?"
Dominic nodded, his gaze sweeping past Alaric on the sofa, and answered with a smile.
"Yes, Mr. Stone. Long time no see."
"Cordelia mentioned you've been feeling unwell lately, so I came to check on you. After all these years, you still look as handsome as ever."
Donald couldn't help but laugh.
"You've changed a lot."
"From a shy young man to a calm and kind person."
"Nowadays, the world belongs to you young people. I'm already old."
Cordelia stepped into the room, her eyes first landing on Alaric.
Alaric sat on the sofa, fiddling with his wedding ring, his expression indifferent, revealing little emotion.
Seeing Cordelia walk in, Donald quickly said to Dominic.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce you."
Dominic didn't wait for Donald to finish and turned his attention to Alaric, interrupting.
"Mr. Hughes, we met a few days ago."
Donald was momentarily stunned, then smiled.
"So you've already met."
"Then I suppose Cordelia has introduced you."
Alaric looked up, his gaze meeting Cordelia's, his deep eyes carrying a hint of amusement.
"Introduced me?"
Cordelia glanced at him and then turned to Dominic.
"Have you had dinner?"
Dominic shook his head and smiled.
"I had plans, but they got canceled, so I came to see Mr. Stone."
Cordelia felt a pang of embarrassment.
Alaric's expression turned colder.
Dominic smiled warmly.
"Just kidding. I have a dinner meeting to attend soon."
He then turned to Donald.
"Mr. Stone, I'll visit you another day. I have an important dinner meeting tonight."
Donald nodded, sensing a subtle tension among the three young people.
Recalling how Cordelia and Dominic used to be inseparable, Donald didn't ask Dominic to stay, as Cordelia was now married, and it could cause misunderstandings.
"Alright, take care."
Dominic nodded politely and left the room.
Cordelia, feeling guilty, quietly said.
"I'll walk you out."
Dominic accepted it.
Alaric's expression grew colder.
Donald wanted to call Cordelia back, but she had already stepped out.
He noticed Alaric's displeased expression and tried to explain.
"Cordelia and Dominic grew up together and are close friends, but it's strictly platonic. Alaric, don't misunderstand."
Alaric's face remained expressionless as he nodded.
"Cordelia is my wife. I trust her."
Donald paused. Although Alaric showed no signs of anger, the atmosphere grew rather tense.