Chapter 62 Buy Buy Buy
"Does it hurt?" Arthur paused his movements.
"A little."
"Bear with it, almost done." After applying the iodine, he took out some anti-inflammatory ointment and carefully spread a layer on.
Aria looked at his focused profile. His brows were slightly furrowed, and there seemed to be a light flickering in his eyes.
She didn't know when it started, but he had actually begun to care about her.
But what was the point? Next month, he was going to marry Sophie.
After applying the medicine, Arthur put away the first aid kit before speaking."Don't meet with them alone anymore."
Aria smiled sarcastically."I had no plans to see her. She came looking for me."
Arthur was silent for a moment."I'll talk to Sophie."
The ointment was applied, but he didn't immediately pull his hand back. His fingers remained on her neck, gently caressing it.
Aria felt all the hairs on her back stand up and dodged to the side.
"All done." Arthur finally withdrew his hand, his voice somewhat hoarse.
Aria stood up."Thanks." Just as she got up, Arthur called out to her again.
"Something else?"
Arthur looked at her, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just shook his head."I didn't mean to... never mind." He waved his hand."Get some rest."
Aria nodded and slowly went upstairs.
Back in her room, she closed the door, leaned against it, and took a deep breath.
She had to admit, just now when Arthur was completely focused and tenderly touching her, her heart really did beat faster.
She could feel that Arthur still had feelings for her, and these feelings weren't driven by desire, but carried a sense of cherishing.
But she quickly snapped out of it.
She slowly walked to the mirror and looked at the wound on her neck covered with ointment.
The iodine had stained a small patch of skin yellow, the ointment was white and pasty, with a few strands of hair stuck to it, looking messy.
She lightly touched the wound with her fingertip. It didn't hurt anymore, but it felt sticky and uncomfortable, with a faint itch.
She washed off the ointment. She wouldn't keep things that made her uncomfortable.
Half a month later, Elizabeth was discharged from the hospital.
She left in a lively procession, accompanied by doctors, nurses, nutritionists, along with oxygen tanks, heart rate monitors, and a whole bunch of equipment.
The weather was beautiful that day, with the sun warming everything it touched.
Arthur got the news and drove to the hospital early in the morning to pick her up. Aria went along too.
"Mom, take it slow." Arthur helped Elizabeth into the car.
Elizabeth smiled and patted his hand."Don't worry, your mom isn't that old yet."
Aria sat in the back seat with Elizabeth."Mom, what would you like to eat? Do you have any dietary restrictions? I'll tell Ann so she can make it for you."
"Good, good." Elizabeth smiled so much her eyes crinkled, holding her hand and patting the back of it. "Aria is so thoughtful and caring."
By the time they got back to the villa, Ann had already prepared a table full of dishes according to the nutritionist's menu.
Everything was light and bland, suitable for Elizabeth's current condition.
"Mom, sit here." Aria helped Elizabeth sit in the main seat at the dining table, then filled a bowl of soup and placed it in front of her.
"This is soup I made. It's good for your health. Try it and see if you like it?"
Elizabeth took a sip, her eyes lighting up."It tastes really good, much better than those nutritional meals I've been eating every day."
"I'm glad you like it."
Elizabeth took a few more sips, then suddenly sighed."You've both worked so hard during this time. My illness must have delayed a lot of your plans, right?"
Aria and Arthur exchanged glances, neither saying anything.
"Especially Aria." Elizabeth held her hand. "With your leg still injured, you still came to see me twice. I'm really touched."
"Mom, don't say that." Aria shook her head. "Taking care of you is what I should do."
Arthur watched this scene, a strange feeling suddenly welling up in his heart.
Warm, happy—he wanted to hold onto all of this, to have it forever.
But the time he'd agreed upon with Sophie was getting closer and closer.
How had he never noticed before that a month could pass so quickly!
He even had the thought that it would have been better if Sophie had never come back.
If she hadn't come back... Just as he thought this, his heart suddenly skipped a beat.
He quickly shook his head, pushing down this absurd thought.
After the meal, Elizabeth took a long nap. When she woke up it was already evening, and she suddenly said she wanted to go shopping at the mall.
Arthur had just gotten back from the company.
"Mom, you just got out of the hospital. You should rest at home for a few days," he advised.
"I just want to go out for a walk. If I stay cooped up any longer, I'll get sick even if I'm not sick now." Elizabeth insisted. "Just for a little while, we'll just look around and come right back."
"Then I'll go with you!" Arthur looked at Aria, who was flipping through a magazine nearby."Aria, you coming too?"
Aria looked up, confused."Huh? Me too?"
Soon they arrived at the mall, which wasn't very crowded.
Arthur held Elizabeth with one hand, the other in his pocket, walking beside them.
Aria held Elizabeth's other arm. The three of them walked slowly in front, followed by bodyguards and a personal doctor carrying a small oxygen tank, just in case.
Elizabeth seemed to be in great spirits, wanting to go into every store. She showed no signs of needing oxygen at all.
When they got to a jewelry store, she enthusiastically brought Aria inside to look.
"Aria, what do you think of this ring?" Elizabeth pointed at a ten-carat diamond ring with fire so bright it could blind you.
The staff had been watching her. As soon as she reached out, the sales associate took out the ring, and by the time she finished her sentence, this huge ring was already on Aria's finger.
The size was just right.
Aria glanced at the price tag and gasped. It was about three years' worth of her studio's revenue.
"Mom, this is too expensive..."
Elizabeth interrupted her with some displeasure."Just tell me if you like it or not!"
"Actually, I don't..."
"She likes it." Elizabeth gave Arthur a look, and then Arthur handed over his card.
Aria stared blankly as all this happened.
But it wasn't over yet.
The sales associate, realizing she'd found big customers, quickly brought over chairs, drinks, and pastries, and started taking out precious jewelry pieces from the display cases one by one.
"This ring matches this pair of earrings and this necklace—they're a set. Would you like to consider them? This is a new design by Master D this year..."
Elizabeth smiled at Aria and asked that question full of dominance and temptation again."Do you like them?"
Aria opened her mouth."I don't have any occasions to wear these, and..."
This time it was Arthur who interrupted her."You didn't say you don't like them, so that means you do, right?"
His tone carried a hint of amusement, and his words were even more domineering than his mother's.
"We'll take all of these."
Aria's eyes widened. She quickly walked up and pulled him aside, saying in a low voice."What are you doing? Didn't you just have a financial crisis recently? Now you don't care about money anymore?"
Arthur smiled."You don't need to worry about that. The company just got payment back from another project. Just accept them without worry."
Aria smiled too, the kind of smile tinged with sarcasm.
"Looks like this pile of stuff you're giving me is worth even more than that crown."