Chapter 286

"S-sorry!"

She quickly lowered her head, her voice stammering: "I... I didn't know you were... I just entered the code and came right in... I'll... I'll put the food in the dining room!"

With that, she grabbed the insulated bag, head down, and hurried toward the dining room, not daring to look in that direction again.

Watching her almost flee in panic, her ears so red they looked ready to bleed, Bradley stood there, the hand holding the towel pausing for a moment.

A few seconds later, he lowered his eyes and let out a soft laugh.

He shook his head and turned back to the bedroom to change, his steps a bit lighter than usual.

In the dining room, Elaine set the insulated bag on the table, her fingers still carrying the warmth from earlier.

She took several deep breaths, trying to calm the heat that hadn't yet faded from her face.

Silently berating herself—how could she just barge in like that? She should have knocked first...

Just as her thoughts were in chaos, footsteps sounded behind her.

Elaine's body stiffened slightly, and she instinctively straightened her back.

Bradley had changed into comfortable dark gray loungewear, his hair half-dry, no longer having that intensely striking visual impact from before.

"Sorry, I just got out of the shower. Didn't expect you to arrive just then."

Bradley's voice was calm, carrying a hint of apology, naturally dissolving the earlier awkwardness.

Only then did Elaine turn around, the blush on her face not yet completely gone.

She looked up at him, her gaze habitually landing first on his injured area.

"It's okay, I was too rash. I should have called you first."

She shook her head, shifting to the main topic, "How are you feeling? Does the wound still hurt? Any other discomfort?"

Her tone returned to one of concern, her eyes serious.

Bradley walked to the dining table and naturally pulled out a chair to sit, gesturing for her to sit as well.

"Much better. The doctor came this morning for a check-up and said it's healing well. The stitches can come out too. Apart from not being able to lift heavy things or exercise vigorously, daily activities are basically fine. In a couple more days, I should be able to go back to the office."

He spoke lightly, but Elaine knew that such an injury wasn't easy to recover from.

"You still need to be careful. After all, it's on your back and involves a lot of muscles."

Elaine reminded him, sitting across from him, "Company matters aren't urgent. Your health comes first."

Bradley looked at her, his gaze gentle: "Thank you, Elaine. I really owe you for this time."

His voice deepened slightly, "If you hadn't been coming to take care of me, I wouldn't have recovered this quickly."

Elaine felt a warmth in her heart, shook her head, and didn't continue with the polite exchange.

She began opening the insulated bag, taking out the food containers one by one.

"Something happened tonight. The meal I prepared earlier... couldn't be brought. I could only quickly make something simple. Hope you don't mind."

She explained while setting out the bowls and chopsticks, a hint of helplessness in her tone.

Bradley immediately noticed the shadow between her brows, and combined with her being later than usual, he had a pretty good idea.

He didn't press for details, just said gently: "This is already great. You really don't need to go through this trouble every day. I can order in, or have my assistant arrange something."

"Outside food isn't as reliable as homemade, and you need proper nutrition right now."

Elaine pushed the vegetable congee toward him and opened the box with the stir-fried dishes, "Try it and see if you like it. It might be a bit bland—the doctor said to keep it light."

A simple, comforting meal: a bowl of creamy chicken and wild rice soup, served alongside a small plate of steamed asparagus drizzled with lemon butter.

The colors were fresh, and though the aroma wasn't strong, it carried the warmth of home cooking.

Bradley picked up his spoon and first tried the congee.

The temperature was perfect, the rice grains almost dissolved, carrying the subtle sweetness of vegetables, settling comfortingly in his stomach.

He looked up at Elaine, whose eyes held expectation, and smiled slightly: "It's delicious. Better than any chef I've hired."

Though the compliment clearly had some flattery in it, Elaine still felt relieved, a faint smile unconsciously appearing on her face: "As long as you like it. Eat up, it's bad for your stomach when it gets cold."

They said no more and quietly began eating.

Bradley ate at a measured pace, but seriously.

He could taste the care put into these simple dishes—the heat perfectly controlled, the seasoning light but just right to bring out the natural flavors.

This feeling of being carefully looked after was both foreign and warm to him.

Elaine didn't eat much, spending most of the time watching him eat, only occasionally taking a few bites herself.

The scene was exceptionally peaceful.

Just during this rare quiet moment, a jarring phone ringtone suddenly rang out.

It was Elaine's phone.

She glanced at the screen—the caller ID showed Arthur's number.

Her brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, a flash of irritation crossing her eyes.

Why was he calling again? Hadn't she made herself clear enough earlier?

She didn't want to answer, but the ringtone persisted stubbornly.

Bradley put down his spoon and looked at her calmly, saying nothing, just using his eyes to indicate she should feel free to answer.

Elaine took a deep breath, pressed the answer button, her tone cold: "Hello, what is it?"

But what came through the receiver wasn't Arthur's voice, but Julius's childish voice, heavy with congestion:

"Mommy..."

Elaine's heart sank slightly, but she didn't immediately soften: "Julius? What's wrong? Why are you calling so late?"

"Mommy... my... my stomach hurts... it really hurts..."

Julius's voice sounded somewhat weak, with a crying tone, "Daddy said you have medicine... could you... come back and check on me? I miss you so much..."

Julius's voice was full of dependence, trying to pull at the softest maternal strings in Elaine's heart.

In the past, no matter how late, no matter how much unpleasantness there had been before, as long as the child said he wasn't feeling well, she would immediately drop everything and rush back.

But now, hearing Julius's obviously performative plea for help, Elaine only felt her heart turn cold.

She could almost imagine Arthur standing nearby on the other end, watching coldly, perhaps even coaching Julius on what to say.

She didn't respond immediately. After a few seconds of silence on the other end, Arthur's low voice came through:

"Julius isn't feeling well and keeps asking for you. The medicine at home doesn't seem right. If it's convenient, come back. After all, you're his mother."

He said it so matter-of-factly, as if that intense confrontation earlier had never happened.

Elaine gripped her phone tighter, her voice even colder than before, each word like ice:

"Arthur, I think I made myself very clear earlier."

There seemed to be a pause on the other end.

"You have custody of Julius. Legally speaking, you're his primary guardian. When he's sick, what you should do is immediately take him to see a doctor, not call an ex-wife who has nothing to do with you anymore."