Chapter 95 Bet Me a Baby
Author's POV:
The hospital corridor stretched ahead like a white tunnel with no end. Olivia's heart was still racing, caught between relief that Ethan was alive and anxiety about what she'd find behind his door. But something felt off.
Jake hadn't lied about the border incident—those two college students had indeed been taken to the border region, and they had encountered an attack on the way from Michina to Dali.
But the reality was reversed. Those eight SUVs that supposedly attacked Ethan? They were the ones destroyed by Ethan's men. The would-be assassins ended up dead or injured, none even getting close to him.
The Kachin Independence Army, which had prepared to provide backup, hadn't even been needed.
Ethan had orchestrated this "severe injury" charade initially to fool his enemies. But then he'd received a recording of Olivia's conversation with Blake—heard her admit she was falling in love with him. Whether that was true or not, her words had created ripples in his usually still waters.
To test her further, he'd had his assistant call Walter, setting off this chain of lies.
---
Twenty hours earlier - VIP Luxury Room
Jake kept his voice low. "You know a bunch of people want you dead here. What the fuck are you doing? Trying to get yourself killed?"
"I have business," Ethan replied flatly.
"Whatever business it is, you don't need to be here personally."
Ethan said nothing.
Jake sat across from him. "And what's with faking an injury? Trying to throw those drug lords off your scent?"
Ethan's mouth curled into a cold smile. "They're not worth the effort."
"Then why pretend to be hurt?"
Ethan glanced at his heavily bandaged hand with irritation. "Does it need to be wrapped this tightly?"
Jake rested his cigarette-holding hand on Ethan's shoulder. "My dear Mr. Bennett, you've announced to the world that you're practically dying. Your hand doesn't have a single scratch. If we don't wrap it up, won't that blow your cover?"
Ethan's lips quirked. "That's easily fixed."
He quickly unwrapped the bandages from his hand, clenched his fist, and slammed it repeatedly against the wall. Blood immediately sprayed from his knuckles, spattering onto the bed.
Jake blew out a cloud of smoke and gave him a thumbs up. "Fucking impressive. Hard-core."
"Put out that cigarette," Ethan ordered. "I'm severely injured. Can't stand the smell."
Jake extinguished it on the bedside table with a cold laugh. "You'd better play your part well. Don't slip up."
---
Olivia pushed open the door to Ethan's room, and the sight of him hit her like a physical blow. He was lying rigid on the bed, wrapped in bandages like a mummy. The tears she'd been fighting the entire journey finally broke free.
Ethan watched her tear-streaked face with an expression that revealed nothing. He started to raise his arm, but a cough from his assistant outside the door stopped him.
"Ahem! Mr. Bennett, the doctor said you just escaped danger. You need to stay calm and rest," the assistant called from the doorway.
Ethan's arm, already halfway up, reluctantly lowered.
Olivia rushed to his bedside and crouched down, staring at his bloodied knuckles. Fresh tears spilled onto his hand. She tried to wipe them away but stopped immediately, horrified at the sight of his exposed bone.
"Ethan, you liar," she sobbed, her shoulders shaking. "You promised you'd come back to LA safely. Instead, you almost..."
Ethan finally raised his hand to stroke her hair. His voice sounded deliberately low and raspy, with an artificial slowness that should have tipped her off.
"Don't cry. I'm fine."
Olivia sniffled, trying to compose herself. "Ethan, you have to get better quickly."
He attempted to sit up several times, but his assistant kept stopping him with pointed coughs.
Jake, irritated beyond patience, grabbed the assistant by his collar and dragged him away. Once they were far enough, he snapped, "What's stuck in your throat? What are you coughing for?"
The assistant replied, "I made the call! I picked her up! If this falls apart, who pays the price? Me!"
Jake had business and soon left, but the assistant returned to the doorway. What he saw made him want to rush in and push Ethan back down onto the bed.
Inside, Ethan had already sat up and was holding Olivia in his bandaged arms, nuzzling her neck.
The assistant's eye twitched as he watched. Was Ethan always this horny? All this talk about pretending for half a month, and he can't even keep up the act for a day. He's practically ready to devour her right there on the hospital bed.
Covering his eyes, the assistant muttered, "I can't watch this," and walked away.
---
Olivia gently pressed her hands against Ethan's chest, afraid to push him. "Ethan, lie down. You'll reopen your wounds."
His voice remained deliberately hoarse. "Lie down with me."
"No, I might kick in my sleep. What if I hurt you—"
Before she could finish, he had already pulled her down beside him. What followed was a storm of passion that left her breathless and confused.
Afterward, Olivia asked, "How are you feeling now? Does anything hurt?"
"Yes." Ethan placed her hand on his chest. "Here."
She was about to offer to call the doctor when Ethan began moving her hand in circles over his heart.
"My chest hurts. Rub it for me, baby."
Olivia yanked her hand away, finally voicing her suspicion. "Ethan, are you faking this?"
His lips curled into a slight smile. "What if I am?"
She stared at him, speechless.
"If you want to know the truth, you can unwrap me and check," he suggested, his eyes gleaming.
Olivia looked at his plaster-cast right arm, then at his body tightly wrapped in bandages. After a moment's hesitation, she raised her hand.
"Let's make a bet, Olivia. What do you say?" Ethan's voice cut through the tension.
She frowned. "What do you mean?"
Ethan's playfulness vanished, replaced by an intense stare. "Let's bet on whether I'm really injured or pretending."
Olivia swallowed, unsure where this was going.
"If I'm not hurt, you can ask for anything—money, property, shares, whatever you want. Even if you want to leave me right now, I'll agree." His voice dropped lower. "But if I am truly injured, you have to fulfill one request for me."
Her throat went dry. "What request?"
Ethan's eyes never left hers. "Give me a child."