Chapter 97 Bennett Can't Get It Up
Author's POV:
The room fell silent after everyone left, leaving Ethan and Olivia alone. She studied his bandaged form on the hospital bed, his eyes closed and breathing even. Something about the whole scene felt off—too perfect, too controlled. The doubt that had been gnawing at her since yesterday grew stronger with each passing minute.
Olivia already had her answer, though she needed absolute confirmation before deciding whether to confront him directly or play along with his bet. So she maintained the charade, adopting a tender expression as she gazed at him, gently touching his face.
"You're too injured to keep moving around," she said softly. "From now on, let's change your bandages here. Your IV drips too."
"Okay," Ethan replied, his voice convincingly weak.
Olivia leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on the corner of his lips before straightening up. She infused her voice with a playful sweetness that felt foreign even to her. "I want to go outside and buy something to drink. Is that alright?"
Ethan's eyes narrowed slightly. "Whatever you want, I'll have the security team get it for you."
She frowned, making sure her disappointment showed. "I want to go myself."
"Then they'll accompany you," he conceded after a moment. "Don't wander far."
Olivia's heart raced with a mixture of anticipation and nervousness as she walked out of the hospital with the two security guards flanking her. She needed to separate them somehow.
"Would you mind getting me a coffee?" she asked one guard with a bright smile, then turned to the other. "And I need to visit a pharmacy. Could you take me to an American-run one?"
The second guard frowned. "You could ask the doctor here to prescribe anything you need."
She bit her lip, feigning embarrassment as she lowered her voice. "It's for... feminine issues. My period is coming soon. Any pharmacy will do, really. It's not complicated."
The two guards exchanged glances before nodding. One would get coffee, the other would accompany Olivia to the pharmacy. Step one complete.
When they reached the pharmacy entrance, she turned to her remaining shadow. "You can wait outside. I'll be right out."
He hesitated but stayed by the door, his gaze fixed on her through the glass storefront. Olivia wandered deeper into the store, grabbing a young female employee and pulling her to a quieter corner.
"Do you have something that helps men... perform?" she whispered, her cheeks genuinely burning.
The employee looked confused. "What specific medication are you looking for?"
"My boyfriend..." Olivia lowered her voice further, mortified at what she was about to say. "He has trouble... getting hard. He's too embarrassed to come himself, so..."
Understanding dawned in the woman's eyes. "Is it erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation?"
Olivia's face felt like it would combust. She coughed awkwardly, stumbling over her words. "He, um, can't get hard. At all."
"Complete inability or insufficient hardness?" the employee asked professionally.
Olivia glanced around nervously, her cheeks burning hotter than the Myanmar sun. "Complete inability."
The woman smiled reassuringly. "We just got a new medication specifically for that condition. One moment."
"Thank you," Olivia breathed, relief washing over her.
As the employee walked away, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Olivia jumped, thinking the security guard had followed her in, but when she turned, she found herself face-to-face with Noah Mitchell.
His smile was uncomfortably knowing. "Trouble in paradise with your not-so-functional boyfriend? Could that boyfriend be Ethan Bennett?"
"No," she said firmly, turning away.
When Olivia left the pharmacy, she clutched the small bag like contraband, avoiding eye contact with the waiting guard. "Let's go," she muttered, hurrying back toward the hospital.
---
The moment Olivia walked away, Noah exited the pharmacy and headed in the opposite direction, sliding into a waiting car.
"Mr. Hammond, guess who I just saw," Noah said to Victor, who was reviewing financial reports without looking up.
"You saw Bennett's little girlfriend," Victor replied disinterestedly.
Noah grinned. "Exactly. And she was buying erectile dysfunction medication. Said her boyfriend couldn't get it up."
From the back seat, Vincent perked up. "What? Ethan Bennett can't get hard?"
"She claimed it wasn't for him," Noah added.
Vincent scoffed. "She's obviously covering for him."
Victor finally looked up, smirking. "Bennett just arrived in Myanmar, and suddenly she appears buying that kind of medication? Who else could it be for?"
Noah shivered involuntarily. He made a praying gesture toward Victor and Vincent. "Mr. Hammond, Mr. Crawford, let's pretend we never heard this. If it somehow gets out, please don't mention it came from me."
Vincent snorted. "Look at you, spineless as ever. What could Bennett do even if he found out? Cut off your dick and attach it to himself?"
"That's not what I'm saying," Noah protested. "Men like Bennett care about their reputation, especially regarding... performance."
Vincent's expression darkened. "That pompous asshole from LA thinks he can just barge into our territory and take our business. Who does he think he is?"
Victor remained silent, his face impassive but cold.
Vincent unlocked his phone and opened a group chat. "Hey boys," he said into a voice message, "spread the word. Ethan Bennett can't get it up. Fucking impotent."
---
That night, Olivia watched the doctor administer Ethan's IV, inserting the needle into his hand as pale yellow liquid flowed into his veins. For a moment, she questioned her suspicions. What if she was wrong?
After his treatment, Olivia lay beside Ethan on the narrow hospital bed. She began yawning repeatedly, making a show of her exhaustion.
"Go to sleep," Ethan murmured, patting her back with his supposedly injured left hand.
She closed her eyes and steadied her breathing, counting silently in her head as she feigned sleep. One minute passed. Two minutes. Three minutes.
At four hundred and fifty-one seconds, Ethan finally moved. He turned toward her, wrapping his arms around Olivia's body. He kissed her cheek first, then her lips.
She remained perfectly still, summoning every ounce of willpower to maintain the charade as his kisses deepened. Apparently unsatisfied with these cautious advances, Ethan shifted his weight, rolling on top of her and burying his face in her chest.
That's when Olivia opened her eyes and raised one leg to firmly block his shoulder.
"Ethan," she said coldly, "are you sleepwalking?"