Chapter 18 Actually Touched a Girl's Hand?
The hospital was crowded. Isabella waited in line to register and didn't leave until after getting her vaccination - it was already noon by then.
As she walked out of the hospital, she spotted a fruit stand by the roadside selling big, beautiful strawberries, so she bought a bag on impulse.
Carrying the strawberries back to the hospital, Isabella took the elevator, walked through the corridor, and arrived at the door of Sophia's ward.
Sophia loved eating these, so she could use visiting as an excuse to bring them to her.
The ward door wasn't fully closed, leaving a small gap.
Isabella peeked through the crack. Sophia was curled up at the head of the bed, hugging her knees and staring blankly out the window.
Isabella's eyes scanned around the room. Seeing that Sophia was alone, she breathed a small sigh of relief.
Good, good. William wasn't there.
Isabella raised her hand, just about to knock on the door—
"Isabella?"
That familiar, cold voice came from behind her, calling out her name.
Isabella jumped and quickly turned around.
"Mr. Brown..."
Damn it.
How did he appear like a ghost out of nowhere?
He wasn't alone.
There was also a stylishly dressed young man with him.
Isabella recognized him immediately - it was Sophia's cousin, Atticus Brown.
When Atticus first saw Isabella, his expression froze.
His gaze swept from Isabella's hair to the corners of her eyes, then from her eyes to her lips - basically giving Isabella a complete 360-degree scan. Finally, he asked William in confusion, "Bro, who's this?"
William also slowly swept his gaze across every inch of the girl's face. Something flickered in his eyes, but quickly disappeared without a trace.
His thin lips parted slightly as he said calmly, "She's the one who saved Sophia."
Atticus immediately caught on and excitedly moved closer. "So you're Sophia's lifesaver! Hello, hello, I'm Sophia's cousin, Atticus."
"Hello, Isabella."
"Are you here to see Sophia?" Atticus glanced at what she was carrying.
"Yes." Isabella nodded. "I brought her some fruit."
William looked down at Isabella's delicate arms struggling with that large bag full of strawberries, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.
"Give me that, you go in." He took the bag from Isabella's hands.
Atticus, standing nearby, watched as William took the bag from Isabella - their hands clearly touched and then pulled apart like they'd been shocked...
He was absolutely stunned.
William actually touched a girl's hand?
Wasn't William the type who kept everyone at arm's length, the kind who would show a cold face even when women tried to talk to him?
Atticus rubbed his eyes.
He must be seeing things, right?
Sophia on the hospital bed noticed the young girl walking in from outside.
"Sophia, this is Isabella, the person who helped you at the mall that day." William placed the strawberries on the nearby table and said briefly.
Due to her congenital illness, Sophia had a delicate temperament and a pure, elegant appearance.
She stared at Isabella for a while before speaking: "Thank you."
Before she passed out that day, she had seen what Isabella looked like. In her memory, she was a girl with very pretty features, though she didn't know why she had made herself look like this today.
"It was nothing, really."
"Are you feeling better? The medicine they gave you - no side effects?" Isabella asked.
Sophia shook her head slightly. "No, the doctor said if I'm okay after one more day of observation, I can be discharged."
"That's good."
Isabella felt relieved hearing this.
She wasn't good at being around William, so she didn't plan to stay long. She turned to look at William. "Um... Mr. Brown, I have things to do, so I'll be going now."
William's expression immediately darkened.
His gaze fixed tightly on her face. "What do you have to do?"
Isabella: "It's time - I need to go home for lunch."
William's brow furrowed slightly as he fell silent.
Isabella thought William had unilaterally cut off their conversation, so she turned to leave.
"Eat here."
William's deep voice suddenly came from behind her.
Unexpected, carrying a forceful tone.
Isabella's steps paused.
She turned around, looking at William in confusion. "Eat here?"
"Atticus brought food from a restaurant. You can eat with me." He said.
William's tone left no room for argument.
Like a superior assigning tasks to a subordinate.
Only then did Isabella notice the two super large bags on the table nearby - Atticus must have just brought them in. They were filled with meals packed in disposable plastic containers.
"Yeah, Isabella, since you're already here, just eat with us. My brother already said..."
What!
Atticus was halfway through his sentence when he finally realized.
William actually personally invited Isabella to stay for lunch?!
William had always kept people at a distance. So what if she was Sophia's lifesaver? No matter who came, William would never take the initiative to invite them to eat together.
Atticus stood there stiffly, looking at Isabella with an expression that had become particularly shocked.
Who exactly was this girl?
William had already sat down at the table. He stared intently at Isabella, as if wanting to lock her firmly in his sight.
He pointed to the seat beside him and said to Isabella: "Sit."
Sophia couldn't help but glance at William, raising her eyebrows slightly.
Directly asking this girl to sit next to him...
Atticus finally snapped out of it and quickly said, "Isabella, just eat here before you go. We have so much food anyway, the three of us can't finish it all."
Sophia looked curiously at William and Isabella, unable to help being curious about Isabella.
After all these years, she understood William quite well, but she could sense that William's attitude toward Isabella was abnormal.
Sophia narrowed her eyes. "Isabella, just eat with us."