Chapter 76 Just a Nosebleed

On the way back home, Daphne must've been wiped out from all the fun and crashed hard in the car.

When they pulled up to Emerald Manor, Carl didn't wake her right away. He checked the time and shot Evelyn a text to have dinner ready in half an hour.

Seeing Daphne snoozing so peacefully, Carl figured he'd let her sleep a bit longer.

He turned off the car but left the interior lights on, then grabbed his phone to catch up on some work emails.

Time flew by, and after half an hour, Daphne was still out cold. Carl got out, opened the passenger door, and gently patted her cheek, softly calling her name.

Daphne mumbled and looked around, realizing they were home. "Are we back?"

"Evelyn's got dinner ready. Let's eat first, then you can crash in your room," Carl said as he leaned in to unbuckle her seatbelt.

Seeing how groggy she still was, he just scooped her up in his arms.

"I can walk..." Daphne instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.

But Carl, a bit impatient, replied, "The snow's getting heavier. With your snail pace, we'd freeze before we got inside."

Daphne went quiet.

After dinner, Carl headed to the study to take care of some work.

Daphne took a bath, did her skincare routine, and then grabbed her phone to scroll through the photos she took that day.

Zooming in on one of the faces, she noticed the kid looked really familiar.

She sent the photo to someone to check it out.

By the time Carl got back to the bedroom, Daphne was already asleep but had left the bedside lamp on for him.

Carl thought, 'At least she's considerate, even if she didn't wait up for me. She must've been really tired.'

He climbed into bed, inhaling the scent of her hair, and couldn't resist placing his hand on her slender waist. He moved closer to her.

The day's events replayed in his mind. He hadn't realized Daphne had such a great figure.

Carl thought, 'It's should be okay to hold her like this while she sleeps, right? She seems to be sleeping so soundly, anyway. Whatever, it doesn't matter if she finds out. We're legally married. Even if she discovers, I'll just say that what I do in my sleep is beyond my control. I'm just using her as a body pillow in my dream.'

With that thought, Carl closed his eyes contentedly.

The warmth of her body seeped into his hands, and he couldn't help but give Daphne's slender waist a gentle squeeze.

He determined to fatten her up a bit; that way, the feel of her when he squeezes would be even better.

Daphne had a really good sleep and woke up to find it was already nine o'clock.

She checked her phone for messages and saw one from Claire at the top.

Claire said she had decided to temporarily suspend the divorce case. She also apologized profusely and thanked Otis for his dedicated help during this time.

Daphne didn't ask for reasons and replied: [It's okay. Take care of yourself.]

Then she saw a message from the private investigator. They had found out all the information about the little boy, confirming he was indeed Alan's illegitimate child.

Daphne then scrolled through the daily trending news. The first headline that caught her eye was a jaw-dropping piece of news.

The chairman of the Fisher Group had allegedly tried to commit suicide by poisoning and was rushed to the hospital last night. It was unclear if he was out of danger.

No wonder Claire had sent that message early in the morning. It seemed like Alan couldn't handle the divorce papers and used suicide to manipulate Claire.

This guy was really desperate. He knew Claire wouldn't be too ruthless. Seeing Claire was serious this time, he took the risky move.

Daphne never believed Alan loved Claire. If he truly loved her, how could he repeatedly and shamelessly cheat on her with different women?

Most likely, it was all about the money.

Even though Alan controlled the Fisher Group, if it came to dividing assets, Claire could take nearly two-thirds. No way he would let Claire take that money.

Daphne guessed that the poison he drank was probably not that toxic.

It was just an act. He used Claire's last bit of compassion to manipulate her.

A man who couldn't let go of wealth and luxury wouldn't genuinely seek death.

Stretching, Daphne got out of bed and tidied up. She noticed a lot of tissues with blood stains in the trash can, which looked pretty alarming. It was clean last night.

Could Carl be hurt?

Daphne went downstairs and saw Carl coming in.

She hurried down and started checking Carl's body.

Carl looked puzzled. "What's up? Do I need a body search when I come home now?"

Daphne asked, "Are you hurt? Let me see."

Seeing her worried expression, Carl flicked her forehead. "I'm not hurt. What's wrong with you?"

"Not hurt?" Daphne rubbed her forehead and continued, "Then why are there so many bloody tissues in the trash can?"

Carl felt a bit embarrassed. His face blushed as he remembered what happened last night.

He had planned to just hold Daphne's waist and sleep, but he had started thinking about Daphne's sexy figure, remembering how she looked in jeans, and recalling their time at the hotel...

While he was thinking, he had suddenly felt a warm stream running down his face.

Turning on the light, he had been speechless. He had had a nosebleed!

If Daniel and Otis found out, they would definitely tease him. Luckily, only he knew about it.

Carl muttered, "It's nothing, just a nosebleed."

Hearing that, Daphne sighed in relief.

She quickly offered, "Do you need to go out? If not, I'll make some oatmeal for you."

Carl grabbed her hand as she was about to head to the kitchen, glancing at the group of people behind him.

Following his gaze, Daphne saw those people in business attire, methodically hanging large bags of clothes on movable racks and pushing them to the door.