Chapter 256 The Comfort of Company

Serena Sinclair's POV:

I returned to the hospital with lunch carefully packaged in elegant containers, balancing them as I approached Professor Steven's room. The hallway was quieter now, most visitors having left for their midday meals elsewhere. As I neared his door, I heard their voices drifting through the partially open doorway.

"How is Serena's family situation progressing?" Professor Steven's voice carried clearly. "The matter with her cousin?"

"I have international connections that can help," Phillip replied in that confident tone I was coming to appreciate more each day. "It will take some time, but we'll locate her."

I hesitated, not wanting to interrupt their conversation.

"And what about you two?" Professor Steven continued. "Any wedding plans on the horizon? Sarah is already married. It would do this old heart good to see you settled as well."

My pulse quickened at the unexpected question.

"She needs more time," Phillip answered, his voice gentle but certain. "I'm not going to rush her."

"She's a good girl," Professor Steven said, his tone softening. "The divorce left scars, understandably so. But don't give up on her."

"I won't," Phillip replied with such conviction that my chest tightened. "I'll always protect her."

"I know you will," Professor Steven said. "That's why I trust you with her."

I pushed the door open then, pretending I hadn't heard a word. "You two aren't talking about me behind my back, are you?" I asked lightly, forcing a smile to mask the emotion their words had stirred in me.

Professor Steven's eyes twinkled mischievously. "Quite the opposite—we were discussing your many virtues. You weren't eavesdropping at the door, were you?"

"Absolutely," I teased back, setting the food containers down. "For quite a while, actually."

I busied myself with unpacking lunch, arranging the containers on his adjustable table with perhaps more care than necessary. "Phillip and I thought you might enjoy some company for lunch."

To my delight, Professor Steven ate with more appetite than I'd seen since his hospitalization. Though he'd grown alarmingly thin—almost skeletal—since his illness, today there was color in his cheeks as he finished nearly half his portion.

Despite his frail appearance, he maintained that characteristic strength I'd always admired—smiling through whatever pain he might be feeling, never one to burden others with his suffering.

As the afternoon stretched on, I noticed how the winter sun began to set early, casting long shadows across the hospital room. By four o'clock, darkness had already fallen outside the window, the city lights twinkling against the night sky.

"You two should be on your way," Professor Steven finally said, turning slightly away from us. "It's getting late, and driving in Manhattan can be treacherous with this snow."

Something in his voice caught my attention—a barely perceptible note of loneliness that he was trying to hide. He shifted in his bed, deliberately angling his body away as if to conceal his expression.

Outside the hospital, the cold air hit me like a physical blow after hours in the heated building. I pulled my coat tighter around me, my thoughts still lingering on Professor Steven's brave solitude.

"Is this what happens when we grow old?" I asked, not really expecting an answer. "Even with all the money and accomplishments in the world, there's this... emptiness that nothing can fill?"

The realization settled heavily on me—that in our twilight years, it's not our professional achievements that comfort us, but the companionship we've built. "Young together, old together," I murmured, thinking of my parents who had always been each other's strength despite relatives' whispers about them not having sons.

I turned to Phillip as we walked toward the car. "Even with how busy you are running your business, make time for your parents. When people get older, they need family close by."

"What's on your mind today?" Phillip asked, his breath forming small clouds in the cold air.

"I just think Professor Steven seems lonely," I admitted.

As we settled into the car, I suddenly remembered the pastries we'd bought for James. "Oh! The French pastries are still in the back seat. What should we do? It's already so late."

"We'll visit him tomorrow morning," Phillip replied, starting the engine. "After that, we'll head straight to the private airfield. You don't need to pack much—everything's been arranged there."

He confirmed our afternoon private flight, then suggested we stop by my apartment first to gather my things and update Richard about the efforts to locate Laura.

When we arrived at my building, I hesitated. "Do you want to wait in the car? Richard and Jessica are staying with me."

"They're your family, not strangers," Phillip replied simply. "Let's go."

His response triggered memories of Alex, who had always avoided my relatives. "You should keep your distance from those ordinary relatives," he'd once advised, his tone suggesting they were somehow beneath us.

"You won't find my family... beneath you?" I asked hesitantly.

Phillip looked at me with genuine confusion. "Don't be ridiculous. Your family is my family now. Why would I look down on them?"

His next words were spoken with such sincerity that I couldn't doubt them: "I'll be good to them, I promise."

The warmth that flooded through me had nothing to do with the building's heating system. I wrapped my arms around his waist, breathing in the familiar scent of his cologne. "Thank you," I whispered against his chest, the words inadequate for the gratitude I felt.

In that moment, standing in the lobby of my apartment building with snow melting from our boots, I realized that what we were building together went beyond romance—it was a foundation for a shared life, one that embraced both our strengths and vulnerabilities.

The elevator door slid open with a ding. We walked out.

When we reached the apartment door, I opened it.

Inside, Richard and Jessica were arguing.

"We're talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars here! That wasn't just pocket change - it was our entire life savings, and now it's all gone because of this scam. You're still unemployed, we have a kid to take care of... God, how are we supposed to survive? I can't see any light at the end of this tunnel, I just can't!"

The door creaked open, and their argument stopped abruptly as they both turned to look at the entrance.

Seeing us, Jessica quickly wiped away her tears and ran into the bedroom with the child.

Richard stood there, embarrassed and ashamed.

"I just came to get some things," I said. I had hoped they would have a proper conversation, but instead walked into an argument.

An awkward encounter.

"Go ahead and get what you need. I'll step out," he said, keeping his head down.

I sighed helplessly. I could help find Laura, but the mess in their family affairs was beyond my ability to fix.