Chapter 93 Physiological Response

"That night, when I was in danger, I used my phone's voice assistant to call my emergency contact, and it ended up dialing Daniel."

As soon as she said this, Matthew went dead silent, and the air around him got even colder.

Calliope bit her lip and slowly turned to see his reaction.

Matthew's stare was so icy it felt like he wanted to freeze her solid.

"You're mad about this?"

"Why wouldn't I be mad?" Matthew scoffed. "In a life-or-death situation, you called another guy. You think I shouldn't be pissed?"

Calliope's heart sank. She knew Matthew was super possessive. She couldn't afford to lose focus while talking to him.

"That was set up ages ago. I forgot to change it." Her voice got quieter, almost defeated.

"Did you really forget, or did you just not want to?"

Now he was just being unreasonable!

"I really forgot. I deleted all his contact info back then, so I didn't think about changing the emergency contact."

Matthew's brows knitted together, and he took a deep breath, trying to keep his cool.

He got up from the bed, pulling Calliope up with him.

"Set the emergency contact to me. If anything happens, you come to me."

Calliope didn't expect him to say that, and she couldn't help but wonder if she'd forget to change it again in three months.

If she got kidnapped again and called the emergency contact, would there be a new woman by Matthew's side?

Wouldn't she have to endure once more the agony of abandonment?

She thought it, but she wouldn't say it out loud.

Matthew was already a bit angry, and she didn't want to make things worse. Agreeing with him was the best move.

"Okay, I understand," she said softly.

Matthew didn't say anything else, but Calliope could feel his anger slowly fading.

He took her phone and asked her to unlock it.

Calliope tried a few times but couldn't unlock it with her face. When she went to enter the password, the screen was acting up.

After all, those people had thrown her and her phone onto the boat together. The phone was probably picked up by the police and returned to her later.

But after being in such a humid environment for so long, and even getting some seawater on it, the screen malfunctioning was inevitable.

"Sorry, let me try again."

Calliope held the phone in her palm, using all her strength and finally unlocking it.

"What a piece of junk! Get a new one!" Matthew said bluntly.

This was an old model from seven or eight years ago. He remembered Calliope had used a newer model phone.

"Where's your previous phone?"

"I sold it."

Calliope was setting the emergency contact, so she didn't notice Matthew's expression suddenly becoming a bit strange.

"Why'd you sell it? Were you so broke you had to sell your phone?"

"Before you helped me with the Brown family's mess, every penny I made had to go to Bianca. She was squeezing me hard, and I couldn't come up with the cash, so I had to trade my phone for a cheaper one to get some money for her. It's set up now."

Calliope showed him the phone screen.

But Matthew's eyes were locked on Calliope's face.

She wasn't sure if she was imagining it, but his brows seemed to furrow even more.

Matthew's silence made Calliope uneasy, and his gaze was too intense.

Was that pity? Calliope couldn't tell, so she looked away, trying to hide her nervousness.

Then, out of nowhere, Matthew reached out, gently brushed her hair, and touched her cheek.

"Honestly, I can't understand poverty, so I probably can't empathize with you right now."

"You make it sound like I'm faking being pitiful to get your sympathy."

Matthew was momentarily speechless. This girl was really something.

She could turn a normal conversation into something sarcastic.

Matthew's lips curled slightly, he pulled his hand back, his gaze deepening as if he was thinking about something.

After a moment, he said, "You don't need to pretend to be pitiful, Calliope. I've always recognized your strength and independence. Now that you're my woman, at least for these three months, I'll support you financially."

He continued, "No matter what problems you face, come to me. I don't want you to sell anything you care about for any reason."

Even if he couldn't empathize, Matthew knew what a good sugar daddy should do.

"Okay, I understand."

Calliope didn't feel as flattered as she thought she would; instead, she felt it was something she deserved.

"Move to my place after you're discharged. This time you have no reason to refuse. I've already had Robert go to your place to pack your things. The servants should have everything in order by now."

Calliope sighed. "You can't change your domineering ways, can you?"

Matthew was calmer about her complaint than before.

"I can't change it, so you should just accept it."

Matthew left soon after; he couldn't stay in the hospital all the time. There were still things to handle at the company.

Not long after he left, Calliope tried to open her phone. Daniel wasn't calling anymore; instead, someone else was.

Every time Bianca called, it made Calliope very uncomfortable. Calliope answered, "Hello, Mrs. Brown."

Just seeing the name made her feel sick and shaky.

"Calliope, come see me."

"I haven't been discharged yet. If it's not too important, you can say it over the phone."

Calliope had been thrown into the sea with her hands tied, swallowing a lot of seawater.

Seawater was dirty, causing significant damage to her lungs.

Although her fever had gone down, the symptoms of lung infection were still there.

The doctor had warned her not to do anything strenuous or move around too much, and to stay in bed for at least a week.

Bianca's request was pretty unreasonable.