Chapter 10

At the hospital, after the doctor finished a preliminary exam, he helped Vivian into a wheelchair and printed out a stack of test orders. "Have your family go downstairs to pay the bills, then take you straight to the second floor for the tests. Once you're done, come back up. I'll do the next round of evaluation." Vivian lay on the bed with the papers in her hand and didn't move. Only then did the doctor ask, "Where's your family?" "Sorry. I don't have any family in Baymoor." She lowered her gaze. Rainwater dripped from her soaked hair. When she finally spoke, her voice was hoarse with a mix of exhaustion and shame. A hand suddenly closed around the wheelchair handle and pushed her toward the elevator. Vivian turned, confused, and her gaze met a pair of deep, unreadable eyes. The man gave her a cool glance and didn't speak. He pushed the wheelchair with one hand while holding his phone in the other, still on a call. He wore a black overcoat over a dark gray suit that was tailored and obviously expensive, making him look even taller and more imposing. When he noticed her staring, he ended the call and slipped the phone into his coat pocket. Everything about him carried the steadiness and authority of a man used to being obeyed. Vivian parted her lips, surprise and awkwardness filling her eyes. "Mr. Howard, what are you doing here?" Kingston didn't answer. His gaze swept the area, then settled back on her. The next second, his black coat dropped over her head. "So, this is what you meant when you said you'd thrive in Baymoor, with a whole crowd of lackeys at your beck and call?" Vivian shrugged off the coat, stunned and awkward for a moment. That had been her bold declaration back when she'd insisted on staying in Baymoor and giving up her claim to the Hartwell family inheritance, said straight to Camille's face. She hadn't expected Kingston to have heard it. She lowered her head, heat burning across her cheeks. Maybe he couldn't stand the silence. He asked again, casual as ever. "And where are your lackeys?" She lowered her head even further. The elevator reached the second floor. Every test room had a line outside. Kingston pushed her into the corridor to wait. His phone kept ringing, and everything he said sounded like work. Theo returned with the payment slip, and only then did Kingston step away to somewhere quieter to take another call. Vivian accepted the slip and said, "Thank you." Theo waved it off. His eyes kept drifting to her, like he had a dozen questions but didn't know how to start. Vivian only felt even more awkward. She didn't want to explain anything. She silently prayed he wouldn't ask. Neither of them spoke. The silence between them turned strange and heavy. That was when Logan walked out of the ultrasound room with Sloane, his head lowered as he studied the test results in his hand. Vivian looked up, a cold smile touching her lips. The paper in her hand crumpled instantly. She took out her phone and called Logan. Not far away, Logan glanced at his screen and frowned. Sloane leaned in to look. When she saw Vivian's name, she said softly, "You should answer. What if Ms. Hartwell needs something?" Only then did Logan's frown ease. He picked up. "I'm at the office handling something. What is it?" Vivian tightened her grip on the phone and said, "I didn't realize Whitfield Group had moved its offices into a hospital." Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried down the corridor. Theo shifted aside at just the right moment, clearing Logan's line of sight. Logan's body stiffened, guilt flashing through his eyes. Sloane immediately stepped back, putting distance between herself and Logan. Her hands hung in front of her, and she said with practiced deference, "Ms. Hartwell, don't misunderstand. Mr. Whitfield..." Vivian didn't spare her a glance. She only stared at Logan. When Logan saw her in a wheelchair, surprise flickered across his face, but he recovered quickly and strode over. "You're hurt?" He took in her hospital gown and wet hair, concern written all over his face. Vivian looked at his uneasy expression. Even though she knew whatever answer he gave would be a lie, she still couldn't stop herself from asking. "What are you doing here?" "I had some palpitations at the office, so I came to get checked out. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry," he said smoothly, his expression calm and composed. The lie made Vivian's chest tighten. She gave a bitter smile and stayed silent. A doctor in the exam room called Vivian's name. Logan naturally took hold of the wheelchair and pushed her inside. Before the door closed, Vivian saw Kingston coming back from his call. He stood in the middle of the corridor, looking at her. His face was distant and unreadable. Vivian lowered her eyes and looked away. She didn't want anyone who knew her background to see her like this. No matter what motives were behind the help, it still made her feel ashamed. The exam room door shut, and Kingston turned toward the elevator. Theo hurried after him. "We're leaving?" Kingston's expression stayed cold. "What else would we do?" Theo was Kingston's distant cousin. He'd heard rumors that the Hartwells' younger daughter had broken off her engagement with Kingston, but the Howard family never spoke about it, so he had never been able to confirm anything. He hadn't gotten the gossip he wanted. He pouted and muttered, "Then, why'd we even come to the hospital?" Kingston glanced once at the tightly closed exam room door, then looked away. "To make Camille owe me a favor." Theo clicked his tongue. "That still doesn't seem worth you canceling such an important meeting." The Hartwell family was already on the decline. A favor from Camille might not even be repaid. Theo didn't believe Kingston. He tried to press him for the real reason, but Kingston shot him a look. "You seem bored. We've got a project starting up in Afrion. Want me to send you over?" Theo's face tightened. He put on an ingratiating smile. "Please don't." Off to the side, Sloane stood there with her prenatal checkup report clutched in her hand, her face pale. She'd heard everything Theo and Kingston had said. Vivian seemed to have known them for a long time. If Vivian could know someone like Kingston, then her background probably wasn't as ordinary as people around Sloane liked to claim. … Inside the exam room, Logan kept asking the doctor about Vivian's injury. When he learned she had a fracture and needed to be hospitalized, he ran around handling everything, making the nurses at the station openly jealous. After he took care of it all, he finally sat beside Vivian's bed. He hesitated, then spoke in a tone that sounded like he was thinking of her in every way. "Vivian, the wedding's almost here, but you're hurt and need to stay in the hospital. How about we postpone it?"