Chapter 4

Nadia lay quietly on the hospital bed. The harsh light cast over her worn, delicate face. The face that was once so full of life now looked completely drained of color. A needle was taped to her slender wrist, slowly dripping clear fluid into her veins. There was an uncomfortable tightness pressing on Callum's chest. It was probably just her stomach problem. He remembered that Nadia had always had that problem. She had even been hospitalized before because of it. But back then… He shook away the messy flood of memories and focused on her pale lips. Nadia looked restless in her sleep. She was frowning, and her body shifted unconsciously. The blanket slipped down a little. Callum stepped forward almost without thinking and gently tugged it back over her exposed shoulder. His fingertips accidentally brushed her skin. His hand froze, and then he quickly pulled away, as if he had touched something scorching. Only after a while did he realize what he had just done. A wave of irritation bubbled up inside him. He glanced around the cramped regular ward. The air was thick with a sharp scent of disinfectant. The room was on a lower floor, letting in the distant hum of city noise. Callum frowned tightly. How could Nadia possibly get better here? Without hesitation, he pulled out his phone and called his assistant, Julian Lowe. His tone was sharp and commanding as he said, "Nadia is in Room 302 at Central General Hospital. Move her immediately to the VIP ward on the top floor." There was a brief pause on the other end. Julian was surprised, but he didn't question it. "Understood, Mr. Ford." Callum paused, then added, "Order a crab pie and maple pecan oat from Gathered Spoon. Make sure it's fresh out of the oven." Those were Nadia's favorites. He didn't know why he remembered it so clearly or why he suddenly gave the order. Maybe he just couldn't stand seeing her look so pitiful. Yes, that had to be it. "Send them to the VIP ward." "Right away, Mr. Ford," Julian replied. After hanging up, Callum took one last look at Nadia on the bed. Her frown seemed to soften just a bit. He pressed his lips together, then turned and left without looking back. His steps were cold and distant as always. … Brittany, her hand wrapped tightly in gauze after treatment, burned with frustration. As she stepped out of the treatment room, she spotted Callum emerging from a ward at the far end of the hallway. That area looked like the regular ward. Her heart skipped a beat, but she quickly put on a perfectly soft smile as she hurried over and linked her arm through his. "Callum, where did you go just now? I came out and didn't see you. I was worried." She casually glanced at the door behind him—Room 302. Callum glanced down at her bandaged hand and replied calmly, "I just went to the wrong floor." "Wrong floor?" Brittany blinked and said sweetly, "Silly head, how could you mix that up?" But inside, she sneered. There was no way Callum would make such a mistake. Something was definitely up with Room 302. Callum ignored her teasing and asked, "Is your hand still hurting? If you're done here, I'll take you home." "Not much anymore. Thanks, Callum." Brittany nodded, but she already had "Room 302" etched deep in her mind. She was determined to see who that vixen was. Who could actually have Callum lowering himself to come to a regular ward? … Back at the Jaeger residence, the lights were bright and welcoming. The moment Brittany and Callum stepped in, her mother, Camilla Moody, rushed forward with exaggerated concern. "Oh, my goodness! My precious, what happened to your hand? Let me see!" Camilla grabbed Brittany's hand. Her face was full of worry, but her eyes flickered constantly to Callum with a flattering smile. "Mr. Ford, thank you so much. Brittany has caused you so much trouble." Brittany's father, Alfred Jaeger, chimed in, "Yeah, Mr. Ford, you've gone above and beyond. Without you, who knows what trouble she'd be in?" "I didn't do much," Callum said flatly, showing no emotion. He then reminded Brittany, "Keep the wound clean. Don't get it wet these next few days." "Got it. Thanks, Callum," Brittany replied softly. Callum nodded and showed no sign of staying longer. "I've got other things to do. I'll take my leave now." "Please come back anytime, Mr. Ford," Camilla said warmly, escorting him to the door. Only after the sleek Maybach disappeared into the night did her smile vanish, replaced by a sharp, calculating expression. She turned swiftly to Brittany. Her voice was low but commanding, "Listen up, Brittany! You need to hold onto Callum tight. Do you hear me? If you marry into the Ford family and become the richest man's wife, our family will rise so high in Seora that no one will dare look down on us again." Camilla's eyes gleamed with ruthless ambition, as if she already saw the Jaeger family's meteoric rise. "Don't worry, Mom." Brittany was confident, especially now that she knew Callum had already asked someone to prepare the divorce agreement. Callum was hers and hers alone. … When Nadia finally woke again, night had fallen. She was roused by the smell of food. She slowly opened her eyes. Her head was still dizzy, and her stomach was empty, but the sharp pain had eased considerably. Her gaze landed on a few neatly packed food containers on the bedside table. They bore Gathered Spoon's logo. Crab pie? Maple pecan oat? Nadia was confused. Who had sent these? Instinctively, she thought of Wendy but quickly dismissed it because Wendy knew she wasn't allowed to eat these. Could it be… That name flashed through her mind before she crushed the thought hard. Impossible. Callum would never come see her, let alone bring food. He wanted nothing more than for her to disappear. "Stop deluding yourself, Nadia," she thought and gave a wry smile. Just then, the door opened. A nurse in a pink uniform entered, wearing a professional smile. "Ms. Grayson, you're awake! How are you feeling?" Nadia weakly nodded. "Better, thank you." The nurse checked the IV drip quickly, then smiled and said, "Well, good news. We're moving you to a new room." "A new room?" Nadia blinked, confused, "Why?" The nurse's smile widened. "Because you've been upgraded to a VIP ward upstairs. It's quieter and nicer. Perfect for your recovery." "VIP ward?" Nadia was stunned. Her voice shook as she asked, "W-Who arranged that?" What was going on? Since when did hospitals randomly upgrade a patient's ward? The nurse kept smiling, but her tone turned brisk and matter-of-fact. "That I don't know. The instruction came directly from higher-ups. Don't worry. The paperwork's all done. You just need to follow me." Nadia lay back down. As she looked at the nurse's unreadable expression, her mind spun. First, mysterious crab pie and maple pecan oat appeared out of nowhere. Now this sudden VIP upgrade. What the hell was happening? Just then, Wendy walked in carrying soup and flowers. "Nad, are you feeling better? Are you hungry? My mom brought you some homemade chicken soup." She caught sight of the food containers on the table. "Gathered Spoon? Since when do they deliver?" Nadia shook her head, equally baffled. "I have no idea who sent it." Wendy gave her a teasing wink. "Looks like you've got a secret admirer. I always say there are plenty of fish in the sea. Why waste time on that jerk?" Somewhere else, Callum suddenly sneezed. Wendy suddenly remembered something important and sat down beside Nadia. "By the way, you can't be discharged yet. Why did you announce your comeback already?" Nadia blinked, confused again. "Comeback?" Wendy pulled out her phone and showed her the top five trending topics. They were all about Nior. In just a few hours, news of Nior attending the Global Medical Summit had gone viral around the world. Nadia's chest tightened. Only two people in the whole world could make such a high-profile announcement. One of them was him. Her three-year agreement with Callum had just expired. That madman really couldn't wait a single day longer.