Chapter 9

The moment Jeremy said those words, everyone abruptly fell silent. Melody met Jeremy's gaze, and her hands slowly fisted together. Jeremy was speaking the truth, so there was nothing else she could say about it. However, when the scrutinizing gazes from those around fell on her, she still lowered her gaze. She reassured herself inwardly and tried to appear as composed as usual. Tiffany looked at Melody bewilderedly. She seemingly wanted to ask her something, but the elevators arrived right then. Seeing this, Harold hurriedly ushered everyone into the elevator, thus breaking the awkward silence. Melody quietly followed from behind, but just as she stepped into the elevator, a tall figure entered right after her. She didn't even need to look up. She only needed to get a whiff of the clean, cold scent to know who it was. As there were a lot of people, Jeremy ended up standing very close. Melody was practically pressed up against his chest. Her breathing grew tense, and her heartbeat quickened. Jeremy was a germaphobe. At home, Melody was not allowed to touch any of his things. However, he was less stringent at the hospital. He was a great doctor who always placed his duties as a doctor above all. As such, the majority of her interactions with Jeremy were at the hospital. When they were at the hospital, she was just Melody, the nurse, instead of Melody Wardolf. And he was Jeremy, the doctor, and not Jeremy Chesson. As the elevator continued to head down, Harold suddenly smacked his forehead while staring at his phone. "Darn it! I asked for the food delivery to be dropped off at the hospital's east entrance, but I need to go to the main entrance to grab a document." He scanned the crowd and asked, "Can someone help me grab the food from the east entrance?" Tiffany's hand was still grasping Melody's, and she kept looking at her as if she wanted to say something. Melody's thoughts were all in a jumble. She didn't wish to stay there any longer, so she decided to speak up. "I'll go pick it up." Tiffany was about to offer as well when a low voice sounded. "I'll go," Jeremy said. Melody looked at Jeremy, who appeared calm and collected. She pursed her lips and lowered her gaze, attempting to hide the emotions swirling in her eyes. Harold's gaze bounced between Melody and Jeremy. With a perk of his eyebrow and a knowing smile, he said, "Then you go with Ms. Wardolf. It isn't right for a lady to carry so much stuff by herself." The east entrance was quite far from the cafeteria. Jeremy's strides were large because of his long legs, and Melody had to quicken her pace. Even so, she could barely keep up. Jeremy seemed to notice this, and his footsteps faltered. "You can go back. I can grab the food by myself." Melody blinked and responded softly, "It's okay. I can carry them with you. Didn't Dr. Franklin say that there was a lot of food?" Jeremy's eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly. "You're too slow, and time is being wasted." Melody stiffened when she heard Jeremy say, "I actually find it troublesome for you to go with me." "I…" Melody started speaking, but she was at such a loss that she didn't know how to respond. She was merely walking a bit slower. How could that amount to being troublesome? Jeremy didn't say anything else, and he continued to stride toward the east entrance. This left Melody frozen in her spot, not knowing whether to keep going or head back. This was how Jeremy often behaved. He never considered her feelings and only did things according to his own thoughts. He never beat around the bush, nor was he considerate or tactful. He was always cold and calm, creating an insurmountable chasm between himself and Melody. In the end, Melody decided to return to the cafeteria. Everyone had arrived, and the atmosphere was bustling. When Harold noticed that she had returned alone, he asked casually, "Ms. Wardolf, where's Dr. Chesson?" Melody fell silent for a beat before answering in a small voice, "He went to the east entrance to grab the food. I came back to see if I could help with anything here." Right as she finished speaking, two people walked into the cafeteria, namely Jeremy and Krystal. Jeremy was not only carrying the ordered food but also a cake in his hand. Melody stiffened when she saw the cake. She checked her phone, and when she saw the date, she felt dazed. It had been a long time since Melody had celebrated her birthday. When she was young, the director of the orphanage would always pick a random date and have everyone there celebrate their birthdays together. With the Wardolf family, Laura had never bothered, and Andrew was too busy. Every year, only Cheryl and a dragged-along Jeremy would celebrate her birthday. However, ever since Cheryl passed away, no one remembered that date anymore. Even Melody herself would forget sometimes. Melody's heart skipped a beat when she stared at the cake in Jeremy's hands. She felt a slither of indescribable joy. However, she heard Harold ask, "Why is there a cake? Did you order it?" "Today is Krystal's birthday," Jeremy answered.