Chapter 5

Avery jolted awake with a scream. She opened her eyes to find herself lying on a hospital bed.

Eason and the darkness that had been before her earlier had disappeared. It turned out she'd been dreaming.

The old lady on the bed beside hers was a newcomer. She smiled and asked, "Did you have a nightmare, sweetheart? I saw you clutching the sheets tightly, even while asleep. What did you dream about?"

When Avery had been a child, she'd heard that a nightmare wouldn't come true if she were to talk about it. Since the old lady had asked, she answered, "My boss."

The old lady was taken aback. Then, she shook her head and sighed. "Your boss must be terrifying, then."

The door opened as soon as the words were out of her mouth. A tall figure entered their line of sight.

Avery was about to leave the bed to head to the restroom. She'd already slipped one foot into a shoe and almost fell out of bed when she saw who the person was.

Eason was dressed in a white shirt with the collar slightly open, and his black pants made his legs look particularly long.

He held a Thermos flask in one hand while his suit jacket was thrown over his other arm. Even though he was just standing there, he looked handsome and debonair.

Avery felt diffident when she met his gaze. She subconsciously balled her hands into fists.

Eason merely walked past her to the old lady's bed. "Grandma."

Avery's head shot up in surprise to see the old lady, Laura Faust, rubbing Eason's head affectionately.

He was usually domineering and cold at the office, but now he was as obedient as could be. Well, it made sense—Laura was his grandmother, after all.

Avery watched in surprise as Eason opened the Thermos flask to pour out some chicken soup for Laura. His gentleness wasn't something she had expected, so she gaped at him.

Laura waved a hand. "I'm too full for soup. I just had an apple."

She turned to Avery and said, "You haven't had anything to eat, right, sweetheart? Do you want to try some of my grandson's chicken soup?"

Eason looked at her as well, which made her wave her hands fearfully. "N-No, it's fine. I'm not hungry."

This didn't curb Laura's enthusiasm. "I haven't even had a bite. Don't tell me you don't want to have it because you think these are my leftovers."

"No, of course not!"

"That's that, then." Laura nudged Eason. "Hurry up and give her the soup. You have no idea what a poor thing she is—I haven't seen anyone here to visit her at all.

"Oh, and she even had a nightmare about her boss earlier. Judging from how scared she was, her boss has to be a horrible person."

Avery tried and failed to interrupt her. Why was Laura spilling everything?

Eason raised an eyebrow at Avery. "Oh? Did you do something to make you so scared of your boss?"

She couldn't bring herself to say anything. It seemed like nothing she could say would make the situation better.

To make matters worse, Eason didn't take his eyes off her. He stared at her so intently that it was almost as if he wanted to see right through her.

"I… I'm going to the restroom. You guys continue chatting." Avery positively fled into the restroom.

Laura slapped Eason's hand and snapped, "Look at you! Look how much you scared her!"

He smiled helplessly. "Am I that scary, Grandma?"

He was a little stern when it came to work, but Avery didn't need to be that scared of him.

"Yes, you are!" Laura appraised him. "I mean, you don't look scary, but you're always so stoic and cold. I suppose that's scary enough. The little lady's a timid one, but she seems kind and humble. She's also sensible. I like her—"

"Alright, that's enough." Eason stopped her from going any further. "She has a boyfriend, Grandma. Don't try to pull anything funny."

Laura didn't believe him. "A boyfriend? How would you know about that?"

"Because she's my employee."

"Huh?"

…

Eason was the only one in the hospital room when Avery came out of the restroom. His gaze landed on her as soon as she stepped out.

Avery faltered before shuffling back to her bed awkwardly. She was still on her IV drip, so she had a needle in one hand while holding the drip up with the other.

She stood on her tiptoes and tried to hang the drip on its stand. Still, her height limited her actions. She tried and failed a few times.

"Give it to me." Eason's voice rang out beside her.

Avery turned around dazedly as a refreshing scent wafted into her nose. At the same time, Eason's fingers brushed against hers as he took the drip from her and hung it on the stand.

"Thank you, Mr. Lavigne." She lowered her head, not having the nerve to meet his gaze.

When she returned to bed, Eason brought the Thermos flask to her and placed it on her bedside table. "This is for you."

Avery was surprised and looked up at him. Then, she averted her gaze when their eyes met. A blush spread across her cheeks.

Eason couldn't help but be amused by this. He'd seen his fair share of women, but Avery was the first to be so shy around him.

She was like a mimosa—the slightest interaction would make her blush and hide. It was quite interesting.

Afraid that she would think he had ulterior motives, he explained, "Grandma told me to give this to you."

"Oh. I'll thank her in person later, then," Avery said.

Eason stood by her bed for a while longer before saying, "There's something else I wanted to ask you about."

"What is it?"

He pulled something out of his pocket and held it before her. "Have you seen this before?"

Avery's pupils constricted. It was her pearl bracelet! How had it ended up in Eason's hands?

Eason scrutinized her expression. "Have you?"

She snapped back to her senses and shook her head. "N-No."

A trace of disappointment flitted past his eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Avery clenched her fists nervously. "I've never seen it in my life."

"Alright." Eason tucked the bracelet away.

Avery's heart was in a mess. She would never have expected to leave something behind in Eason's tent. And it was something so important, too!

As a child, Avery had been prone to falling sick. Jessica had learned how to make that pearl bracelet from a master artisan. She claimed it was filled with her hope for Avery to remain healthy.

Avery had kept it with her since then, but it was always hidden underneath her sleeve. That was why no one other than the people closest to her knew about the bracelet's existence.

She didn't have any friends at the company and was always alone, so none of her colleagues knew about it. Because of that, she didn't need to worry about Eason knowing where it had come from.

She was more worried about how she was going to get the bracelet back.

…

That afternoon, Summer texted Avery to ask how she was doing. Avery replied to her out of politeness.

She and Summer didn't know each other well, so the conversation should've ended after a few awkward messages.

Just then, Summer texted her again. "Has Mr. Lavigne dropped by the hospital?"

She and Avery were secretaries at Lavigne Corp., so Avery figured she probably had something important to tell Eason. So, she answered honestly, "Yes. He came around noon."

In the next second, Summer called her.