Chapter 3: I Will Provide for You

He really had a fever.

Isabella Gomez finally managed to rouse him. The man only slightly lifted his eyelids, glanced at her, and then closed his eyes again. His condition was very poor.

"Are you alright? Why did you suddenly get a fever? And what's with the money in the living room? Did someone come here?"

A string of questions filled Isabella Gomez's mind. The sudden appearance of that box of money was truly shocking.

But no matter what she asked, the man ignored her, frowning as if telling Isabella Gomez that he needed rest and didn't want to be disturbed.

Isabella Gomez could only temporarily set aside her questions. She wanted to take him to the hospital, but he refused to go.

With no other choice, she went out to buy medicine for him.

After hurriedly purchasing some fever reducers, Isabella Gomez boiled water and fed him the medicine, constantly changing wet towels on his forehead and giving him sips of water.

She was busy until the wee hours of the night, and only then did the man's high fever begin to subside. By then, Isabella Gomez was so exhausted that she could barely stand.

She glanced at the silver box in the living room.

"If you don't tell me where this money came from tomorrow, I'll turn it over to the authorities!" she said sternly, looking at the man whose brow had finally relaxed. Then, she fell asleep by the bedside.

The next morning, it wasn't the morning sunlight that woke Isabella Gomez, but the aroma of sausage rice.

Isabella Gomez rubbed her stomach and rolled over in bed, sniffing the air drowsily.

Perhaps thinking she had imagined it, she didn't get up. How could there be sausage rice in her house without her cooking it? She drifted back to sleep.

A while later, the scent of the sausage rice became too real and intense. Hungry, Isabella Gomez gradually awoke.

She stretched, then blinked and opened her eyes.

Suddenly, a pair of deep, piercing eyes met hers, followed by a close-up of a handsome face.

"Aah!" Isabella Gomez sat up in shock, staring at the man, still trembling from the surprise.

Was he crazy? Staring at her while she slept?

Seeing that Isabella Gomez was fully awake, the man finally looked away. This woman, who had been so worried and tired for him all night, actually looked quite gentle and obedient when she slept. But he didn't say anything; instead, he reached for the remote and turned on the TV, seemingly watching the news.

"Sanders Group has completed its internal equity restructuring. Jonathan Sanders has been completely excluded from the Sanders family succession. The party involved has not made an appearance, and it is unknown..."

The TV was broadcasting another piece of news about Sanders Group. The man stared at the image of the Sanders' Building on the screen, his lips tightly pressed together.

Feeling uncomfortable after being woken up by his gaze, Isabella Gomez quickly rushed to wash up and change clothes as soon as he turned to watch the news.

Halfway through, she suddenly remembered something and stopped, turning back to ask, "Has your fever gone down?"

The man shifted his gaze from the TV and nodded at her.

"Oh, uh... did you make the sausage rice?" Isabella Gomez asked again.

The man nodded once more.

"Where did you get the sausages? I don't remember having any in the house..." Isabella Gomez recalled.

At this point, the man suddenly frowned, his eyes darkening.

Isabella Gomez pursed her lips. Clearly, he was annoyed by her barrage of questions, which were interrupting his TV viewing.

"Such a tsundere," Isabella Gomez muttered, turning to wash up and eat. She was hungry.

Thankfully, he could cook; otherwise, he would have no redeeming qualities.

The sausage rice was delicious, rich and savory, fatty yet not greasy, and exceptionally soft. However, amidst her surprise, Isabella Gomez didn't forget the important matter at hand.

She sat down in front of the man and patted the silver box. "Is this yours?"

The man leaned back in his chair, tapping the armrests with his fingers, maintaining an elegant posture without giving a clear response.

Seeing his attitude, Isabella Gomez grew anxious and stood up abruptly. "You got a fever because you went out in the rain, right? You didn't... rob someone, did you? Whose is this? Tell me quickly, so I can return it before we get into legal trouble!"

The man almost laughed at her suggestion.

Rob someone?

For such a small amount of money? Did he need to do that?

Isabella Gomez took his silence as a sign of guilt and nervously circled the box.

After a moment, she seemed to make a decision and swallowed hard.

"If you don't tell me, I'll take the money to the police! I can't have unexplained money in my house."

As she spoke, Isabella Gomez really picked up the box.

"This money is mine," the man's voice suddenly rang out, low and hoarse from disuse.

With a loud thud, Isabella Gomez dropped the box again in extreme shock.

She stared at the man, wide-eyed, even more shocked than when she first saw the box of money!

"You... you can speak?"

Isabella Gomez was so stunned she nearly bit her tongue!

She had known this man for over a month and had long accepted that he was mute.

His sudden ability to speak made Isabella Gomez feel like she was seeing a ghost in broad daylight.

The man didn't answer her question but instead gave a smirk that seemed to look down on the world. "The money comes from legitimate sources. From now on, I can support you."

His voice was actually very pleasant, with a deep, resonant tone that, combined with his handsome face and those provocative words, could make any woman scream.

Isabella Gomez was struggling to process everything.

"You... what do you mean?"

"Hmm..." The man chuckled lightly, looking at the box of money. "This money is for you to use. I need to stay at your place for a while longer."

Isabella Gomez slowly came back to her senses, staring at the man with many, many questions.

Like, "Why didn't you speak before?" and "Where did this money come from?" and "Why do you need to stay at my place?"

But before she could ask, the man raised his head and fixed his gaze on her.

Isabella Gomez saw his rose-colored lips part, and he said, "I don't like women who talk too much."

"..."

"But since you can speak, at least tell me who you are and what your name is!" Isabella Gomez had never seen such an arrogant man. Was he silent before because he didn't think she was worth speaking to?

Silence, more silence, and then more silence.

After a long while, he finally spoke. "You can call me Jonathan."