Chapter 7

The light turned green, and the cars behind them began honking impatiently.

Caleb pulled over to the side of the road. The person on the other end of the call seemed to be explaining something, and Caleb responded every now and then.

As the minutes passed, his expression grew darker and darker.

By the time the call ended, he tossed his phone aside.

His brows were tightly furrowed as he stared out the window, clearly irritated.

Claire asked, “Is it the community health hub project?”

Caleb nodded and pressed his fingertips hard against his brow.

“Yes. All the preliminary preparations were already complete, but my people just told me Ashford Capital suddenly changed their mind. They’re postponing the signing.”

“Then go to the office and deal with it. I can go to the hospital by myself.”

As Claire spoke, she reached for the door to get out.

But Caleb shook his head. He pushed down his frustration and said gently, “It’s fine. I’ll take you there first.”

He took a few deep breaths, reined in his emotions, and started the car again.

When they reached the hospital entrance, he got out himself, walked around to the passenger side, and opened the door for her.

Then he took the spare coat from the back seat and draped it over Claire’s shoulders before returning to the driver’s seat.

Through the window, he smiled at her and waved.

“Go on. When you’re done, I’ll have Owen pick you up.

“Tonight, I’ll take you to that restaurant you’ve always wanted to try.”

Claire nodded and watched him turn the car around and leave.

Even with anxiety written all over him, he still put her first.

That had always been Caleb’s way over the years.

Even when he neglected her because of Serena, he would make it up to her afterward and treat her even better than before.

That was exactly why, over the past year, Claire had never suspected that her husband was having an affair with Serena.

The deeper the love had once been, the stronger the hatred was now.

Claire curled her lips, opened her phone, typed a message, and sent it.

[Julian, thank you.]

The message had barely gone through when a call came in.

“I’ve already stopped the health hub project.”

On the other end was a warm, cultured male voice.

“Claire, be honest with me. Did that Caleb kid bully you?”

Claire pressed her lips together, her throat tightening slightly.

“It’s a long story. I’m sorry for troubling you with this.”

“Don’t give me that. If it weren’t for you, Caleb’s proposal wouldn’t even have passed the first screening, let alone reached the signing stage. Honestly, I don’t know how a business genius like Gideon ended up with such a stupid younger brother.

“Oh, and Professor Langley told me you’re considering going abroad with him as his assistant. Life overseas isn’t easy. If you want, come to my company instead. Projects, resources, funding, you can have whatever you need. It’s better than working for foreigners.”

“All right. I’ll think about it carefully.”

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Claire hung up.

Fixed on her phone screen, her gaze darkened.

Gideon was critically ill, so after Claire married Caleb, Caleb temporarily took over Whitmore Group.

But he had no real management experience, nor did he have Gideon’s position and authority.

Because of that, he had been suppressed and targeted by the other shareholders for a long time.

During that period, Caleb often worked overtime until three or four in the morning, exhausted to the extreme.

Claire had remembered how devotedly he had cared for her and how seriously he seemed to take the accident case.

So she had gone to Julian Ashford, who was already the general manager of Ashford Capital, and asked for a favor.

She gave Caleb the opportunity to cooperate on the community health hub project.

The project had high profits and strong long-term returns. It would bring enormous benefits to Whitmore Group.

Because of it, Caleb’s days at Whitmore Group had become much easier.

Now that all the preliminary work was finished, they were only waiting to sign the contract and officially launch the project.

Once that happened, Caleb would be able to fully establish himself at Whitmore Group. Even if Gideon woke up one day, Caleb’s position would not be easy to shake.

What a shame.

Caleb did not deserve such a gift.

Once the project collapsed, all of Caleb’s efforts would vanish.

The position and prestige he had painstakingly built at Whitmore Group would collapse with it.

Last night, Claire had specifically messaged Julian.

She had not expected him to cancel the cooperation so decisively without even asking why.

But then again…

Letting Caleb lose everything so easily would be too kind.

Standing outside Gideon’s hospital room, Claire typed a few messages to Julian. Only then did she set aside her thoughts, put on sterile protective clothing, and walk inside.

The atmosphere in the room was heavy.

There was only the faint hum of the machines and Professor Langley’s low, clear instructions.

Gideon lay flat on the treatment bed. Several electrode wires were attached to his body and head, connecting him to the device.

“This is a neural targeted arousal device.”

Professor Langley was adjusting the equipment. The other students were each responsible for their own tasks.

When he saw Claire come in, he called her closer.

“The patient’s condition is better than expected. He may regain basic awareness sooner, but fully waking will still require continued treatment.”

As Professor Langley spoke, he stepped aside so Claire could observe Gideon’s condition more clearly.

Because he was connected to the equipment, Gideon’s shirt had been opened.

Unlike the rushed examination two days earlier, this time there was no avoiding the sight of his body.

The lines of his shoulders and back were clean and sharply defined. His waist and abdomen were firm and smooth.

Even lying still, he carried the upright strength of a man shaped by years of discipline.

For some reason, Claire suddenly thought of the night one year ago, on her wedding night.

In the darkness, that burning body that had made her lose control and sink helplessly.

The shape her fingertips had touched.

The powerful figure she had only glimpsed vaguely.

For one brief second, she was dazed.

Her cheeks warmed, and she hurriedly looked away.

God.

This was Caleb’s brother. Why was she thinking about any of this?

Do not look. Do not think. Do not look.

“Claire?”

Professor Langley’s puzzled voice sounded beside her ear.

Claire snapped back to herself.

Professor Langley handed her the electrode pads in his hand.

“The electrode placement for the lower-limb muscle groups has to be precise. You do it.”

She instinctively agreed. Only afterward did she realize what her teacher meant.

For a moment, she fell silent.

Gideon was lying there completely defenseless.

The cold distance he usually carried, the kind that kept people miles away, had been softened in his unconscious state.

For no reason, it gave Claire a strange, subtle feeling in her heart.

She sighed.

Fine.

It was just removing his pants.

She had already done it once. Doing it again should not matter.

She was treating a patient and saving a life. It was not as though she were doing anything illegal.

Once she thought it through, she stopped hesitating.

Her movements became quick and practiced, her expression focused and serious.

Professor Langley watched from the side and nodded repeatedly. Then he said to the students beside him, “That is what makes a good doctor. Precision, even in the simplest procedure.”

The students listened thoughtfully and gathered closer to observe with even greater focus.

More than a dozen pairs of eyes watched.

Claire was silent.

It seemed she really had been away from work for too long. She was not quite used to this anymore.

The treatment continued until three in the afternoon.

After seeing Professor Langley and his team off, Claire finally called Owen to come over.

Once she got into the car, exhaustion was clear on her face. She closed her eyes lightly to rest.

Owen said, “Mrs. Whitmore, you mentioned before that you wanted to try this restaurant. Mr. Whitmore specifically booked it a month in advance. On the way here, he also asked me to give you these flowers.”

It was a bouquet of Juliet roses.

Twelve stems wrapped in dark green paper.

Claire took them and gave them a light sniff.

The long, clean fragrance of the flowers relaxed her quite a bit, and the tension between her brows eased.

The restaurant was downtown, not far away.

The car happened to stop in front of the restaurant’s floor-to-ceiling glass windows.

Owen said, “Mr. Whitmore truly treats you very well. I’ve never seen him care about anyone more than he cares about you…”

As he was speaking, his voice stopped abruptly.