He enclosed them in his own, rubbing warmth back into her skin. “Don’t say that. You had no way of knowing. I didn’t see it either—not until it was too late.”
“But what now?” Hadley asked, her voice small, tight with fear. “What do we do?”
Before Eric could answer, a knock broke through the room’s quiet. They turned toward the door as a voice spoke from outside.
“Miss Bianca Scott! What are you doing here?” Phillips’ voice was laced with surprise.
At the name, Hadley’s breath hitched. She and Eric exchanged a glance—Bianca.
Hadley had only seen her once—at Ferris and Milly’s wedding anniversary.
Ferris’ eldest daughter. The second heir in line. Gifford’s full sister.
“What is she doing here?” Hadley whispered.
“Don’t panic,” Eric said under his breath, giving her hand a steadying squeeze. “Let her come. If they’re making a move now, that might actually give us some clues.”
He met her gaze with quiet resolve. “Just stay calm and follow my lead. If you’re scared, don’t say anything and just stay close to me.”
Hadley nodded, swallowing her nerves. This time, she couldn’t afford another mistake.
Phillips tried to hold his ground, but Bianca pushed past him without hesitation.
“Get out of my way!”
Eric had expected that.
“You’re just a servant,” Bianca sneered, her heels clicking sharply on the hospital floor. “Do you really think you can stop me from seeing my own brother?”
From the bed, Eric gave Hadley a calm glance. “Just relax. Keep feeding me.”
“Alright.” Hadley stiffened slightly but nodded.
Lаt?st chαpt?rs in glovls.ｃοm
She reached for the bowl again, frowning as she realized the soup had cooled. Still, she scooped up a spoonful, lifting it to his lips.
Then— The door slammed open with enough force to make both of them flinch. Eric’s shoulders tensed, his hand twitching on the blanket as he pretended to be frightened.
“Hey! Who the hell—”
Bianca entered like a storm, her stilettos slicing across the tiles.
Her gaze swept over Eric, assessing his pale face and the faint lines of fatigue etched beneath his eyes. “Eric,” she said, her tone cold and laced with mock concern. “What happened to you? Why do you look like you’ve been run over by a truck?”
Then her eyes flicked to Hadley. Disdain twisted her lips. “And really? You need someone to feed you now? What is this—are you dying or something?”
Hadley could hardly believe what she was hearing.
She knew Bianca and Eric never got along, but still, Bianca’s words were vicious—cruel, even.
It sounded like a curse aimed straight at Eric’s soul.
Hadley stood up and glared at Bianca. “Miss Scott, show some respect when you speak!”
“What?” Bianca blinked, then let out a sharp laugh. “Well, well! Quite the temper, huh? And here I thought you were the calm one. Now you dare talk to me like that?” She jabbed a finger in Eric’s direction and continued, “Even he doesn’t speak to me that way.”
.
.
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