I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 99

Having said her piece, Bonnie spun around and sprinted out of the room, her little shoes clacking playfully down the stairs.

The bedroom suddenly fell dead silent, save for the faint tendrils of steam rising from the glass of warm water on the nightstand, making the air feel thick and heavy.

Xander leaned back against the headboard, his fever casting a faint, reddish tint around the corners of his eyes. Yet, his gaze remained terrifyingly lucid. That clarity, sharpened through the haze of a high fever, felt as piercing as a blade forged in fire.

He stared at Nora, refusing to break eye contact, studying her with the intensity of an interrogator sizing up a suspect.

Nora rummaged through the medical kit, pulled out a digital thermometer, and stepped closer to the bed, holding it to his forehead before pressing the button.

The screen flashed 101.3 degrees. It was a slight improvement from earlier, but still undeniably a high fever.

She set the thermometer back on the nightstand and offered him the glass of water.

"You should drink something, Mr. Harrison."

Xander reached for the glass, his fingers brushing against hers. The sudden transfer of heat made both of them pause for a split second.

He held the glass but didn't take a sip, eventually setting it back down before looking up at her, his deep eyes narrowing slightly.

"Thank you for looking after Bonnie these past few days."

Nora smiled. "She's an angel. It's really no trouble at all. As for you, Mr. Harrison..."

She hesitated, but ultimately decided to lay her cards on the table. "You don't need to keep your guard up around me so much. I have absolutely no ulterior motives regarding you or Bonnie. The gift was purely a token of gratitude for your investment. Nothing more."

Looking at him, it suddenly clicked. She understood exactly what he was really asking.

He was asking a question about himself. He was a single father raising Bonnie while running a massive corporate empire. To the rest of the world, he was an untouchable, all-powerful mastermind.

But when Bonnie was sick, he would walk out in the middle of a board meeting. When her kindergarten had an event, he'd clear his schedule and cancel critical dinners.

His question was rooted in a struggle he faced every single day—a problem he still hadn't solved. It seemed even the most successful men in the world had issues they couldn't conquer.

"Were you worried I wouldn't be able to balance the workload, and that's why you were hesitant to trust me with the investment?" Nora asked, a faint smile curving her lips. "But I doubt that's it. You handed the project over to me far too easily. I have to imagine there was some level of trust there."

She said it with confidence. After all, she had the reputation of The Vance Institute of Medical Science and Professor Vance backing her up. He had every reason to trust her professional capabilities.