Isabelle Martin didn’t know when the video call ended, nor did she rember what she said; she simply put down her phone and fell into a deep sleep.
The next day, Isabelle indeed saw the family driver beside her car. Her expression froze montarily; she didn’t expect her mom to really go through with it.
But having a driver had its advantages. As soon as Isabelle got in the car, she caught up on sleep.
Getting out of the car, Isabelle felt refreshed. As she was taking out her phone in the office, she saw a ssage from Jeffrey Foster. She was just about to reply when a colleague asked, "Martin, what’s got you so happy today?"
"Huh? Am I really that happy?" Isabelle asked in bewildernt.
The colleague nodded, "You haven’t stopped smiling since you walked in. Are you saying there’s nothing good happening?"
Isabelle smiled and brushed it off, "Really? Maybe it’s because I slept well last night."
The colleague seed to have more to ask, but Director Snow walked in, so they let Isabelle off the hook.
Isabelle replied to the ssage and got busy. She had a surgery to assist in that morning. Director Snow intended to train her and had arranged a solo surgery for her. In the afternoon, there was a car accident nearby with multiple injuries, and the whole hospital was in a frenzy.
By the ti Isabelle got to rest, it was already nine in the evening. Exhausted and hungry, she dragged her weary body back to her departnt. She originally planned to sleep in the hospital’s temporary dormitory for the night, but as soon as her phone booted up, she got a call from Uncle Service, the family driver, reminding her that her mother had arranged for him to pick her up from work.
She had no choice but to change out of her white coat and walk dizzily outwards, only to run into Jeffrey Foster at the elevator. Unlike her fatigue, the man seed in good spirits. Noticing her condition, he furrowed his brows slightly and was about to speak when a male colleague from another departnt ca up behind him.
The other guy seed to admire Jeffrey Foster greatly and greeted him warmly, "Dr. Foster, you’re still here this late? I’m Chaplin Guy from neurosurgery, we t last ti..."
Jeffrey Foster nodded lightly, his gaze still directed at Isabelle Martin.
Isabelle quickly waved her phone in Jeffrey Foster’s direction as if nothing was amiss before typing out a ssage, "Our family’s driver will take ho later."
"Tell the driver you’re staying at the hospital dormitory," Jeffrey Foster replied while entertaining the colleague beside him.
Isabelle looked in Jeffrey Foster’s direction in confusion and then slowly typed a string of question marks.
"It’s 9:20 now. If you go back to Rose Valley, it’ll be 10:00. Any slight delay and it’ll be 11 or 12. How will you have any energy for work tomorrow?" Jeffrey Foster typed on the screen with his head down.
"Oh, but I’m already downstairs."
"Wait for by the fountain," Jeffrey Foster continued to reply.
Chaplin Guy stood between the two, spoke a few words with Jeffrey Foster, and noticed that his mind seed entirely occupied by his phone. Looking at Isabelle, who was doing the sa, he couldn’t quite pinpoint what felt odd but wisely stopped talking.
Isabelle still hadn’t figured out what Jeffrey Foster was planning. Yet, her body made a choice as she instinctively followed when Jeffrey stepped out of the elevator, finally slowing her steps as she sensed her neurosurgery colleague’s gaze and called the driver.
Chaplin Guy watched them leave one after the other, realizing with a start as the elevator doors closed, "Hey, they’re not heading to the parking lot?"
No one addressed Doctor Penn’s confusion. After apologizing to Uncle Service, Isabelle glanced around and, once confirming the coast was clear, headed to where Jeffrey Foster had said to et. Sure enough, she saw his tall, erect figure by the fountain and couldn’t help quickening her pace.
"Mr. Foster..." Isabelle called, her voice tinged with an unconsciously noticed joy.
Jeffrey Foster looked at her and slightly lifted the corners of his lips, "Yeah, I’m taking you to eat sothing."
"Did you wait just to finish work together?" Isabelle wondered aloud, recalling that the surgical departnt didn’t seem busy today. She regretted asking as soon as she did, feeling a bit uneasy, never expecting the man beside her to nod.
Her eyes widened in disbelief, "You..."
"What about ? How stupid." Jeffrey said, grasping Isabelle’s hand. "Hungry?"
It would’ve been fine if he didn’t ask, but once he did, Isabelle felt her stomach start to cramp and nodded pitifully towards him, "Hungry."
It was only after finishing speaking that Isabelle realized she was acting coy, her fair cheeks taking on a suspicious blush. The man next to her didn’t seem to notice her embarrassnt. After glancing at the ti, he frowned slightly, "Even if you’re busy, eat sothing. If your stomach acts up, it’s you who’ll suffer."
"How can you lecture when you’re no different?" Isabelle pointedly thought of Jeffrey Foster’s fragile stomach and retorted unkindly.
Jeffrey Foster chuckled lightly, "Then we’ll supervise each other from now on."
"Alright." Isabelle was chard by the man’s suggestion, pleasantly agreeing as she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, only to be caught red-handed by him, prompting her to quickly look forward again, mumbling, "Wouldn’t it be bad if soone saw us like this?"
"What’s so bad about it?" Jeffrey Foster countered.
His tone held a hint of discontent, causing Isabelle to touch her nose awkwardly, "It’s not that it’s bad, just... if everyone knew we were together, there’d definitely be a lot of rumors, and being talked about all the ti is annoying."
After her grumbling, the man beside her fell silent, causing her to feel a slight unease. Unable to help herself, she teased, "Not to ntion it’s your fault for being too popular, getting so much attention in the hospital and even the dical field, while I... am nothing."
The last part was spoken so quietly that Jeffrey heard it, and he abruptly stopped walking.
Isabelle, caught off guard, was gently tugged to a stop by him, and she looked back at Jeffrey, "What’s wrong?"
"What do you an you’re nothing?" Jeffrey seriously asked, looking at the young woman.
Isabelle didn’t expect Jeffrey to be so earnest, embarrassedly saying, "I ant it, compared to you, I’m nothing."
"You’re young and beautiful, from a good family, have a charming personality, a respectable job—you’re everything people envy—how could you be nothing? Whereas I’m aging, co from a poor background, have nothing but a single skill, and even face health issues anyti. I’m truly not worthy of you..." As he spoke, Jeffrey’s lips curved into a self-deprecating smile.
He genuinely felt he was nothing, even using unscrupulous ans to handle the matter of getting a marriage certificate with Isabelle, leaving his eyes clouded with lancholy.
Isabelle didn’t expect Jeffrey to think so lowly of himself, especially given that the emotions in his eyes made her heart ache, paired with the shock. As Jeffrey was about to continue, she quickly stood on her tiptoes and blocked his lips with hers.
Jeffrey hadn’t finished speaking when his lips were suddenly t with softness. Surprised, he looked at Isabelle, only to have her sling her arms around his neck, "Don’t say that about yourself."
"But what I’m saying is the truth," Jeffrey sighed softly, cupping Isabelle’s waist to ease her stance after her tiptoe gesture.
"Still, I like it, like it a lot." Isabelle said, her face proudly upturned, then added, "I won’t say depressing things anymore, and neither should you."
"Alright." Jeffrey t her bright eyes, the bitterness that had welled up inside him earlier dissolving and replaced with a different urge. With a simple "alright," he suddenly bowed his head and captured her lips.
Unlike Isabelle’s previous gentle tease, Jeffrey’s kiss was sowhat aggressive, filled with a strong possessiveness, growing increasingly intense. At first, Isabelle was a bit flustered, but soon she lost her rationality under the kiss, accommodating his demands, her arms clutching more tightly around his neck.
They were engrossed in their kiss, entirely oblivious to soone taking pictures of them from behind.
Grumble...
Just as their kiss grew more fervent, Isabelle’s stomach finally couldn’t help but protest with a grumble.
Both of them froze, and then Isabelle, embarrassed, buried her head into Jeffrey’s chest, finding it impossible to accept that their first intimate kiss initiated by him ended in such a way.
Jeffrey, observing the embarrassed girl unwilling to lift her head, chuckled. Hugging her tighter, he said, "Let’s go, ti to eat."
Isabelle nodded a few tis within Jeffrey’s embrace without lifting her head.
Jeffrey Foster couldn’t help but chuckle, then led Isabelle Martin to the nearest mall to eat sothing.
Until they sat down in the restaurant to eat, Isabelle’s cheeks were still a bit flushed. She kept her head down, earnestly eating, without looking at Jeffrey Foster.
Jeffrey found it amusing, his heart was filled to the brim. He thought being a bit despicable was acceptable.
"Why aren’t you eating?" Isabelle felt more at ease after having half a bowl of porridge. Seeing Jeffrey Foster watching her without eating, she asked a bit shyly.
"I’ll eat now." Jeffrey ca to his senses and began eating.
After the two finished eating, it was already close to eleven o’clock. Isabelle looked at the man with so reluctance. "Well, I should head back now."
She planned to make do with the temporary dormitory at the hospital for the night, but after saying this, Jeffrey didn’t let go of her hand and said, "I’ll take you sowhere."
"Hm?" Isabelle didn’t quite understand where Jeffrey wanted to take her at this hour, but she wasn’t ready. Once she started thinking, her thoughts couldn’t be stopped, steering towards an R-rated direction, making her ears turn red. She saw Jeffrey leading her into the mall’s elevator and swiping a card to press the top floor.
Isn’t the top floor a hotel-style apartnt? And you need to swipe a card to get up there. Did he book a room on the top floor?
Isabelle’s mind was a bit out of control. Seeing Jeffrey actually take her to a hotel made her mind even hotter, and she couldn’t help but reach out to fan her cheeks.
Jeffrey noticed her cheeks were even redder than before, her fair and beautiful little face now tinged with a blush, seemingly feeling very hot. He reached out his large hand to feel her forehead, "Not feeling well?"
"No... no," Isabelle quickly denied, avoiding Jeffrey’s gaze, and began building herself up ntally. Anyway, since they had got their marriage certificate, doing things that married couples do should be quite normal, right?
Thinking this way, there was a ding as the elevator opened. Isabelle was startled back a bit, ending up bumping into Jeffrey’s arms. The man naturally wrapped his large hand around hers and led her outside.
Isabelle followed with small steps, her heart starting to wander.
As soon as Isabelle exited the elevator, she found that the hotel’s top floor was surprisingly two elevators for two apartnts. She looked at Jeffrey in surprise, "It’s the first ti I know the mall hotel next to the hospital is so luxurious!"
"Hotel?" Jeffrey keenly caught the emphasis in Isabelle’s words, then looked at the girl’s pink little face, his lips slightly raising, "What were you thinking all the way here?"
"What? What... what could I be thinking!" Realizing she was about to expose herself, Isabelle turned her head away from Jeffrey, her mouth stubbornly denying.
"Oh, really?" Jeffrey made a aningful "oh," holding Isabelle’s hand even tighter while swiping the card to open the door.
As he pushed open the door, he reached out to turn on the room lights. Instantly, the entire room lit up. The spacious room, unlike Jeffrey’s decoration style at Rose Valley, was large and cozy, with orange-toned sofas. Every corner was carefully designed and modified, although Isabelle was thinking about a bunch of chaotic things, she was still amazed at the sight of the room.
"It’s great!" She let go of Jeffrey’s hand and couldn’t help but walk towards the room. Finally stopping in front of the six-ter-wide floor-to-ceiling window, she turned back, "I’ve been at the hospital for so long, and I didn’t know there was such a beautiful apartnt next to it."
"Do you like it?" Jeffrey asked, but he already had the answer in his heart.
Isabelle nodded vigorously, then thought of the purpose of the man’s bringing her here, and her face started to heat up again. She didn’t expect Jeffrey to be such a Mr. Foster.
"As long as you like it, you can stay here when you work late. It’s connected to the hospital parking lot, so you can swipe the card and co up here." Jeffrey didn’t know Isabelle’s thoughts, but because of the girl’s nodding, his smile grew broader.
Isabelle listened in a daze, not quite understanding the man’s aning. What did he an by staying here when she worked late? Did he book the hotel room for a year?
"This is your new marriage gift." Jeffrey seed to notice Isabelle’s confusion and spoke directly to clarify things for her.
"What? This... this is for ?" Isabelle’s mouth slightly opened in shock as she looked around the apartnt, which was at least 200 square ters and worth tens of millions, right? And it was given to her?
Isabelle was a bit frightened. Although the Martin family wasn’t lacking financially, and her parents could afford such an apartnt for her, Jeffrey Foster had only gotten the marriage certificate with her two days ago and wasn’t a deeply acquainted partner. Giving her such a significant gift made her a bit nervous.
"I can’t really say it’s for you. More precisely, it’s a ho for the both of us." Jeffrey Foster noticed the panic in Isabelle’s eyes and corrected his previous wording. He added with a hint of regret, "There aren’t many residences near the hospital, and the ones that are decent are a bit far. This apartnt has a good location but lacks a community; there’s a mall downstairs, which can be noisy. If we’re not busy, it’s better to live in Rose Valley. It’s more convenient if we have kids in the future. Or do you have another preferred location?"
Isabelle Martin listened in a daze as Jeffrey Foster finished speaking. It took her a while to finally realize that this man was talking to her about the future, about their future. This realization made Isabelle almost burst into tears of joy. She had never really felt the reality of getting a marriage certificate with Jeffrey Foster but hadn’t expected that he was already planning for their future without her knowing, and even thought about children.
He really likes her!
This realization overwheld Isabelle so much that she couldn’t resist running to Jeffrey Foster and hugging the man tightly, "Mr. Foster, you’re so wonderful!"
"Isn’t this what a husband should do?" Jeffrey Foster’s heart was full as the girl hugged him tightly. On his way here, he hadn’t been as calm as he appeared; he was anxious too. But unlike Isabelle’s anxiety, he was afraid of being rejected. This was his first attempt at being a husband, and he wasn’t sure if he was doing it right or if the girl would like it. It wasn’t until this mont that his heart truly settled down.
She likes it, and nothing is more important than that!
"But I still want to thank Mr. Foster for being such a dedicated husband. I will try my best too in the future!" Isabelle said in a slightly nasal voice as she hugged Jeffrey Foster’s waist.
Jeffrey Foster felt his heart itch at Isabelle’s words, and he resisted the urge to lift her up, planting a light kiss on her forehead. "Let show you around. If there’s anything you don’t like, we can change it."
"Okay." Isabelle nodded obediently and reluctantly let go of Jeffrey Foster. She allowed him to take her on a tour of the living room, dining room, kitchen, and three bedrooms, all of which she loved very much.
By the ti they finished the tour, it was already past eleven. Isabelle, exhausted from the day’s events, started to feel sleepy but looked at the man with so difficulty, "Uh... I’m going to take a shower?"
"Mmm, too." Jeffrey Foster was also feeling the effects of sleepiness and nodded to Isabelle.
Isabelle’s heart skipped a beat, and her mind felt dizzy. After hearing Jeffrey Foster’s words, she stamred, "I’m not ready yet!"
Jeffrey Foster understood what Isabelle ant almost imdiately and enclosed her in his long arms. "I’ll shower in the guest room. Can you tell what you’re thinking?"
Isabelle’s face turned bright red as she pushed Jeffrey Foster away and quickly dashed into the bathroom of the master bedroom. When hot water poured over her head, she wondered where the courage went when she used to tease the man. How did she end up being outmaneuvered? What a... failure!
After the shower, Isabelle realized she hadn’t brought any clothes to change into and was too embarrassed to call out. Wrapped in a bath towel, she went out only to find a neatly placed set of pajamas on the bedside table. Her heart felt overwhelmly warm, and she almost wanted to scream, but rembering Jeffrey Foster was next door, she feigned composure and refrained.
Even though her actions were reserved, her mind couldn’t help but wander next door. As she dried her hair, she wondered what the man was doing. Eventually, too tired, she lay on the bed and fell asleep.
After his shower, Jeffrey Foster didn’t see any movent from Isabelle’s side, but the light was still on. After waiting for a while and seeing no signs of it being turned off, he simply walked over and found Isabelle asleep at the bedside with damp hair, clearly exhausted. He shook his head helplessly, picked her up, and tucked her in before gently drying her hair with a towel.
Halfway through, Isabelle woke up, groggily opened her eyes to glance at Jeffrey, and muttered, "Ah, am I dreaming again..."
After mumbling, she fell back into a deep sleep.
Jeffrey Foster couldn’t resist leaning close to the girl’s lips and softly asked, "Do you dream of often?"
The person in her sleep mumbled sothing unintelligible and fell back into deep slumber. Jeffrey Foster’s thoughts drifted uncontrollably to the hurt he had caused Isabelle in the past, and he murmured softly against her cheek, "Isabelle, I’m sorry."
The next day, Isabelle woke up on the brand-new bed, and it took her a while for the mories of last night to flood back. Her lips couldn’t help but curl upward, and she vaguely rembered Jeffrey Foster gently wiping her hair after she fell asleep, unable to resist rolling around on the bed in excitent, wanting to flaunt this mont to the world.
But before she could finish her excitent, the phone beside her loudly demanded attention. Rembering she hadn’t returned last night, Isabelle thought it was her mother calling, so she quickly collected herself and answered the phone, only to find it was a colleague from the departnt. Assuming it was a work-related matter, she answered, "Is there an ergency?"
"Isabelle, what’s going on between you and Dr. Foster?" The voice on the other end imdiately exclaid without acknowledging Isabelle’s question.
Isabelle’s mind went blank, responding guiltily, "What... what happened?"
"Photos of you and Dr. Foster kissing passionately have been posted in every group chat in the entire hospital!"
Isabelle was stunned again, then suddenly sat up, "Damn!"
Reviews
All reviews (0)