"Are you really afraid of them?" the man asked indifferently.
"Afraid? Not really, but who likes to be at sword’s point every ti they et?"
Christopher looked at her, his tone low and serious, "You don’t need to be afraid of anyone, as long as I’m still breathing, I will protect you."
Protect her?
Alia was sowhat doubtful.
Even struggling to take care of himself, he still had the nerve to make such grand statents!
But she did not mock him out loud, instead, she played along: "Then I owe you one, Mr. Hart."
He, quite seriously, replied, "No thanks necessary."
—Protecting his woman was the least he could do.
Whether it was out of extre hunger or not, Christopher ended up drinking the entire pot of soup that had been sitting there for half a day.
Alia finished tidying up the bowls and spoons, then turned to look at him, observing carefully.
"Do you... feel any discomfort? Like a stomachache or sothing?"
"Don’t worry, even if I were poisoned to death, I wouldn’t bla you."
"..."
Alia had intended to check on him and then leave, as she was still hungry, but she feared that bringing it up would provoke another thunderous outburst from him, so she held back and instead asked: "How are you feeling today? You have another surgery tomorrow."
"Sa as always. You don’t need to worry about tomorrow’s surgery, the most dangerous mont has already passed, I’ll be sure to co out fine."
"Hah, as if I’m worried about you." She muttered under her breath.
"Mm, I know you’re not worried about , you must be eager for to get better so you won’t have to wait on anymore, right?"
The woman snorted, "Glad you know that!"
"..." Her candor left Christopher speechless.
It had been half a month since he had woken up, and he still had no mory of the past few years; he didn’t know how much of a jerk he had been to have hurt her so deeply, to make her repel him like this.
They used to be so close, never once envisioning each other stepping out of their lives.
The air fell silent for a few seconds, Alia was about to tell him to rest so that she could leave, but before she could open her mouth, he also happened to speak up: "What were you busy with this morning? Still dealing with the design plagiarism incident?"
The most troubleso thing he could think of right now was that very incident.
Alia had to stop again and replied, following his words: "Yeah, the lawyers found so new evidence and wanted to talk it over."
Christopher was slightly taken aback, "That woman called you? Ready to tell the truth?"
"That woman? No..."
The man’s surprise grew stronger, "She didn’t contact you voluntarily?"
"Why would she contact ?" Alia felt odd and frustrated. "It was her fault to begin with, and now she’s avoiding the issue, making so passive."
As soon as she finished speaking and saw his frown, she had a realization, "That! You didn’t... really ask your dad to reach out to that woman, did you?"
"Um..." Mr. Hart appeared sowhat embarrassed and responded with a heavy tone.
He thought that by humbling himself before his father, his father would reach out to President Taylor—the matter should have been settled.
Who would have thought... it would be useless?!
"But don’t worry. If it cos down to it, I’ll ask my dad to call and check what exactly is happening." Christopher Hart always got things done. If this didn’t work out, where would he put his face?
—Especially in front of the woman he loved deeply.
"...No need!" Alia, having regained her composure in a second, hastily refused, "Don’t bother your father again. You have surgery tomorrow, focus on your recovery. I’ll handle this matter—if worse cos to worst, I’ll just pull this design from its debut."
"Then your loss will be significant."
"I have no choice, not everything goes smoothly all the ti. I’ll learn from this and be more cautious in the future."
"That’s unacceptable. Every piece of work is your heart and soul, how can you let soone just take it away? Especially if it’s your competitor. This is more than just a matter of a design, it’s a challenge and an insult to you!"
Hearing his righteous anger, Alia’s eyes filled with an indescribable emotion as she looked at him.
"In fact... over the years, I’ve faced far more setbacks than this. This incident is important to , but not so much anymore. Maybe with more experience, I’ve beco more resilient. I actually don’t mind—it’s not like there aren’t other opportunities ahead."
After saying this and seeing his still dissatisfied expression, she subtly changed the subject: "I’m actually curious, how did you persuade your dad? Does he know you were helping ? Even if he agrees, your mom would never let it happen..."
At the ntion of this, Christopher’s already irritated face suddenly beca gloomy and awkward, as though he had been caught in an embarrassing act.
Seeing his expression, Alia pretty much understood, "You... pleaded with them? Or... did you offer sothing in exchange?"
His thin lips parted slightly, his self-mockery tinged with sadness, "It seems you know them well—no wonder you endured so much as the daughter-in-law of the Hart Family."
"..." Alia’s face briefly showed a complex emotion, but she didn’t dwell on the past and simply asked, "What were their conditions? To recognize Noah and Ethan as their heirs?"
Christopher once again fell silent, his face showing even more sha, feeling ashad on behalf of his parents.
"If you’re not saying anything, then that’s the case..." Alia nodded slowly, fell silent for two seconds, then suddenly raised her voice, "You agreed?"
"I... it was a necessary compromise..." He dared not hide even half the truth from her and confessed, quickly adding, worried that Alia would be upset, "But Alia... the final decision on this matter is yours. If you disagree, I won’t force you."
Having said that, and fearing that Alia wouldn’t believe him, he swallowed and softened his tone before earnestly promising, "I guarantee it!"
Alia watched him being so cautious, a stark contrast to the domineering and assertive Christopher Hart of past days, and felt a pang of sorrow in her heart.
It seed that after his brain was damaged, his temperant had indeed changed sowhat.
Though he still had a temper, as long as one stroked his fur in the right direction, he was quite gentle and docile.
That was sothing unprecedented.
"Alright, let’s not talk about this anymore. You should rest, I need to leave; I have things to attend to this afternoon." Alia checked the ti on her wristwatch, preparing to leave.
On hearing this, Christopher’s face noticeably darkened, and his already unfocused eyes beca emptier, it was heart-wrenching to witness.
"You’ve only been here a short while, and now you’re leaving again..."
"..." The woman was a bit speechless and mumbled, "You know that I’ve been busy with things lately..."
"Mm... but it’s true that you don’t want to be with ."
"..." She touched her lips silently, not responding.
"Alia."
"Hm?"
"Could you... let touch your face?"
Alia had just picked up her bag and at his request, her long eyelashes suddenly lifted as she asked in astonishnt, "What? Touch my face? What do you... want to do?"
She was so startled she stamred, and Christopher couldn’t help but smile.
He looked completely different with a smile, soone with a disarming charm—fortunately, Alia was long accustod to his looks.
If it were soone else, that single smile would have captivated them entirely, making every cell in their body swoon from top to bottom.
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