Chapter 153
Adam’s expression softened slightly at her concern, a barely perceptible change that most would miss. Got it,‘ he replied, already reopening his laptop before she even turned around.
Seeing the lost cause before her, Irene slipped out without another word, though the lingering warmth of that shared glance followed her down the hall.
Hours later, sharp knocking yanked Irene from a dead sleep..
“Dr. Sterling! Dr. Sterling!” Panic edged the voice hammering at her door.
She bolted upright, momentarily disoriented before her mind cleared The knocking grew more frantic.
“Dr. Sterling!” Thomas’s voice cracked with anxiety.
Irene threw on a robe and rushed to the door. “What’s happened?” she asked, finding Thomas white–faced in the hallway.
Her hair stuck out at odd angles, and sleep roughened her voice, stripping away its usual edge.
“Boss has a fever, Thomas blurted, shifting nervously from foot to foot.
Irene’s expression darkened instantly. She was already moving toward Adam’s room, brain kicking into gear. Where did this come
from?
Thomas hurried alongside, hands fidgeting nervously. “He did everything right, I swear. Warm clothes, hot drink, early night. His temperature was fine at bedtime.”
At Adam’s bedside, Irene’s professional mask slipped into place. Adam looked washed out, his usual intensity dimmed to a flicker.
“My room. Medical kit on the table,” she directed calmly. “Pillbox inside. Third compartment from left. Two tablets.”
“On it,” Thomas spun and bolted.
While waiting, Irene studied Adam silently, her trained eyes cataloging symptoms.
“Mad at me?” Adam croaked suddenly, eyes cracking open.
“Not your fault,” Irene said evenly, her tone softer than previous times he’d neglected her advice.
Thomas returned, slightly breathless, with pills and water.
“Warning: these taste like garbage. Don’t spit them out,” Irene said as she slipped the pills into Adam’s mouth, then helped him sit up enough to drink.
Adam winced at the bitterness, his usual strength nowhere to be found. Even holding the glass seemed to drain him.
“Lie him back down,” Irene instructed after he swallowed.
Thomas eased his os back against the pillows with surprising gentleness.
“Get some sleep, Irene told Thomas. “You’ve got work tomorrow. If you collapse too, my rates double.” Her joke barely masked the
kindness underneath.
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Chapter 153
May 720
She knew Thomas juggled both Adam’s personal care and companyes, Ite needed rest.
Thomas nodded gratefully. “Just next door if you need anything.”
By the time he finished speaking, Adam had already drifted off again
After another temperature check, trene went with the basics. She filed a bowl with ice water and grabbed some clean towels, soaking one before wringing it out and laying it across Adam’s burning forehead. She repeated this process fmechanically, occasionally testing his temperature with the back of her hand.
Moonlight snuck through the curtain gap, painting Adam’s face in sivet. Irene noticed his brow stayed furrowed even in sleep, like his brain never fully powered down.
As she replaced the cold compress, her fingers accidentally grazed his cheek. In that instant, Adam’s hand shot up and locked around her wrist, his grip surprisingly strong for someone burning with fever.
Irene paused, not immediately pulling away. His eyes remained closed, but his fingers held her firmly, as if anchoring himself through the fever.
She let him hold on for a moment before gently freeing herself and continuing her work. As the night wore on, she settled into the chair beside his bed, determined to see him through until morning.
Watching Adam’s face in the dim light, vulnerable in a way she’d never seen before, Irene caught herself counting his breaths. Each a dangerous feeling she’d sworn never to indulge one seemed to pull at something buried beneath her carefully constructed walls again after the disaster with Richard.
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