CHAPTER 48: FEEDING HER

After buying everything Bianca needed so she could shower on her own, Adrian returned to the hotel and handed her the items he had purchased, his steps casual but his eyes briefly scanning her as if checking her condition.

"This is for you. You can shower by yourself, right? Or..."—his lips curved in a faint, teasing smirk—"do you need my help?" He extended the bag toward Bianca, who was lounging on the couch with her back against the cushions.

Bianca snorting softly, accepted it without hesitation and replied firmly, "No, thanks. We already watched the video earlier. I can do it myself."

As she gripped the bag, a small wave of relief washed over her. Even with her leg bandaged, she could still manage on her own and that mattered to her. Depending on Adrian every time she showered wasn’t an option. She couldn’t risk leaning on him too much or letting the feelings she was trying to ignore grow any stronger.

Adrian chuckled, the corner of his mouth lifting in mild amusement. "Alright, if that’s what you want," his tone light but his gaze lingering on her a moment longer than necessary before he turned away.

Twenty minutes later, Adrian was playing on his phone in the TV room when Bianca, freshly showered and smelling faintly of soap, approached him.

"What are you doing?"

"Playing a game," Adrian replied without lifting his eyes from the phone screen, his fingers tapping lazily.

Bianca raised an eyebrow, a hint of curiosity in her expression. She didn’t expect her former boss to be into mobile games as well.

"What game?"

"Poker."

Bianca’s lips twitched. She didn’t know Adrian liked gambling. Wait—no, she meant she didn’t know he was into games like that.

"What do you want to eat?" Adrian asked, finally looking up from his phone, his gaze locking onto hers with a casual ease that made her feel slightly too aware of it.

"Mm... Whatever you want."

"Why whatever I want?"

"Because I don’t know what I want to eat. I’ll just follow your lead."

"Sushi?"

Bianca gave a small nod. She wasn’t a picky eater, anything could go into her stomach.

"Alright. Wait here. I’ll go downstairs to buy food." Adrian got up from his seat and grabbed his wallet from the table, flashing her a quick, gentle smile.

He had only taken a few steps when Bianca called out to him. "Adrian..."

"Mm?" Adrian turned around, one brow slightly raised in curiosity.

"You haven’t showered yet, have you?"

Adrian smacked his forehead with a light chuckle. "Oh, right. I haven’t."

"You should shower first so you’ll feel fresh. Then go get the food. It’s nicer to eat after you’ve showered," Bianca reminded him gently.

"Mm. I’ll shower first then. But are you sure you’re okay waiting for me before we eat? I could always shower after I buy our food," he asked with a hint of concern.

"I’m fine. Besides, I’m not hungry yet. And if you shower after you buy the food, it’ll just get cold."

The moment Bianca said that, her stomach decided to betray her with a loud growl. She froze, mortified.

Damn it. What an incredibly awkward coincidence.

From the amused smile Adrian was giving her now, Bianca knew he’d heard it loud and clear. Her face warmed, and she quickly looked away.

"You’re really not hungry? If I’m not mistaken, I think I heard your stomach growl just now. Or did I hear wrong?"

Bianca wanted to curse. How dare Adrian tease her like this.

Her cheeks warmed as she shot him a look. "No," she replied quickly. "You heard wrong. I didn’t hear my stomach growl. Go shower..." Bianca urged, not wanting to talk about her stomach any longer.

"Alright. I’ll shower first. Ten minutes is enough. Tell your stomach to be patient—uh, I mean, you be patient," Adrian said, still not stopping his teasing, his smirk making it worse.

If this were in a movie, Bianca’s ears would probably be letting out steam by now because of him, and she had to fight the urge to throw a cushion at his back.

Realizing Bianca was starting to get annoyed, Adrian quickly escaped to the bathroom. He showered while whistling cheerfully, clearly in a good mood. Once he finished, he headed downstairs to buy their food.

Bianca waited for him in the living room while watching a Japanese drama, completely in Japanese with no English subtitles. She felt slightly frustrated since she had no idea what the actors and actresses were talking about, occasionally frowning at the screen as if that would help her understand.

While Bianca was absorbed in watching, Adrian returned with their food. "I got our food," he announced as he strolled in.

He set the bags on the table in the TV room, the mouthwatering aroma instantly making Bianca’s stomach growl with hunger and anticipation.

Adrian then took out neatly packed sushi and bento in elegant wooden boxes, setting them down carefully as if presenting something special.

Bianca’s eyes lit up. "Looks delicious."

Adrian smirked lightly. "Let’s eat."

Sitting side by side, Adrian and Bianca began eating their meal. From time to time, Adrian took pieces of tempura and placed them in Bianca’s bento box, his movements so casual it almost felt natural, like he’d been doing it for years. Sometimes he even fed her directly, just like now.

"Aahhh," he said, holding a piece of sushi with his chopsticks and offering it to her.

Still unused to being fed by Adrian, Bianca looked at him with an unreadable expression, though the faint warmth in her cheeks betrayed her. Slowly, she opened her mouth and accepted the sushi, the gesture making her heart skip in spite of herself. Adrian smiled in satisfaction, as if savoring her reaction more than the food, his eyes shining before he returned to his own meal as though nothing had happened.

When they finally finished eating, Adrian’s phone buzzed on the table. He glanced at the screen, looking a little surprised. With a slight frown and a hint of curiosity, he decided to answer it.

"Dad?" Adrian greeted, still sitting next to Bianca.

"Adrian..."

"Why are you calling me, Dad?" Adrian asked, his tone casual but curious. Then a thought hit him, and his stomach tightened a little. His grandpa’s illness instantly came to mind, making him feel slightly nervous. "Does this have something to do with Grandpa?"

"How are you both doing over there? Enjoying your honeymoon?" Dean completely skipping over Adrian’s last question.

That answer made Adrian’s heart start pounding faster. He didn’t even catch the last part of what his father said, his mind had already started running wild. "What happened to Grandpa?"

"Grandpa’s fine, Adrian. He just wanted to know how you both are doing. I’m calling because your grandpa asked me to."

Adrian finally breathed out in relief when Dean assured him that his grandpa was doing fine.

"We’re both fine." He ran a hand over his face, then asked again just to be sure, "Grandpa’s really okay, right, Dad?"

"Your grandpa is fine. In fact, I have good news, Adrian. We should be grateful. The doctor said your grandpa has hope, his health is improving. His personal doctor even called it a miracle. Maybe because you got married, your grandpa’s will to live has come back."

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