CHAPTER 43: CHAPTER 43: AMBIGUITY

"You should go back and change your clothes." Hugo Quinn said from behind her.

Eleanor Hollis lowered her head to sniff herself. Although there wasn’t any odor, being told so made her inevitably awkward.

In the heat of summer, going a day without changing clothes is uncomfortable, let alone she hadn’t changed for several days, feeling as if she might start to smell.

Coincidentally, Hugo and Marcus were also heading home, so she got into the car with them.

After taking a shower at the villa, she felt much fresher.

Recently, she had been having a fever, her body was weak, and coupled with not eating well for the past few days, she felt a bit hungry.

But everyone in the villa had already settled in for the night, and she didn’t want to bother anyone, so she decided to go downstairs to the fridge to see if she could find something to eat.

She opened the door and walked out, heading downstairs, where she found some bread in the fridge.

"Miss Hollis."

A woman’s voice suddenly sounded from beside her, startling Eleanor. It was then she noticed the maid warming milk for Hugo.

At this time, Hugo was usually in the study handling documents, and he would drink a cup of hot milk before going to sleep.

"You’re not asleep either."

There were quite a few servants in the villa, but they were all men at first. Since she arrived, women started appearing.

Hugo was indeed considerate, knowing she would be uncomfortable among a bunch of men.

"Mmm, warming milk for Mr. Quinn."

The maid lowered her head, her hands moving carefully, showing her apparent respect for Hugo.

Eleanor took a few bites of bread, finally feeling slightly comforted in her stomach.

But just eating bread made her mouth as dry as if she was chewing sand, so she picked up the milk the maid had poured.

"Thank you, I’ll have a cup first, my mouth is so dry."

Before the maid could speak, she drank the entire cup of milk, licking her lips as if finding the taste quite enjoyable.

The maid’s expression changed, her teeth clenched in frustration at seeing the entire cup of milk disappear into Eleanor’s stomach—this woman was ruining things!

Eleanor put down the cup, ate a few more bites of bread, and smiled at the maid.

"The milk you warmed is really good, thank you."

Having said that, she went upstairs, while the maid glared at her back with shadowy eyes, wishing she could devour Eleanor.

After sitting in her room for a while, Eleanor felt herself breaking into a sweat and wondered if her body was too depleted recently, as she started to feel feverish again.

She picked up her phone, only to find her hands trembling. Realizing her illness might be more serious than she thought, she decided she needed to go to the hospital before it got worse.

Ignoring everything else, she called Hugo Quinn.

At that moment, Hugo was sitting in the study with a computer open in front of him, conducting a video conference.

The maid entered just then, respectfully placing a glass of milk in front of him.

It was Hugo’s nightly habit—without milk, he couldn’t sleep at all.

The executives on the screen were huddling together to discuss the issue the CEO had just raised, whispering among themselves in hopes of coming up with a plan that would satisfy him.

Hugo seized this moment to take a sip of milk, his expression serious.

Just as he was about to speak, his phone rang. It was Eleanor Hollis’s number flashing on the screen.

"Hello?"

He immediately paused the meeting, wondering if something had happened to Marcus.

"Mr. Quinn... I don’t feel well, could you take me to the hospital? I’m really sorry, but I feel awful..."

Her voice was weak, causing Hugo’s brows to furrow.

Marcus still needed this person, so nothing could happen to her.

In almost an instant, he closed his laptop, postponed the meeting for a day, and went to Eleanor’s room.

The maid standing in the room turned pale; why was it Eleanor again, always causing trouble!

Eleanor lay in bed, her face flushed red, lips parched.

Due to her struggling, her nightgown had slipped off one shoulder, revealing her enticing collarbone and dewy, delicate skin covered in a layer of sweat.

As Hugo entered, he saw this scene; someone who didn’t know better might have thought Eleanor was deliberately seducing him.

But he knew very well that Eleanor wasn’t that type of person.

"It’s so hot..."

Eleanor had long lost any sense of reasoning, feeling as if her entire body was about to combust. She wanted to go to the bathroom and soak in cold water but was too weak to move, so she could only lie on the bed.

"Miss Hollis, what’s wrong?"

Hugo reached out to touch her forehead, finding her burning up and frowning even more.

"You might have a fever; I’ll get a doctor immediately."

His presence was cool, making Eleanor feel comfortable, and she couldn’t help but lean closer to him.

Hugo watched as the head in his arms squirmed closer, thinking she might be delirious from the fever; he quickly picked up his phone to call a doctor to come immediately.

"I’m so hot..."

Eleanor murmured with narrowed eyes, looking at the handsome face in front of her and briefly dazed before giggling foolishly.

"So handsome..."

Her gaze lacked any focus, and Hugo knew she was probably out of it due to the fever and didn’t mind it. Holding her, he planned to take her downstairs since the doctor should be arriving soon.

But as he got up, he felt a heat spreading within his own body.

He paused, looking down at the woman in his arms.

She was beautiful, and her flushed, adorable expression was even more alluring. Her slightly puckered lips were like jelly, tempting one to explore.

"Hot..."

Eleanor was still mumbling, feeling like she was about to cry. Why did she feel so awful, like she was going to die?

She inched closer to Hugo and pressed her lips against his.

Hugo’s hand almost went numb; he felt sapped of strength, and the heat within him intensified, his gaze gradually turning crimson.

He wasn’t a fool; there must have been something wrong with the milk earlier, that maid...

"Eleanor Hollis, snap out of it!"

If she kept this up, he couldn’t guarantee that nothing would happen. The drug was too potent; in just a short time, he was nearly deprived of reason.

Eleanor clung tightly to his arm, utterly clueless about what being rational meant, and sucked harder on his lips.

Hugo’s eyes deepened as he helplessly placed her back on the bed.

"I’ll get the doctor!"

He took a deep breath, turning to leave.

But Eleanor grabbed his sleeve and quickly climbed onto him, causing chaos in his embrace.

Hugo felt his chest tighten and was pushed down.

She acted like a little puppy, rubbing around on his chest, finally reaching out to touch his skin.

Hugo’s sanity was about to crack; he stared dangerously at the person wreaking havoc and forcefully kissed her back.