Chapter 200 Just Business

    The door to the hospital room eased open, and Benjamin stepped inside. He paused for a moment when he saw Lucas seated at the bedside, then lowered his voice. “Lucas, Ms. Rivers’s condition has stabilized, but she’ll need time to recover. You’ve just recovered from the poison yourself. You need more rest.”

    Lucas gave a small nod but didn’t get up. His gaze remained fixed on Sloane’s face. His voice was low. “When will she wake up?”

    Benjamin let out a breath, his tone uncertain. “That’s hard to say. Ms. Rivers’s body ispletely overdrawn. With the injuries on top of that, it may take time before she regains consciousness. But rest assured—she’s not in any life–threatening danger.”

    Lucas didn’t respond. He just nodded again. Benjamin took the hint and quietly backed out of the room.

    Now that Lucas had taken back control of thepany, there was a mountain of work waiting for him. Every day, he ran back and forth between the hospital and the office.

    That afternoon, as soon as a long board meeting ended, Lucas rushed to the hospital. His stride was much faster than usual–so fast even Andrew could barely keep up. The moment he opened the door to the hospital room, his eyes immediatelynded on the bed.

    Sloane was sitting up against the headboard, a medical book open in her hands, her expression calm and focused. When she heard the door, she looked up and gave a faint smile. “Mr. Hawthorne. You’re here.”

    Lucas froze in ce for half a second. Something flickered across his eyes, too fleeting to catch. He walked briskly to the bedside, voice low and urgent. “You’re awake? How do you feel?”

    Sloane closed the book in her hands and answered lightly, “I’m fine. Almost fully recovered. Just need another day or two under observation and I’ll be ready to leave.”

    Chapter 20 Just

    Lucas let his gaze linger on her face for a moment. Once he was certain she was really okay, the tension in his shoulders eased.

    His voice was still quiet, but it carried a faint softness. “You shouldn’t have gone into that jungle. Do you know how dangerous that ce was?”

    Sloane blinked, then smiled slightly. Her tone remained calm. “Mr. Hawthorne, we’re partners. I couldn’t just sit back and watch you die, could I? Besides, if anything had happened to you, my n would’ve fallen apart too.”

    Lucas’s brows knit together. A hint of disappointment flickered in his eyes. He had thought–hoped–that she had risked her life because she cared. But it turned out, in her eyes, it was just business.

    He went quiet for a moment before suppressing the emotion and speaking again in his usualposed tone. “Either way, I owe you one. You saved my life.”

    Sloane didn’t think much of it. Her tone was breezy. “No need to thank me, Mr. Hawthorne. We both got what we needed.”

    Lucas didn’t respond. He simply nodded, but his eyes remained on her, as if trying to see past the surface.

    Just then, the hospital room door swung open again. Jill burst in like a whirlwind, with Cameron following behind her, carrying a fruit basket and a bag full of snacks.

    “Sloane! You’re finally awake!” Jill shouted the moment she stepped in,pletely oblivious to Lucas sitting off to the side.

    Sloane looked up at her and smiled. “What are you doing here? Don’t you have ss today?”

    Jill pointed at the table, instructing Cameron to set everything down, then plopped down next to the bed. “What ss? You’re way more important. When I heard you were in the hospital, I nearly lost my mind.”

    Only then did she notice Lucas. She froze for a second, then quicklyposed herself and greeted him properly. “Oh–Mr. Hawthorne. Didn’t see you there.”

    Lucas nced at her with a calm look. “Go ahead. Talk. Don’t mind me.”

    He stepped away and sat down on the sofa in the corner.

    Jill leaned toward Sloane and whispered, “Hey. Don’t you think Mr. Hawthorne’s acting kinda weird?”