Chapter 202 When Rivals Meet

    Larry’s hand paused awkwardly in midair before he pulled it back. His smile stayed polite, but something cold flickered in his eyes.

    He nced over at Lucas and said with a casual edge, “Word is there’s a lot happening at the Hawthorne Group these days. Surprised you’ve got time to hang around the hospital, Mr. Hawthorne.”

    Lucas barely looked at him. His voice was even, but there was a chill underneath.

    “If you’re so invested in what’s going on at the Hawthorne Group, maybe you should spend a little more time managing your ownpany. I heard you tried pitching a partnership to Peak Corp but they turned you down.”

    Larry’s smile didn’t waver, but the sharp flicker in his eyes gave him away. “Yeah, maybe the Houston Group still has some catching up to do. They clearly preferred the Hawthorne Group instead. Looks like I’ve got a lot to learn from you, Mr. Hawthorne.”

    Sloane stayed quiet, watching it y out. Larry was clearly in over his head—Lucas had him cornered from the start.

    Seeing the conversation wasn’t going in his favor, Larry turned his attention to her instead. “I asked the florist to wrap up a bouquet of lilies for you. They’re supposed to help you rx–thought they might be good for your recovery.” Then, with a casual smile, he added, “By the way, when I saw you just a few days ago, you seemed perfectly fine. What happened?”

    Lucas’s brow twitched at that. iDid /iithey /iimeeta /iifew /iidays /iiago/i? iThey /iimet /iiup /iirecently/ii? /i

    Sloane kept her smile polite and distant. “The weather’s been so unpredictabletely. I must’ve caught a cold. But thank you for checking in, Mr. Larry.”

    Larry was still a guest, and Sloane didn’t want to brush him off. She stayed polite, even if the conversation felt a little stiff.

    Lucas, on the other hand, wasn’t even trying to hide how he felt.

    Right as Sloane and Larry were mid–conversation, he walked over with her medication and interrupted tly, “Sloane, time for your medicine.”

    She blinked, surprised as he ced the pills in her hand. “Oh.”

    Lucas gently handed her a cup of warm water. “Here. Just the right temperature.”

    “Oh.” Still dazed, Sloane took the pills without question. iDidn’t /iiI /iiusually /iitake /iithese /iiafter /imeals? iDid /iithey /iichange /iithe /iischedule /iitoday/ii? /i

    Once she’d taken the medicine, Larry tried to pick the conversation back up.

    But Lucas returned again, this time holding out a peeled orange segment near her face. “That medicine tastes awful. Have some orange—it’ll take the edge off.”

    Sloane stared at him, wide–eyed, before biting into the orange. It really was sweet.

    Watching her cheeks puff up as she chewed, Lucas couldn’t help but smile. The affection in his eyes was impossible to miss.

    Larry caught the whole thing—and it nearly wiped the smile off his face. His hand, resting on his knee, clenched just slightly.

    When Sloane finished the orange, Lucas didn’t waste any time. “Sloane needs to rest now. Mr. Larry, maybe you can visit another time.”

    Larry pressed his lips together, holding back whatever he wanted to say. After a moment, he stood slowly, turned away from Lucas, and offered Sloane a smile. “Of course. Rest well, Ms. Rivers. I’ll stop by again soon.”

    Sloane nodded graciously. “Thank you, Mr. Larry. Take care.”

    He walked out without sparing Lucas a nce.

    Lucas couldn’t have cared less. He picked up the bouquet of lilies Larry had brought and muttered, “Pretty sure lilies attract bugs.”

    With that, he walked out of the room–flowers in hand–and returned a few minutester empty–handed.

    He nced out the window, then looked at Sloane with a soft smile. “The weather’s actually pretty nice today. Want to go outside for a bit?”

    Sloane looked up at him, blinking. “I thought you just said I needed rest?”