In the other room, Jasper, who had just come out of the bathroom with a white towel wrapped around his lower body, saw the phone on the bed flashing.
He took a step forward and bent down. The water droplets flowed down his V-line and entered the towel. His waist was a little wet. When he saw his sister's message, he replied without hesitation, "I have something to do later. You guys can play."
Olivia thought that it was a company matter and said regretfully, "Alright, then you can settle it and come over later."
Olivia put away her phone and said to Liam, who was arranging cards, "My brother has to deal with the company's matters and won't be here for a while. What should the three of us playing?"
Stella said, "Let's play Texas. Let's see who wins more times in one night. The loser will treat us to supper."
The three of them raised their hands and high-fived, reaching an agreement. "Deal."
On the other side, Jasper quickly pulled off the towel and threw it on the sofa. He took out his pajamas from his suitcase and put them on. Without drying his hair, he strode out of the room.
Four bodyguards stood at the door of Ruby. When they saw Jasper coming over with his head wet, they greeted him respectfully, "Hello, Mr. Wilson."
Jasper stopped in his tracks and glanced at the closed door. He turned to the four of them and instructed, "Go to the dining room and eat something. I'll protect her for you."
They looked at each other, but no one said anything. "I'll explain to her father. You're not AWOL."
The bodyguard said, "Okay, Mr. Wilson. We'll be right back."
After the few of them entered the elevator, Jasper only took a few seconds to open the door. After entering, he gently closed the door. The dark room was silent, so quiet that he could hear his heartbeat.
The blanket on the bed was bulging and moving. She did not look like she was sleeping well. He walked over quickly and squatted by the bed to check. He saw that her face was a little pale and she was visibly uncomfortable.
Seeing this, his face turned cold. She was curious why he was here. Wasn't he playing cards in Liam's room?
After staring at each other for a few seconds, they spoke at the same time. She was weak and he controlled his emotions. "I don't feel well."
She said, "Why are you here?"
Ruby smiled and covered her stomach with her hand under the blanket. She did not want him to worry. "I'm fine. It's normal. I'll be fine after sleeping."
He knew that she had never been a spoilsport. She would not say that she wanted to sleep unless there were special circumstances. Fortunately, he came over to take a look. He raised his hand and pushed away the hair on her cheek. He asked gently, "Did you eat something bad?"
Ruby stared at him without blinking. His eyes were visibly nervous and worried. She shook her head.
Recalling his sister Olivia's situation before, he asked again, "Is it... that?"
"Yeah."
"Did you use heat pack?"
Jasper's words were even warmer than heat pack's words on her stomach. One was on her skin, and the other was on her entire body. She nodded and said, "Yes, go play. I'm fine."
He did not say anything. His lips were pursed tightly as he stood up with a cold expression and walked out. Before she could turn around, she heard the door slam. The sound of the door closing disappointed her. Her stomach seemed to hurt even more and she felt a little wronged.
She took a deep breath and adjusted her emotions. She planned to call Jasper "Brother" a few more times in the future, and then muffledly called out several times under the covers.
Half an hour later.
The door of the room opened again, and the four bodyguards who had originally left stood guard at the door. Jasper opened the door as if no one was around and picked the lock in front of the bodyguards.
The bodyguard was speechless. Was this good? They could pretend that they were blind, but they weren't really blind.
Jasper acted as if nothing had happened. He walked in with a glass in his hand. The door was closed again. When he walked into the room, he saw that the person on the bed was still curled up under the blanket. She was suffocated under the blanket, leaving only her brown hair outside. He sighed and walked closer.
Hearing the footsteps, Ruby poked her head out from under the blanket again. Thinking that it was Olivia, Jasper's facial features, which had returned, entered her eyes again. She was delighted. "Didn't you go to play cards?"
He didn't answer and sat down on the edge of the bed. Then, he poured a glass of warm water with honey and placed it on the bed. He got up and took a pillow. He gently helped Ruby up and placed the pillow on her waist. He asked, "Do you need another one?"
Ruby shook her head. Her gaze was on the cup on the bed.
After helping her tidy up the blanket, he handed the cup to her and said gently, "Red dates, wolfberries and ginger. I drank it before. It tastes alright. Olivia often drinks it too. If it doesn't taste good, I'll go get rock sugar."
She held the glass in her hand and felt warm inside. She smiled foolishly, making him feel a little embarrassed. "You made it. Did you go to the kitchen to make it?"
Jasper averted his gaze unnaturally. He was too embarrassed to look at her. Her gaze was too direct. "Yes, drink it. Drink it and sleep."
She smiled and finished the water in the glass in small sips. She handed the empty glass to him. Just as he took it, Ruby stared at him with gurgling eyes and suddenly asked, "What's the deadline you've prepared?"
This was the first time she had asked that question.
Silence. His hand that was holding the glass froze in the air. No one said anything for a long time. She stared at him, waiting for an answer. He stared blankly at the glass she had drunk from. The warmth was still there. It was very hot.
Seconds ticked by. She waited.
He looked up and met her expectant gaze. He felt a little flustered. He, who had never panicked during his first high-level meeting, was convinced that he was panicking at this moment. "I'll shorten the time."
He did not give a specific time, afraid that he would break his promise.
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