Mr. Reid's Sweetheart

Chapter 7- Her willful wish

Abigail stared at him curiously. Only then did she realize that Charles was a good-looking man. He was taller than Aidan, with a broad shoulder and lean waist. His perfectly symmetrical face with an angular jaw covered with the shortly trimmed beard made him enticingly handsome. She smiled and said, “You are indeed handsome, but sorry, I won’t fall in love with you even if you follow me 24/7. Because I love Aidan very much.”

“This is the same for me too. I know you are my boss’ fiancee and soon to be his wife. I dare not fall in love with you.” He sighed and added, “We should go now. It’s getting late.”

Abigail wanted to stay a little longer. But after thinking that, his girlfriend might be waiting for him, she didn’t oppose him and hummed shortly in response. Then they walked out of the beach. 

When they reached the road, Abigail’s eyes landed on a restaurant where seafood was available. Suddenly her mouth watered, and she rushed in the opposite direction of the road towards the restaurant. She was still barefoot, and Charles panicked a little. He looked left and right and crossed the road carefully. He reached out to hold her arm and asked, “Why are you running around on the road? You should pay attention.”

She looked at his hand, which was holding her arm, and lifted her gaze at his face, saying, “You are hurting me.” 

Charles regained his senses and released her arms immediately. She walked inside the restaurant the moment he let go of her arm and sat down on an empty table. Charles also followed her and sat opposite her. He looked at her curiously and asked, “Are you planning to eat here?” 

“Yes, of course.” She replied promptly.

He swept his gaze to the surroundings. It was a small roadside restaurant. He wouldn’t mind dining here, but he was concerned for Abigail. She was a delicate young noble lady, and perhaps she had never entered such a restaurant before, he thought. What if her stomach ached after eating here? He couldn’t stay calm at all when he thought of it. And what’s more, if anything happened to her, Aidan would definitely punish him. He couldn’t take a risk.

But Abigail’s mood was very good. She even started looking at the menu. 

Charles licked his lips and leaned forward a little. He said in a low voice, “If you want to eat seafood, I can take you to a good restaurant.”

“No need. I will eat here.” 

Before Charles could say anything, she called the waiter with a wave of her hand, and the waiter came to them instantly. She ordered some crabs and shrimps platters. 

“Are you sure that it is hygienic?” 

Charles was perturbed. He really didn’t want her to eat here. But he earned a cold glare from her, and he shrugged helplessly. Leaning back on his chair, he said sternly, “Don’t blame me later if you suffer from stomach ache.”

“I can take care of myself. Don’t try to be my father.” She barked with frustration. 

“Huh?” Charles’s expression became ugly. His eyebrows pulled together while staring at her with disbelief. “Unbelievable.” He just muttered this word and turned his head to look away from her. He was simply expressing his concern, but it seemed that she didn’t know how to appreciate someone’s good intentions. If she got a stomach problem, she would suffer. What did he have to worry about her for? His frustration and anger only elevated bit by bit.

By then, the dishes were served, and she started eating with great fervor. Her hands were oily, and her face upon her lips also stained with oil. 

Charles looked at her, and amusement spread in his eyes. The corner of his lips curled up involuntarily. The anger in his mind also dissipated slowly. She looked so cute and adorable. But Abigail was busy eating, unaware of his intense gaze. After a while, she sensed his scorching gage and stopped chewing the food. She looked up at him and met his dark brown eyes staring at her earnestly. 

“What?” A muffled voice came out of her throat as the food was still stuffed inside her mouth.

He pointed on her lips, signaling to wipe off the stains. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to figure out what he wanted to tell her. When the realization hit her mind, she wiped the corner of her lips with the back of her hand, but her face smeared with more oil. Now her cheeks also turned oily. 

Charles smiled and shook his head at her clumsiness. Then he grabbed a tissue and reached out to wipe the oil stains off her face. 

Abigail froze and looked at his hand with wide eyes. She also forgot how to breathe. When Charles was about to wipe her lips, his hands froze and looked at her eyes instantly. She also lifted her eyes at him dumbly. He skipped a beat to see her deep blue eyes so closely. Her eyes, bordered by thick curly eyelashes were so beautiful and bewitching that he wanted to dive into them. 

He took a few seconds to come to his senses and turned his head unable to look at her anymore, pulling back his hand. 

Abigail’s face flushed, and her heart was also beating faster. She picked up some tissues and wipes her mouth and hands. “I am full.” She said slowly and looked down at her lap. 

He hummed and called the waiter for the bill. When he was busy paying the bill, she walked out of the restaurant in haste and accidentally stepped on a sharp object. She felt a stabbing pain on her left foot and whimpered. She lifted up her leg and looked down, only to see a broken piece of glass pierced through her foot. She gasped in pain and tears welled up inside her eyes. 

Charles saw her abnormal posture and a bad premonition hit his mind. He hurried to her and saw her try to remove the broken piece of glass with her trembling hand. Blood was dripping down from her foot. He squatted in front of her and pulled out the broken piece of glass. She hissed and grabbed his shirt tightly on his shoulder. 

“Why did you walk out without wearing your shoes?” Charles’s tone was harsh with a tinge of irritation. Before Abigail could know anything, he lifted her up horizontally and walked to the car. Her breathing hitched up, and she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. She was a little scared by his sudden action. She stared at his handsome face and asked, “Don’t you fear that your girlfriend will be jealous if she sees you carrying me in your arms?”

He glanced at her and said, “If she can’t trust me, she is not eligible to be my girlfriend.”

“Do you mean that you are a loyal person?” 

He sighed and said, “You talk too much.” 

By then, they reached the car, and he opened the back door. He put her on the seat and said, “Your wound needs to be treated. Let me get the first aid box.”

Abigail remained seated, hanging down her leg outside the car. He opened the dash drawer and took out the first aid box. He came back to her and crouched down before her. He placed her left leg on his lap and started cleaning the wound with the disinfectant. She stared at him with many emotions in her eyes. She was touched by his action. Aidan never treated her like this. But this man who was unknown to her was treating her with great care. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn’t know when he finished dressing her wound. 

“It’s done.” He said, looking up at her. “You may feel pain while walking, so don’t roam around much until the wound heals.”  

“Thank you.” 

He smiled and nodded at her. After dropping her at home, he drove back to his apartment.

Late at night, Abigail had a stomach ache, and she wailed in pain. She also vomited quite a few times. She was rushed to the hospital immediately. The doctor examined her and said that she suffered from food poisoning because she ate unhygienic food. He gave her an injection and put her under infusion. 

Abigail was lying on the sickbed, closing her eyes. Robert Mills sat on the chair beside the sickbed and looked at his daughter in a complicated way. He was very worried about her, and he asked, “Dear, where did you go in the evening and from where did you eat that unhygienic food? When will you learn to take care of yourself? Dad is getting old. Don’t let me worry about you all the time.”

Abigail neither opened her eyes nor responded to him. She just pretended to be asleep. Her stomach still hurt, and at that moment, she didn’t want to talk to him at all. Robert Mills only sighed in distress and said, “Alright. Rest well. I will come back tomorrow again.” He looked at her longingly before he left the ward. 

When she heard the sound of the door closing, she opened her eyes and looked in the direction of the door, heaving a sigh of relief. She recalled Charles’s warning at that time. If she listened to his advice and had not acted willfully, she might not have suffered like this. She was even more upset when this thought crossed her mind, and she felt like her stomach ache was increasing a bit more. She groaned and curled up into a ball.