CHAPTER 219: CHAPTER 219: NEVER THOUGHT OF ASKING HIM FOR HELP

My dad is on a business trip, so I definitely can’t call him. I decided to call Crystal Dawson first.

"Crystal, where are you?" I asked drowsily while lying in bed.

"I’m at the hospital. Argh, it hurts so much! Silas Lockwood, you bastard, I’m not giving birth anymore!" Although Crystal answered the phone, she was yelling. Her words shocked me; is she at the hospital about to give birth?

Silas’s panicked voice came through, "Alright, alright, honey, it’s all my fault. I can’t help at all. If you’re in pain, hit me. Here, my face is right here!"

I didn’t expect Crystal to be giving birth already, especially since it wasn’t her due date yet. Suddenly, my body felt very tired, but my spirit was quite stirred. "Crystal, which hospital are you in?"

"Argh... I... Zoe, don’t come over. There are so many people around me. I haven’t even told Tiana or Yara. It hurts so much..." After a few cries, Crystal seemed to have calmed down and spoke very quickly, "You’ve been so busy lately. I didn’t want you to worry about me. I’ll let you know after I give birth, and you can prepare a big red packet for me!"

My head was splitting with pain. If I insisted on going out, I might not even be able to drive, and with Crystal’s status in The Lockwood Family, surely many people were around, taking care of her.

"Alright, I seem to have a fever. I’ll take some medicine and come over as soon as I feel a bit better!" I replied.

"Okay, okay... It hurts so much! Silas Lockwood, why aren’t you the one giving birth?!" Crystal started wailing again and hung up on me.

Supporting myself, I called Tiana O’Connell, only to find out she was on her way to a business trip.

When I called Leah Lane, she was having dinner with Graham Garrett and his parents.

These were all rather important matters, so I didn’t seek their help. Finally, I managed to get through to Ivan Underwood.

The phone rang for a while before someone on the other side hesitantly picked up. I weakly asked, "Ivan, do you have a moment?"

"Sorry, he’s in the shower right now." A woman’s voice responded.

I was taken aback. I quickly checked the name on the screen—it was definitely Ivan’s. But why would a young woman answer his phone?

And it’s still morning. Why is Ivan taking a shower?

Before I had the chance to ask, the call was already disconnected. I was already feeling unwell, and now my mood was soured.

I didn’t want to doubt Ivan’s loyalty, but he had returned to work at his family company, and his family was so opposed to me. It was hard not to overthink things.

When I tried calling again, Ivan’s phone was turned off. I felt utterly helpless.

Just as I was about to head downstairs again to see if there was any fever medicine, Henry Preston’s call came through.

I directly hung up the call, holding onto the wall and the stair handrails as I went downstairs, then started rummaging in the living room.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Suddenly, there was a forceful knock on the door. I glanced at the living room door, and Henry’s voice came from outside, "Zoe Hathaway, open the door!"

How did he get into the yard? I frowned, suddenly remembering that I hadn’t locked the main gate when I returned to my room last night.

I pursed my lips and didn’t respond, continuing to search for medicine.

"If you don’t open the door, I’ll get the property management involved!" Henry threatened me.

I sneered at that—property management isn’t his personal squad; they can’t just open my door for him.

Then there was silence from outside as I lay exhausted on the couch, unable to find the fever medicine. These things were always organized by my mom, and I really couldn’t find them quickly on my own.

I would have to order a delivery service for some medicine, then.

Just as I took out my phone to place an order, I heard the sound of the door being unlocked.

I was taken aback, and then saw the door open. The property management folks politely told Henry, "Mr. Preston, the door is open."

"Thank you, much appreciated." Henry nodded slightly to the property management people, then motioned for them to leave.

I think this door needs replacing.

Henry walked in and casually closed the door that should really be replaced. I wanted to question him sternly, but feeling unwell, I spoke weakly, "What are you doing here?"

Henry said nothing, just came to me, bent down and placed his hand on my forehead to check my temperature.

Quickly, he reprimanded me harshly, "You’re burning up like this—do you want to burn yourself into ashes?"

"None of your business. I’ve ordered medicine to be delivered," I said as I pushed Henry’s hand away forcefully.

"Take the medicine first." Henry frowned, walked into the kitchen, and came back with some pills and a glass of warm water for me.

I looked at the pills in his hand and couldn’t help but ask, "How did you know where the medicine is in my house?"

Henry replied, "I came to your house before and saw your mom taking medicine from there."

I was a bit speechless, not expecting that I was the one who wasn’t observant; I rarely paid attention to these things before. Instead, it was Henry, who seldom came to my house, who remembered.

Taking care of one’s health is essential, so I couldn’t afford to be stubborn.

"Thanks." I expressed my gratitude, took the pills and water, and swallowed them.

The medicine didn’t take effect immediately, and I still felt uncomfortable. Henry watching me made me feel even more uneasy, so I said, "I took the medicine. I’ll be fine now. You can go back."

Henry sat down on the couch next to me, "You made so many calls and never thought to call me for help?"

How did he know I made many calls...

"Silas Lockwood told me. When you called Crystal, she noticed something off in your voice and asked Tiana and Leah." Henry explained.

I narrowed my eyes to rest, not expecting Silas to be so attentive during a critical moment, able to notice my condition wasn’t right. That’s good, at least Crystal will be relatively happy. I lazily responded, "Well, I thought I’d pull through on my own."

Henry opened his phone camera and pointed it at me, "Look at yourself—you’re burning up. What do you think you’re pulling through?"

I looked at myself through the camera. My cheeks were as red as a monkey’s bottom, clearly burning up badly.

I said nothing, just closed my eyes to sleep again. But soon, my stomach growled. I hadn’t eaten anything since waking up, so I really was quite hungry.

"I’m fine, not hungry." I calmly explained to Henry.

Henry said nothing, his face tense, and got up to walk again into the kitchen. I was shocked—was he going to cook for me?

In all the years I’ve known Henry, I’ve never seen him cook.

Unexpectedly, Henry just turned out of the kitchen with an apple for me, "Eat this to hold yourself over."

"Okay, you can go back now." I accepted the apple, again urging Henry to leave.

"Hang on," Henry said with a stern face, "no need to rush me away."

If I’m not rushing, I must be seeing ghosts; the words he spoke last night were still ringing in my ears. After a night, being alone with him again felt very awkward.

I silently ate the apple until I finished. Only then did Henry ask again, "What about Ivan? If you didn’t want to ask me for help, did you at least ask him? Isn’t he your boyfriend now?"

Bringing up Ivan made me recall the voice of that woman—who was she? A woman who could answer Ivan’s private calls definitely couldn’t be just a normal friend.

But I didn’t want to talk about the issues between Ivan and me with Henry, so I brushed it off, "He went back to the company to work. He’s very busy, and I don’t want to take up his time."

"You used to call me twenty times even over a scrape, and now, with Ivan, you’re afraid of taking up his time?" Henry frowned.

I was speechless because I had indeed done such clingy things before.

Back then, no matter how trivial something was, I would always share it with Henry. If I got slightly hurt, I wouldn’t let it go, hoping he’d care for me and feel sympathetic.

Fortunately, Henry’s phone rang at that moment, interrupting our conversation. After answering the call, he got up to open the door.

He returned carrying two large thermal containers, opening them to reveal seven or eight dishes, full of color, aroma, and still steaming.

"Eat up." Henry placed chopsticks in front of me, "When you’re done, I’ll leave."

I looked at the spread of dishes, "Isn’t this too much? I can’t finish it all by myself."

"Then I’ll join you?" Henry casually picked up another pair of chopsticks.