CHAPTER 55: CHAPTER 55: HE JUST THREW HER AWAY

Aiden Fordham froze for a moment, his mind going blank—this position was just...

He quickly helped her up, lowering his voice to ask, "Did you hurt yourself?"

She deliberately raised her voice to cover up the awkwardness, angrily demanding:

"Aiden Fordham, what the hell do you mean by this? Are you seriously planning to keep me locked up here?"

She gripped the handrail to steady herself, barely able to stand, and despite the sharp pain from her ankle, her attitude remained fierce.

"Why did you block out the entire estate’s signal? You think this damn place can trap me?!"

Aiden Fordham looked at her flaring up and, oddly enough, seemed relieved.

"I thought something really serious had happened."

There was no emotion in his voice.

"The estate’s network system is really advanced—it can even connect directly to satellite."

He raised his hand to point toward the misty mountain tops in the distance.

"See those three umbrella-like signal towers on the top of the mountain? That’s our Fordham Family’s private satellite ground station."

Stella Grant followed the direction of his finger and could vaguely make out three massive white dish-shaped buildings.

Stella Grant raised her voice, "Then why couldn’t I call Vivi?!"

"I asked the butler! He said all outbound signals from the estate have been blocked! You did this! You did it on purpose, didn’t you?!"

She stared him down, demanding an explanation.

Aiden Fordham walked up to her, slowed his speech, and patiently explained:

"It’s just temporary. I’m only doing this for your safety."

"I don’t want anyone, in any way, to track your location—especially when the kidnappers still haven’t been caught."

He emphasized "the kidnappers haven’t been caught," instead of saying one of them had drowned.

Stella Grant’s lips moved, as if she’d thought of something.

Aiden Fordham watched her reaction, then added:

"When that gang escaped in a panic, they even tossed the camera into the river."

"We managed to fish it up later, but sadly, the device and all the data were completely destroyed. Nothing could be recovered."

At this, Stella Grant’s tense nerves finally eased a little.

She had, in fact, been worried about the contents of that camera.

If what was on there ever got out... it’d be beyond embarrassing.

Aiden Fordham offered his phone to her, "You can use mine to call Vivi Sterling, let her know you’re safe."

Stella Grant eyed the latest-model phone, grumbling inside: So his phone gets a pass? More privileged bullshit?

But she didn’t hesitate, took it, and quickly dialed Vivi Sterling’s number.

The call went through right away.

"Hello, Vivi, it’s me."

"Yeah, I’m fine, don’t worry."

"Just got a bit scratched up escaping, my arm and leg are hurt. Couple days of rest and I’ll be okay."

"Mhm, yeah, don’t worry. I’m in a really safe place now—I’ll come find you in a few days once things settle."

She tried her best to sound light and natural.

Hanging up, she let out a long sigh.

This girl must’ve been worried sick yesterday—judging by her voice, she was probably about to report me missing to the cops.

She handed the phone back to Aiden Fordham.

Aiden Fordham took it, and asked, "Anyone else you want to call? Go ahead."

Stella Grant shook her head. "No need."

Pausing, she added, "But I need internet. I have work I need to handle."

Aiden Fordham replied coldly, "You can use the study computer—just don’t mess with stuff you shouldn’t touch."

There was an unmistakable warning in his tone.

Soon after, the butler came upstairs to announce the meal was ready.

"Let’s eat!" Aiden Fordham said to her.

Stella Grant slowly hopped toward the door.

Aiden Fordham frowned deeply, strode over, and without asking, swept her up in his arms.

His movements were effortless, like she weighed nothing.

"Ah! What are you doing?!"

Stella Grant cried out in shock, her body instinctively struggling.

"Let go of me! I can walk on my own!"

Aiden Fordham was both annoyed and amused by her squirming.

"You call that walking? That’s more like hopping!"

He glanced down at the restless woman in his arms.

"If I let you keep hopping, you’ll sprain your good ankle too, and then you’ll skip the crutch and head straight to a wheelchair!"

Stella Grant was furious, smacked him—though not very hard.

"Aiden Fordham! How many times do I have to tell you—stop picking me up like this!"

She really hated this sort of intimacy, and was trying hard to keep her distance from him.

Aiden Fordham’s cold voice pressed down.

"Stella Grant, if you weren’t hurt, and hadn’t lost my child, do you really think I’d keep you here to recover?"

He paused, then added, "Don’t get any wrong ideas. You know perfectly well what our relationship is."

He pointedly reminded her of their signed divorce agreement.

Stella Grant heard this and got angry herself.

"Aiden Fordham, put me down. Have someone drive me back to my apartment right now. I don’t need protection from the Great President Fordham—I can’t afford the protection fee."

Aiden Fordham pretended to toss her aside—and she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck in panic.

"So noisy. Shut up, or I’ll really throw you next time."

He tossed off another line, making Stella Grant curse him silently a hundred times over.

He carried her and strode steadily downstairs.

In the dining room, the long table was already spread with exquisite dishes.

Steamed bass, blanched greens, chicken leg with mushrooms, lotus root and pork rib soup... all the food looked light and healthy, obviously tailored for her condition.

The butler stood quietly by.

Aiden Fordham carefully set her down on a chair near the table, picked up his chopsticks, and started to eat.

Seeing she hadn’t moved, he said, ice cold: "Did you hurt your right hand too? You want me to feed you?"

"Ah, no need!" Stella Grant quickly grabbed her chopsticks.

But she wasn’t hungry, just poked her rice with the chopsticks.

Aiden Fordham didn’t eat much either—the whole atmosphere was painfully awkward.

The truth was, they barely knew each other (outside the bedroom). They’d never actually lived together before.

He had no clue if he was supposed to serve her a dish or whatever.

Soon, the butler came over carrying a pitch-black bowl.

Inside was thick Chinese medicine, giving off an indescribably bitter smell.

"Miss Grant, the medicine’s ready—the temperature’s just right. Doctor said you need to take this with your meal."

The butler gingerly set it beside her.

Aiden Fordham lifted his eyelids, voice devoid of warmth.

"Drink it."

It was an order.

Stella Grant’s scalp tingled—she hated Chinese medicine more than anything! That taste was basically childhood trauma upgraded to nightmare.

But faced with Aiden Fordham’s cold face, she chickened out.

She picked up the bowl, held her breath, squeezed her eyes shut, and gulped it down in one go.

The medicine was bitter and astringent, sliding down her throat straight into her stomach.

A wave of nausea surged violently.

Oh no!

Stella Grant’s face went pale—she jolted upright, lurched over to the trash can in the corner.

"Ugh—"

Everything she’d barely eaten, mixed with that awful medicine taste, ended up in the trash.

The butler was startled. "Miss Grant!"

Aiden Fordham’s brow snapped into a frown, his face darkening, voice commanding:

"Get a different doctor. And a different formula."

"Yes—yes, President Fordham!" The butler replied, hurrying off to deal with it.

Aiden Fordham stood up, striding over to Stella Grant.

He was tall, looming over her, the pressure unmistakable.

The light cast shadows on his face, making him look even colder.

He lowered his gaze to her messy state, still icy.

"Are you going to eat or not?"

Stella Grant dabbed at her mouth with tissues, her stomach still clenching. She shook her head lightly, voice unsteady.

He didn’t say anything else.

A large, bony hand appeared in front of her, supporting her uninjured right arm.

"I’ll help you upstairs to rest."

At the door, a crisp voice suddenly rang out, "Aiden!"

Aiden Fordham was startled, and in a reflex tossed her away.

"Ah!" Stella Grant crashed right down onto the cold floor!