CHAPTER 20: CHAPTER 20: YOUNG PEOPLE ARE FULL OF FIRE

Vivian Lynch was a bit surprised, but she sat down as instructed.

For a moment, the study room became quiet, with only the occasional sound of flipping through documents and typing on the keyboard.

At first, Vivian Lynch sat quietly.

Later, she was overtaken by sleepiness and fell asleep leaning on the sofa.

As time passed by the second, Caden Hawthorne looked up and accidentally glanced at Vivian Lynch on the sofa, noticing she was asleep. He frowned and lost the heart to continue working.

So, Caden Hawthorne reached out to close the laptop and said to his assistant, Bryan Coleman, "Let’s call it a day."

Upon hearing this, Bryan Coleman looked up, only to find Vivian Lynch had fallen asleep while waiting.

He smiled knowingly, closed his laptop, stood up, and said, "Alright, President Hawthorne, I’ll head out first."

With that said, Bryan Coleman left the study room.

Caden Hawthorne stood up, slowly walked over to Vivian Lynch, and looking at her peaceful sleeping face, a strange emotion stirred in his heart.

He gently bent down and tenderly picked her up, walked out of the study, and headed towards the bedroom.

Just as he stepped out of the study, he ran into Old Master Hawthorne. Caden paused for a moment, then a trace of panic flashed in his eyes.

"Grandpa, I..." Caden just wanted to explain.

Old Master Hawthorne, however, beamed with a smile and patted him on the shoulder, saying softly, "You rascal, you really are wising up, knowing how to cherish your wife now."

Upon hearing this, Caden slightly frowned, "Grandpa, you’re mistaken, I’m just taking her back to the room because she’s asleep."

"No need to explain, your grandpa understands." Old Master Hawthorne had a knowing look, as if he’d been through it all.

Then, he quietly advised, "Young people are full of energy, I understand, but especially during the first three months, you must be careful. Don’t overindulge yourself."

Hearing Old Master Hawthorne’s words, Caden was speechless, "Grandpa, what are you thinking?"

Old Master Hawthorne did not speak again, just gave him a meaningful look, then returned to his own room.

Caden was left feeling helpless, holding Vivian Lynch, unsure whether to put her down or not.

Ultimately, he couldn’t bear to wake her up, after all, she is still a pregnant woman.

So, Caden held Vivian Lynch and headed towards her room.

In the spacious room, Caden carefully laid Vivian Lynch down on the soft large bed, moving gently, fearing he might wake her up.

Then, Caden crouched down and considerately tucked her in with the blanket.

He squatted by the bed, gazed at her for a while, then turned and left.

However, just as he reached the door, Vivian Lynch mumbled in her sleep, "Don’t go..."

Caden’s steps halted, and after hesitating for a moment, he returned to the bedside, sat on a chair, and quietly watched Vivian Lynch.

In her sleep, Vivian Lynch seemed to be having a nightmare, her brow furrowed, mumbling, "No... don’t go..."

Seeing her like this, Caden was touched, reaching out to gently stroke her forehead, a trace of tenderness in his eyes.

Suddenly, Vivian Lynch grabbed Caden’s hand, startling awake from the nightmare, "No..."

Watching Vivian Lynch gasping heavily, her forehead already covered in cold sweat, Caden frowned, "You had a nightmare?"

Vivian Lynch came to her senses and realized she was holding Caden’s hand. She quickly let go, sat up from bed, and hurriedly explained, "I’m sorry, President Hawthorne, I fell asleep."

Upon hearing her call him "President Hawthorne," Caden frowned deeper, "At home, don’t call me President Hawthorne, just call me Caden."

He still preferred to hear Vivian Lynch call him "Caden," as it made things feel less distant.

"Um, Caden, how did I get back to the room?" Vivian remembered she was waiting for him in the study, weren’t she?

She remembered being too sleepy and seemingly falling asleep. How did she end up sleeping in her own room?

Her voice carried the soft drawl of someone freshly awake, and Caden raised an eyebrow, "I carried you in."

Hearing this, Vivian blushed instantly, "Th-thank you..."

Seeing her blush, Caden’s mouth curled into an almost imperceptible smile, "What? Shy?"

"No, I’m not." Vivian denied with her mouth, but her face was already flushed, and the atmosphere around them had turned slightly awkward.

After a moment of silence, Vivian suppressed her wildly beating heart and broke the silence first, "Um, I’m sleepy and going to sleep."

With that, Vivian immediately lay down and covered her head with the blanket to conceal her current embarrassment and shyness.

Caden watched Vivian pretending to sleep with the covers over her head and couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

"Alright then, sleep well." With that, he stood up, gently closed the door, and left the room.

Vivian only poked her head out of the blanket when she heard the door close, patting her flushed cheeks, feeling a bit scattered inside.

"Vivian Lynch, you need to calm down."

"Even if Mr. Hawthorne is handsome, you can’t let yourself be swayed by his looks. Don’t forget, once the baby is born, there’ll be nothing between you two."

Thinking of this, Vivian’s emotions gradually calmed down. She couldn’t let herself fall for Caden Hawthorne, fearing that once she fell,

a year later, she would be reluctant to leave.

The next morning, when Vivian woke up, she found a delicate breakfast on the bedside table.

There was also a note that read, "Remember to have breakfast once you wake up."

Vivian took the note, and an involuntary smile appeared on her lips.

Was this from Caden Hawthorne? Did he come by this morning?

It’s just a pity, she slept so deeply, she didn’t know when he came to her room.

"It feels great not having to go to work."

Vivian pulled open the curtains in front of her, stood by the window, welcomed the morning sunshine, and couldn’t help but stretch lazily.

After washing up, Vivian finished the breakfast Caden prepared for her and tiptoed to his room.

The door to the room was open, and she saw Caden sitting by the bed, bare-chested, holding a cotton swab, clumsily applying medicine to his back.

Seeing the scalded burns from coffee on Caden’s back, with some areas already blistered, Vivian felt a twinge of unwarranted heartache.

From yesterday until now, he hadn’t said a word, and she thought his back injury wasn’t really serious.

Now seeing it with her own eyes, Vivian felt more guilt, along with a stronger ache in her heart.

Caden seemed to sense the intense gaze at the doorway. He immediately turned around and saw Vivian standing there, quickly draping a white shirt over himself.

"How long are you going to stand at the door and watch?"

Vivian snapped back to reality, walked inside with a look full of guilt, and couldn’t help but ask, "Does it hurt?"

"No, it doesn’t." Caden had been injured countless times since he was a child, and no one had ever asked if it hurt. Vivian was the first.