CHAPTER 28: YOUR SON IS NOT LONELY

The man’s dark eyes were as deep as the majestic ocean. In the darkness of his eyes was a hint of blue, and in the dark, they were like modest yet brilliant night-luminescent pearls.

He opened his eyes and looked directly into her eyes. His calm, unwavering eyes did not contain a shred of surprise.

His thin lips parted and out came a deep husky voice. It was like a cello that had not been used for a long time. With a deep and resounding sound, it reverberated throughout the room.

"You didn’t wash your face today."

"Ex... Excuse me?"

Bruce frowned as he looked at the baffled woman in front of him.

"You didn’t even wash your hair yesterday before you went to bed."

Hilla was completely stunned. The next second, she rolled off the bed. Surprised, she covered her mouth, and she mumbled vaguely, "Y-Y-Y-You’re awake!"

The look on her face was utter shock. Nervous, she retreated until her entire back was pressed against the cold glass of the window. She winced in pain, but she raised her head, and she looked at the man lying in bed.

She was not dreaming! Bruce Anderson was really awake!

Did Bruce wake up? How could he wake up? How could he wake up?!

"Didn’t you say your looks would surprise me? Is this how you intend to surprise me?"

Bruce’s hoarse voice got lower before he coughed to clear his throat. Subconsciously, he reached out for the nightstand beside the bed for a glass of water. Only then did he realize that when he was comatose and asleep for those months, the usual practice of leaving a cup of water on the bedside table had changed.

Most of his own habits were now Hilla’s habits. He massaged the bridge of his nose and said, "Get me a cup of water."

"Oh!" Hilla responded and hurried in a flurry of motions to fulfill his order. After realizing the room had neither water nor cups, she quickly said, "I’ll... I’ll fetch you water from downstairs."

"Calm down. Do not let others know that I’m awake. Call Horton Hutt and ask him to come over now."

The ever-so-rebellious Hilla Holt actually nodded obediently and complied to Bruce’s calm orders.

She stood in front of the door, took a deep breath, and only then did she pull the

door open and left.

Bruce looked at Hilla’s stiffened figure and could not hold back a smile. The girl had been blabbing on for so many months into his ear, and it nearly drove him mad!

He really wondered how his mother managed to find such a noisy little girl.

"Hilla Holt," Bruce mumbled the name quietly.

Was it the Holt family that was known to sell Chinese Hemlock? He frowned a little and remembered listening to Orlenna reading him the news about the president of Holt Corporation being involved in an accident, about the subsequent collapse of Holt Corporation as well as the Holt mansion being seized by the bank as a mortgage loan.

Hilla called Horton Hutt, and after trying hard to calm her panicking heart, she returned to the room slowly.

When she was in front of the room door, she stopped. She could not help but tighten her grip on the tray. After a long time, she knocked on the door.

At that moment, she realized the oddity. This was supposed to be her room as well, why should she knock?

She braced herself and entered the room, and she saw Bruce Anderson sitting upright on the bed.

The man’s back was straight. There was a tablet in his hands. The light reflected in his dark eyes was enticing to look at. His frown gave him an air of solemnity. His thin lips were also pursed lightly.

The light from outside shone on his face, illuminating the man’s sickly pale face and his perfectly symmetrical visage. The loose sleeping attire on his body only accentuated how much weight he had lost.

However, the serious, focused look on his face was like a powerful magnet. The moment Hilla saw him, she felt as if something had struck her heart, and she could not look away.

The extended period of being bedridden had led to Bruce feeling weak and riddled with illness. However, Hilla just felt that he was different from other patients.

"Water!"

Bruce Anderson raised his head, and Hilla snapped back to reality. She held the tray and walked toward him. "I was assuming you would be hungry after you woke up, so I prepared a bowl of rice congee."

When she was being obedient, she would not be as conceited as she was in private. Bruce arched an eyebrow, almost forgetting that the little kitten was a great pretender in front of others.

Bruce drank the water, and he picked up the bowl. He froze.

"Just blow over it. It’ll be cool enough to eat," said Hilla, trying to curry his favor as she helped him cool the hot congee in his hands by blowing at it.

Bruce gave her a look and placed the bowl down. "I’m allergic to seafood."

But... seafood was her favorite. That was why Orlenna would always have seafood dishes planned daily for her. When he declared his allergies, Hilla felt disappointed. That being said, she still behaved.

"I see." She took the bowl over and said, "I’ll just eat it myself."

"Did the family not feed you enough? You won’t even let a bowl of congee slide?"

Bruce’s cold stare was profound and cold, and Hilla was stunned. To think that she would be embarrassed by that stare. She blushed and mumbled, "Of course not. I just thought that it would be a waste of food."

Was she lecturing him about food wastage?

Bruce arched an eyebrow. As he looked at this girl, he knew that she only appeared to be obedient on the surface, but she was definitely baring her teeth at him in her heart, so he reached out to touch her forehead.

"What are you doing?!" she howled. She was startled by the sudden movement and subconsciously raised her hand to stop him. The contents of the bowl in her hand spilled out, and the hot congee spilled over Bruce’s body.

Hilla instantly panicked. The thin silk blanket was now soaking with hot congee. The piping hot liquid burned Bruce’s sensitive skin, and he grunted with a frown.

"Oh my God. I’m so sorry! It was an accident! But it’s your fault for touching me."

In her panic, Hilla tried to use her hand to grab the blanket, but Bruce reached out and held her hand.

His fingers were long. His palm was dry and warm when they touched the back of her cold hands. The feeling of warmth spread over hers and he said, "Don’t touch it. Go fetch a towel."

Hilla stood in place, frozen. She knew that she had caused certain changes in his body because of what she did just now. Instantly, her face flushed red as she utterly forgot that he could still react to stimulus.

"I... You..."

Hilla parted her lips to say something, but before any words could be uttered, the door to the room opened.

At that instant, when Hilla’s mind was only filled with the thought of not allowing anyone else to know about Bruce’s waking up, her body reacted instead. She tried to pull the blanket, wanting to cover Bruce, but suddenly, a large hand pushed her back.

Thud.

She was now on top of Bruce Anderson. Something hard poked against her stomach. Her face glowed red, and as if she had truly given up on life, she grabbed the blanket and covered her head.

The pair of large hands were firm as they pressed on her back. She could not even crawl away from him. In fact, she could feel the man’s body beneath her only stiffening further.

’I’m doomed. Why did I have to bring Bruce a bowl of congee? Now, they are all over my body.’

Horton Hutt entered the room, and when he saw this shocking scene in front of his eyes with Hilla Holt on top of the vulnerable Bruce Anderson, the euphoria he was feeling about Bruce’s return to consciousness vanished. Stunned, he asked, "What the hell are you guys doing?"

Bruce looked up, and when he looked at Horton Hutt, his gaze turned cold. His thin lips parted mercilessly, and he spat, "Get out!"

Horton calmed down and cooperated with an affirmative grunt. He went out, closed the door before immediately looking in again. Fighting to keep a smile off his face, he said, "You guys do what you’re doing, I don’t mind waiting outside for a bit."

Wait for what? Did he want to listen to them do the do?

Horton had a thought. Bruce had been in bed for half a year and it was only natural for him to have certain urges that needed releasing once he woke up. His arrival was truly, badly timed.

...

As Hilla heard the sound of the door clicking back in place, her hands that were gripping the blanket trembled.

Her body stiffened as she waited while remaining still. Then, light shone on her head, and it became easier to breathe. Bruce’s voice rang from above her head.

"He’s gone."

"Bruce... You... How..."

’Shameless.’

Hilla bit her lip and tried her best not to let the last word escape her mouth.

She struggled for a bit, but not only did she realize she was unable to move away, she also noticed that the feeling of the something poking at her stomach had become clearer.

Oh lord. What was she doing to a sick man who had just woke up? Could Bruce think she was trying to seduce him?

"Get up. Get changed, and bring me a new blanket."

Bruce focused. He took deep breaths so that he could gradually calm down the urge in him.

He pushed Hilla off of him and at the same time, he discarded the blanket that had been soaked in congee.

Hilla cleaned up the room in a flurry of motion before she finally pushed the door open with a red face.

"All done?"

Horton froze for a brief moment when he saw Hilla. He had asked the question instinctively with a smirk on his face. It looked like Bruce’s body was still weak since he had just woken up. He had only been at it for a short time before he finished. Such a pity for the beautiful girl. She had been alone for more than two months in the room and when he woke up, she could only have a fleeting moment of pleasure.

Hilla Holt might be young, but even she knew what Horton was implying. Her face turned even redder, and she gave him a strong glare before she mumbled quietly, "It’s not what you think it is."

Horton replied with a look that said "I understand" and a "You don’t have to explain" before he entered the room.

He glanced around the room nonchalantly before he finally looked at Bruce’s face and teasingly said, "You’ve got a new blanket, I see. Looks like the battle here must be fierce."

Bruce gave him a cold stare. Even though he was not as imposing as before, his domineering aura was still around. Horton immediately fell silent and proceeded to

do a proper check-up.

"You have been sleeping for a long time. The blood clot in your brain has mostly disappeared. Right now, your body is just weak. All you need to do is nourish your body."

That last sentence carried a hidden meaning. Hilla, who stood by the side, caught on and blushed.

Bruce Anderson had woken up, and she had no idea how she was going to interact with him. The Bruce she knew was the comatose Bruce, and he was someone she could do anything to. Right now... the current Bruce looked like someone who was not very friendly. The strangest thing was this strange feeling of nervousness when she was in front of him.

She did not even know what to do with her hands! She just stood there, feeling uneasy.

"Get me up to speed with the latest development of Anderson Industries!"

"I knew you would immediately return to be a workaholic after you wake up. I’ll ask someone to gather the information of Anderson Industries every day and send it to your personal email address. Take your time to go through them. However... I must warn you that the family isn’t the same as half a year ago."

For half a year, Bruce Anderson had been sleeping in bed after sustaining heavy injuries. No one knew when he would wake up and whether he could wake up. Lucas Anderson and Rudi Anderson had naturally seized the chance to seize authority.

Even though Master Anderson still assumed guard in the Anderson family, he was old. There were certain things where he could no longer do.

Bruce Anderson’s gaze gradually turned grave. It was just as Horton Hutt said. The Anderson family was currently in a very bad condition. In just half a year, the father and son duo from the branch family had practically emptied out half of the assets of Anderson Industries.

"I’ve not yet informed anyone about you waking up. If those two knew, I’m sure they would be panicking."

Horton laughed coldly. He knew that Bruce Anderson’s will was strong this entire time. Even if the Anderson family had lost all hope and believed that he would never wake up, Horton had always believed that he would wake up.

"You will still need some time to recover. It won’t be convenient for you to butt into the matters of the company just yet."

If those two knew, they would only start acting quicker in trying to swallow all of Anderson Industries.

"How long do I need to recover?"

"Two months, give or take. You haven’t been bedridden for long, but if you... ’train’ hard, you should heal much faster."

After Horton finished talking, he turned and glanced at Hilla, coughed deliberately,

and packed away his stuff and left.

As he walked past Hilla, he even gave her a reminder considerately and said, "The patient’s body hasn’t recovered because he just woke up. You should console him a little more."

Why should she be the one consoling him?!

Hilla rolled her eyes and in an instant, the room was left with only the two of them.

"I... Should I tell Mother about you?"

Hilla stood at the door, which was far away from the bed, and asked quietly.

Alas, it was as if everything she said today was going to end up as a prediction, because the moment she stopped talking, Orlenna came to the room.

"I heard that you’ve called Doctor Hutt in. Are you not feeling well?"

Orlenna held Hilla’s hands as she asked nervously and in a show of great concern. Hilla shook her head, waving her hands as she said, "No... It’s not for me..."

She looked at the bed, only to find Bruce laying still and pretending to be asleep.

Hilla was stunned.

When did he lie back down? He moved so fast! Was that really a weak man who had been bedridden for half a year?

"Horton Hutt will always come every week to give Bruce Anderson his check-up. This is troubling even for him. How did you get your clothes so dirty?"

Orlenna’s eyes were sharper than Hilla Holt knew. She picked up bits of rice on Bruce’s body and frowned. Orlenna frowned a little, and Hilla bashfully confessed, "I was having rice congee earlier, and I accidentally split some. I’ve already changed them into a new blanket and clothes. That stain must have escaped my eyes earlier."

Hilla stole a peek at the unmoving Bruce. Just how fast did he fall into character? He could win the Oscar with that performance!

Orlenna saw how nervous Hilla was and gently smiled. "I’m not blaming you. I’m already very happy that you could be with Bruce Anderson every day. With you here, Bruce will not be lonely."

’Judging by the looks, your son is not at all lonely! In fact, I think he might even be regarding me with scorn!’

Hilla was mumbling in her heart. She felt guilty that she could not tell Orlenna about Bruce waking up.

Her mother-in-law had always treated her so well. Hilla would feel very guilty for lying to her!

Orlenna remained in the room for a while before she left. When she did, Hilla breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to the bed and saw Bruce Anderson looking

back at her. Her heart skipped a beat.

What could she do? She had already gotten so used to seeing Bruce sleeping! Now that he woke up, she felt awkward.

"Um... Your mother is quite worried for you. Are you really not going to tell her that you woke up?"

Hilla clenched the hems of her shirt as she stood in front of the window. The light behind her cast a faint golden halo around her silhouette. The nervous look on her face made it seem like there was a big bad wolf sitting on the bed.

"Eat this!"

Bruce tossed a small white bottle over to her. When Hilla caught it, she looked at it and asked, "What is it?"

"Anti-inflammatory pills!"

Why would Bruce give her anti-inflammatory pills?

"The wound on your back will start festering if you do not care for it. Applying only ointment on it won’t be effective."

Bruce was still scrolling through the tablet. He looked calm and at that moment, Hilla suddenly realized something. She blurted out, "How did you know about my back? Was it... Last night! You saw it!"

That would mean he was already awake the night before! But... she remembered being absolutely naked.

Bruce raised his head and saw her panicked eyes. He said calmly, "I did, and I even applied the ointment on your wound."