CHAPTER 29: DO I NEED A REASON TO PUNCH YOU?

Bruce’s voice was neither loud nor soft. It was faint, like snow that melted in the room. His words when he said that he saw her naked and even applied ointment on her back echoed in Hilla’s mind.

She thought she dreamt of Bruce Anderson applying medicine on her back. She thought she had even dreamed of herself hugging his arm and refusing to let go. But it turned out that everything was real and not a dream!

Bruce really did apply medicine on her back! That was why her back had healed up so fast.

"So... What I said this morning..."

"You called me your darling. You told me that you’re very beautiful and asked me to open my eyes and look at you. Yes. I heard it all."

Bruce’s answered seriously. His eyes remained calm, and they also appeared dependable and reserved. Yet when he spoke, his words were blunt.

Hilla froze as she stood in place. She blinked as she stared straight at the man on the bed. After a long time, she responded with a mumble.

"I... I wasn’t wearing anything!"

In fact, she was not wearing anything for the entire night. She had even walked around the room naked during the morning! Did he...

"I didn’t see that."

Bruce’s voice was barely audible. His eyes no longer met hers and were now affixed on the tablet in his hands.

This time, it sounded false no matter what. He had applied medicine on her back and tucked her in bed. In response, she had hugged his arm. Of course, he had felt all of her for the whole night, and now he dared claim he did not see anything? He had obviously seen it all!

Hilla sulked as she glared at the man on the bed. She felt annoyed and angry. After a long time, she huffed and mumbled, "Since you saw me, so be it. After all, I am already part of your family."

Even though she said that, she still bit her lip hard. Her cheeks were red, and it showed how embarrassed and annoyed she was right now.

Then again, she was the one who lowered her guard around him. She had absolutely no reason to blame him.

She only had herself to blame. She had never thought that Bruce Anderson would wake up so early, and she never thought about how she would appear to him when he woke up.

"Thank you."

Hilla sat on the bed with her back turned to him. It took her awhile before she grabbed the hem of her skirt and gave her thanks.

She could not bear any grudge against him since he did apply medicine on her. She could not be ungrateful.

Bruce Anderson looked up in surprise. He looked at the woman’s straight back. It was obvious that she was feeling aggrieved but did not want him to see it. At that moment, he recalled the things he heard when he was in a coma.

’Bruce. Please wake up. If you wake up, I won’t be bullied anymore!’ Yet the person who bullied her today was himself. "The family will not bind you down."

They would also not cause her to suffer, so she did not need to torment herself like this. She also did not need to act so cautiously around him. In his dreams, the little girl was noisy, crafty, cunning, smart, and as obedient as a cat to others on the outside but vicious and violent like a tigress in front of him.

She never allowed herself to be taken advantage of by Rudi Anderson but when she was alone, Hilla would hug Bruce tightly while her own wounds.

Hilla was stunned. She turned around and looked into Bruce’s contemplative eyes. Her eyes flared up with anger and she said, "Are you kicking me out of the family?"

Bruce was confused. Did he say anything like that?

Was this the generation gap that everyone said? Just when Bruce frowned and wanted to explain, Hilla continued on angrily, "I am your lawfully wedded wife! Your mother brought me into the house lawfully! I’ve received a marriage certificate with you lawfully! Why should I leave just because you ask me to! Dream on!"

After unleashing her thoughts, she recalled something. She started going through the drawers in the room and found a red-colored marriage certificate and a contract. She tossed both of them to Bruce.

A prideful look appeared on her petite face as she said, "If you want a divorce, you’ll have to pay up a large amount of alimony and give me the Holt mansion."

Even though she thought she was being intimidating, Hill was still unable to stop her eyes from turning red-rimmed. She nearly started crying.

It was just as she expected. The moment Bruce woke up, he immediately wanted to denounce their marriage and ask for a divorce.

Even though she was not reluctant to leave this husband of hers, considering the fact that there was no foundation of romance between them, she felt hurt. She felt even more hurt when she started to think about leaving the mansion and Bruce divorcing her.

While feeling aggrieved, she looked up, and she was about to be unable to control the tears from spilling out of her eyes. When the tears started rolling, she quickly wiped them off.

What a joke. Hilla was the second daughter of the Holt family. She could never allow herself to be seen crying. Not even Bruce Anderson.

Bruce ignored the red colored marriage certificate and chose instead to read through the contract. The more he read, the darker his face got.

She actually agreed to marry him to get back the Holt mansion. Had she never thought that Bruce might never wake up? She might end up with a husband who would never be able to speak and would need her to take care of him for the rest of his life.

Could it be that right from the start, Hilla never cared about these except for the Holt mansion? Who he was did not matter to her.

Bruce sighed. He put together all the papers on the bed and handed them to her. "Keep them filed neatly. Don’t throw them around. I don’t like a messy room."

"I tidy the room every day," mumbled Hilla quietly and in aggrievance. When she saw that Bruce was not going to say anything else, she felt tired, but she still returned to the bed angrily.

She was not in a good mood. She did not feel like talking anymore.

Hilla spent the entire afternoon lying in bed motionless. The wound on her back might have scabbed up but moving around still hurt.

Fortunately, she had already informed Lily Hart to request a day off for her.

However, by the looks of things, she might skip classes for several days.

"Mrs. Anderson, Madam Organa has asked you to have dinner downstairs," said the maid from outside the room. Hilla hummed lazily in reply to her. She raised her head and saw Bruce slouching over the bed with the tablet in his hand.

He had sat for the entire day without moving, making it seem like she was the only person who was breathing in the room.

Once he woke up, Bruce Anderson was very busy. He was not as cute as a sleeping Bruce Anderson.

"I’m hungry. Are you going to have anything?"

He did not want anyone to know about him. That only meant she would have to fetch his meals into the room every day.

At that moment, Hilla had a feeling that the days ahead of her would only get even more troublesome.

"Bring your dinner up here. Also, don’t have your meals downstairs."

"You want me to eat with you, talk with you, and sleep with you? I’m not a hostess," Hilla mumbled quietly. Even though she was disgruntled about it, she still got up from bed obediently and exited the room slowly.

Bruce eyed the figure that escaped his line of sight. He could not help but stop moving his hands for a while. He massaged his brow and sighed.

’The generation gap between us is too much!’

"If you’re sick, you should eat more. That way, you’ll heal faster."

Orlenna saw Hilla holding a tray full of food, and she could not help but smile.

Hilla nodded her head guiltily and quickly went upstairs with the tray in hand.

The meals were for her son! Hilla had not eaten more than what she was due in the family.

In the room, after eating, Hilla tossed herself on the bed. As she pursed her lips in satisfaction, she saw the medicine box in Bruce’s hand and was immediately alert.

"What are you doing?"

Bruce replied without even lifting his head, "Applying ointment on your back." He still wanted to see her naked back?!

Hilla blushed and immediately declined sternly.

"No need! I can do it on my own."

Bruce frowned as he stared at Hilla before parting his thin lips and said, "Are you shy?"

...

Shy? What a joke. Why would she be shy? She was just afraid of him taking advantage of her.

After all, Bruce was already old. Surely, he was very experienced in such matters and much cunning than she was.

"A patient’s gender does not matter to a doctor."

"Are you a doctor?"

"No, I’m your husband."

Bruce was not blushing nor breathing raggedly, and that instantly made Hilla blush.

As expected, old men were truly shameless.

Bruce Anderson could not be bothered looking at her as her thoughts raced in her head. He said blatantly, "Take off your clothes."

"I can do it myself."

"Could you even reach your back?"

Hilla sulked. She just knew that a man like Bruce, who was older than her by ten years, would definitely have had a lot of women in his past. The man must be an expert with women. She could not even say anything to retort even when he acted like a ruffian!

"I don’t need your help!"

As soon as she said that angrily, she grabbed the blanket and rolled out of the bed.

Old men were just too dangerous. She should just sleep on the sofa.

When Bruce saw how she stayed away from him, he did not force her to stay. He actually let her sleep on the sofa.

It started getting dark, and the faint fragrance of lavender still lingered in the room. The woman on the sofa turned around. It immediately caused her discomfort, and she frowned.

Bruce had just finished going through the information he currently had about Anderson Industries. He raised his head and saw the curled-up figure on the sofa. His furrowed brows gradually eased apart.

When he was in a coma, all he wanted to do was to open his eyes and see the look of the woman who had been ranting beside his ears every day.

Under the bright illumination of the crystal chandelier, the woman’s face was pressed against the edge of the sofa. Her head started to fall down.

Perhaps she was tired after all the trouble she went through the entire day. It might also be because her cold was still affecting her, but Hilla slept quickly and deeply.

Her entire body was at the edge of the sofa, and it slowly rolled down it. In the end,

with one more bob from her head, her entire body rolled off the sofa and to the floor with the blanket still wrapped around her.

Bruce Anderson was stunned. Just as he was wondering about how he should pick her up, he witnessed Hilla managing to stand up with the blanket in hand.

"I must be dreaming again," she mumbled. She did not even open her eyes when she crawled back in bed. Based on pure instincts, she rolled around a bit before she continued to sleep.

Bruce watched Hilla’s subconscious actions. It was clear that she was barely awake.

A light smile formed on his pale, sickly, and handsome face.

"How are you doing? You’re looking a little clumsy after getting better. Did your fever overheat your brain?"

Lily Hart saw how Hilla Holt was staring into space as she held a brush. Worried, she pressed her hands on Hilla’s forehead. It was fortunate that she was not having a fever again.

Hilla made a face as if she had a long story to tell, but in the end, she gritted her teeth and looked at Lily before she said, "Bruce is awake now."

"WHAT?!" Lily almost jumped to her feet. Luckily, Hilla pulled Lily back to her seat. After that, Lily scrunched up her face and asked with a trembling voice, "Is he really awake now?"

Hilla nodded, and Lily took a long, deep breath. "That means... Did he... Did he touch... Are you guys now... a real married couple?"

"What are you saying? You know Bruce just woke up. There’s no way he will be able to do those things now," said Hilla. At that moment, she felt that her face was burning up. She had to take a deep breath and calm her wavering mind.

She might have been tormented so much by Bruce over the past few days that she had already forgotten that they were married.

"That’s true. Bruce has been lying in bed for half a year now, and surely, he would have a hard time to even stand up. He’ll definitely not be able to do anything to you. Oh jeez, you could keep the purity of your body intact for just a few days more. When he’s back on his feet, you might even be hanging a sign board that says ’I’m the lady of the Anderson family’."

’Heh. Look at how good Hilla’s life is. Even when the Holt family is bankrupt, she could still be a lady of a prestigious family.’

Hilla grew tired listening to Lily’s crap. She turned away and looked at the others before she said, "My pictorial board isn’t done yet. Where is Richards?"

The moment Rigel Richards’ name was mentioned, Lily’s face instantly turned dull.

"I don’t know what sort of shock he experienced, but Richards took off to the Martial Arts Society. Do you think he wants to be a martial arts expert and fight for justice?"

Hilla also felt that Rigel Richards was an odd character. But she did not dwell on it too long. She put away her things and said, "I’m going to get that van done. If

there’s any news from the President, please remember to inform me."

Lily nodded. As she stared at Hilla’s slender figure, she could not help but mumble, "Such a beautiful flower... I wonder if Bruce Anderson is a perfect fit for her. It’s a shame for Hilla. She would have been a perfect match with Richards."

...

"Why did you call me again?

"Didn’t I transfer the money to you already? You couldn’t even get things done! What else do you want?

"Are you joking? I wanted you to take naked pictures of Hilla Holt! You said there is no problem! And now you’re blaming me for getting your arms broken?

"Enough. Do not contact me again! From now on, we are no longer associates."

Hilla walked out from behind the pictorial board. Between her fingers was a dirtied brush because it fell on the ground. A seductive smile formed on her lips.

She appeared before the woman, which startled her. When she saw Hilla, clear panic showed on her face.

Hilla’s eyes stared into Felicia Fortis’ face. She gave a seductive smile as she said, "I was wondering who hated me so much! So, it’s you, Miss Fortis. You’re about to get married into a rich family, aren’t you? What’s the matter? Did you get pregnant again that fast?"

Hilla’s voice was not loud but the way she said "married into a rich family" had struck a nerve.

The last time she taunted Hilla in the cafeteria, she got smeared in return. She had never thought that the people she hired would not be able to subjugate her as well.

When she remembered how Hilla had broken two men’s limbs, Felicia was so frightened that she quickly took a step away from Hilla. On guard, she warned Hilla, "What do you want to do?"

Felicia was once a beauty that many coveted. But ever since she enrolled in New Island University, everything that she had was trampled underneath Hilla Holt.

Hilla Holt was the rich princess of Holt Corporation, the top socialite in all of New Island, the one woman that many rich boys sought after, and the goddess that all men in the university worshipped.

Not even Felicia’s looks and the figure that she was so proud of could hold a candle against Hilla Holt.

She was so disgruntled!

Why could she only be the course princess? Why was Hilla born into a rich family? In contrast, for the sake of living just a little comfortably, Felicia had to curry favor to the rich young masters and wealthy old men and be toyed around by them.

"Yeah, it’s me! I did it. I hired those men! Are you going to tell everyone? What proof

do you have? Who would believe you?"

Felicia Fortis puffed her cheeks. The panic in her eyes was forcefully veiled by a layer of false courage. She thought that as long as she did not admit to it, Hilla could not do anything to her.

Hilla turned to the brush she held. A beautiful smile formed on her face, and the mole beneath her eyes appeared more seductive the more she smiled.

With slight force in her fingers, a loud crack was heard. The brush was easily broken into two pieces. One half of it fell to the floor pitifully.

Hilla raised her head and said coolly, "I’m afraid you don’t understand me well enough. Do you think I need a reason or evidence to punch you?"