CHAPTER 539: CHAPTER 539: SCUMBAG-STYLE COUPLE’S SHOW-OFF

Paige Sterling was ill, with a high fever of thirty-nine degrees, and it just wouldn’t come down. Completely delirious from the fever.

Plus, she was having nightmares.

Julian Hawthorne watched her suffer so much, feeling terrible, wishing he could take all her pain instead.

But he could only stay by Paige’s side, using all the physical cooling methods the doctors suggested. When Paige was having nightmares, he held her and patiently comforted her.

Finally, Paige stopped having nightmares, and her temperature slowly returned to normal, but she was severely dehydrated, with cracked lips.

Julian found Paige’s usual lip balm and applied it to her lips.

Unexpectedly, at that moment, Paige suddenly opened her mouth and bit down hard on Julian’s finger.

She bit really hard, and Julian feared hurting Paige, so he didn’t shake her off, just endured it.

Eventually, Paige got tired and finally let go.

Julian simply bandaged it, without paying much attention.

Soon, Paige woke up, and Jared Sullivan and Nanny Sutton brought over some soup. Seeing Paige awake, they were very happy.

Jared, a middle-aged man, even cried emotionally.

Paige’s voice was a bit hoarse, "Dad, I’m fine now, don’t worry."

"How can you be fine? You’ve lost weight."

"I’ll gain it back in a few days."

Indeed, knowing Julian’s personality, he’d definitely make her have tons of nourishing soups every few days, and she’d soon be round as a ball.

There were some things that happened when Henry Hale took her away, which Paige kept hidden from Jared.

Otherwise, Jared would have been even more worried.

After Jared and Nanny Sutton left, Julian fed Paige some soup.

That’s when Paige noticed one of Julian’s fingers was bandaged. She asked, "How did you get hurt? Is it serious?"

Julian smiled, "Not serious, just a little scrape."

But when Paige saw the blood seeping through the bandage, she knew the wound on Julian’s finger must not be small, "How did you get hurt?"

Julian, "Just an accident."

Paige knew Julian’s style too well.

The more casually he brushed it off, the less Paige believed him.

She held Julian’s finger, wanting to take a look, but was afraid of pulling the wound.

"Tell me the truth."

Julian, "You bit me."

Paige, "..."

It took her a long time to recall a vague memory.

While she was in a daze, she really seemed to have bitten something hard; she thought it was a dream but never expected...

She actually bit Julian’s finger?

Even now, her jaw was still a bit sore, enough to show she bit quite hard back then; Julian must have suffered significantly from her bite.

She lowered her head and kissed the wounded area on Julian’s finger, "Sorry."

"It’s no big deal," he patted Paige’s head, "Feeling sorry for me?"

Back then, Paige would never admit it.

But at this moment, Julian heard her softly mutter an affirmation.

Julian was somewhat pleasantly surprised.

Suddenly, he said to Paige, "When you get better, let’s have the wedding, okay?"

Paige nodded, "Okay."

Julian’s smile grew bigger, at that moment, Paige thought he looked like a fool, but she couldn’t help but love it.

Paige stayed in the hospital for half a month, during which she didn’t bother with anything else, just nestled in the hospital every day.

Julian did the same, staying in the hospital with her every day, intimately discussing wedding details.

Paige didn’t think there was anything particularly special to attend to for the wedding, but Julian asked for her opinion on even the smallest of details.

"Beau, do you think this is a good date for a wedding?"

Paige nodded, "Yeah, it’s an auspicious day."

"Do you prefer a Chinese or Western style?"

Paige, "What do you like?"

Julian, "Whatever you like is what I like."

Paige purposely played along, "Me too, whatever you like is what I like."

Julian, "... Then a mix of both?"

Paige, "Sure."

By the time Paige was discharged, Julian had almost everything planned for the wedding.

And he did it quietly, without anyone knowing.

This day, after months, Julian finally appeared in public, attending a social gathering of men within the circle.

Julian rarely attended such gatherings before, due to his aversion to physical contact and always avoiding crowded places.

But this time, he attended, still keeping a distance from those around, but he showed up.

The crowd was surprised, looking at Julian like he was some rare creature.

"It’s really rare for you to come to such a gathering, President Hawthorne."

"Maybe Professor Sterling is giving you the cold shoulder lately? Haha..."

Lately, Julian hadn’t been showing affection publicly on Vlog nor been seen with Paige, leading to rumors about their relationship breaking down.

Of course, everyone within the circle knew this wasn’t true and was just teasing Julian.

Julian rarely showed a smile, didn’t say a word, and motioned for Secretary Jones to come in.

Secretary Jones walked in carrying a bag, and Julian had him distribute its contents to everyone.

The crowd was bewildered, taking what seemed like an invitation card, and on opening it, was further mystified.

A wedding invitation?

Groom: Julian Hawthorne.

Bride: Paige Sterling.

Wait, weren’t these two already married? Why are they having a wedding now?

It took the crowd a moment to realize that although they were widely recognized as a couple, they hadn’t actually held a wedding before.

So now they were planning to make up for it?

After reading the invitation, everyone’s eyes turned to Julian, "So, President, you came to this gathering not to bond but to make us singletons feel bad, right?"

Why not just send the invites to our homes? Why come all the way to a singles’ gathering to hand them out?

This was a blatant attack on the singletons.

Julian didn’t respond, just stood up and left.

He really came just to show off.

Now that he was done showing off, he left.

It left all the singles gnashing their teeth in resentment.

Though Paige seemed very calm about the wedding, as the days passed, she found herself getting a bit nervous.

This nervousness manifested in her increasingly expressionless demeanor.

That night, while taking a cab home, the driver noticed her emotionless face and suspected she might be contemplating something drastic as soon as she got off.

The kind-hearted driver decided to offer Paige some comfort.

"Young lady, why the gloom? Did something troubling happen in your life?"

Paige usually didn’t talk much, but for some reason, she felt a bit like speaking now.

Perhaps it was because the driver was a stranger.

So Paige asked the driver, "Uncle, have you ever experienced true love?"

"Of course, who hasn’t had that unforgettable love in their youth..."

The driver assumed Paige might have broken up with her boyfriend, so he tried to speak in a lighthearted manner.

"Young lady, let me tell you, I was quite the heartthrob back in my day..."

Then, with an arrogant tone, the driver recounted a seven-year romance he had from ages three to ten.

This romance ended abruptly when the other party moved away.

After finishing his story, the driver asked, "Wasn’t it touching?"

The driver was already moved, his eyes red and teary.

Paige, "...", nodded in coordination, "I believe if you’re destined, you’ll meet again."

The driver let out a few laughs, "Young lady, your comfort really helped me feel better."

Paige, "...", who was actually seeking comfort here?

Paige sighed, asking again, "Uncle, do you remember your wedding day? Were you nervous?"

"Nervous? Of course, I was nervous; I was marrying my high school crush..."

Paige, "Wasn’t your true love your childhood sweetheart at age three?"

"Oh, that was just my first love..."

Paige, "..."

The driver seemed to have opened a floodgate, sharing stories of his multiple romantic encounters all the way.

Paige, "...", ended up being force-fed tales of a playboy’s romantic history.