Ian Blackwood picked up Caleb Lockwood.
Caleb didn’t refuse either.
With Caleb’s height, it was much more comfortable for Ian to support him than Serena Jennings.
Serena quietly followed alongside, walking with Ian toward the black Maybach parked by the road.
"You’re actually a pretty good person!"
This compliment from Serena was genuinely heartfelt, but Ian didn’t appreciate it.
"If I hadn’t taken care of him, you wouldn’t even think to praise me."
Serena was dumbfounded.
Ian stuffed Caleb into the back seat of the car.
"You should be grateful I drove a different car today."
Since he had business to discuss, the white Lamborghini was clearly less appropriate than the black Maybach.
Just by looking, Ian could tell that Caleb was drugged with an aphrodisiac.
But to be able to drive away after taking that kind of drug and even control himself around a woman, Ian figured Caleb was either—
80% impotent or 20% gay.
Ian called for Serena to get in the car but didn’t let her sit in the back seat.
As a result, Serena naturally sat in the back seat with Caleb, despite the ample space available in the front seat.
Ian pushed his gold-rimmed glasses up, visibly annoyed, visible to Serena with just one glance.
However, Serena didn’t even glance at him.
She let Caleb rest his head on her lap.
Caleb’s right hand remained clenched in a fist, refusing to relax.
Serena knew Caleb was still enduring, still using the pain to resist the drug.
Ian drove back to his own home and called a trusted private doctor to give Caleb an injection and treat his wounds.
Although Ian held nothing back when hitting Caleb, those wounds were manageable.
The troublesome part was Caleb’s right hand.
The palm was full of tiny glass shards.
The doctor said Caleb likely inflicted the wounds himself, perhaps by deliberately crushing a glass.
Without the torment of the aphrodisiac, Caleb fell into a deep sleep.
"You should sleep in the guest room next to his!"
Serena sat by Caleb’s bed and turned to thank Ian.
Ian left, and Serena still hadn’t left.
Sitting on the living room sofa, Ian poured himself a glass of vodka.
He was waiting for Serena.
He was curious about when she would finally come out of Caleb’s room.
Three glasses of vodka down, and Ian still hadn’t seen Serena come out.
He figured Serena might not leave at all tonight.
It turned out, when he liked Claire Shaw, Claire liked Caleb.
Now he liked Serena, and Serena liked Caleb as well.
When Caleb woke up, he felt some gaps in his memory because he hadn’t been completely lucid the night before.
But he remembered the gist of it.
He and Claire were drugged with an aphrodisiac at the bar, barely avoiding ending up in bed together.
Luckily, there was a glass in the hotel room, which he crushed to use the pain from the glass shards in his palm to maintain a trace of reason.
He clearly remembered calling Mr. Miller, but it was Serena who came to pick him up.
Later, Ian had hit him, but Ian also helped him.
Caleb rubbed his aching head and only then noticed someone by his bedside.
Serena groggily lifted her head and met Caleb’s eyes.
She scrambled to her feet, awkwardly scratching her head.
"How... how are you feeling? Better now?"
Lying in bed, Caleb discreetly scrutinized Serena from head to toe.
He had already changed into pajamas, but Serena was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday.
Yesterday, she was wearing this outfit when she came to his office to confront him. Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn novelFirｅ.net
She wore this outfit to have dinner with him, then splashed wine on his face.
And she kept wearing this outfit while taking care of him, drugged with an aphrodisiac.
Seeing Caleb staring intently at her, Serena glanced down at herself.
"I accidentally fell asleep last night because I was too tired, not because I wanted to stay with you."
Serena earnestly explained, but Caleb simply chuckled softly.
Serena was being truthful.
She was a bit concerned about Caleb, but not enough to stay by his side all night.
She was genuinely exhausted and unknowingly fell asleep by Caleb’s bed.
Caleb’s gaze held a teasing, meaningful glint.
Serena knew Caleb didn’t believe her explanation.
The first to leave the Blackwood residence was Serena, as she had work to do at the company, with so much on her plate that she could barely keep up.
Caleb was instructed by the doctor to rest for another day.
At Ian’s front door, Caleb stood inside while Serena stood outside.
Ian sat alone at the breakfast table.
"I advise you not to go back to that house on Vornath Street."
Serena didn’t ask why.
She had planned to go home to change clothes before heading to work.
To her, "home" was still the old house on Vornath Street.
The Jade Pavilion was Caleb’s home, not hers.
But Caleb’s warning made sense.
Now her identity was different; she was the mistress of the Lockwood Group, Caleb’s wife.
If she were seen wearing the same clothes as yesterday, coming home early in the morning, who knows what kind of gossip might arise.
"You should go back to The Jade Pavilion!"
"If I go back there, there won’t be my clothes, only Claire’s, right?"
"You think Claire still stays at The Jade Pavilion?"
Caleb retorted, leaving Serena momentarily stunned without an answer.
Caleb didn’t elaborate further, simply saying, "Suit yourself!"
After leaving Ian’s home, Serena didn’t return to the old house on Vornath Street or The Jade Pavilion; instead, she found a nearby mall and bought a new outfit to change into.
Back at Ian’s place, Ian finished breakfast and said to Caleb, "Sort out breakfast yourself; I didn’t bring any for you."
"I don’t eat breakfast."
Ian adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, smiling as he asked, "Wasn’t Serena a housewife before? Doesn’t she make you breakfast?"
Serena used to make him breakfast.
Every day for three years of their marriage, without missing a day.
And during those three years, with Serena making breakfast, he had developed the habit of eating breakfast.
But now, Serena would not make him breakfast ever again.
Without Serena’s breakfast, he chose not to eat breakfast.
Ian let out a cold laugh, pouring another drink for himself.
Noticing Caleb staring at him, Ian casually said, "Staring at me won’t help, the doctor says you’re not allowed to drink."
Caleb shook his head and sat down on the sofa, a serious expression on his face.
"Thanks for the help this time, but I don’t like owing people, especially not you."
Ian understood Caleb’s meaning, casually drinking while saying nonchalantly:
"Then give me twenty percent of the Lockwood Group’s shares."
Caleb agreed so readily that Ian was momentarily stunned.
"Seems like the Lockwood Group isn’t that important to you!"
Ian chuckled, waving at Caleb, "Well, how about this...why don’t you let me have Serena?"
This time, Ian didn’t hear a prompt "okay" from Caleb.