Chapter 244: What Kind of Exercise
Jerry's eyes narrowed dangerously as he strode into the living room, phone already in hand. He dialed a number with a quick, precise motion. "Heather Turner, why are you taking so long?"
On the other end, Heather's voice was steady, yet slightly rushed. "Jerry, I’m just getting into the elevator. I’m almost there."
Barely a minute later, the door swung open and Heather entered. She was a striking figure in a red dress and high heels, momentarily startled to see Jerry standing upright and seemingly unaffected.
Her mind raced. If Jerry wasn’t affected by the drug, why had he summoned her with the antidote?
Jerry's concern for Hope, still in the bathroom, took precedence. He extended his hand briskly. "The antidote?"
Heather snapped to attention, fetching a small vial from her bag and handing it over. "One pill should be enough."
As she spoke, she covertly scanned the room. A pair of women's high heels nestled inconspicuously by the sofa. The usually immaculate couch was disheveled, the blanket crumpled as if someone had just vacated it.
"Alright." Jerry pocketed the antidote, finally affording Heather his full attention. With a lazy smile, he remarked, "You've changed your style. No more black, white, and gray?"
As Jerry's capable assistant, Heather knew he was sharp-minded. She immediately smiled and said, "Yeah. My mom pushed me into going on a blind date and even chose this dress for me."
Jerry's smile turned slightly apologetic. "Your mom has good taste. Did I interrupt your date? This came up unexpectedly."
Heather shrugged off his concern with a practiced ease. "No worries. Work is my priority, and that date wasn’t promising anyway. Your call actually saved me."
Jerry nodded appreciatively. "Good."
A faint sound of water trickled from the bathroom. Heather’s ears perked, and she took it as her cue. "I’ll be heading out then."
As she exited the building, Heather slipped off her high heels, discarding them with an air of frustration. Despite years of loyalty, she had never imagined someone else would encroach upon her place by Jerry's side. Yet, as she reflected, a sardonic smile tugged at her lips.
The woman had failed in her attempt to seduce Jerry—even under the influence of a drug. Instead, Jerry had called her, Heather, for the antidote, solidifying her belief that no one could replace her in his life.
Inside, I finally emerged from the cold shower, the heat in my body dissipating. Rationality returned, accompanied by a wave of shame and embarrassment over my earlier actions.
A knock on the bathroom door interrupted my thoughts, Jerry's voice filtering through. "Finished washing?"
"Yes," I replied, quickly slipping into a gray bathrobe. I opened the door but avoided looking directly at Jerry. "Elissa and Nolan should be home by now. I should go back."
"Wait," Jerry said, gently grasping my arm. He pressed a small bottle of medicine into my hand. "The drug's effects might not be completely gone. Take one of these."
I nodded, gratitude mingling with residual discomfort. "Okay."
I held the small bottle of medicine in my hand as Jerry chuckled lightly. "Are you planning to go back wearing my bathrobe?"
My mind was a chaotic mess. The thought of going back home like this was hard to fathom. "Then what should I do?"
Jerry pointed to the bathroom door handle, where a green slip dress was hanging. "Your clothes."
I blinked in surprise. "How do you have..."
Before I could finish, I remembered leaving this dress at his place after a rainy visit to Jacquar One. Jerry had thoughtfully brought it here to Maple Valley.
Meeting his amused gaze, I quickly grabbed the dress and retreated to the bathroom. Changing hastily, I couldn’t shake off a sense of guilt and awkwardness, as if I were sneaking away after a one-night stand.
I hurried back home, not even waiting for the elevator, opting for the stairs instead. When I opened the door, Nolan looked up from his puzzle. "Hope! You're back!"
He got up and ran over to hug me. I picked him up and pinched his cheek. "Yes, I'm back."
"Didn't Jerry pick you up ages ago? Why are you back so late?" Elissa's keen eyes quickly noticed. "And why did you change clothes?"
I didn't answer, instead heading straight to the dining table to pour myself a glass of water and took the antidote. Then I turned to Elissa. "I had an incident at the party."
Elissa's frown deepened. "What happened?"
It wasn’t a subject for a child’s ears, so I looked at Nolan. "Nolan, can you go take a bath first? I'll tell you a bedtime story afterward, okay?"
"Okay!" Excited about the promise of a story, Nolan dashed into the bathroom.
After adjusting the shower height for him, I returned to the room. I tossed the bottle of the antidote I had just taken to Elissa. "Someone drugged me."
Elissa snapped to attention, her voice rising in alarm. "Drugged? What kind of drug?"
"What do you think?" I retorted, a trace of annoyance slipping into my tone.
Elissa shook the bottle in her hand, eyes wide. "So this is to counteract that drug?"
I nodded. "It should be."
"Wait..." Elissa pointed downward and asked incredulously, "Jerry didn’t do anything to you?"
I felt my ears heat up as memories of the evening surfaced, but I kept my tone even. "No, he didn't want to take advantage of me."
Elissa raised an eyebrow and gave a thumbs-up. "Who knew Jerry was such a gentleman?"
The next day at noon, Jerry received a call from Sophia.
"I heard from the doctor that he checked on your leg earlier this morning. What's wrong with it? Wasn't it getting better?" Sophia's concern was evident.
Jerry thought. 'That doctor can't keep a secret.'
Poking at his takeout with little enthusiasm, he replied, "Couldn't help it, exercised a bit."
"Exercise?" Sophia echoed in disbelief. The image of Jerry, who preferred lounging over physical activity, was sharply juxtaposed against the idea of him exercising.
Sophia's curiosity got the better of her. "Wait, what kind of exercise are you talking about?"
Jerry choked, spotting the cleaner entering the bathroom. He quickly called out, "Don't touch the gray bathrobe."
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