Chapter 167 Testing Her Patience
The notion of 'not getting too close with any other man but him' caused Nora's delicate brows to furrow in confusion. 'Is he attempting to control her freedom?' she wondered. However, she quickly dismissed the thought, reminding herself that she wasn't one to mingle too closely with other men anyway.
"Mr. Gordon, I'm not that idle," she retorted, her voice echoing in the room. A smile slowly crept onto Aaron's face at her words. "Alright, Noe," he responded, his voice laced with amusement.
Noe, who had been standing just outside the door, his ears pricked for Aaron's command, heard his name being called. He hurriedly pushed open the door, his voice slightly breathless as he said, "Mr. Gordon."
"Ship out to Jack's lab," Aaron commanded.
"Yes," Noe responded, casting a quick glance at Nora. Not spotting any signs of irritation on her face, he breathed a sigh of relief. 'Aaron smoothed things over with Dr. Smith, huh?' Noe thought, relieved. He had been genuinely worried that Aaron had upset Nora past the point of no return. 'Turns out the boss still has the touch!'
"Mr. Gordon, I'll be off then," Noe announced, his voice echoing in the room.
As Nora saw that the matter was settled, she turned on her heel, ready to head back to her lab. However, she was stopped in her tracks by Aaron, who glanced at his exquisite watch and said, "I've got a gathering soon, and you're coming with me."
Nora fell silent, her mind racing. 'Why does she have to accompany him to a function?' she wondered, her irritation growing. "Mr. Gordon, I'm not one of your employees, alright?" she finally spoke up, her voice laced with annoyance.
Aaron's eyebrows arched slightly at her words. "Another condition – whenever I need it, you must be ready to assume the necessary role," he stated, his voice firm.
Once again, Nora fell silent. 'Isn't Aaron being a tad too demanding?' she thought, her irritation growing. "Mr. Gordon, aren't your demands a bit much?" she finally asked, her voice echoing in the room.
A sly smile spread across Aaron's face at her words. "Don't agree?" he asked, his voice laced with amusement.
"I didn't say that," Nora retorted, sighing deeply. Her gaze lingered on the man's handsome face, her heart fluttering slightly.
His grin widened as he reached out, his voice echoing in the room as he said, "Help me up."
Nora couldn't help but smirk, her hand involuntarily smoothing down her lab coat sleeve, ready to throw a punch. Yet, as she moved closer to him, the sight of his charming, smiling eyes melted away some of her anger.
Despite her frustration, Nora couldn't shake the odd sensation that she was firmly within Aaron's grasp. "Where's your wheelchair?" she asked, assisting him to his feet and starting to look around for the wheelchair.
"I'm not using the wheelchair today. You're my cane," Aaron responded, his voice echoing in the room.
"Mr. Gordon, do you have any other requests? Can you just state them all at once?" Nora asked, her voice laced with irritation. 'He's testing her patience, one demand after another!' she thought, her irritation growing.
"That's all for now," Aaron responded, his voice echoing in the room.
"For now?" Nora asked, her voice echoing in the room.
"Any problem with that?" Aaron asked, his voice laced with amusement.
Supporting him, Nora glowered at the handsome face in front of her, fighting the urge to just let go. However, Aaron seemed blissfully unaware of her fierce glare, contently leaning on her shoulder as they took the elevator down to the lobby.
The two receptionists watched the scene unfold with their mouths agape in amazement. "Holy moly, has Mr. Gordon's leg healed? And why is he hugging that girl who just walked in?" one of them asked, her voice echoing in the room.
"It must be the power of love!" the other receptionist responded, her voice echoing in the room. "Does this mean that girl is really Mr. Gordon's new girlfriend?" she asked, her voice echoing in the room.
"What about Suzy then?" the first receptionist asked, her voice echoing in the room.
Nora helped Aaron into Noe's car, her mind racing.
As the car began its journey, Nora sat in silence, her gaze affixed to the scenery whizzing by outside the window.
Suddenly, her phone rang, the caller ID displaying Jack's name.
She answered, her voice steady, "Jack."
"Nora, Gordon Group just informed us that the shipment is ready for dispatch. Have you met with Aaron?" Jack's voice echoed through the phone.
Nora's eyes flicked towards Aaron, who had turned to look at her, subtly shifting closer to the car door. "Yes, I did."
"What did he make you promise? Is he expecting a marriage proposal or something?" Jack's voice wavered, a note of anxiety creeping into his tone.
A chuckle escaped Nora's lips, "No, he merely requested my medical assistance."
A pause followed, Jack's skepticism evident in his silence, "Is that all?"
"Yes." Nora replied, her tone firm. Aaron hadn't been overly demanding, nor had he made any unreasonable requests.
"Are you returning soon?" Jack asked, his voice regaining its composure.
"I'll head back after we dine."
"Okay."
As she ended the call, a wave of relief washed over Nora. The issue, at least for now, was resolved. The last thing she wanted was to drag innocent bystanders into her troubles.
The man beside her closed the gap between them slightly, prompting Nora to turn and meet Aaron's penetrating, dark gaze.
Her heart skipped a beat, "Mr. Gordon, what are you doing?"
Aaron studied her, "You seem quite gentle when conversing with others?"
His tone held a barely discernible hint of jealousy. Nora straightened up, replying, "I always speak like this."
"No, you're different with me." Aaron's dark eyes narrowed, "When you converse with me, you sound cold."
Nora fell silent, mulling over his words. 'It seems true.'
Overhearing their conversation, Noe interjected from the driver's seat, "Mr. Gordon, perhaps it's because Dr. Smith treats you like family that she's more casual with you."
Feeling helpless, Nora thought to herself, 'I've always been gentle!'
Aaron laughed, finding Noe's words amusing.
The car came to a halt in front of a high-end restaurant.
Noe exited the vehicle, retrieving a wheelchair from the trunk.
As Nora assisted Aaron out of the car, she stared at the wheelchair in surprise.
'So Noe had already placed the wheelchair in the car. Aaron tricked me again.'
Nora shot Aaron a glance, thinking to herself that he could be as childish as Billy at times.
Aaron maneuvered himself into the restaurant, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips as he caught Nora's disgruntled expression.
Despite enjoying the advantages his current situation offered, he would never admit to exploiting them.
Aaron had briefly considered using Jack's connection to pressure Nora into marriage, but had quickly dismissed the idea. The thought of being too forceful made him uncomfortable. He preferred her to agree to marry him of her own accord.
Noe, pushing Aaron's wheelchair, accompanied them into the restaurant.
A waiter guided them to a private dining area.
Upon their arrival, a group of five or six individuals rose to their feet, eagerly shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries with Aaron.
Nora surveyed the attendees, a mix of men and women she assumed were Aaron's business associates.
"Mr. Gordon, who might this be?" A middle-aged man with slicked-back hair inquired, his gaze resting on Nora.
"She's my assistant. Morgan, would you mind setting another place at the table?" Aaron asked.
"Not at all. Waiter, please bring an additional set of silverware," Morgan responded promptly, being the host of the dinner.
The waiter quickly fetched a new set, and Aaron gestured for Nora to sit beside him.
"Mr. Gordon, is this an exception to your rule? You've never brought a lady to dine with us before," Morgan teased, pouring wine for Aaron.
"It seems this assistant is rather special to Mr. Gordon!"
"Barrett, you know how it is," came the knowing replies.
Nora was speechless at the suggestive banter of the men.
'Is Aaron doing this on purpose? Wouldn't it be simpler just to introduce her as a doctor? Why label her as his assistant, stirring unwarranted speculation?'
"Ladies and gentlemen, I've just brought her along for a free meal. She's a bit reserved, so let's not fuss over her," Aaron chimed in, casually filling Nora's glass with water.
His tone was laced with indulgence, convincing everyone around that their relationship was anything but superficial.
While everyone was curious about Nora's background, no one dared to ask.
So, they all just laughed it off, no longer teasing Nora about it.
Nora remained silent, listening to the group discuss business while she savored the exquisite dishes.
The majority of the table was occupied by men, and as they drank more, they began to smoke cigarettes.
The smell of smoke was choking Nora, so she excused herself to get some fresh air under the pretense of visiting the restroom.
Outside the private dining rooms, she followed the signs, heading toward the restrooms, when a shrill female voice echoed from one of the rooms.
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