Chapter 922
Calliope instinctively asked, "These cufflinks are pretty fancy. Did she give them to you?"
"Huh?"
Calliope snapped back to reality when she heard Ambrose's low voice above her.
She had accidentally spoken her thoughts out loud.
Her neck stiffened, and she scrunched up her face under her mask, wishing she could bite her tongue off.
But she hoped Ambrose hadn't heard her.
She lowered her head even more, letting her long hair cascade over her shoulders like a comforting shield.
At that moment, Ambrose let go of her hair and said, "I just accidentally caught your hair. No need to play the elevator ghost and scare me."
His teasing voice made Calliope's face burn with embarrassment.
She realized her hair, tangled in his cufflink, had been freed.
She felt mortified.
Having pretended to be a stranger from the start, she couldn't bring herself to look up now.
Calliope kept her head down, continuing to play the role of a passerby, and whispered, "Sorry, I just had Botox. My face is swollen, and I can't be seen. Sorry for the inconvenience, and thank you."
She bowed and turned to press the elevator button.
But just as she turned, Ambrose's deep voice called out from behind her, "Calliope."
Calliope was speechless.
There was a moment of stillness in the elevator. Calliope slowly raised her head, mustering the courage to meet Ambrose's gaze in the reflection of the elevator wall.
Ambrose raised an eyebrow, "Are you still pretending not to know me?"
Calliope had no idea when he had recognized her. She felt incredibly awkward.
She turned around, forcing a smile, "I wasn't pretending not to know you. I just didn't want to interrupt your phone call and missed the chance to say hello..."
The more she explained, the less sense it made, so she decided to change the subject, "Mr. Kelly, what brings you here?"
Ambrose didn't answer her question. Instead, he took a step forward and raised his hand.
Calliope froze, feeling the unfamiliar yet familiar coldness emanating from Ambrose, like the chill of a snowy peak, stirring old memories.
Her long lashes trembled, and she felt paralyzed, watching Ambrose's fingers approach.
She thought he was going to touch her face, her heart racing, and she couldn't help but close her eyes.
In slow motion, Ambrose's fingers only grasped the edge of her mask and pulled it down.
The mask fell to one side, hanging from her ear. Ambrose released his hand, and the mask dangled.
Despite the increased airflow, Calliope felt like she was suffocating.
"Botox? Swollen face, can't be seen?"
Calliope was mortified.
Who revealed someone's lie like that?
This wasn't like Ambrose at all. In her impression, Ambrose was always gentlemanly and polite, yet distant and aloof.
He wasn't the type to embarrass someone publicly.
Calliope felt awkward and at a loss, raising her hand to remove the mask and tuck her hair behind her ear, hoping the elevator would quickly reach the first floor to escape this situation.
Instead of going down, the elevator opened.
Three people pushed an elderly woman in a wheelchair inside.
Ambrose stepped aside, pulling Calliope with him.
As the elevator doors closed again, Calliope and Ambrose stood side by side at the back of the elevator.
Calliope leaned against the wall, her head slightly lowered, noticing her coat hem almost brushing Ambrose's suit pants.
She wanted to move, but as soon as she did, the woman in front turned and said, "Please be careful. My mom just had surgery and can't be jostled."
Calliope gave an awkward smile and stayed put.
The elderly woman in the wheelchair had just undergone surgery, and the three people seemed to be her children, asking about her condition and competing to take care of her.
Calliope had been frequenting the hospital lately and had seen many families arguing and pushing their elderly relatives away.
It was the first time she had seen a family competing to care for their elderly member.
Calliope couldn't help but smile. The lively conversation in the elevator eased the awkwardness.
She began to relax, but her relief was short-lived.
Ambrose's low voice suddenly sounded beside her, "What did I do to offend you? Why are you avoiding me?"
Calliope turned to look at Ambrose, meeting his inquisitive gaze. Her scalp tingled, and her hand holding the thermos sweated.
If she had known pretending not to know him would lead to such awkwardness and that he wouldn't let it go, she would have chosen to take the stairs.
Calliope pursed her lips and said, "I'm not avoiding you or pretending not to know you. I thought you didn't recognize me, so I didn't want to bother you."
Ambrose raised an eyebrow, "Great, not only avoiding me but also turning the tables."
Calliope was speechless.
She retreated, but Ambrose advanced, pushing her to the point of frustration.
She looked at Ambrose, "How did you recognize me?"
Ambrose's gaze fell on her, "You're trying to hide it, but your guilty expression is hard to miss."
He wouldn't tell her she had been acting too strangely.
It wasn't that Ambrose was narcissistic, but someone like him always attracted attention wherever he went.
Even if people didn't stare, they would glance at him openly or secretly.
But Calliope had kept her head down the whole time, which was unusual. It was hard not to notice her.
Calliope felt another wave of regret. Fortunately, the elevator reached the first floor, and the elderly woman was carefully pushed out by her attentive children.
Calliope quickly followed them out, but just as she took a step, Ambrose grabbed her wrist.
Calliope turned, looking at Ambrose with confusion.
Ambrose glanced at the thermos in her hand, "Aren't you going upstairs?"
Calliope remembered she was supposed to go upstairs, but had ended up on the first floor because of Ambrose and the tangled hair.
But she didn't want to admit her mistake or let Ambrose know why she was at the hospital.
She forced a smile, "I just remembered I forgot to buy something. I'll go get it and then head upstairs."
Ambrose nodded slightly, whether he believed her or not.
But he released her hand and walked out first.
Calliope sighed in relief, falling behind. She watched Ambrose's back, thinking he was probably leaving. She could go upstairs once he was gone.
But the next second, Ambrose turned to look at her.
"Aren't you going to buy something? Let's go together."
"Okay."
Calliope mustered the courage to follow him. Walking beside Ambrose, she felt a mix of confusion and anxiety.
From what little she knew about Ambrose, he seemed gentle but wasn't exactly a warm person.
Today, Ambrose seemed off, making her nervous and uneasy.
She worried he might have figured something out.
As they exited the hospital building, Ambrose headed towards the parking lot. Noticing Calliope hadn't followed, he paused.
"Mr. Kelly, I was planning to buy some fruit from the hospital cafeteria. It's this way, so we aren't going the same direction..."
She nodded slightly, about to say goodbye, but Ambrose interrupted her.
"How's your mother doing?"
Calliope was taken aback. Ambrose's reaction was unexpected.
"What? Aren't you here to take care of your mother?"
Ambrose remembered that the last time Calliope had sought his help, it was to find a doctor for her mother's treatment.
Calliope realized Ambrose had misunderstood. She wasn't at the hospital for her mother.
Her mother had passed away two years ago.
But she had something to hide. Since Ambrose had misunderstood, she nodded and said, "Yes, I'm here to see my mom. Thanks to your help, Mr. Kelly, she successfully had surgery and is doing much better."
Ambrose stepped closer and said, "Since we're here, let me visit your mother. You don't need to buy fruit; I'll have someone send it to her room."
As he spoke, Ambrose's tall figure moved past Calliope, heading back towards the hospital building.
Calliope's heart skipped a beat, and she was stunned.
She panicked and quickly chased after Ambrose.
"No need!"
In her haste, she ran in front of Ambrose, blocking his path with her hand, her tone a bit harsh due to her anxiety.
Meeting Ambrose's gaze, Calliope realized she had overreacted.
She quickly lowered her hand and explained, "My mom is much better. The weather has been unpredictable, and she has just a slight cold. She's resting for a couple of days. Mr. Kelly, you're very busy; I wouldn't want to take up your time. Besides, my mom is sleeping at this hour. I appreciate your kindness, but really, there's no need."
Ambrose's eyes deepened as he looked at Calliope, who seemed desperate to avoid any connection with him.
"You were just in the pediatric ward, weren't you?"
Calliope's heart tightened, and she felt a moment of panic.
She clenched her hands and, with all her acting skills, smiled and said, "Yes, my mom made friends with a little patient when she was hospitalized before. She asked me to check on the child. Why do you ask, Mr. Kelly?"
Calliope's expression was a mix of confusion and unease, as if she didn't understand why he was probing.
Ambrose himself didn't know why he was acting this way.
He and Calliope weren't close and had only met a few times.
Normally, if Calliope had pretended not to know him, he would have gone along with it and ignored her.
But perhaps because Oberon and Lillian had been teasing him about Calliope recently, seeing her today and recognizing her, only for her to avoid him, made him feel a bit uncomfortable.
Ambrose felt his male pride had taken a hit.
"If your mother is fine, I won't disturb you."
Seeing Calliope's uneasy and confused look, Ambrose suddenly found his behavior a bit ridiculous and amusing.
He nodded slightly at Calliope and turned, striding towards the parking lot.
Calliope watched his retreating figure, her hand holding the thermos, feeling weak, almost dropping it.
Steadying herself, she turned towards the hospital cafeteria.
She needed to keep up the act and make sure Ambrose had really left before returning to the ward.
Ten minutes later, Calliope left the cafeteria, seeing no sign of Ambrose. She returned to the hospital building.
She got off the elevator on the pediatric ward floor and walked to the end of the hallway to a private room.
Inside, a little girl in a pink-striped hospital gown was quietly flipping through a picture book.
Hearing footsteps, Phaedra looked up, her pretty eyes lighting up as she called out softly, "Mommy, why did you take so long? I've been waiting forever."
Phaedra, about three or four years old, had soft, fluffy hair tied into two little buns with pretty pink ribbons.
Her smile could melt anyone's heart. Calliope, having just parted from Ambrose, was momentarily stunned by how much Phaedra's face resembled his.
"Mommy?"
Phaedra, noticing Calliope hadn't immediately come to hug her as usual, blinked in confusion and worry.
Calliope snapped out of it, quickly placing the thermos and fruit on the table. She sat on the bed and pinched Phaedra's cheek.
"Sweetie."
Phaedra stuck out her little tongue and snuggled into Calliope's arms, hugging her tightly.
The nanny, folding clothes nearby, smiled and said, "Phaedra has been so good. She was worried something had happened to you because you took so long. If I hadn't been here, she would have run out to find you."
Phaedra's maturity and thoughtfulness made Calliope both proud and a little sad.
Seeing Phaedra's pale face from her illness, Calliope's heart ached.
She kissed Phaedra's cheek. "Mommy's fine. I just ran into a friend in the elevator and chatted for a bit."
"What kind of friend?"
Phaedra seemed very interested, lifting her head from Calliope's embrace and blinking at her.
Calliope hesitated, meeting Phaedra's clear eyes, unsure how to answer.
After a moment, she said, "A very nice person who helped Mommy before. You don't know them, Phaedra."
Seeing Phaedra still curious, Calliope ruffled her hair and turned to the nanny.
"Please arrange for Phaedra's discharge. I want to transfer her to Miracalia Hospital."
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
