Chapter 304 Asking Him to Take Care of Stephanie
Seeing Stephanie sprawled on the floor, Xavier scooped her up and plopped her onto the nearby couch, then he quickly dialed up a doctor.
When Xavier lifted her, Stephanie's lips curled into a sly smile.
Stephanie thought, 'I knew it, Xavier still cares about me.'
The doc said Stephanie was just burnt out and probably fainted from low blood sugar 'cause she hadn't eaten. She just needed some shut-eye.
Xavier got someone to look after Stephanie. He was swamped until the afternoon and hadn't even caught a wink.
By the afternoon, Joseph finally came to. Spotting Xavier next to him, Joseph called out, "Xavier."
Xavier said, "Mr. Park, lemme grab the doc."
In no time, the doc showed up and checked Joseph out. No big issues, just needed some rest, and he'd be good to go.
"Sorry for the hassle," Joseph said.
"It's no biggie." Xavier always remembered the Park family's kindness.
Joseph hesitated, "Stephanie, she..."
Xavier said, "She's been looking after you these past few days and got a bit worn out, so she's resting. If you need anything, just holler."
Joseph said, "It's nothing, really. Just worried about her. How did I end up in the hospital outta nowhere?"
Xavier said, "A servant poisoned you, but luckily, we caught it early."
“Is everything at the company running smoothly these past couple of days?” Besides Stephanie, Joseph's biggest worry was the company.
Xavier said, "I've kept your hospitalization on the down-low, but a couple of shareholders got wind of it and have been causing a ruckus. I've managed to keep them in check. Mr. Park, I think the company really needs a successor."
Joseph sighed. "Stephanie's never been into running the company. I've spoiled her since she was a kid. If I kick the bucket one day, she'll be the one I'm most worried about. I've been hunting for a suitable candidate for years but haven't found one. I'm really scared of what'll happen to Stephanie if I'm not around."
He looked at Xavier. "I know you don't have feelings for Stephanie, but Xavier, if I really bite the dust one day, can you look out for Stephanie for me, considering the favor I've done for you before?"
Xavier pressed his lips tightly. Joseph had brought up the old favor.
Joseph might have realized his request was a bit too much. He sighed. "Forget it. Let her fend for herself in the future. It's her own doing."
Xavier said, "If there's anything I can help with in the future, I'll do my best."
"Thanks, Xavier," Joseph said.
Joseph knew that feelings couldn't be forced. But Stephanie's temper really worried him.
Joseph thought, 'The servants at home were handpicked by me. How could they suddenly poison me after all these years? Even if it was those pesky shareholders, why now?'
When Stephanie found out Joseph had woken up, Xavier had already bounced by the time she got there.
"Grandpa, where's Xavier?" Stephanie asked.
She didn't even ask about Joseph's health.
Joseph said, "He had something to do and left."
"How could you let him leave? You..." Seeing Joseph's expression, Stephanie switched back to her sweet self and threw herself into Joseph's arms. "Grandpa, I was so worried about you. You totally freaked me out!"
Joseph patted her back. "Don't sweat it, Stephanie. Even if I kick the bucket one day, I'll be watching over you from up there."
Stephanie nodded. She knew Joseph had her back, but what she really wanted was to be with Xavier.
Joseph had helped Xavier out before, so Xavier would listen to him. Why wouldn't he just let Xavier be with her?
Stephanie said, "Then, Grandpa, you gotta bless me and Xavier to be together. You know he's my favorite!"
Joseph's eyes flickered, and he let out a deep sigh. Stephanie was his pride and joy. If she was that into Xavier...
Grace hadn't been in touch with Xavier much these past couple of days. Every time she called, she could hear the exhaustion in his voice.
Grace said, "Tomorrow's Ryan's wedding. It's cool if you can't make it back. I'll make sure to be there for your nephew's big day!"
Xavier's light chuckle came from the other end. "Hmm, okay."
Even on the phone, he didn't say much. It was usually Grace doing all the talking.
Grace would share little everyday things, like what she did or ate, all pretty simple stuff.
She used to think Xavier was bored of listening, but he told her to keep talking.
"Still swamped these days?" Grace asked.
Grace hadn't felt this way before, but with the shift in their relationship, she missed Xavier a lot even though he hadn't been back in Oakworth for long. She wanted to hug him and tell him to take it easy.
Xavier said, "Yeah, Joseph's still in the hospital, and the DG Group's got some stuff to handle."
Xavier was juggling work for two companies now.
Xavier also filled Grace in on the Park family situation, clarifying that his return to Oakworth was because of them. He didn't want she to get the wrong idea.
Grace asked, "And you still have time to chat with me."
Xavier said, "You talk; I'll listen."
Grace said, "So you're talking to me while working, huh? Impressive folks can multitask. Us regular people can't do that."
Grace usually couldn't do anything else when talking to Xavier on the phone.
Xavier's low laugh came through. "You don't need to do anything else, just focus on talking to me."
Grace said, "Talk about what? Tell you to go rest!"
Xavier said, "I'll rest after finishing this."
"You're such a liar. You always say that." Grace mumbled.
In the end, Xavier, who said he would rest, didn't. Grace, who didn't say she would rest, fell asleep while chatting.
It was late at night. Around 3 AM, Xavier was still at the office grinding away. His phone was beside him, silent; his call with Grace hadn't ended.
Like every other day, Xavier usually worked until the wee hours. The difference now was that he wasn't alone; Grace was on the other end of the line with him.
A thick calendar lay on the desk, and the housekeeper would flip it to the current day every day.
Xavier glanced at the date. It was past midnight, so he turned the calendar to the next day.
It was Ryan's wedding day.
Xavier's eyes darkened. There was still a mountain of work. Instead of resting, he picked up the files.
If Grace were still awake, she would hear the occasional sound of flipping through documents, the scratch of a pen signing papers, and the crisp sound of typing on a keyboard. Until Grace's phone ran out of battery and the call ended automatically.
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