CHAPTER 162
Grandma King chatted with Arianna for a bit longer before finally getting up to leave. Arianna breathed a sigh of relief.
In just ten minutes, Grandma King had already suggested names for their potential tenth child. Any longer, and Arianna felt she might have cracked under the pressure.
Once Grandma King and Aunt Julia were gone, the ward fell silent again, making it hard to adjust to the sudden quiet.
If Arianna was honest with herself, Xander's performance earlier had left her feeling bewildered.
They had pretended for Grandma King’s sake before, but during those past interactions, it had always felt like an obvious act from Xander.
It was as if Xander could instantly switch to his cold and ruthless persona whenever the situation demanded, though it often seemed he never needed to fully embody it.
Yet, his actions in the ward that day appeared so genuine. There was no sign of pretense; everything seemed to come from his deepest feelings.
Was it all just an illusion?
The words Xander had spoken echoed in Arianna's mind: "I have taken care of someone before. Someone... I love."
She bit her lower lip, hesitating for a moment before finally deciding to confront him.
Her thoughts would continue to churn if she didn’t ask him, and the uncertainty would plague her mind repeatedly.
Arianna took a deep breath, lifting her gaze to Xander, who had just come out of the bathroom.
She hesitated, unsure whether to ask directly or to broach the subject more subtly. “We did well earlier,” she began.
“Grandma King probably won’t question us for now. Since you have so much work, maybe you could go back to the office. I’ll be fine here.”
Xander looked at her, his dark eyes narrowing slightly, but he remained silent.
Arianna couldn’t decipher his expression or determine if it was a positive or negative response. She watched as he walked over to the sofa, sat down, and began working on his laptop, engrossed in a report.
He seemed determined to remain there.
With Xander’s choice to stay even though they no longer had to keep up appearances, Arianna’s nerves settled somewhat, and she felt her determination grow stronger.
Feeling a bit apprehensive, she took a deep breath, her hands tightening into fists as she steeled herself. After a brief mental pep talk, she gathered her courage and spoke quietly,
“Xander…”
Xander lifted his gaze to meet hers.
His intense stare made it hard for her to recall what she had planned to say. Her lips parted and closed several times before she finally managed to ask,
“Can I ask you something?”
Arianna noticed a flicker of surprise in Xander’s eyes at her question.
He raised an eyebrow and replied tersely,
“Go ahead and ask.”
Arianna tightened her grip on her hands, nervously licking her dry lips before saying,
“Well… when you were taking care of Charlie…”
Suddenly, the phone rang. Xander glanced at the caller ID and immediately answered it.
Arianna’s question was abruptly interrupted.
“I need to take this call,” Xander said, rising and heading out of the ward.
Arianna was momentarily taken aback.
Xander’s phone had been ringing nonstop since the previous night, with calls about work matters. He always answered them in front of her without hesitation or pretense.
However, that was the one call that needed to be taken privately.
Was it an urgent, confidential work matter? Or could it be a call from another woman?
About five minutes later, Xander returned, opening the door and walking back in.
Arianna took a deep breath, steadied her nerves, and readied herself to ask her question. But as she watched Xander walk over to the sofa and close the lid of his laptop, her confusion grew.
Was he leaving now?
It seemed that his earlier silence might not have meant he intended to stay after all. Instead, it looked like he was preparing to leave once the pretense was over.
As expected, Xander picked up his suit jacket from the armrest of the sofa.
Arianna lowered her gaze, trying to mask the surge of disappointment she felt. She couldn't help but let out a rueful laugh.
Why had she allowed herself to get her hopes up?
Just then, the door to the ward opened, and Ronald stepped in.
Ronald greeted Arianna with a polite nod.
“Hello, Ms. Johnson.”
Arianna responded absentmindedly, “Hi…”
Ronald proceeded to the coffee table, gathered the laptop and files, and neatly stacked them in his arms.
After Xander donned his suit jacket, he grabbed his wallet and phone. He took long strides toward the door but abruptly stopped just a couple of steps out.
Ronald, trailing closely behind, wasn’t prepared for Xander’s sudden halt. He collided with Xander’s back, startling him and causing him to break into a cold sweat.
“Mr. King, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to! Please give me a chance to make it right!” Ronald exclaimed.
Arianna looked on, taken aback by his immediate and frantic response.
It was a reaction that clearly stemmed from past experiences where lessons were learned the hard way!
Before Ronald could face any reprimand from his boss, he looked up and noticed that Xander seemed entirely focused on Arianna, not at all bothered by Ronald’s collision. Xander’s dark eyes were locked on her face.
Confused, Ronald was still trying to understand what was happening when Xander spoke, his tone unusually stiff and somewhat awkward.
“I’m heading out of town for business... I’ll be overseas for a few days.”
Arianna’s eyes widened in surprise.
