CHAPTER 353
The Cornells had proven themselves to be utterly despicable.
From the bed, Ronald’s eyelids fluttered before slowly opening. His gaze found Arianna and Xander, and his voice, though weak, carried a hint of relief. “Mr. King, Mrs. King, you’re here…”
Arianna stepped closer, her heart aching at the sight of him.
“Ronald, are you okay?” she asked softly, her voice full of concern.
Ronald mustered a faint smile, despite the pain etched across his face.
“Don’t worry about me, Mrs. King. This is nothing. I’m not going to die from a little—”
He winced mid-sentence, the strain on his wounds cutting him off as his body tensed in pain.
“Stop talking,” Arianna urged, her voice tender but firm. She gently placed her hand over his, her touch as light as a feather.
“You need to rest, Mr. Crawford. And… I have good news for you. The truth about the Cornwells is out. The world knows everything, and they’ll face justice for what they’ve done.”
A weak but genuine smile touched Ronald’s lips as he closed his eyes briefly.
“That’s… good to hear. At least… my efforts weren’t for nothing.”
Arianna’s eyes glistened with unshed tears as she looked at him, the weight of gratitude and guilt pressing against her chest.
“You’re a hero, Ronald,” she whispered.
“Renee and I wouldn’t have made it to Selby without you risking everything for us. You gave us a chance we didn’t think we’d have.”
“Thank you,” she added, her voice trembling as she fought to keep her emotions in check.
“I’m just… I’m sorry you had to go through all this and suffer such injuries,” Arianna said softly, her voice trembling with emotion as she gazed at Ronald.
Ronald, who had little experience comforting women, suddenly found himself at a loss. Seeing Arianna’s eyes glisten with unshed tears made him feel awkward and unsure of what to do.
In a bid to lighten the mood, he said with a small grin,
“Honestly, Mrs. King, these injuries might look bad, but they’re mostly superficial. I’m no fool—I pretended to collapse after they got a few hits in. Then I played unconscious when they kept going. They didn’t stick around long after that, probably too scared to risk killing me.”
Arianna’s sadness gave way to a soft laugh at his lighthearted explanation, her somber expression easing.
Ronald felt an instant wave of relief at the sight of her smile. Comforting someone like Arianna, he realized, required much more effort than he expected, but he was glad to see her momentarily at ease.
Throughout the exchange, Xander had remained quiet, observing with a thoughtful gaze.
Finally, he spoke in a low, steady voice,
“You handled yourself well this time, Ronald.”
The weight of those words made Ronald turn toward his boss in disbelief. Xander King was a man of high standards, a figure who rarely gave praise, let alone offered it directly.
Pride swelled in Ronald’s chest as he nodded slightly, his injuries momentarily forgotten. Years of loyalty to Xander had been worth it for that simple acknowledgment.
Being praised by Xander made Ronald feel as though he was walking on air, and the pain he endured suddenly felt insignificant.
It was as if he could leap out of bed and face another 800 rounds of punches without hesitation!
Xander's calm voice broke his triumphant thoughts.
“What kind of reward would you like?”
Ronald sat up a little straighter and replied without hesitation,
“My job is to carry out the duties you entrust to me, Mr. King. I’m not the kind of person who does it for rewards.”
Xander raised an eyebrow, a trace of amusement in his expression.
“Is that so?” He leaned back slightly, adding coolly,
“Well then…”
“Ah, actually—wait!” Ronald blurted, his nonchalant facade crumbling in an instant.
“If you insist, Mr. King, I’d gladly accept any reward you’d like to give!”
Arianna couldn't help but burst into laughter at his sudden change of tone.
“Ronald, you lasted less than a second pretending you didn’t want a reward!” she teased, her laughter lifting the tension in the room.
Xander, who had clearly seen through Ronald from the start, didn’t call him out on it. Instead, he smirked slightly and said,
“Your year-end bonus will be tripled.”
Ronald’s eyes sparkled at those words, his exhaustion momentarily forgotten.
“Thank you, Mr. King! Thank you so much!”
Even his voice was brimming with energy now.
Sure enough, Xander King wasn’t just a formidable boss—he was a generous one too!
If he hadn’t been confined to the bed, Ronald might have thrown off his blankets and knelt before Xander in gratitude for his magnanimity.
Xander reached out and gave Ronald’s shoulder a firm pat.
“Focus on recovering.”
Ronald looked up at his boss, his expression tinged with a rare hint of bashfulness.
“I will, Mr. King.”
Arianna glanced between Xander and Ronald, then down at herself. A strange thought crept into her mind—had her presence in the room somehow become… unnecessary?
Maybe she should excuse herself?
Before she could dwell on it, Xander shot her a sidelong glance.
“We should go now and let Ronald rest.”
Arianna nodded quickly. “Of course.”
She turned to Ronald and added cheerfully,
“I’ll come by tomorrow with some homemade chicken soup for you!”
Ronald’s face lit up, and he nodded enthusiastically.
“That sounds amazing! Thank you, Mrs. King!”
Xander’s eyes narrowed slightly, a glint of something unreadable flickering in his gaze.
Chicken soup? She’d never offered to make him chicken soup…
His sharp gaze fell on Arianna’s hand, which was still lightly resting on Ronald’s arm. Without missing a beat, Xander reached out, smoothly slipping her hand from Ronald’s grasp and taking it in his own.
“Let’s go,” he said firmly, his tone leaving no room for debate.
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