Chapter 136 Ethan Says They'll Sleep Together From Now On
"Take your medicine first, then we can have breakfast." Ethan wasn't one to coddle Jasmine, shaking her awake even as he lifted her up.
After all, one needed to take their medication promptly with proper food to recover. Otherwise, it would weaken the immune system.
"I’m sleepy..." Jasmine was truly tired and longed for sleep.
With a fever making her delirious, she continued to slump over Ethan, dozing off on him.
With a sigh of resignation, Ethan carried her to the dining table, coaxing her to eat first.
Her body was burning hot, and her breath was scorching.
Ethan felt a pang of pity, but mostly, he was consumed by guilt.
What had he done to her last night...
"Mr. Douglas." Liam was knocking at the door.
Startled from her daze, Jasmine jolted upright, nearly tumbling over.
Ethan lifted a hand to protect her, hastily tousling her hair. "Stay alert, have some food and medicine first."
Jasmine's heartbeat quickened, her cheeks visibly reddening even more.
She was doomed... She didn’t know what she did Ethan.
Seeing Ethan's unfazed expression as he got up to answer the door, Jasmine breathed a sigh of relief.
"The hotel matter has been taken care of, and I've found the involved executives. With pressure and incentives, they finally admitted it was Vittoria's doing," Liam murmured, wary of Ethan's temper.
However, Ethan was already angry.
And he had every right to be; one should feel safe in their own hotel.
"So, what about the receptionists? Should we fire them all?" Liam asked tentatively.
"What's the point of keeping them?" Ethan's voice was low.
"Jasmine, they were just following orders too. You won't hold it against them, will you?" Liam, even without a girlfriend, had a soft spot for the fairer sex.
The receptionists, each one fair-skinned, beautiful, with long legs, begged tearfully, unable to sway Ethan, so they turned to appeal to Jasmine.
Jasmine's head was heavy, and she looked up bewilderedly. "Huh?"
"How do you want to handle those receptionists from last night who stopped you from entering the hotel?" Ethan also respected Jasmine's thoughts.
"Last night..." Jasmine suddenly remembered the people who suspected she was an escort and wouldn't let her into the hotel. "They... they were just following orders, and you could tell they were serious about their job."
Ethan frowned slightly, letting out a sigh.
She was too kind-hearted; that was not always a good thing in the workplace.
"Just say Jasmine pleaded for them," Ethan instructed Liam to take care of it.
"Thank you, Mr. Douglas," Liam said excitedly, eyeing the breakfast spread on the table. "Jasmine, you can't finish this by yourself. I came back starving; mind if I join you?"
Jasmine quickly waved her hands. "No... no, I don’t mind."
"I mind. Beat it," Ethan warned Liam to not get too chummy with Jasmine and to keep his distance.
Liam didn't take the hint. "Mr. Douglas, don’t be stingy. You personally went to buy medicine when Jasmine was sick; I'm hypoglycemic and need a bite."
Jasmine's hand froze while holding a soup spoon, and she looked up sharply at Ethan. She didn’t know he went to buy the medicine himself.
Ethan also looked at Jasmine, his gaze intense.
Frightened, Jasmine quickly bowed her head and continued eating her porridge.
"Eat more, you’re too thin." Liam kept fawning over her, offering Jasmine some fried dumplings.
Jasmine, not having much of an appetite, waved her hands nervously. "Can’t... I can’t eat."
"I think you look quite spirited; why don’t you accompany Daniel to supervise the desert project?" Ethan said calmly.
He would transfer Liam as soon as he returned.
Liam choked on his words, stood up suddenly wearing disposable gloves, grabbed a few dumplings, and dashed off. "Mr. Douglas, I've got to get busy; you can't be without me."
Once Liam left, Ethan took away Jasmine’s plate and served her some lighter fare. "Don’t eat too much greasy food. Have some porridge and vegetables, take your medicine, and then go to sleep."
Jasmine’s head felt dizzy; she couldn't believe how gentle Ethan was being.
She didn’t understand why he was so kind to her, and if it was her imagination, or if it was real.
Jasmine found it hard to believe.
After eating a few bites of vegetables and finishing a bowl of porridge, Jasmine, with a headache, clutched a cup of water to take her medicine.
"Is it bitter?" Ethan noticed Jasmine's reddening eyes and asked.
"No... It's not bitter," Jasmine shook her head.
The medicine wasn’t bitter at all.
Back when she lived with the Wilson family, Jasmine's biggest dread was getting sick and having to take medicine; she'd rather get an IV drip than swallow pills.
Every time she fell ill, it would take Evan ages to coax her into taking her medication.
Back then, Jasmine naively believed that medicine was the bitterest thing in the world.
That was until she left the Wilson home and ended up in prison.
Only then did Jasmine realize that medicine wasn't really that bitter at all.
Life itself was far more difficult to swallow than any pill.
She downed the medicine in one gulp, numbly looked up. Ethan was there offering her a piece of candy, placing it gently into her mouth.
The bitterness of the medicine was instantly washed away, replaced by the sweet creaminess of the milk candy.
Her eyes grew hot with unshed tears, and a part of Jasmine wanted to cry.
"When it's bitter, have some candy," Ethan murmured reassuringly.
Jasmine stared at Ethan, her heart pounding erratically.
She felt like she was truly about to die.
She was starting to have feelings for Ethan—feelings she shouldn't have.
Harper had seen right through her.
Avoiding his gaze, Jasmine got up in a panic, groggily making her way to the edge of the bed. "Mr. Douglas, you should get some rest. I...I'll take a nap; I won't delay this afternoon's bidding."
"Jasmine, six years ago... It was just an accident with Harper. Does it bother you?" Ethan asked in a steady voice.
Since he had been intimate with Jasmine and they were married, he felt a strong sense of responsibility toward her.
He knew he had to clear up his past private life with Jasmine—it was a matter of basic honesty.
"No other woman but Harper has been close to me, no scandals either," Ethan spoke again.
Jasmine was somewhat confused, unsure why Ethan was suddenly bringing up Harper.
Was he asking if she minded about last night? Did Ethan really think Harper was the one with him last night?
She sniffled, nervously responding, "No... It doesn't bother me."
What right did she have to mind? Her very status as 'wife' was nothing more than a transaction.
Ethan could completely disregard her feelings and do whatever he wanted.
Yet he still asked her, in such a cruel manner.
Ethan sighed in relief, seemingly in a good mood. "I'll do everything I can to make it up to you, I..."
He trailed off, leaving his sentence hanging.
As long as Jasmine didn't mind his past with Harper, that was what mattered.
"If there's anything I'm doing wrong, you can tell me," said Ethan, who had no experience in dating, let alone... a direct jump into marriage.
Jasmine pulled the blanket over her head, feeling incredibly wronged.
She desperately wanted to tell him that the person last night was her.
Ethan would surely be disgusted enough to want her to fade away.
"Mr. Douglas... I'm tired," she said, longing only for a good night's sleep.
She was exhausted.
"Sure, get some rest," Ethan replied, working on his laptop from a nearby couch as if to keep Jasmine company.
Panic seared through Jasmine. Wasn't he going to leave?
"Mr. Douglas... Are you not going to your own room?" She stuttered, wondering why he still hadn't left.
"Isn't this my room?" Ethan chuckled helplessly.
Jasmine bolted upright, aghast.
Right, Liam had booked the rooms uniformly. Ethan had slept here last night and had awakened here, surely mistaking it for his own room.
That meant... she had come back here to shower and sleep.
What had she done?!
"M-Mr. Douglas, I'm so, so sorry... I'll just... leave!"
She wished the earth would swallow her up.
"From now on, let's just sleep together," Ethan said casually, eyes not leaving his laptop screen.
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