Chapter 21
Back in her room, Zoey put on her headphones and listened to the recordings she had made during her classes. Since she couldn’t see clearly, she recorded the lectures on her phone and played them later to go over what she didn’t understand.
She didn’t want to slack off because she wanted to earn a scholarship to help Levi with his financial burden.
After Zoey went back to her room, Levi made a call to the overseas medical team and ordered, “Change the flavor of the nutrient drink. Make it taste better.”
“But Mr. Gordon, it’s been the same flavor all these years. We’ve never changed it,” replied the researcher.
In his usual no–nonsense tone, Levi replied, “How about ten times the research bonus?”
The response on the other end shifted immediately. “Of course, Mr. Gordon. What flavor would you like? We’ll start development right away.”
That day, Zoey was about to down her usual nutrient drink in one go as she always did. But as soon as she took a sip, her eyes widened in surprise. She found it was strawberry–flavored.
She licked her lips and savored the taste. “It tastes a bit different. Is it spoiled?” she muttered.
She quickly called Levi to ask about it. Levi was signing documents, and he put his speaker on to answer, “It’s not spoiled. Feel free to drink it.”
“The drink is strawberry–flavored now. It’s really good,” Zoey continued.
“Maybe they sent the wrong one,” Levi replied in a casual tone. Jack, who was standing nearby, watched as his boss smoothly lied.
“Mr. Horton, can you keep ordering this flavor from now on? I really like it,” Zoey demanded.
“As you please.” After hanging up, Levi handed the signed papers to Jack, who was still standing there, lost in thought.
Levi raised his eyebrows and called him, “Jack?”
Jack immediately came back to his senses and said, “Oh, sorry, Mr. Gordon. I spaced out for a second.” Jack took the papers and left to run errands.
As he walked out of the office, he couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Mr. Gordon just gave the overseas team a tenfold bonus to make the nutrient drink taste better.
‘I oversaw the payment process to make sure everything went through smoothly. How did that turn into the wrong flavor? If getting the wrong flavor is so easy, we wouldn’t have had to pump all that extra money into research. What the hell Boss is thinking?”
Levi buried himself in his work when Lucas brought in a fresh cup of coffee. Taking a sip, he suddenly remembered the look on Zoey’s face when she drank the old version of the nutrient drink. ‘Was it really that bad?‘ he couldn’t help but wonder.
Then he imagined her face lighting up when she tasted the strawberry–flavored one. The thought brought a smile to Levi’s face, so subtle yet genuine that even Lucas was staring in disbelief. “Mr. Gordon, are you thinking of something happy?” Lucas asked cautiously.
Levi’s expression immediately turned cold, and his usual indifference returned. “Just focus on your job. Don’t ask questions you shouldn’t.”
Levi thought, ‘I’m not caring about her. She is, after all, my wife in name. I can’t be too heartless to her.
‘If Zoey ends up secretly tossing out the nutrient drink because of its taste and her eyesight doesn’t recover, Grandma will definitely hold me accountable. I don’t have the time or energy to babysit Zoey 24/7. Levi was in deep thought.
Somehow, his mind wandered back to what Zoey had said about those fictional CEOs on TV dramas who didn’t work and spent all the time dealing with insignificant stuff.
That was a far cry from his reality. His days were packed with meetings, negotiations, and contracts. He barely had time to breathe, let alone relax.
‘Oh, gosh, why am I thinking about that little blind girl again?‘ Levi mentally mocked himself. He tugged at his tie, suddenly feeling a little irritated.
That night, Levi had a business dinner and didn’t get home until late. He assumed Zoey would already be asleep by then, but to his surprise, the living room lights were still on. Zoey had fallen asleep at the table, wearing nothing but a thin silk nightgown.
The soft lighting cast a gentle glow over her, wrapping her in a dreamlike haze. Her peaceful face flushed with a soft pink, and her long lashes cast shadows under her closed eyes.
Levi quietly changed his shoes by the entryway and walked into the living room, trying not to wake her. But despite his careful steps, Zoey stirred.
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Chapter 21
She wrinkled her nose and asked, “Mr. Horton, did you drink?”
Levi smelled faintly of alcohol and tobacco–not unpleasant, but mixed with his usual scent, which made for a mature and irresistibly masculine fragrance.
“Yeah,” Levi’s deep, raspy voice responded. “Why’d you fall asleep here?”
Zoey stood up slowly and replied, “You told me not to sleep on the sofa, so I waited here for you.”
Levi took a deep sigh and thought, ‘I told her not to sleep on the sofa because I don’t want her catching a cold. But sleeping at the table instead? Isn’t that just as likely to make her sick?‘
Levi reached out and lightly tapped her forehead with his index finger, a hint of fondness slipping into his tone, even though he didn’t notice it himself. “Silly girl.”
Zoey rubbed her forehead and muttered, “I was just trying to do what you told me.”
Levi, looking a bit unsteady, swayed as he walked toward the sofa. Zoey quickly grabbed his arm and helped him sit down. “Just sit here for a moment, I’ll get you some water,” she said, turning to leave.
But Levi caught her by the wrist. “No need,” he said, a tired chuckle escaping his lips. His raspy voice was thick with exhaustion. “Blind girl, you should worry more about yourself.”
Zoey puffed out her cheeks in protest. “Mr. Horton, I’m not blind. I ‘can‘ see.”
Levi raised his eyebrows and leaned closer to her, his handsome face just inches from hers. “Oh? You can see my face?”
Zoey tried her hardest to stare at him, but all she could make out was a blurry outline, like she was looking through frosted glass. With a huff, she pulled her wrist free from his grip and ordered, “Look, just sit here and don’t move around.”
Zoey went to the kitchen and poured a glass of warm water. Placing it in front of him, she added, “Here, drink this. I’ll get you some pills.”
She rummaged through the medicine chest and squinted at each label, but the words were too fuzzy to read. Noticing her struggle, Levi sighed, “Just bring it here. I’ll find it myself.”
Zoey bit her lip in frustration, reluctantly handing him the medicine chest. Levi calmly picked out the right pills, took a couple with the water she’d brought him, and leaned back.
“I’m running a bath for you. You can enjoy it soon,” Zoey then said.
Levi grumbled a reply. He spread his knees and rested his elbows on them as he leaned forward to rest. After a brief pause, he stood up for the bath, but when he glanced back, Zoey was still standing there, looking a little unsure.
Levi let out a lazy chuckle and teased, “I’m going for a bath. Are you following me?”
“Huh?” Zoey didn’t catch on at first. Two seconds later, she did, and her face turned bright red. “No. I wasn’t– I didn’t mean that.” She’d only stayed behind because she was worried he wouldn’t be able to take care of himself after drinking.
Levi pretended to misunderstand her. He casually loosened his tie and tossed it onto the couch. His long fingers slowly unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt. The action was simple, but he made it look effortlessly elegant.
“Well, since you can’t see anything, I guess it wouldn’t matter if you do follow me,” he teased with a smirk.
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