The Mistakes We Made Together

Chapter 14: Argument

“What?” She tried to evade the question.

They had grown up together, and he knew exactly what her reactions meant, every little look, every subtle gesture.

Benjamin rested his left hand on the window frame, tapping it twice with his knuckles. The corner of his lips lifted in a faint smile, whether it was self-mockery, helplessness, or a mix of both, it was hard to tell.

After a moment, he let out a breath and asked, almost certainly: “Do you think that little of me?”

Emma rested both hands on her lap, one unconsciously pinching the fingers of the other. She said nothing for a long time.

Benjamin turned to look at her. “Lost for words?”

Since he'd come back, his attitude toward her had never been good, and this question was no exception, laced with a hint of sarcasm.

Emma ignored his tone. “No.”

Two seconds after answering, she looked up, her gaze fixed on the rearview mirror, unfocused as if staring at something far away.

She thought for a moment, her brows furrowing slightly, then corrected herself: “Not entirely.”

Benjamin watched her. Emma absently squeezed the crumpled paper in her hand, her voice still cold but softer and slower than usual.

He looked away, resting his right hand on the steering wheel. His long fingertips tapped the surface of the wheel, his eyes dark as he stared through the windshield at the distance.

After a moment, he let out a faint, breathy laugh, his emotion unreadable, before shifting into gear with his right hand, starting the car, and pulling out of the parking space.

He pressed hard on the gas pedal, and Emma felt a slight jolt of acceleration.

Instinctively, she reached up to grab the overhead handrail and turned to him. “Drive slower.”

The club's parking lot led to a narrow, slightly sloped path.

Benjamin rested his right arm on the open window, glancing at the rearview mirror. His tone was casual, teasing: “Afraid of dying with me?”

Even though she knew he was joking, Emma raised her voice. “Benjamin, what are you saying!”

The club was near the high-tech zone. Beyond the compound, there was a tree-lined road with few pedestrians.

Benjamin held the steering wheel steadily. Though he drove fast, he didn't exceed the speed limit, and he drove smoothly. But he still couldn't resist teasing her, pushing her buttons: “I asked if you're afraid of dying with me.”

Emma could barely hold back her frustration. “Can't you stop talking like that?”

Benjamin was angry too. “Then how am I supposed to talk?”

He pressed his right hand against the steering wheel, the corners of his eyes drooping slightly as he let out a laugh. “Emma, what do you really think of me? Have you only just met me? Comparing me to that bastard Ethan?”

Besides Jack Smith, he was also on good terms with Ethan. It was the first time Emma had heard him speak so harshly about someone.

She folded her hands. Though she didn't like Ethan either, she hesitated. “Aren't brother Ethan and you friends…”

Benjamin let out a bitter laugh. “Did I tell you to call him 'brother'?”

The car drove out of the tree-lined road and merged into the main traffic, slowing down.

Benjamin added, “Weren't you seething with anger at the club just now? And now you're calling him that again?”

Emma thought he was being increasingly unreasonable. “I wasn't angry… Charlotte is my senior. I just don't think he should treat her like that…”

Benjamin cut her off. “So what does that have to do with me?”

“What does it matter to me if you don't like how he treats your senior?” Benjamin said. “Stop projecting everyone else's mistakes onto me.”

His words left her speechless. Her chest rose and fell slightly as she swallowed hard, feeling emotions surge up from her chest only to be forced back down.

She stared at him in silence for a long time, finally giving in with a sigh. Leaning back in her seat, she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Her clear voice sounded a little hoarse. “Fine, I get it.”

---

Emma got sick.

After the confrontation with David that day, she and Benjamin had argued a little in the car. Later, Benjamin had taken her straight to the company.

Benjamin had a meeting about a cooperation project with another company and had taken several members of the secretarial office with him. She had been left behind at FSAN.

In the past few days, Benjamin had stopped ignoring her and had assigned her some work at FSAN. Though she had worked at FSAN before, it had been a long time ago. Since she had just transferred back and wasn't familiar with the company's internal affairs, the work he gave her didn't involve FSAN's ongoing projects, it was more of an onboarding transition with a relatively light workload.

Her desk was still in Benjamin's office, but without him there, she felt much more at ease.

After finishing her work, she went to the secretarial office, talked to an assistant she was on good terms with, and took over some of her trivial tasks to help lighten her load.

She was busy all day and didn't see Benjamin once. By the time it was almost time to get off work, she could clearly feel that something was wrong. She might have caught a cold that morning, with the changing seasons, the flu was spreading, and her weakened immune system had let the virus in.

By the time she realized it, she had already sneezed several times, her body clearly not in a healthy state.

When Benjamin pushed open the door and walked in, she was bending over the water dispenser to get a glass of water. Her throat felt uncomfortable; she held the glass under the spout with her left hand and pressed her right hand to her throat, coughing softly twice.

Her cough sounded distinctly abnormal. Benjamin, who had already walked past her, threw his folder onto the desk and glanced back at her.

Her left hand's glass was just full. Sensing his gaze, she looked up instinctively, only to see Benjamin had already looked away.

The man stood tall and unruly by the desk, the sleeve of his right arm rolled up to his elbow, revealing his strong, muscular forearm. His posture was relaxed, leaning slightly as he flipped through the documents in his hand.

Emma stood up straight with the glass, stared at him for two seconds, then looked away and walked back to her desk.

On the way home that evening, there was no driver, Benjamin drove himself, and she sat in the passenger seat.

Emma's throat hurt badly. From the moment she got in the car, she felt the urge to cough repeatedly, but she didn't want Benjamin to notice. She kept her coughs quiet and held back most of them.

However, just before they reached home, the car stopped by the side of the road near a 24-hour pharmacy. Benjamin said nothing, got out of the car, and returned a few minutes later with a bag of medicine.

Opening the driver's door and getting back in, he tossed the medicine bag onto her lap with his right hand.

Emma's throat ached sharply. She pressed her left hand to her throat and picked up the medicine bag from her lap with her right hand. Glancing down at its contents, she then looked at the man who had already fastened his seatbelt and restarted the car.

She wanted to say thank you, but it felt inappropriate. In the end, she pressed her lips together and said nothing.

Feeling unwell, she didn't eat dinner. When she got home, she went straight to her bedroom, took a quick shower, then climbed into bed and picked up her tablet to review her work for the day.

After looking at it for a while, her eyes felt sore and her head spun. She tossed the tablet casually onto the bedside table, closed her eyes, and burrowed under the covers, falling asleep.

When she woke up again, it was 11:30 p.m.

Earlier, Sophia had come to call her for dinner. She had said she wasn't feeling well and wanted to sleep, and Sophia, thinking she was just tired, hadn't asked any more questions and left.

Opening her eyes and staring at the ceiling, she lay awake for a moment. Her whole body ached from the illness. She slowly stretched her right hand out from under the covers and felt for her phone on the bedside table.

Just as she turned on the screen to check the time, she heard the bedroom door push open from the outside.

As if knowing who it was, she put down her phone instinctively, pulled the covers tighter, and looked toward the door.

Benjamin's expression showed no surprise that she was awake.

He had clearly just taken a shower, he was wearing pajamas, and the ends of his hair were damp, whether from not blow-drying it or just not drying it completely.

Feeling unwell, Emma's reactions were slow. She stared at him for a few seconds, and it wasn't until he walked closer that she snapped back to reality.

“You…” She propped herself up on the bed, her eyes darting to the door behind him, he had walked in so openly.

Benjamin seemed not to notice her gaze. He sat down on the edge of her bed, holding her shoulder with one hand and pushing her back down.

Then Emma saw the thermometer in his right hand.