Chapter 10 First Time Caring
1139 Words
"Achoo! Achoo…"
Lucia sneezed a few more times. Her head felt heavier, and her eyelids drooped down.
She collapsed onto the bed before her hair was completely dry and fell asleep in a fetal position.
A tall figure stood outside the door. He hesitated for a moment, then tapped on the door. After putting some ointment on the ground by the door, he turned and left.
The next day was a Saturday.
Mason walked out of his room in a sleeveless shirt and a pair of shorts. He saw that the ointment he had placed outside Lucia's door was still on the ground.
This woman was so stubborn!
Glancing at the tightly shut door, he went downstairs and started jogging in the garden.
The morning air was fresh and carried the earthy scent of rain.
The water droplets on the flowers and grass glittered like diamonds under the sun.
Mason jogged down the path in his garden. Despite the flowers around him, he was like a sleek panther—cold and sexy.
Mason loved to exercise, so he would often jog or go to the gym. Sometimes, he would also go boxing or play basketball with some friends.
This was also why he could have such a mouthwatering body despite sitting in the office all day.
After running a dozen laps, he finally went back in.
Lucia still wasn't up, but he didn't put much thought into it. He showered in his room, changed his outfit, and went out to meet some clients.
However, when he returned at noon, he only saw his maid Helen cleaning the bathroom. Lucia was nowhere to be seen.
"Mr. Mason, welcome back."
"Where's she?" Mason asked offhandedly.
"Mrs. Lucia is still sleeping," Helen answered. She'd been sent over by Timothy. To put it bluntly, she was Timothy's spy.
Mason frowned when he heard that Lucia was still sleeping.
"I finished cooking lunch. Shall I wake Mrs. Lucia?"
"No need. I'll go." As he spoke, Mason was already striding up the stairs.
He knocked on the door.
There was no response.
He knocked a bit harder and threatened, "Lucia, if you don't open the door, you'll be visiting your grandma alone today!"
Even with the threat, Lucia still didn't answer.
A bad feeling came over Mason. He pushed the door open.
All he saw was Lucia curled up in bed, unmoving. Her face was an unnatural shade of red, and she sounded like she couldn't breathe.
Mason put his hand to her forehead. His heart squeezed at the scalding touch. Cursing under his breath, he called his private doctor over. Then he went to the bathroom to wet a towel and place it on Lucia's forehead.
This was his first time taking care of a woman—and a woman he hated, at that.
Perhaps because he felt bad, he didn't feel as annoyed when he looked at Lucia now. In fact, she seemed kind of easy on the eyes.
When his gaze fell upon her tempting lips, the kiss from last night flashed past his mind. That weird feeling appeared too.
He had to admit that it felt great to kiss her!
"Doctor, this way, please."
Helen's voice and footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door.
Mason snapped out of his thoughts. The softness in his eyes disappeared and was replaced by his usual coldness.
He stood up and walked to the door, just as Helen led the doctor over.
"Mr. Mason, the doctor is here," Helen said.
Mason grunted and left without another word. He couldn't believe he had those ridiculous thoughts again!
Afternoon
Lucia cracked her eyes open. When she saw the white ceiling, her mind blanked. She didn't know where she was.
It felt like she'd slept for a long, long time and had a tiring dream, but she couldn't remember what the dream was.
"Mrs. Lucia, you're finally awake!" Helen exclaimed.
"I…" Lucia frowned when she tried to speak. Her throat was dry and scratchy.
Seeing this, Helen hurriedly poured a glass of water. She helped Lucia sit up and handed the glass to her.
"Drink some water."
Lucia nodded. She drank the entire glass in one gulp and her throat felt better.
"What time is it?" Her voice was still a little raspy.
"Three in the afternoon."
"What? It's already three?" Lucia's eyes widened in shock. She'd slept for so long!
She'd promised to visit her grandma today. She couldn't disappoint the old woman.
With this thought in mind, she threw back the covers to get up. But as soon as she stood up, a wave of dizziness washed over, and her body swayed.
"Be careful!" Helen cried. She reached over to support Lucia, but another figure was faster than her.
"Lucia, can't you just stay in bed?" Mason's concern slipped out in his flat voice.
Lucia recovered from the dizziness and her knitted brows relaxed. When she saw Mason's concern, she had a mix of feelings. She broke free from his arms.
Did he think she would forgive him so easily?
"Go away!" she snapped, glaring at him. "I don't need your fake concern!"
"Mr. Mason, I'll bring Mrs. Lucia's breakfast over." Helen quickly exited the room after seeing the situation, giving them some privacy.
Mason ignored Lucia's comment and pushed her back into bed.
"What are you doing?" Lucia struggled. She didn't want to see him right now. "I need to—"
"Give me your feet," Mason ordered as he brought a chair over and sat down.
Lucia turned her face away with a huff and brought her legs to her chest.
Without speaking, Mason bent over and lifted Lucia's feet onto his lap.
Lucia frowned in suspicion. The next second, she saw Mason applying ointment onto her blisters!
She froze. Was she still dreaming? Or did Mason get struck by lightning last night and get kidn*pped by aliens?
Or did he feel sorry for her?
"He must be!" she decided in her head.
She watched as Mason applied the ointment and blew against it gently.
Warmth flowed through her heart, driving away her anger.
"Call your grandma later and tell her you'll visit tomorrow." Mason's tone and expression were calm, making it hard to decipher how he was feeling.
"But I—"
"No buts. You can't even walk properly now. Do you want to worry your grandma?"
Mason didn't lift his head, but his authoritative words made Lucia speechless.
He was right, actually. Her grandma would definitely be worried if she saw how sickly Lucia was!
She made a muffled sound in reply, biting her lip. She stared at how attentive Mason was with her teary eyes and found that she wasn't angry anymore.
Without warning, Mason looked up. She turned away in panic, and her heart raced as if she was caught red-handed.
- Writer
