Desire Debt: The Billionaire's Contract Bride

Chapter 19

Adrian leaned over and vomited violently into the trash can. Watching his discomfort, Melina felt her own heart ache. She gently patted his back, muttering with concern, "You know you'll feel awful, so why do you drink so much? You can't drink like this anymore."

Adrian was too preoccupied with vomiting to respond. Lauren observed Melina's worry, realizing that only someone who truly cared for Adrian would look after him without any hint of disgust.

Lauren remembered a past incident when a woman had brought Adrian home drunk. He had suddenly vomited, causing the woman to scream, pinch her nose, and jump away in disgust. She had hurriedly left after a few polite words, clearly more interested in Adrian's money than in Adrian himself.

In contrast, Melina tended to him while scolding him for not taking care of his health, her eyes filled with concern and worry. Lauren felt relieved and happy that Adrian had found someone who genuinely cared for him, wondering if Adrian appreciated what he had.

Melina continued to pat Adrian's back and looked up at Lauren, saying, "Mom, could you please get some water for Adrian to rinse his mouth?"

"Sure, sure." Lauren quickly snapped out of her thoughts and went to get water. When she returned to the bedside, Adrian had stopped vomiting. Melina took the water from Lauren and gently coaxed Adrian, "Rinse your mouth first."

For the first time, Adrian cooperated, rinsing his mouth, lying down, and closing his eyes as if he had fallen asleep. Melina had to feed him millet porridge with a small spoon, as he was too drunk to do more than open his mouth reflexively.

After half a bowl, he refused to drink more. Melina set down the spoon and looked up to see Lauren still there. "Mom, is Adrian upset about something? He usually doesn’t drink this much, even when socializing."

Lauren was stumped. Despite being Adrian's mother, there had always been a barrier between them. Adrian's cold personality meant he never showed his emotions, so she never knew when he was happy or upset.

"You've stumped me too. You know Adrian's personality—he never shows what he's feeling."

Melina nodded in agreement. She recalled him smoking several cigarettes after getting up that morning, which was unusual for him. Maybe something was indeed troubling him.

"Mom, it's late. You should go rest. I'll take care of Adrian."

"Alright, you get some sleep too," Lauren said with a small smile, feeling comforted by the bond she saw between them.

After Lauren left, Adrian vomited a few more times. Each time, Melina patiently fed him millet porridge spoon by spoon. Finally, around dawn, he stopped vomiting and fell into a deep sleep. Melina sighed in relief.

It was already 1 a.m. She didn't dare sleep, knowing she'd struggle to get up for work. She cleaned up the trash can, took a bath, washed Adrian's clothes, and hung them out to dry before returning to the bedroom.

Adrian slept soundly. Melina wiped his body with warm water, knowing he couldn't stand being dirty. Though he had been a mess earlier, he now looked handsome as ever, sleeping peacefully.

Sitting beside him, she couldn't resist tracing his eyebrows and lips with her fingers. Adrian, the man she loved deeply, was someone she could no longer love openly. Only when he was asleep and unaware could she gaze at him with unrestrained affection and whisper softly, "Adrian, I like you."

Adrian woke up at 10 a.m., finding the bed empty. He frowned slightly, propping himself up to look around, unsure what he was searching for. He had grown used to waking up with a soft body beside him, used to being glared at in the mornings. Not seeing her made him feel uneasy. Feeling irritable, he ran a hand through his hair and got up to wash.

His stomach was empty, and he craved food. He headed downstairs to the dining room. Seeing Adrian up, the maid, Hui, quickly said, "Young master, are you feeling better? Breakfast is still warm; I'll bring it over."

Adrian nodded and sat down. Hui brought the late breakfast, setting it on the table. Adrian didn't need to ask to know it was Melina's handiwork.

As he ate, Nancy came over and sat beside him. "Your wife's cooking is good, isn’t it?"

Adrian glanced at Nancy, not responding, knowing she had something to say.

"Are you going to pick up Melina this afternoon?"

Nancy indeed had something to say, but Adrian hadn't expected this. In the past month, they had acted like a loving couple as much as possible, but he rarely picked her up.

Nancy’s sudden suggestion caught him off guard, and he didn't understand her motive. Adrian didn’t object but planned to send a driver instead, thinking he had more important things to do. But he couldn't let Nancy know that.

"Isn't the driver always picking her up?"

Nancy glared at him and continued, "You ungrateful child, you drank yourself into a stupor last night, throwing up all night. Melina stayed up all night taking care of you. Is this how you repay her?"

"She took care of me?" He remembered a pair of gentle hands, assuming it was his mother. He didn't expect it to be Melina.

"Yes, who else? Your mother told me that seeing how miserable you were, Melina fed you millet porridge with a spoon all night. She didn’t sleep a wink. And you forget it all, ungrateful!"

Nancy stood up and walked away. Adrian's expression grew complicated. Was he touched? No, he told himself. She was paid to be a good wife. They had an agreement, and their affection was just an act. But since she was putting in effort, he decided he wouldn’t be stingy with her in return.