###Chapter 27: I’m Just His Sister
After buying food and returning to the hospital, Nina Wainwright gave the al to Mrs. Wainwright, then walked to the side and sat down, remaining silent.
Seeing that her daughter’s cheek was still a little red, Mrs. Wainwright finally said, sowhat sheepishly, "Mom was just too anxious today... That’s why I hit you. I know I was wrong..."
"You should eat first," Nina said calmly.
Seeing that she didn’t want to talk about it, Mrs. Wainwright changed the subject. "I know it’s hard for you to go ask Zachary Hawthorne for money, but you have to rember, isn’t your father working so hard for your sake?"
"For my sake?" Nina found her mother’s words laughable. "Why don’t you try asking Zachary for money yourself, just once? As his elders, you care about your pride, so you’re too embarrassed to ask him. You just send instead. Don’t I have any pride?"
Hearing this, Mrs. Wainwright imdiately started to cry. "Nina... Mom is begging you one last ti. Just this once. When your father wakes up, I promise I’ll convince him to give up the company, okay?"
"The company is already being liquidated to pay off debts, and he can’t even co up with a hundred thousand yuan. How can he have the nerve to keep it going?" Nina retorted, speechless.
"But if your father hadn’t started his company, how could you have possibly married Zachary Hawthorne and enjoyed three years of bliss?" Mrs. Wainwright said, as if it were a matter of course.
Nina was so angry she almost laughed. ’Three years of bliss?!’
"I’d rather have never married him," Nina said, then quietly took a breath.
’Marrying him... it ruined my future. And now, he sabotages every ti I even try to find a job.’
"Easy for you to say. You’ve had your fill of the good life, and now you claim to regret marrying him. Weren’t you the one who agreed to it in the first place?" Mrs. Wainwright muttered.
Nina was rendered speechless by her mother’s words. Not wanting to talk anymore, she said irritably, "I got you a cot. Finish your food and get so rest."
"Nina, what about the money?" Mrs. Wainwright asked relentlessly.
"I’ll earn it by working," Nina said curtly.
Leaving the hospital room, Nina planned to sneak back ho for a bit.
As she ca down the stairwell, she ran into Adrian Pemberton, who was just about to leave for the day.
Adrian was slightly surprised to see her. "You’re at the hospital so late?"
Just as Nina was about to answer, Catherine Grant’s voice suddenly called out from the hospital entrance. "Nina! I haven’t seen you in ages! I went to your place but you weren’t there. I just knew you’d still be at the hospital!"
"What brings you here so late? Is sothing urgent?" Nina asked, hugging Catherine as she threw herself at her.
"Can’t I co see you just because? A friend of mine’s bar is having an event tonight. You should co hang out with !" Catherine said, holding her arm and shaking it.
"It’s already very late." Nina still had to continue her job search tomorrow; she had no ti to go out.
"You should go have so fun. You’ve been so wound up lately, you deserve to relax," Adrian said in a gentle voice.
Catherine unconsciously glanced at him.
The man was dressed in simple, casual clothes and had a gentle deanor, yet his expression was incredibly aloof.
Nina gave a light cough. "I’ve never been to a bar, so I might not be used to it."
"You’ll get used to it after one visit. There’s no need to suppress yourself like this," Adrian said, his eyes filled with a hint of anticipation as he looked at her.
Catherine’s gaze shifted between them, and she imdiately chid in, "Yeah, yeah! Co on, co hang out with !"
Nina felt helpless and could only nod. "Adrian, do you have to work early tomorrow morning too?"
’Since we’ve run into each other,’ she thought, ’we might as well all go relax together.’
"I have the morning off tomorrow. I’ve been on duty for several days straight, and my body’s taking a toll. Why? Are you hoping I’ll go with you?" Adrian’s expression softened.
"Yeah..." Nina just felt it would be awkward for him to know they were going out without inviting him.
Catherine imdiately said, "The more the rrier!"
Once the three of them had made plans, they left the hospital building. Adrian went to get his car, while Catherine held Nina’s arm and asked, "By the way, I was in such a rush last ti I was at the hospital, I never got his na. He seems really familiar with you."
"Yeah, he was my neighbor growing up. His family moved away during high school. I never expected him to beco a doctor," Nina said, feeling a bit sentintal.
’We were so carefree back then, with nothing to worry about but howork.’
"So, you’re childhood sweethearts," Catherine said with a mischievous grin.
"Stop teasing. He just sees as a little sister," Nina said, quickly explaining for fear of being misunderstood.
Catherine pouted. "I’ve seen him twice now. When he looks at , his face is completely blank. But the mont his gaze shifts to you, it’s filled with affection. You really haven’t noticed?"
"No way. He looks at the sa way he looks at you. He has a cold personality; sothing like a look ’full of affection’ is impossible. Besides, he really just sees as a sister." Nina had never once thought that Adrian might have other feelings for her.
They used to be as close as real siblings. When they were even younger, they had even gone to the swimming pool together.
"So there are no feelings now, but you can cultivate them slowly. You’re not planning on getting hung up on Zachary forever, are you? He wouldn’t even help you with a hundred thousand..."
"He has no obligation to pay it. He’s done a lot for my family over the years. It’s my parents who can’t get their act together, and I’ve been greedy myself." In her heart, Nina didn’t bla Zachary for not taking on her parents’ debt. It really had nothing to do with him.
Helping is a kindness, not an obligation.
’He had helped for so many years, but my father never showed any improvent. So why should he have to keep paying for my father’s incompetence?’
’What I’m angry about now is that Zachary knows my family’s debts are pressing. Yet every ti I try to find a job, he corners step by step, forcing back into the cage he’s woven for .’
’Even though his heart already belongs to soone else, he still won’t let go.’
"Sigh... But since you’re planning to divorce, you should think about other n. Even just dating soone would be good. I an, you never even dated before you got married. Now you regret it, and even getting a divorce is difficult. He probably never really liked you, did he..."
Catherine had blurted out the last sentence unintentionally, and she imdiately covered her mouth.
Nina knew very well that she was telling the truth, but her heart couldn’t help but ache at the words. Thankfully, Adrian’s car pulled up just then.
Catherine quickly took her arm, and they got into Adrian’s car together.
"Which bar is it?" Adrian asked Catherine.
Catherine imdiately replied, "The Moonlight Bar."
"Your friend owns that? It’s a very trendy bar. I’ve heard the bartenders there are all incredibly handso or beautiful, and each one has a unique style," Adrian said as he started the engine.
"You know my friend’s bar? I’d only heard it was really popular, but I’ve barely seen any videos of it when I scroll through short-video apps," Catherine said, completely puzzled.
"That’s because the clientele all have a certain level of spending power, and I heard the bar isn’t very welcoming to people who like to film videos inside," Adrian continued.
"You sure know a lot," Catherine remarked, imdiately striking up a familiar conversation with him.
*****
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