###Chapter 39: How Could I Dare Bla You?
Zachary Hawthorne entered the room with a maid.
Nina Wainwright was sitting on the bed. She had already composed herself, so when she saw Zachary Hawthorne, her expression was neutral. She simply said to the maid beside him, "Help to the restroom."
Zachary Hawthorne walked to the side of the bed, pulled back the covers, and lifted her into his arms. "Why didn’t you call ?"
’In my condition, should I really have to call you?’ Nina wanted to ask.
"Her phone is on the nightstand. She couldn’t reach it," Silas Sinclair pointed out from the side.
Zachary Hawthorne shot him a cold glance before carrying Nina Wainwright to the restroom.
"You can leave now." Nina Wainwright sat on a chair in the restroom, suppressing the anger in her voice and maintaining a semblance of good humor.
"Shy about using the restroom?" Zachary Hawthorne walked over to her, a hint of amusent in his voice.
Nina Wainwright’s voice was slightly hoarse. "Can you please just listen to this once?"
Zachary Hawthorne noticed sothing was off about her tone. After a mont of contemplation, he turned and left the restroom.
He stepped out and looked at Silas Sinclair. "Why didn’t you arrange for soone to co sooner?"
Silas Sinclair lowered his head, not daring to breathe.
Zachary Hawthorne wasn’t angry. He just said calmly, "You can all leave for now."
Nina Wainwright was in the restroom by herself for a while before she managed a weak knock on the door.
Zachary Hawthorne went over, carried her out of the restroom, and laid her on the bed. He began to explain, "Nina, I was held up by sothing..."
"I wouldn’t dare bla you. Your work is important. You just need to make sure there’s a woman here to help ." Nina Wainwright interrupted him calmly. Explanations were aningless now.
’If he truly cared about , he wouldn’t have disappeared for the entire morning while I was this badly hurt.’
’All Luna Sterling had to do was call him because she wanted to have a al, and he rushed over, completely unsettled.’
’No matter how much I struggle to get around at ho, he won’t spare a single thought for my difficulties.’
"Nina, are you really not upset?" Zachary Hawthorne could clearly sense her dissatisfaction, but he knew that he and Silas Sinclair had indeed been thoughtless about today’s situation.
Nina Wainwright looked at him calmly. "What do you want to say?"
"Just get so rest. I’ll stay here with you." Zachary Hawthorne knew she felt wronged but didn’t want to dwell on the topic.
Nina Wainwright lay down, ignoring him.
Zachary Hawthorne sat for a short while before his phone rang again.
The special ringtone was like a knife stabbing into Nina Wainwright’s heart.
She clutched the covers, desperately wanting to tell Zachary Hawthorne how much she hated that ringtone.
Zachary Hawthorne picked up his phone and silenced it. But a few minutes later, it rang again. He had no choice but to answer. "What is it?"
"I’m not coming over tonight." He said, watching Nina as he took the call.
Nina Wainwright paid him no mind, not even twitching.
Zachary Hawthorne tugged at his collar. "Go have fun with your friends. Don’t worry about . I won’t be free later, either. We’ll talk tomorrow."
He hung up, slipped the phone into his pocket, and stared at the side of Nina’s face.
"Nina, are you asleep?" he asked.
"I know you’re busy. If you really can’t stay, just go handle your business. Like I said, a maid is fine," Nina said, her tone perfectly placid.
"I was going to ask what you want for dinner. I can cook for you myself," Zachary Hawthorne said, walking to the bed and leaning over her.
Nina Wainwright kept her eyes closed, completely unmoved, but her voice was still gentle. "I’ll eat whatever you make."
She no longer made any demands of him and was completely compliant. This was what Zachary Hawthorne had originally wanted, but now that she was actually doing it, he felt like sothing was wrong.
Zachary Hawthorne stood up and went outside, his face cold as he looked at Silas Sinclair.
Silas Sinclair imdiately lowered his head again.
He wanted to bla Silas, but he knew that wouldn’t change the outco. Nina had been left alone in her room today, unable to even find soone to help her to the restroom, unable to reach her phone.
’She was already jealous of my relationship with Luna Sterling. Even if I hadn’t gone to see her this afternoon, in Nina’s mind, that’s exactly where I was.’
"Have the maid take good care of her, and hire two professional caregivers as well," Zachary Hawthorne instructed, then headed straight downstairs.
Nina Wainwright slept through the afternoon. By evening, her body didn’t ache as much.
But she didn’t get up. Instead, she lay with her eyes open, staring out the window. She desperately wanted to leave this place, to have her own life, to make a clean break from Zachary Hawthorne.
But as things stood, there was no chance of her leaving.
Nina Wainwright felt deeply depressed, no matter how much she tried to rally her spirits.
When Zachary Hawthorne had asked her if she’d forgotten her place, she finally understood that there was a class divide between them.
He could control her, even her friends, while she didn’t even dare to resist.
Only when Zachary Hawthorne grew tired of her and cast her aside would she have a chance to leave.
Just then, the door opened. Zachary Hawthorne flipped on the light, took the dinner tray from Silas Sinclair, and said as he walked in, "Why are you in the dark? The switch is right above your head; you just have to reach for it."
"I wasn’t looking at anything, so there was no need. I couldn’t be bothered to move," Nina said. She tried to sit up, but it was difficult for her.
Zachary Hawthorne set the dinner on the nightstand, then sat on the edge of the bed and helped her up, letting her lean back against his chest.
Nina Wainwright didn’t struggle, acting perfectly docile.
"I made this. Have a taste." Zachary Hawthorne picked up her bowl and chopsticks, selected a piece of a vegetable dish, and brought it to her lips.
Nina opened her mouth and took a small bite. ’It’s okay,’ she thought, ’but not as good as the chef’s cooking.’
"How is it?" Zachary Hawthorne watched her expectantly.
Nina humd in response. "We have a chef, you know. You don’t have to cook, you’re so busy with work—"
"I’m never too busy to take care of you," Zachary Hawthorne said.
Nina wanted to laugh.
’He’s only doing all this out of guilt. Where’s the sincerity in that?’
Seeing that she wasn’t talking, Zachary Hawthorne didn’t press the issue and simply focused on feeding her.
Nina wasn’t in the mood to eat. After only half a bowl, she said she was full.
Zachary Hawthorne wanted her to eat more, but he realized he had never paid attention to how much she normally ate at a al, so he had to let it go.
"I had Silas prepare a wheelchair. How about I take you out for a walk?" Zachary Hawthorne asked gently, setting the dishes down and looking at Nina in his arms.
"I’d rather just take a bath and get so rest. I don’t want to sit up anymore," Nina said, her voice laced with fatigue.
Zachary Hawthorne nodded slightly. "Alright. I’ll have the maid co in and help you."
As he stepped out of the room, a dark, unstoppable gloom settled on Zachary Hawthorne’s face. He knew Nina was still holding a grudge over what happened today, but because he had threatened her with Adrian Pemberton before, she didn’t dare show the slightest hint of her dissatisfaction with him.
It left him with the suffocating feeling that no matter what he did, he could no longer make her treat him with genuine affection.
After her bath, Nina lay down in bed and drifted back into a groggy sleep not long after.
Perhaps because she had been so busy lately, on top of being injured, her need for sleep had suddenly increased. *****
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