"I'll be right next to you, on the floor. If you turn your head, you'll see me," she said softly.
"This bed is big enough for two. Can you stay with me on the bed, Rachel?" he murmured, his voice carrying some emotion even he didn't fully understand.
Rachel bit her lip, hesitating for a moment before nodding. "Okay." She then picked up her bedding from the floor and lay down beside him.
She was kind of surprised at herself for actually agreeing to share a bed with a guy.
Maybe it was the way he looked just now, like a fragile glass doll that could shatter with even the tiniest touch. It made her want to protect him.
Lying in bed, she turned off the light, and her right hand stayed in his left.
"Jeffrey, if you still feel bad, just call me," she said.
"Okay," he replied. Maybe it was the meds? He felt a lot better than usual. Or maybe… it was because of her? The warmth of her hand slowly spread into his.
"Rachel, will you always stay with me?" he asked quietly.
"Of course I will. We'll always be there for each other. Even if you get married and have a family, I'll still be here for you," she said. They weren't related by blood, but she had always treated him like family.
Jeffrey's eyes slowly closed. Her voice calmed him, and even the pain in his body seemed to fade.
Marriage… Ever since Camila died, he hadn't thought about marrying anyone again. But apparently, she had.
"Do you promise?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied.
Finally, he let himself fall into a deep sleep.
Rachel carefully tucked Jeffrey in before she fell asleep too.
In the early morning, when she woke up, he was still sleeping. She reached out to touch his cheek and forehead. He wasn't sweating anymore, and his face looked peaceful, so she figured he wasn't in pain.
But just as she was about to pull her hand back, his eyes suddenly opened. His beautiful almond-shaped eyes shimmered a little. "Sis..."
"Sorry, did I wake you?" she said softly. "It's still early, you should sleep a little more." As she spoke, she quickly got dressed and washed up.
"There's porridge in the rice cooker. When you get up, you can have some. Your stomach was hurting last night, so eat something light today. Porridge is good for your stomach. And don't forget your stomach meds, three times a day, okay? Make sure to take them with you if you go out."
After saying all that, she rushed out the door.
In the small rented room, Jeffrey was left alone again.
He looked at the rice cooker sitting on the small round table, then lowered his head into the part of the bed where she had slept.
The bed still had her scent, and the blanket she used still held her warmth.
It felt like he was starting to crave something…
Finn watched as his boss took out a cheap, old-model phone. It was so out of character for him. But his boss just said, "Get a SIM card for this phone. I need it."
Finn was stunned for a second but quickly went to get the SIM card and handed it over.
Then, he watched as his boss inserted the SIM card and sent a text message. Not long after, the phone's message tone beeped.
And right then, the usually cold and distant CEO actually smiled softly at the message he got.
Finn blinked in surprise. Did he just see that right? Master Jeffrey was... smiling.
Was it because of the text message just now?
Out of the corner of his eye, Finn noticed the sender's name on the message: Sis.
Hmm, the only person Master Jeffrey called "Sis" these days was Rachel.
Jeffrey smiling because of a text from Rachel? Finn was completely shocked.
Did this mean Rachel had already secured a special place in Jeffrey's heart?
Later that afternoon, during a high-level meeting of the Gray Family Group, everyone was focused on the report when Jeffrey's phone suddenly rang.
Right in front of everyone, Jeffrey pulled out his old, cheap phone, pressed the answer button, and brought it to his ear, listening quietly.
"Okay, I got it. I'll eat, I won't forget," Jeffrey said.
The executives were stunned. The boss's voice was way softer than usual. Who was he talking to?
After ending the call, Jeffrey suddenly stood up and said, "I have something to take care of. Continue the meeting without me." With that, he left the conference room, leaving everyone exchanging confused looks. Their eyes then turned to Finn, who was still sitting there.
"Assistant Khan, what's going on? Who was the boss talking to?"
Finn gave a slightly awkward smile. Since he was sitting closest to Jeffrey, he had heard the word "medicine" during the call.
Thinking about the box of stomach medicine on Jeffrey's desk earlier, Finn figured the boss probably went to take his medicine after that call.
It was kinda hard to believe. Just one call from Rachel and the boss was willing to take his meds. Normally, Jeffrey wouldn't even touch medicine unless the pain was unbearable.
"The CEO's personal matters. Let's just continue the meeting," Finn said with a stiff smile, trying to steer the meeting back on track.
Meanwhile, Rachel put away her phone and continued picking up trash along the roadside with Sister Rivera.
Sister Rivera walked over and asked, "Who were you calling?"
"My brother," Rachel replied.
"You have a brother?" Sister Rivera said, surprised. "How come you never mentioned him before?"
Rachel just smiled and didn't say anything else.
After they finished cleaning, Rachel and Sister Rivera went to return their tools.
As they walked up to the tool shed, they overheard people chatting about the upcoming engagement between the Patel Family and the Howard Family.
It was the hottest gossip in Shen City lately.
"Ralph gave her a 6-carat pink diamond ring. Just that ring alone is worth millions," one person said.
"Celeste really hit the jackpot. Not only is she rich and beautiful, she's also marrying a super handsome, loaded guy," another added.
"If my boyfriend gave me a 1-carat diamond ring, I'd marry him on the spot," someone else said.