Chapter 273

Royce smiled and pulled my hand closer, kissing the back of it without hesitation. "I was just jealous, that's all."

"The topic we were discussing was a bit sensitive, and jumping to my jealousy made you overthink. I'm sorry."

As he spoke, he kissed the back of my hand lightly again.

His gentleness was hard to resist.

"I never doubted you were sick. Even if, hypothetically, he could have infected you, he got sick after you two had already stopped being intimate, after you had your child and were bedridden..."

"I got all his medical reports. His issues started after you got sick and were bedridden, and it showed up on him quickly."

Thinking about the women Brandon was involved with and all those records made me feel nauseous.

"I remember those details too... When I was bedridden, he was with others..."

I couldn't continue.

It wasn't because of heartache or sadness, but pure disgust.

The physical nausea was hard to hide, and I even felt like throwing up.

I quickly changed the subject and asked Royce, "But how did you know all this?"

"When I was helping you with many things, Simon trusted me and gave me a lot of information."

This included information about Brandon and a series of medical records.

I nodded. "Got it."

"Are you feeling uncomfortable now? If you're still upset, let me know, and I'll help you through it."

Royce still held my hand, his gaze intense.

Meeting his eyes, I suddenly felt the sincerity in them.

Kathy was right; Royce was mostly gentle with me.

Whenever he sensed I was upset, he was the first to comfort me, determined to solve the problem completely.

In this regard, Royce was indeed good to me.

I looked at him and said softly, "But I did misunderstand earlier... I hope we don't talk about such ambiguous topics in the future."

That dark past was something I still didn't want to bring up.

Royce nodded emphatically. "Understood. I'll be more careful with my words and consider your feelings. But don't hold back your emotions. If you feel something, show it to me right away, like you did just now. That way, I'll know how to comfort you and explain things."

I nodded. "Okay."

Only then did I realize he was still holding my hand. Given our current relationship, it felt a bit too intimate.

I quickly pulled my hand back and cleared my throat. "I should go. My mom is waiting for me at home."

Royce saw this and covered his mouth with his hand to stifle a laugh.

I knew he was in a good mood.

Even though we both had a lot to do, his gentleness put me at ease.

Suddenly, I felt confident about what Maeve had said to him earlier. "By the way, I have something to ask you... What were you and Maeve talking about just now?"

Royce looked at me calmly. "When I was investigating Maeve, I found out who she's been involved with. I told you before, a friend of mine was also deceived by her."

"So I went over to give her a piece of my mind, a warning."

Thinking back, Royce's expression wasn't great when he was with her, but I had assumed they were just chatting.

I had indeed misunderstood him.

I said quietly, "I'm sorry. For a moment, I thought you had something going on with Maeve that you were hiding from me..."

Royce gave a bitter smile. "Do you really think I'm that kind of guy?"

I shook my head. "I know you're not, which is why I calmed down. Even if you did want another woman, you have plenty of choices around you."

Like Yvonne, right?

Royce seemed to know who I was referring to and frowned, pinching my cheek. "Didn't we agree not to be jealous about this anymore? I've already explained it to you."

"And I have no contact with her now. I warned her about what she did to you. She hasn't found a job yet, and all the companies related to me have rejected her resume..."

Royce said a lot in one breath.

I quickly smiled. "Alright, alright, you don't have to explain so much. I know you've cut ties with her."

Otherwise, my phone wouldn't be so quiet.

Yvonne hadn't contacted me in a long time.

I guessed it was because of Royce's warning.

Royce looked at me again. "But you just asked about Maeve and brought up Yvonne. Can I take that as you being jealous?"

"I... I'm not..."

I instinctively wanted to deny it.

But the heat rising in my cheeks betrayed me, and I realized I did care about him.

Maybe it was because I'd been so unsettled after hearing about Joanna...

Royce read something in my flustered expression and happily hugged me.

The back seat of the car was narrow, even in Royce's luxury car.

This made our bodies very close when he hugged me.

I could even feel the heat of his heartbeat through his chest.

I wanted to push Royce away, but feeling his warmth, I couldn't help but hug him back.

"If I said I care about you, would you still pursue me?"

Royce answered without hesitation, "Of course."

"Even if you already like me, I'll keep pursuing you until you agree to be with me."

I laughed through my tears. "Really? Isn't it said that once a man knows he has a chance or has succeeded, he won't cherish it?"

Royce shook his head seriously and said above my head, "Not me. Maybe other men, but I would never do that."

"I'm serious about you."

Hearing him say that again filled my heart with sweetness.

I hugged him tightly, savoring the moment of peace.

Until the driver got in, glanced at us through the rearview mirror, and I felt a bit guilty.

The car started, and Royce still held my hand tightly.

At that moment, I really wanted to say yes to him.

But then I thought about how it was the first time someone had pursued me for so long, and I wanted to enjoy this feeling a bit longer.

I selfishly wanted to prolong this feeling...