"Lucas... Lucas... it hurts so much... help me..." Ashley kept murmuring in a low voice.
Honestly, he had to be out of his mind to leave such an important meeting just to come here and torture himself like this.
Charles stepped out of the hospital room, not wanting to hear her calling another man's name again. If he stayed any longer, he couldn't guarantee what he might do.
"Sir, your assistant just called. Sterling Valor Group is pretty upset about you bailing on the meeting last minute. The funding plan might be called off. Also, there's a situation with Steelcore-needs your decision. Should I tell them you'll handle it tomorrow?" George asked, walking up to him.
"No need. I'll head over now," Charles said, waving it off and striding toward the elevator.
"Lucas, don't!" Ashley suddenly screamed and shot up in bed, jolted awake by a nightmare.
"Miss Carter, you're awake!" a nurse sitting nearby quickly walked over.
"Who are you? Where am I?" Ashley asked groggily, pressing her head with a confused, dazed look.
"You're in the hospital, of course. Miss Carter, your fever shot up to 41, and you passed out. It was scary. Lucky thing Mr. Blackwood put you in ice water to bring your temperature down-it's now back to around 38," the nurse explained, her cheeks turning pink as soon as she mentioned Charles.
"I passed out?" Ashley frowned, trying to remember, but her memory was fuzzy.
"Yep. You're honestly the most intense fever case I've ever seen," the nurse said, eyes sparkling like she was still starstruck. "You should've seen how worried Mr. Blackwood was about you."
"Heh," Ashley gave a polite laugh, not quite knowing how to respond.
"Miss Carter, I'm so jealous. Having someone like Mr. Blackwood look after you? It's unreal," the nurse said enviously.
This was Charles they were talking about-the man's worth billions, but even without that, just his looks alone could break the internet. His smile alone could leave half the girls in town breathless.
"You know him?" Ashley asked, raising an eyebrow at the way she was glorifying him.
"Of course!" The nurse looked like she could go on for hours. "He's the fourth-generation heir of the Blackwood Consortium. Their businesses are all over six continents-oil, tech, pharma, you name it. Ever since he took over, the group's wealth has skyrocketed. Media overseas even called him the most bold and visionary leader out there. I mean, honestly, there aren't many people who don't know who he is."
But the sad part? He didn't even glance her way once. Just thinking about it made the nurse's heart ache again.
So, that man had such an insane background? Ashley was stunned. She'd always suspected he was powerful-but this powerful? That was on another level.
Wait a second... did she just say this place was... a hospital?
"Did you say I'm in a hospital?" she asked, just now piecing it together.
"Yeah!" the nurse nodded eagerly. Oh no, she was totally falling for Charles...
Ashley's eyes widened. So, she really was in a hospital! Emotion surged through her all over again.
