Chapter 54: You Didn't Think I Wanted to Kiss You, Did You?

Alaric Vane gave her a sideways glance. "What exactly about you is worth my liking?"

Hearing this, Seren Thorne breathed a sigh of relief. "That’s good then."

{Good thing I don't like him either. If the dog man really changed his mind and stopped liking the female lead, I’d never be able to get this divorce.}

Alaric sneered inwardly.

This woman spoke as if she could actually succeed in divorcing him right now.

Since Seren had already married him, even if he didn't like her, he wouldn't let go just to let some wild man outside benefit. Whether it was Sebastian North or some young "toy boy" she hadn't even sponsored yet, he wouldn't lose!

With the IV drip running, Seren’s condition improved significantly. Her stomach stopped churning, and she began to feel a bit drowsy. By the time half a bottle of saline was left, she finally succumbed to her sleepiness and fell into a deep slumber.

Alaric looked at her sleeping in a completely sprawled-out, ungraceful position and couldn't help but feel a twinge of disdain. He stood up and pulled the blanket over her.

It was late summer, and the weather was still a bit muggy, but with the air conditioning on in the room, the temperature was quite low. Lying there like that made it easy to catch a cold.

Just as he tucked her in and was about to sit back down, he saw her grumbling and kicking the blanket away.

Alaric, showing a rare moment of patience, stood up and covered her again. However, Seren was never a peaceful sleeper; she kicked the blanket off several more times. Alaric didn't get angry, patiently tucking the edges back in every single time.

When the IV was finished, the nurse came in to remove the needle and reminded Alaric, "Mr. Vane, Mrs. Vane seems to be doing much better. Should I process her discharge?"

"No need, let her keep sleeping." Alaric looked at Seren, who was still snoring away on the bed, and couldn't help but smile.

When the nurse came in earlier, he had been worried it would wake her up, but he hadn't expected this woman to sleep so soundly that such a commotion didn't rouse her. But then he remembered how she could fall off the bed and still sleep peacefully on the carpet, and he understood.

This woman was indeed very adaptable to her environment, likely due to the hardships she had endured in her past life.

Thinking of the suffering Seren had faced before, the smile on Alaric’s lips instantly vanished, and his chest felt tight again.

The nurse, watching Alaric’s emotions shift back and forth, whispered to herself:

Is this CEO suffering from some psychological issue? His face changes faster than anything.

But he’s truly good to his wife. A ward costing tens of thousands a day, staying for a simple upset stomach, and he’s been staying by her side the whole time instead of playing games on his phone like other men.

Ahhh.

Why can't I meet such a rich, handsome, and attentive man?

I'm crying inside!

The nurse wailed internally, but her face remained polite and respectful. After a brief word with Alaric, she left.

Once she was gone, Alaric drew the curtains so Seren could sleep more soundly. Having done that, he sat on the sofa opposite the bed and called an impromptu meeting with his employees.

Even though he knew Seren was hard to wake, he still lowered his voice and used Bluetooth earphones for the meeting.

Alaric’s voice was very pleasant—deep and magnetic, like the voice of a male lead in a radio drama. When lowered, it held an inexplicable sexiness.

As his voice traveled through the network to the ears of over a dozen employees, it sounded low and raspy, as if he were whispering secrets right next to them.

By the end of the meeting, the employees felt like their ears were "pregnant." Even the male employees felt a bit of a stir in their hearts, having a sudden urge to undergo a gender swap on the spot just to bear children for the boss.

Alaric could vaguely sense the gazes of his employees in the video feed becoming increasingly strange. He frowned and ended the meeting before any male employee could actually make a life-changing decision.

After the meeting, he noticed that Seren had woken up at some point. She was lying in bed under the blanket, with only her eyes peeking out, blinking as she watched him. He wasn't sure how long she had been looking.

Since he had been wearing earphones, he hadn't heard her. He asked, "Did I wake you up?"

Seren shook her head. "I woke up naturally. The medicine wore off, and I can't sleep long during the day."

Alaric understood. He set aside his laptop and stood up, intending to call the doctor for a final checkup.

Suddenly, Seren’s inner voice rang in his ears: {The dog man is actually pretty handsome when he’s having a serious meeting. He almost made my heart skip a beat. Chikoushou!}

Alaric paused his steps and looked at Seren.

She was still secretly eyeing him, but when she saw him look back, she quickly averted her gaze and shrunk back into the blanket guiltily.

Seeing this, Alaric arched an eyebrow, feeling a mischievous urge to tease her. He turned and walked over to the bedside.

"How long have you been awake?"

Seren said, "Only a minute or two."

{Actually, it's been over ten minutes. Damn it, I was so mesmerized watching the dog man that I forgot to get out of bed.}

A hint of a smile appeared in Alaric’s eyes. He suddenly leaned down, getting close to Seren.

Seeing the man’s handsome face enlarge before her eyes, Seren’s heart nearly stopped. Thinking he was going to kiss her, she instinctively closed her eyes.

However, the expected kiss never arrived.

Alaric simply pressed his forehead against hers. "No fever. You should be mostly recovered."

Hearing Alaric’s mutterings, Seren realized she had been overthinking. Feeling extremely embarrassed, she opened her eyes and pushed him away.

"Why do you have to get so close just to check my temperature? Couldn't you use your hand?"

{The dog man leaned in so close, I thought he was going to assault me. This is so cringeworthy!}

Rarely seeing Seren so flustered, Alaric chuckled. "It’s just a temperature check, yet you seem very nervous. You didn't think I wanted to kiss you, did you?"

Seren insisted stubbornly, "How could that be? I’m not the type to be so delusional."

Internally: {Brother, stop talking, stop talking! Leave me some dignity, my toes are about to carve out a whole castle!}

Alaric laughed out loud and pinched her cheek. "I’ll go get the doctor to check on you. After some more medicine, we should be able to go home."

Seren breathed a sigh of relief and shooed him away. "Go, go quickly."

Alaric left and returned with the doctor. Once it was confirmed there were no issues, Seren was discharged.