Chapter 20: Adrian Preston Is Outwardly Strong but Inwardly Weak and Not Very Good in That Department Editor: Henyee Translations

Afraid of putting pressure on his wound, Mia kept to the very edge of the bed. Unexpectedly, Adrian Preston also moved toward his side, leaving enough space between them to fit a whole other person.

With the lights off, the air in the room became heavy and intimate.

Her breathing was shallow and quick. The minutes ticked by, but any hint of sleepiness was gone. She had never shared a bed with a man before.

In her three years with Chase Lockwood, they had never done anything improper.

Suddenly, she heard Adrian Preston’s breathing. It was heavy, labored—not normal at all.

"Adrian, are you okay?" She gently touched him, only to find his skin was scalding hot. She quickly turned on the light to check on him.

Adrian Preston’s face was an unhealthy shade of red, and his forehead was slick with sweat. It was obvious he had a fever. His brows were knitted in a pained expression, and he even began to mutter deliriously, "Shannon..."

He seemed to be calling someone’s name.

Mia had no time to dwell on that now. She quickly called Theo, who told her he was already on his way with a doctor.

"If his temperature gets too high, you can give him a fever reducer. Use rubbing alcohol to wipe his armpits and joints to cool him down physically. Don’t cover him with blankets; you need to let the heat dissipate."

Theo gave her a few instructions.

Mia did as she was told, constantly replacing the wet towel on his forehead. When his temperature spiked past forty degrees Celsius, she quickly fed him some fever reducer.

In less than half an hour, the fever did indeed break. He was covered in sweat, his clothes soaked through.

How can he stay in these clammy, sweat-soaked clothes? If she called a maid to change his clothes, Grandpa will find out tomorrow that Adrian was shot. It would definitely terrify him.

Theo was still taking a long detour; a drunk-driving accident had shut down the road.

Mia could no longer afford to worry about propriety. She got a clean set of clothes, began to wipe his body down, and peeled off his soaked clothing.

His upper body was manageable, but his lower body...

"I... I don’t mean any offense, please don’t be angry," she muttered.

After murmuring a few more words, she started to take off his clothes. Her hands trembled as she wiped down his thigh, and she accidentally brushed against a certain... place.

After steeling herself and finishing the task, Mia realized she was also drenched in sweat.

Thankfully, the doctor and Theo arrived just in time, slipping quietly into the villa.

Fortunately, this was a normal reaction for someone in Adrian’s condition; he would be fine once the fever broke completely.

"We’ll have to trouble you for the rest of the night."

"It’s what I’m supposed to do."

After she saw the two of them out, they checked into a nearby hotel.

Mia didn’t sleep a wink all night, taking meticulous care of him. Adrian broke out in a sweat twice more after that, and by then, she was an old hand at the routine.

She managed to hold on until dawn. Her eyelids were so heavy they felt like they were at war. With her eyes closed, she reached out to feel Adrian’s clothes.

Wet again.

She began fumbling for his buttons and started to take his clothes off.

Shirt off, now for the pants.

"What are you doing?"

Startled by Adrian’s sudden voice, Mia’s hand twitched, pressing down on that certain place. She quickly opened her eyes, meeting Adrian’s deep, penetrating gaze. His brows were drawn low, his eyes fixed on her mischievous hand.

"I’m already in this state, and you still won’t spare me?"

Adrian’s voice was hoarse, giving it a unique sort of magnetism.

Mia’s face instantly flushed bright red. "You... You’ve misunderstood. You broke into a sweat several times last night. I was changing your clothes because I was worried you’d be uncomfortable and catch a chill.

"I... I really didn’t do it on purpose. You have to believe me..."

"Fine. But first, move your hand."

"Oh, right..."

Only then did Mia realize her hand was still there.

Adrian pulled the thin blanket over himself. "Last night... was it you who took care of me?" He could sense that someone had been busy at his bedside, wiping away his sweat and giving him water.

"Yes... I didn’t dare call anyone else. I was afraid of alarming Grandpa..."

"You did a good job," Adrian said, giving his approval.

"You must be hungry. I’ll go get you something to eat."

Mia hurried downstairs to get food for Adrian, only to run into his grandfather.

"Mia, what’s wrong? Didn’t you sleep well?"

"Yes... I didn’t sleep well."

"And Adrian? He never sleeps in. What’s going on with him today?"

"He was a bit tired, so he wanted to rest a little longer."

"Tired? That doesn’t sound right. Did something happen? I’ll go check on him." Alarmed, his grandfather started for the stairs, but Mia quickly grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Grandpa... Last night... we were up a little too late, so that’s why..."

She couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence, her cheeks turning bright red.

The old man froze for a second, then, as realization dawned, he burst into a hearty laugh. "Well then, you two should rest! You get some rest too, don’t wear yourself out."

"I... I’ll go lie down in our room after I eat something."

"Go on, hurry. Eat something to get your strength back."

The old man sent her off with a wide, knowing smile.

After eating, the color had clearly returned to Adrian’s face. He got up and changed his clothes, but one look in the mirror told him he still looked too unwell to pass without raising suspicion.

"Do you have any light-colored lipstick?"

"What do you need lipstick for?"

"To add some color to my lips." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"You?" Mia was astonished.

"Makeup is one of our required courses. My skills might even be better than yours."

"You have to learn that, too? That’s incredible."

Full of admiration, Mia fetched him a light-colored lipstick. Once he applied it, he looked remarkably healthier. Looking at him now, no one could tell how haggard he’d been last night. He looked as if nothing was wrong at all.

"Where are you going?"

"To the office."

"You’re still going to work in your condition?"

"An injury like this is nothing. Besides, I’ve already rested for a whole night."

Adrian clearly had little regard for his own body and headed straight downstairs. His grandfather saw him and immediately pulled him aside. "You still don’t look so good."

"Grandpa, I caught a bit of a cold yesterday, so..."

"Alright, enough with the excuses. Mia already told me everything. I thought a big guy like you would be tougher than this—turns out you’re all show. She’s up and full of energy, and you’re still stuck in bed?

"What’s the matter with you? Look strong on the outside but weak underneath? A man can’t go on like that. You need to eat better—get some good food in you, like oysters, greens... proper meals. And cut back on all that coffee. Drink more water and take care of yourself.

"If you’re already this weak now, what’s going to happen in the future? You need to build up your strength, and fast!"

Adrian’s face grew darker and darker. He glanced back at Mia, who was standing a short distance away. Overcome with guilt, she quickly lowered her head.

It’s over, she thought. He definitely knows everything.

"I understand, Grandpa. I’ll build up my strength. I promise I won’t bring shame upon all men."

"Aha, now that’s the right attitude!"

Grandfather left, chuckling to himself. Mia tried to turn and flee upstairs, but Adrian closed the distance in a few long strides and grabbed her by the collar. He hauled her back like a scruffed kitten. "You really dare to say just about anything, don’t you?"

"It’s not my fault! If I hadn’t said that, Grandpa would have gone up to see you. You didn’t want him to worry, did you?"

"Now Grandpa thinks I’m all show and no substance, so he’s set on getting me back in shape. I’m telling you—if I can’t burn off all this pent-up energy, I’m taking it out on you!"

"But aren’t you a man of principle?"

"Principles are rigid, but I’m not. It’s not out of the question to be flexible once in a while!"