The Breeding Deal: Brother-in-law's Forbidden Offer - Chapter 83

Chapter 83: Come Back

Christine clutched her bag as she got into the car, the white peach candy Pat had given her still dissolving in her mouth. She was on her way to visit Ethan at the hospital.

On the road, she got a call from Sophie. Sophie said she’d just gone from her place to Adrian’s office hoping to bring Christine lunch, only to find she wasn’t there. She wanted to know where Christine was.

Christine told her she was almost at the hospital. Sophie quickly responded that she’d bring the food there instead – she had it in an insulated bag to keep everything warm, saying hot dishes always taste better.

Christine felt a bit embarrassed and kept thanking Sophie for all this hard work. The young woman’s playful yet sincere laugh came through the phone. “Don’t mention it! This is the least I can do. We just want you to be well.”

We just want you to be well…

Christine watched the cityscape flash by outside her window, feeling ripples of emotion in her heart.

Indeed, Adrian’s assistants – Sophie, James, and even Thomas, Daniel and the others she didn’t know as well – they’d all been incredibly kind to her.

Though it was just work, these people chose to treat her with genuine warmth and care.

Truth be told, Adrian had been good to her too.

That is, if she looked past his cold, distant way of talking and his… rather wild behavior in bed.

He’d helped her so much: once for Ethan’s sake, once for Oliver’s. He’d given both money and effort. Without him, where would she and her family be now?

And if she counted that time Marcus nearly assaulted her in the car, that made three times he’d helped her.

She had been a bit angry then, resenting why Adrian had to declare she was “his woman” in front of everyone, especially Victor Blackwood. If Victor decided to use those words to cause trouble or make implications… she wouldn’t know how to handle it.

But now, Victor’s family had gone completely silent, never coming after Rebecca or Ethan to press charges against her. Christine finally realized Adrian must have had something on Victor and Marcus’s family. He’d known before he spoke that they wouldn’t dare make a move.

So… his words had been meant to tell everyone he was protecting her.

Was she being unreasonable getting mad at Adrian?

The more Christine thought about it, the more confused she became. Her mind was still in turmoil when she reached the hospital.

Walking into the ward, she was surprised to see several unfamiliar doctors. When she asked Rebecca about it, she learned how dangerous Ethan’s fever had been these past few days. His temperature had stayed dangerously high for days, only finally breaking around 4 AM this morning. He’d practically had one foot in the grave.

Those calls Rebecca had made were actually to tell Christine to rest at home, to avoid any stress that might affect the baby. She’d suggested Christine shouldn’t come to the hospital if she wasn’t feeling well.

But here she was anyway.

Ethan lay quietly in his hospital bed. After sweating through the night, everything – his sheets, pillowcase, blanket, and pajamas – had been changed today. Christine gently held his hand, her heart aching at how much weight he’d lost. His skin had become loose and lifeless, with no elasticity, clinging weakly to his thin, fragile bones as if they might snap at the slightest pressure.

Rebecca also told her how Adrian had helped, using his personal connections to quickly gather several top doctors for an emergency consultation overnight. That’s what finally brought Ethan’s fever down. One of them was even a German specialist – a close friend of Adrian’s well-connected friend Harrison. This wasn’t the kind of doctor they could have gotten just by throwing money at the problem.

Harrison had apparently arranged a private flight this morning to send the doctor back home.

Christine took it all in, letting it sink deep into her heart.

Adrian again.

When lunchtime came around, her best friend Rachel messaged to say she was at the same hospital for training and wanted to grab lunch together.

Sophie had already delivered the food to the hospital, so Christine gave her portion to Rebecca, telling her and Sophie to eat in the ward while she went to grab a quick bite with Rachel at the hospital café.

Christine poked at the broccoli on her plate, having no appetite at all.

Her mind was occupied with thoughts of home, where her parents and brother had prepared a feast for Adrian. Would he appreciate it? What if he kept his usual cold demeanor and didn’t say a word, making her parents uncomfortable? What if he got angry… Well, no, surely it shouldn’t happen.

Rachel noticed the worry lines between Christine’s brows and reached across the table to squeeze her friend’s arm.

“What’s wrong? What are you thinking about? Is it about Ethan?”

Christine instinctively shook her head, forcing an awkward smile. “No, no… it’s something else.”

“Then… is it about your brother?”

Rachel put down her fork and filled Christine’s glass with juice.

“I saw the news this morning about those rich kids getting arrested. It’s all over the internet. People are saying it’s great that your brother’s name is finally being cleared. With all this public attention, the prosecutor’s office can’t just ignore it or go back on their word. Do you know those kids already convicted? Drug trafficking, smuggling through international waters, framing others – with all those charges combined, they were looking at decades in prison. It’s already wonderful that your brother can get out. Everything’s working out, so try not to worry too much.”

Christine nodded at her friend’s reassuring words with a soft “Mm.”

“But…”

Rachel suddenly lowered her voice, leaning in with curiosity. “How did you manage to get your brother out? People online are saying someone with serious connections must be involved. What kind of powerful friend did you find to help?”

Christine took a sip of coffee and answered quietly, “Ethan’s… older brother helped out a bit.”

She had never told Rachel that her husband Ethan’s brother was Adrian Blackwood, the famous CEO of the Blackwood Group. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust her best friend – she just didn’t want rumors spreading through her social circle where ill-intentioned people might take advantage. Besides, she’d always known that she married Ethan out of love and trust, not because of his prominent family background or wealthy older brother.

“Wow! His brother must be incredible!”

Rachel barely contained her excitement, giving Christine a thumbs up after composing herself. “Just think about it – your husband’s brother was willing to step in and help your brother with such a huge problem. That shows not only is he close to his brother, but he’s also a really good person – capable and righteous. What a perfect man! What does he look like? How old is he? Is he married? What does he do for work? Can I be nosy and ask?”

Christine laughed softly. “You and your gossip.”

Adrian, always Adrian.

Maybe Rachel was right – maybe Adrian was indeed a perfect man.

She couldn’t deny feeling grateful. But then she remembered how he could have told her about Oliver’s situation from the start, yet chose not to. That made her angry again.

Angry at his silence, angry at how he… toyed with her.

Watching her come to beg him for that kind of thing, even mocking her as a cheap prostitute.

Perhaps it was the pregnancy, but Christine’s emotions felt especially intense lately. Different feelings kept surging up, making her so frustrated that she gulped down several mouthfuls of juice, yet couldn’t shake off the irritation in her chest.

They finished eating quickly, and Rachel had to return to her training after treating Christine to lunch. Just as Christine left the café, she got a call from Adrian.

Speak of the devil.

She answered the phone and put it to her ear. His deep voice came through: “Come back.”

Christine snapped back angrily, “No.”

Then she forcefully hung up.

Why should she do everything he says, go back just because he tells her to-

The next second, Pat called.

“Chrissy, what’s going on? Adrian just came to the house, looked around, and left without a word. We called after him, but he wouldn’t stop. What… what does this mean? Did we do something wrong? What didn’t we do right?”

Christine: “…”

She had no choice but to call Adrian back.

He let it ring for a full minute before answering, clearly making her wait on purpose.

Christine stood there feeling frustrated. When he finally picked up, he didn’t speak, leaving only the static of the connection in her ear.

He was waiting for her to speak first.

Christine felt annoyed but couldn’t lash out. She reluctantly said, “Why- why did you leave? Mom made so many dishes-”

“Come back.”

His cool voice cut her off with the same command.