Chapter 49
Chapter 49:
Despite her sharp tone, her hand reached out on instinct, adjusting his pillow until it supported him more comfortably.
When her fingertips brushed the side of his neck, the delicate warmth of his skin sent a jolt up her arm. She yanked her hand back, a fierce blush racing up to her ears.
Austin caught every flicker of her reaction. Amusement deepened in his eyes, sparking like sunlight on water as he quietly savored the sight.
The doctor insisted Austin remain hospitalized for at least three more days to recover.
During that time, Brinley ended up becoming his reluctant caretaker.
Guilt gnawed at her—after all, it was her cooking that had landed him here in the first place—so she couldn’t just walk away.
Every morning without fail, she stepped into the hospital room with a container in her hands.
Brinley ladled porridge into a bowl and set it in front of Austin. “Eat p>
𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗿𝘂𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻
Austin accepted the bowl, but instead of lifting the spoon, he nudged it back toward her with a fleeting smile. “You haven’t eaten either p>
Brinley flinched at his words, retreating slightly. “I’m not hungry,” she murmured, her gaze drifting to the faint marks the IV needles had left on the back of his hand.
The sight made her oddly uneasy.
He was forced to eat with his left hand, awkward and unsteady because of the IV in his right, yet he stubbornly insisted on managing on his own.
“Have a taste?” he asked, lifting a spoonful toward her, his piercing eyes unyielding.
Steam rose from the porridge, and Brinley’s heartbeat stumbled. She averted her gaze, murmuring so softly it barely carried, “Go ahead. Eat it yourself p>
Austin let the matter drop, chewing slowly, though his eyes never left her.
Uneasy under his quiet scrutiny, Brinley picked up the stack of documents she had brought and pretended to read.
Yet no matter how hard she tried, her eyes drifted back to him again and again.
When the bowl was empty, Austin leaned against the headboard with a tablet propped on his stomach. His fingers glided across the screen with practiced speed as he scanned reports.
Now and then, the phone at his side buzzed. He answered in a low, steady voice that carried effortless authority, settling matters in a few clipped sentences.
Brinley’s gaze lingered on his focused profile, and in that moment she finally understood—Austin’s achievements had never been a matter of luck. Even pale in a hospital bed, he carried himself with relentless drive, his mind tethered to business.
“Do you really have to push yourself this far?” she asked, unable to stop herself. “The company won’t crumble without you for a few days p>
Austin lifted his head and curved his lips into a light, teasing smile. “I’d hate for you to think I can’t measure up to your standards p>
Her throat tightened, and she turned abruptly, pouring water into a glass to avoid his gaze—though the flushed tips of her ears gave her away.
Catching her reflection in the window, she realized she couldn’t drift through life in this half-hearted haze any longer.
If Austin could climb this high through sheer willpower, then why couldn’t she?
The VantagePath Realty project was stalled, but her ambitions weren’t meant to end there.
“When you’ve recovered, let’s set our companies against each other and see which one thrives more,” she declared. She returned to his side and set the glass down with a decisive clink.
Amusement flickered in his eyes. “I’m in p>