Chapter 73

Daniel seemed determined this time-he wanted to get back together.
Every morning, he showed up with breakfast right on time. After dinner, he didn’t rush off; instead, he even volunteered to help clean up. It was as if he’d become a completely different person.
Grandma Grace, in her gentle way, would praise him in private. “Daniel’s really changed a lot,” she said more than once. “If it weren’t for the Quinn family meddling, he’d actually be a great match.”
Aurora shut down her grandmother’s wishful thinking without hesitation. “If it weren’t for the Quinns, I’d never have met him in the first place.” In her mind, that was hardly a good thing.
Grandma Grace had to concede that point, sighing about fate and all its twists.
During the day, Aurora helped Warner search for a woman with a scar on her face, and Daniel always tagged along. Whenever she showed too much concern for Warner’s troubles, Daniel might get a little jealous, but most of the time, he was content to accompany her as they searched high and low.
After three days, they were still coming up empty.
Millbrook was a small town-you could walk from one end to the other in just over an hour. But when you were looking for someone, it felt as hopeless as finding a needle in a haystack.
Aurora was ready to give up. Daniel’s constant presence was starting to get on her nerves. She couldn’t help but wonder if the Chambers Group was about to go under, given how much free time he suddenly had.
One evening, after dinner, Daniel didn’t leave right away like he usually did.
Instead, he threw up.
Aurora was surprised at first when she heard the unmistakable retching from the bathroom-it took her a moment to realize it was Daniel. In three years of marriage, she’d never seen him lose his composure like this.
She hesitated, then knocked on the door. “You okay in there?”
Daniel insisted he was fine, but he looked terrible.
He ended up throwing up several more times.
Grandma Grace fretted, “Did you eat something bad?”
But all three of them had shared the same meal, and it didn’t make sense that frail old Grandma Grace was perfectly fine, while Daniel, fit as ever, was the one getting sick.
Worried, Grandma Grace insisted that Aurora take Daniel to the health clinic.
Aurora didn’t want to, but she thought of Mrs. Chambers and her terrifying temper —if anything happened to Daniel, the woman would probably come after her with pitchforks.
So, she took Daniel to get checked out.
After the doctor ran some tests and questions, he determined Daniel was having a reaction to the local water and food, nothing serious-a saline drip would help. Aurora went to pay the bill.
By the time the IV was set up, Daniel looked even paler. He leaned against the cold steel chair, frowning.
Aurora considered for a second, then fetched him a cup of hot water. “Here, drink something.”
Daniel just sniffed at it and handed it back, wrinkling his nose. He didn’t like the taste.
Aurora sat beside him with a mocking smile. “Aren’t you delicate? If anything happens to you, your mother will have my head.”
She hadn’t forgotten Mrs. Chambers’s previous “punishments.”
Daniel didn’t react much—just glanced at her, then closed his eyes.
Her sarcasm landed like fists in a pillow-no effect at all. She felt even more
stifled, so she dropped her gaze to her phone and fell silent.
Half an hour later, Daniel’s phone rang.
Aurora glanced over and saw the caller ID: “Eleanor.”
She looked away, expressionless.
Daniel answered right there beside her. “Eleanor.”
Aurora could hear Eleanor’s anxious voice through the phone-she couldn’t make
out all the words, but the urgency was obvious.
Daniel’s tone didn’t change; he was calm and gentle as ever. “Eleanor, you’re the head of R&D. This is your responsibility.”
A pause.
“Get in touch with Gwen.”
Another pause.
“I’m not in Fairvale.”
Another pause.
“You need to learn to handle these things yourself.”
He hung up.
Aurora was genuinely surprised-Daniel had actually cut off his precious
childhood sweetheart. Was the sun rising in the west tomorrow?
“Sounds like it’s urgent. Aren’t you going back?” Aurora couldn’t resist poking the bear, her tone openly amused.
Daniel turned to look at her, his dark eyes unreadable.
Aurora immediately mimed zipping her lips shut. She shouldn’t have asked-
Daniel was bound to think she was enjoying Eleanor’s misfortune. Which, admittedly, she kind of was.
“The Almanac of Air’s new product hit a snag. Launch is postponed,” Daniel said, not bothering to hide the truth. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on ͟.net