?Chapter 43:


    Katelyn’s skin was as smooth as silk, soft and unblemished. Her torn shirt barely concealed her, leaving much exposed. Had Vincent been just any man, he might have been overwhelmed by the sight.


    She quickly covered herself, her cheeks turning a deep red.


    Vincent caught himself and quickly averted his gaze, embarrassed by the ident.


    Katelyn, both embarrassed and irritated, realized she had no change of clothes, adding to her distress.


    Vincent cleared his throat. “Please don’t worry, Miss Bailey. I’ll have my assistant send up some clothes for you.”


    He then picked up his phone and dialed his assistant. “I need a set of women’s clothes, sizerge. Please send them to my ward.”


    “Okay, Mr. Adams,” the assistant replied before quickly hanging up, sensing something odd.


    Vincent was recuperating in the hospital, and Katelyn hade to visit him. Why she needed to change puzzled his assistant.


    Vincent had recently undergone surgery, and despite his youth and the apparent passion between them, he was expected to show more restraint.


    The assistant, lost in thought about the morning’s events, was snapped back to reality by Cristina, who was waiting for him to update her on Vincent’s schedule.


    “What’s going on? Why that look?” Cristina inquired with a frown.


    The assistant hesitated, unsure whether to divulge the situation.


    Cristina’s presence seemed to fill the room with amanding aura. “Are you quiet? Are you hiding something from me?”


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    Avoiding her intense stare, the assistant replied nervously, “Mr. Adams just called, asking for a set of women’s clothes to be sent up.”


    Cristina paused, taken aback by the implications, and her annoyance grew. She silently chastised her son for his reckless behavior, despite his severe injuries.


    He was indeed an adult, but sorelycked self-discipline. He seemed utterly indifferent to his own health.


    The assistant hesitated before suggesting, “Did Katelyn Bailey try to make a move on Mr. Adams? Considering Mr. Adams hasn’t been intimate with any woman for years, it’s hard to imagine he’d lose control.”


    Cristina scoffed. “If he wasn’t interested in women, how could he be seduced? I’ve met Katelyn. She’s not that type of woman.” She had observed many women over the years, and a single nce was often enough for her to form an opinion. Clearly, Katelyn didn’t fit the profile, so Cristina med her son even more.


    With that thought, she picked up her phone and dialed Vincent’s number.


    The ward remained tense in ufortable silence. Katelyn, doing her best to cover herself, used both hands to avoid further embarrassment. Vincent acted honorably, keeping his eyes shut throughout.


    This standoff continued for a while.


    Suddenly, Vincent’s phone rang, breaking the silence. As he reached for it with his eyes still closed, the phone slipped from his hand and fell to the floor, revealing his mother’s name on the caller ID.


    “Could you put it on speaker for me?” he asked. Katelyn did as he requested, and as soon as the call connected, Cristina’s voice filled the room with usations.


    “Vincent Adams, you’re an adult. You should know better than to behave like this at such a time. You narrowly avoided death yesterday, yet today, your actions are wildly inappropriate. Did you go as far as to rip her clothes?”


    Cristina bit back further anger.


    For years, she had seen Vincent as calm andposed, but today, his actions left much to be desired.


    Both Vincent and Katelyn, being adults, grasped the implications of Cristina’s words instantly. Katelyn blushed, realizing how Cristina must have misunderstood Vincent’s request to his assistant.


    Vincent looked up at the ceiling awkwardly.


    “Mom, it’s not what you think,” he exined.


    “You don’t need to exin,” Cristina interrupted sharply. “I heard you ask your assistant to send some clothes to your ward. It’s not old-fashioned, but you need to be careful with your health. The doctor told you not to engage in any kind of strenuous activity and to focus on your recovery. Did you forget everything he said? What if you end up hurting yourself? Do you have to rush things?”


    Cristina cut him off quickly, leaving no room for him to respond.


    Katelyn’s cheeks grew even redder, wishing she could just disappear.


    “All I’m saying is for your own good. Even if you felt overwhelmed, you need to control yourself. If this happens again, break a leg.” Cristina warned, before hanging up and ending her lecture.


    The phone call only heightened the awkwardness in the ward. Vincent and Katelyn exchanged nces, both feeling the weight of the moment.


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