Chapter 154: Chapter 162

Nobody knew what Nancy had told Jacob, but in less than ten minutes, the door to Angeline’s ward opened with a click.

Then, the steady sound of leather shoes clacking on the marble floor echoed in the silent room.

It was obviously Evander, for no one else’s footsteps could sound as calm and composed as his.

Evander strode toward the bed and was about to lift the covers when Angeline stopped him with a shrill cry, “Stay away!”

Angeline covered her face with her hands, and when she sensed Evander pausing in his tracks, she lifted her head to steal a quick glance at him before pivoting and running away.

I look awful right now. Will Evander be spooked when he sees me in this state?

Despite preparing herself mentally, she was still overwhelmed by embarrassment when they really met.

Angeline ran and hid behind the curtain, whimpering as she pleaded, “Don’t come near me. Please go away.”

Unfortunately, Evander caught a glimpse of her face in that split second when she lifted her head just now and noticed the red rashes that marred her countenance.

He was shocked to see such a severe case of allergy, but he wasn’t at all frightened or disgusted by the sight.

“Angeline, how long do you intend to hide from me? Do you not want your face to be treated?”

He approached her and grabbed the curtain, attempting to yank it open, but as soon as he touched the curtain, she began trembling violently. Her voice cracked as she spoke. “Don’t touch me! Leave right now if you have respect for me!”

She would feel inferior whenever she faced Evander.

After all, she had always been a meticulous and sensitive person. From the start, she dared not accept Evander’s courtship due to her troubled past, and now that she had been disfigured, she didn’t know how to face him.

“Okay, okay. I won’t touch you. Please calm down.”

He sighed upon seeing how anxious she was. Taking a few steps back, he regarded her with concern.

Jacob witnessed Angeline’s reaction through a soundproof glass from outside the ward and growled, “Evander must be bullying Angie! I told you not to let him in, and look what happened! I’ll go in and drag him out!”

Nancy held him back just in time and reminded him, “Why are you getting so worked up? Don’t blame me for telling the truth, but Angeline is in love with Mr. Golding despite her complaints about him. And now, he’s the only one who can help her get through this.”

Upon hearing that, Jacob felt as if a bomb had gone off in his head, and his face went pale.

“No, that’s impossible.”

Angeline is such a wonderful lady. Why is she attracted to that cunning, scheming old fox?

Seeing how he still wouldn’t believe her, Nancy didn’t bother to explain further. Instead, she grabbed the phone that was used to monitor the patient’s condition in the ward and handed it to Jacob.

“I don’t want you to look at me because I know I’m hideous.”

Her tone was filled with fear and self-loathing, and it was evident that she did not welcome Evander’s arrival.

So that’s why she’s hiding from me?

Evander fixed his gaze on her and said, “All right. I’ll leave this instant. Please calm down.” His deep voice was tinged with warmth and tenderness as if he was trying to console a frightened child.

Probably because of the sincerity in his voice, Angeline’s anxiety eased. Slowly, she sank to the ground, and her tensed shoulders relaxed.

Evander stealthily inched closer to her until she was within arm’s reach. Subsequently, he pulled the curtains apart abruptly and pulled the trembling woman into his embrace.

Her body felt cold, completely devoid of warmth.

“Evander, let me go!”

Angeline panicked when he approached and struggled hard to break free from his embrace.

To her dismay, Evander tightened his grip on her and refused to let go.

“Angeline, I thought you were braver than this! But why are you defeated by such a trivial matter?

Where is your courage when you took over Forrester Group? Haven’t you weathered all those incidents in the Sorelle family? Why are you giving up now?”

Evander’s clear words traveled into her ears and calmed her heart.

“Get away from me! The doctor said that I had a fungal infection. You might get infected, too…”

“I’m not afraid of something like that.”

Evander cradled Angeline’s cheeks with his hand and slowly lifted her face when she didn’t resist his touch.

He couldn’t help frowning upon seeing the rashes on her face, which was more severe than he expected.

Angeline felt extremely uncomfortable getting stared at like that.

He didn’t say anything while staring at me. Does he hate me? Is he disgusted by me? Will he run away from me like how those nurses did?

At that thought, Angeline frantically turned her head away and spoke nervously. “Stop looking at me. I must have scared you with my ugly face.”

Evander’s heart ached when he heard her self-deprecating remark. In response, he soothed her with a gentle voice.

“Not at all. Now, let’s pack up and come home with me, all right?”

Angeline was stunned upon hearing his words. She didn’t understand what he was trying to say.

“What are you talking about? Are you joking? The doctor said I can’t leave the hospital.”

“If I’m not mistaken, the doctor also said you’ll have a low chance of recovering. And even if you are healed, you’ll end up having scars all over your body. Am I right?”

Angeline fell silent. He was right.

“Listen to me. You know that every doctor has different capabilities, yeah? You can’t follow the advice of a single doctor. Come with me. Let me take you to other doctors. Don’t worry. It’s not a big deal.”

Evander’s soft voice and the warmth in his palm eventually calmed Angeline down and made her feel secure.

She lowered her eyes as tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Don’t cry. The Angeline I know isn’t that weak,” Evander consoled her and carefully wiped her tears away. Then, he lifted her in his arms and brought her out of the ward.

Angeline’s tears were a sign that she was willing to face the difficulties.

Evander knew something was wrong the moment he noticed the weird look on her face at the press conference. He then went backstage and asked around, only to find out Angeline had been sent to the hospital.

Instantly, he was beside himself with worry. He had never felt this fearful in his life.

Sometime later, Nancy called and told him about Angeline’s horrible condition.

Without a second thought, he drove to the hospital, overtaking countless cars along the way.

During the ten or so minutes he took to reach the hospital, he deeply regretted how harshly he had treated Angeline all this time.

He was willing to offer anything in exchange for her safety, and he was willing to just watch over her from afar if she refused to accept him for the rest of his life.

After reaching the hospital, he sighed in relief when he saw that Angeline was merely suffering from an allergy.

To him, that was not a big deal.

Why does she think I’d abandon her because of this? To her, am I just a shallow person who only pays attention to a person’s appearance?

Upon exiting the ward, Angeline didn’t know where he was taking her, but she felt an inexplicable sense of trust toward him. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and listened to the loud thumping of his heart, feeling at ease.

When they reached the door, Jacob got in their way.

“Hey, you cunning old fox! Where are you taking Angie?”