Chapter 523: Chapter 523

Rayna scowled at Carl. “Don’t make me teach you a lesson in the middle of the night. Go back and sleep after you’ve finished drinking your water!”

Looking up at her, Carl questioned, “Why are you hurrying me along, Ms. Rayna? Are you hoping to be alone with Mr. Hamilton?

What did Mr. Curtis say to you after taking you away? Haven’t you both gotten back together?”

While the two of them were talking, the kitchen door slid open without warning.

“I found that all your seasonings have expired,” Curtis said before he glanced at Carl beside Rayna. “You’re not in bed yet at this hour, Carl?”

Sheer surprise inundated Carl. “It’s you, Mr. Curtis? I thought it was Mr. Hamilton.”

In a flash, Curtis’ smile faded, and he eyed the boy icily. “Why, were you hoping that it was him?”

“No, of course not! It’s best that it was you, Mr. Curtis! Mr. Curtis, there’s a twenty-four-hour convenience store in the residential area. What do you want? I’ll go and buy it for you!” Verily, Carl’s survival instinct was unrivaled.

Tamping down his aura, Curtis listed the seasonings he wanted to buy.

After listening, Carl quickly changed his shoes and left.

Rayna cast a look at the kitchen. Upon seeing that he had cleaned the space to the point that it sparkled, she huffed, “You came here late at night, messing up my kitchen and even ordering a kid around. How shameless!”

“The kitchen was dirty because you didn’t live here in a few weeks.” As Curtis said that, he dipped his head and glanced at her stomach. “Aren’t you hungry after throwing up twice today?”

“No!” Pulling open the refrigerator door, Rayna took out a bunch of grapes.

Curtis snatched the grapes away and closed the refrigerator door, stopping her from taking other fruits. “They’re too cold for you and could hurt your stomach.”

“It’s hot, and the air-conditioner isn’t even turned on! It isn’t cold at all! Return the grapes to me!” Irritation swamped Rayna.

“No.” Curtis held the grapes high.

He was tall in the first place, so Rayna couldn’t reach them even after going on tiptoes.

“Three babies are sharing your body. Behave and sit in the living room. I’ll bring them out after dunking them in hot water.”

His remark of behaving had Rayna inexorably blushing. But still, she stubbornly countered, “They won’t taste nice anymore!”

“Hmm?” Curtis stared down at her, his gaze turning indescribably dangerous.

Rayna fell silent.

Gritting her teeth, she furiously kicked him in her slippers before stalking into the living room in a fit of pique.

Curtis proceeded to pour a bowl of hot water and immersed the grapes in it for a few minutes.

He peeled one and tried it. Only when he had ascertained that it wasn’t cold anymore did he take it out for Rayna to eat.

Since Carl had yet to come back with the seasonings, he started peeling the grapes for her. While doing so, he divulged, “Jeremy gathered a few top-notch doctors and went over to Xyperia to help.”

Hearing that, Rayna ceased her cold-shoulder treatment toward him and hastily asked, “What’s the situation like?”

With a somber expression, Curtis admitted, “Jeremy said he’d try the new medical technology on Theodore. The chances of him regaining consciousness are high. Conversely, Jasmine sustained severe injuries to her head. It’s so bad that even the best doctors can’t do anything about her condition.”

The grape in Rayna’s mouth lost all sweetness, seemingly turning bitter. “I know Mrs. Xavier is ruthless, but I never expected her to treat her own son in such a way. She even made a move against Jasmine.”

“You don’t need to feel guilty about this. It has nothing to do with you,” Curtis coaxed. In the next second, his expression turned grim. “Theodore is her only son. No matter how much she hated Jasmine, she would never disregard her son’s safety.”

Immediately, Rayna understood his meaning. “You suspect that someone manipulated her into doing so?”

Nodding, Curtis analyzed, “Think about it. If she was truly that cruel, she would’ve furtively eliminated Jasmine back when she broke them up instead of waiting until now.”

“Perhaps she didn’t have that intention previously, but she hates Jasmine even more now after seeing that Mr. Xavier has got back together with Jasmine and had been treating her coldly after learning about her swapping the letter.”

“If that were the case, she could’ve taken advantage of the time Theodore went to Norham for business to make her move against Jasmine. Norwal City is considered the Xavier family’s territory, so it would’ve been a piece of cake for her to do anything,” Curtis argued.

Rayna mulled it over and felt that the man was right.

If Mrs. Xavier is really that heinous, she had plenty of opportunities to make a move against Jasmine. There wasn’t any need for her to wait until Jasmine had gone to Xyperia before hiring someone to mow her down and send some other woman to Theodore’s bed.

She then asked, “So, who do you think manipulated her? And why would she listen to that person?”

“I don’t know the answer to that yet. The Nicholson family is a prime suspect.” The Xavier family’s network was too complicated, and Curtis didn’t station anyone in Xyperia, so he was in the dark about many things.

To hear more clearly, Rayna voluntarily inched closer to him. “Elaborate on that.”

Curtis peeled another grape for her. “Selena has harbored feelings for Theodore for many years. When Theodore’s father brought him along to attend her eighteenth birthday party a few years ago, Mr. Nicholson vaguely hinted that his daughter liked him and wished they could get married. However, Theodore turned it down.”

Rayna hummed in comprehension. “You think Mr. Nicholson knows that Mrs. Xavier hates Jasmine, so he said something to her that had her trick Mr. Xavier into going to Xyperia. And since Selena likes him, so...”

“That’s just my suspicion, but it’s very likely that Mr. Nicholson might have done so. If the Xavier family and the Nicholson family were to be linked by marriage, no one would dare underestimate them in Norwal City. At the same time, both families’ statuses in the military would be even more secure,” Curtis elaborated.

Rayna sighed. “It turns out that those from wealthy families are even more pitiful. They have no freedom to live their lives. I really pity Mr. Xavier for having such parents and being set up in such a manner.”

“You don’t need to bother about that. All you’ve got to do is to eat and drink well.” Curtis stuffed a grape into her mouth. “What if the babies are born with a long face, taking after your action every day?”

In response, Rayna thumped him hard. “What nonsense! You’re cold-hearted, but it’s different for others! Do you think Carl is stupid? If the lie drags on, he’ll definitely suspect something.”

“Then we’ll think of a countermeasure at that time. You’re fretting too much now.”

Smacking his hand away, Rayna snarled with a frosty expression on her face, “I’ve had enough! Go and see why he still hasn’t returned. You don’t even care about your best friend’s son, making others worry about him instead!”

Exasperation flooded Curtis. “Even if you worry about it now, can you think of a countermeasure?”

“Go! You’re even more talkative than women. How annoying!” In truth, Rayna was gripped by the urge to tape his mouth shut.

“Fine, fine, I’ll go.”

Just when Curtis was about to leave the house and take a look at things, Carl unexpectedly came back.

“Here are the seasonings you wanted, Mr. Curtis. But I didn’t manage to buy any pasta sauce.” Carl held a shopping bag out to the man.

“Thank you.” Taking everything into the house, Curtis asked, “Would you like supper?”

“Yes! No matter what you cook, Mr. Curtis, add a fried egg.”

After changing his shoes, Carl streaked into the living room. When he saw the bunch of grapes on the coffee table, he plucked a few and tossed them into his mouth.

The moment he bit into the skin, his brows furrowed. In a garbled voice, he asked, “Are these grapes always stored in the refrigerator, Ms. Rayna? Why are they hot?”

“Curtis immersed them in hot water!” Rayna huffed.

Spitting the grape skin out, Carl exclaimed in realization, “I heard expectant mothers can’t eat cold things. Ah, that’s why Mr.

Curtis immersed the grapes in hot water. How attentive of him, Ms. Rayna.”

Her expression as indifferent as ever, Rayna ignored him.

Inching close to her, Carl whispered, “Actually, I came back ages ago. I merely stood outside the door for some time just now.”