As Asher stepped out of the hospital ward, his expression darkened ominously, as if he had emerged
from the depths of hell.
Upon hearing about Bellaâs accident, Axel and Ralph, who were working in Savrow, and even Amelia,
who was in class, all rushed to the hospital. Even Drew zoomed his way to the hospital without
hesitation.
In a rare occurrence, all of the Thompson siblings gathered together for Bella, with only their third
brother, Declan, who was serving in the military, absent.
âAsh, why did Bella suddenly get into a car accident?â Amelia, the youngest and most timid, was on the
verge of tears, her eyes welling
Steven saw Ameliaâs distress and wanted to comfort her, but as a mere secretary, he refrained from
overstepping his boundaries in front of his boss.
Steven could only keep his concern for her hidden in his heart, but his intense gaze never left Amelia
for a moment.
Perhaps, for a person like him, the only thing he could do was to silently stand behind her, guarding her
without uttering a word.
âThatâs right, Ash. Bella is a skilled driver. Her driving skills arenât any worse than mine. How could she
be rear-ended? In fact, they should be struggling to keep up with her carâs tail lights,â Drew expressed
his bewilderment.
On his way to the hospital, Drewâs heart remained tightly clenched. He had faced life-threatening
situations and stared down the barrel of a gun without flinching, yet Bellaâs predicament had him all
frazzled.
Axel and Ralph looked nervously at Asher. The air in the corridor turned dense.
Meanwhile, frost cloaked Asherâs handsome features, and his strong jawline tensed. He remained
silent for what felt like an eternity.
âAsh?â Axel nudged him. âWhatâs going on?â
âBellaâs fine. Just a few scratches and a little shaken up by the accident.â
After a long pause, Asher withdrew from his thoughts of anger and spoke lightly. âFor the next few
days, letâs take turns taking care of Bella. Itâll be tough, but necessary. Letâs keep this matter to
ourselves for now. For now, donât inform Dad and the others about this. Theyâre all spending time with
Aunt Celeste. Besides, Bella wouldnât want to burden them either.â
âAsh, youâre pissing me off now. Are you treating us like outsiders ?!â
Drew snapped at him with furrowed brows. âBella is our younger sister. Itâs only right for us to take care
of her. Weâll stay by her side even if you donât say anything!â
âHeâs right. Nothingâs more important than Bella,â echoed Axel and Ralph.
âRalph and Axel, you both have work to attend to, but I donât have anything urgent. Steven and I can
stay with Bella all day. Both of you should go back and rest.â Amelia spoke and exchanged a
meaningful glance with Steven.
âItâs okay. Iâve already informed the station.â
Axel immediately declined, sighing with self-reproach. âAs Bellaâs brother, Iâve never done anything for
her since we were young. Now that she needs someone by her side, how can I not be there for her?
What kind of ridiculous brother would I be, then?â
The Thompson siblings had never schemed against each other, unlike typical high-society families.
They always supported each other through thick and thin. It was a kind of familial bond that others
envied but could not replicate.
âAsh, youâve arranged everything for us, but what about yourself? Do you have something to attend
to?â Being a prosecutor, Axel had a keen intuition and sensed that Asherâs behavior was slightly
unusual, as if he were suppressing some anger.
âI have some matters to attend to.â
After that, Asher glanced once more at the wardâs door, hesitated briefly, then reentered.
Inside, Bella completed her treatment and now wore a hospital gown, lying still on the bed with her
eyes closed, her state of consciousness unknown.
Asherâs delicate eyelashes fluttered slightly as he approached his sister silently. Leaning down gently,
he kissed her forehead lightly.
âHave a good rest, my dear sister. Iâll come check on you again later.â
âAshâ¦â
Bella kept her eyes closed, her voice barely audible as she spoke Tm fine, really. Donât worry about me
Of course, she did not say otherwise
However, her pretence of strength placed through Keherâs most vulnerable emotions, causing tears to
well up in his eyes, nearly breaking his composure
With a somber expression, eher made his way to the underground parking lot
Bella kept her eyes closed, her voice barely audible as she spoke. âIâm fine, really⦠Donât worry about
me.â
Of course, she did not say otherwise.
However, her pretense of strength pierced through Asherâs most vulnerable emotions, causing tears to
well up in his eyes, nearly breaking his composure.
With a somber expression, Asher made his way to the underground parking lot.