Ch. 261..270

Chapter 261 A Deliberate Attempt

Edwin smiled and nodded. “Then please rest up, Mr. Graham. I will drop by again tomorrow.”

He left after that.

Benjamin looked at the door, then in the restroom’s direction before saying, “He’s gone, so come on out.”

Arissa, who had been waiting inside the restroom, felt awkward after she heard what Benjamin said.

She opened the door and scanned the place.

She didn’t leave the restroom until she was certain that Edwin was already gone.

Benjamin’s gaze brushed against the woman who was behaving like a thief. He scoffed.

Arissa snuck a peek over before she hurried to get her clothes. After that, she ran back into the restroom to change.

Benjamin’s gaze brushed against her exposed legs before he shifted his view to the document he had with him.

Despite that, he couldn’t stop thinking about how beautiful she was, and that irritated him.

“Hello!”

Kingsley and Shaun entered the room and saw how Benjamin had tossed the document away in frustration. They also noted the frown on his expression.

“What are you guys doing here?” demanded Benjamin.

A glare was on his handsome face, and it was obvious that he didn’t want them there.

“We came to pay you a visit.”

Kingsley replied while grinning. He didn’t mind Benjamin’s terrible temper at all.

He even waved the supper he had with him and said, “And we brought supper.”

Benjamin’s expression turned sour when his nose detected the smell of the lobster.

Kingsley smiled in response to Benjamin’s glare. The former walked to the couch and opened the box up as though he had a death wish.

That got the entire place to reek of lobster.

Shaun shook his head while grinning. Man, that Kingsley must have a death wish.

The good doctor went to check up on Benjamin before commenting, “Hmm… You seem to be recovering well. Everything should be fine by tomorrow. You’re no longer itching anymore, right?”

Benjamin shot a look over and answered, “No, not anymore.”

Shaun nodded before heading over to sit by Kingsley’s side.

“I thought Arissa is here. Where is she?”

Arissa was changing her clothes at the time, but she heard someone talking and guessed who the visitors were. Hence, she exited the restroom.

Kingsley and Shaun turned over simultaneously. Their eyes glowed.

Kingsley even whistled aloud and commented, “Hello, beautiful.”

Arissa blushed a little, but she eventually calmed down and greeted the men. “Ah, are you boys here to see how Mr. Graham is doing?”

Kingsley and Shaun deliberately ignored Benjamin’s hostile glare and warnings. They smiled, and one of them said, “Oh, we’re here to get you some supper to cheer you up. After all, you have to take care of him, so we know it’s been tough.”

“Come, have some lobster.”

Arissa’s lips twitched a little. She instinctively turned her attention to the man on the bed and noted how he looked utterly infuriated.

Do they have a death wish? I can’t believe they’re chomping down on lobsters… right in front of Benjamin! They’re definitely doing it to step on Benjamin’s toe because he can’t have anything spicy now.

“Come on over. We should dig in while it’s hot. It’ll taste bad once it goes cold. Oh, and you can ignore Benjamin. He doesn’t like lobsters anyway.”

Kingsley was kind and welcoming as he gestured for Arissa to head over.

She literally salivated when she smelled that delicious aroma.

When she walked over, she saw that the table was filled with delicacies.

“Ah, you guys bought so much food.”

“Yeah, it’s only natural. It won’t be satisfying if we can’t eat to our heart’s content. Come on. Here, put on the disposable gloves.”

Arissa accepted the gloves from Kingsley and put them on before she sat down.

“Do you want some beer?” asked Shaun as he opened a can of beer for himself.

“I think I’ll pass, but you guys go ahead.”

I can’t take care of the patient if I’m drunk.

Arissa scanned the dishes and saw the bread. It seemed that was the only food Benjamin could eat.

She turned around and saw how Benjamin was fuming. That prompted her to cautiously ask, “Would you like some bread?”

Benjamin looked away and picked up the document he tossed to the side earlier. His lips were tightly shut at the time.

Uhm…

The cold shoulder from Benjamin prompted Arissa to turn her attention back to the food.

Kingsley and Shaun smiled when they saw how the pair interacted.

“So, how is it, Arissa? Is it good?”

Kingsley munched on some lobster. The spicy sensation was especially exciting.

“Yeah, it is. Thank you, Mr. Bailey and Mr. Watts, for the supper,” replied Arissa politely.

“Oh, there’s no need to be so courteous. Do you have any preference for food? You can inform us, and we’ll bring it over for you next time.”

Shaun smiled. His gaze glowed with a hint of mischief behind his glasses.

“That sounds great!” replied Arissa while smiling and removing the lobster’s shell.

“Arissa York!” growled Benjamin all of a sudden.

 

Chapter 262 The Consequences Of Infuriating Benjamin

Arissa turned around and asked, “What is it?”

“I’m thirsty!”

Benjamin didn’t even look up, and he had a poker face on the entire time.

“Okay, hang on.”

Arissa quickly took her gloves off to pour Benjamin a glass of water and brought it over for him.

“Feed me!” grumbled Benjamin when he saw her walking away immediately after setting the glass down.

Arissa was taken aback when she heard that, but she still headed over and fed Benjamin. “Careful, it’s a little hot,” reminded Arissa.

Benjamin blew on the warm water a little before sipping it.

Kingsley stared at them. He couldn’t help chuckling.

“Hey Boss, I thought you had an ordinary allergic reaction, so why do you need her to feed you?”

Oh my gosh, how have I never noticed that the guy is a sly one?

Shaun was chuckling at Benjamin as well. The former thought Tsk, tsk. Benjamin sure is enjoying himself now. If only I can take a photo to show him how stupid he looks right now.

“Oy, stop showing off your affection already!”

Benjamin glared over before complaining, “Even with all the food, you guys still won’t shut up.”

Kingsley and Shaun turned to one another and saw the amusement in each other’s eyes.

“That only makes sense. There’s not nearly enough food here to do that.”

Kingsley laughed aloud just to get under Benjamin’s skin.

However, if the former had known how the latter would retaliate… Well, let’s just say that Kingsley would rather go mute than step on Benjamin’s toe.

“Not enough food, huh?” said Benjamin. He got his bodyguard over and ordered, “Go buy one hundred servings of lobsters. Throw the boys to the mountain range if they can’t finish eating the lobsters.”

The particular mountain range Benjamin was referring to was dark and eerie at night.

Kingsley’s lips twitched vigorously. He seemed exasperated when he said, “Err… Boss, that’s not necessary, right?”

Benjamin shot a look at his bodyguard and got the latter to work on the task immediately.

Shaun, who had been quiet the entire time, ended up being an innocent bystander who was dragged into the mess. That prompted him to kick Kingsley in the leg.

“Benjamin, I out of this right? I mean, I’m the one who saved you, after all.”

The mere mention of that incident got Benjamin’s expression to darken.

Shaun chuckled awkwardly in response. He didn’t wait until Benjamin answer his question and was quick to say, “On second thought, I-I’ll just eat up.”

One hundred servings… that would mean that each one of them will have to finish fifty servings each.

Arissa saw how troubled the boys seemed, and she felt sympathetic toward them.

Hence, she said, “Let’s not order so many servings. It’d be such a waste if they can’t finish all the food.”

She was cautious and soft when she spoke to a certain grumpy lad.

Must he mess with others like that?

“Are you hungry as well?” asked Benjamin in a tone that showed that he was not messing around. As he spoke, he shifted his eerily calm gaze to her.

That shut Arissa up right away. She had no intention of being forced to eat so much that she’d end up puking.

Each serving is about two and a half kilograms, so one hundred servings total to about twenty-five kilograms!

Shaun and Kingsley will have to eat over twelve kilograms of lobster each…

Arissa stared pitifully at the men, but she didn’t dare to speak up or ask for mercy on their behalf.

After she finished feeding Benjamin water, she sat next to the men and smiled. “Come on, eat up. Why aren’t you boys enjoying yourselves?” asked Arissa.

“No thanks. We’ll eat later,” replied Kingsley with a weak smile.

We won’t be able to finish all the lobsters if we eat now.

Darn it, we totally misjudged the situation and shouldn’t have messed with Benjamin.

Shaun regretted his decision to drop by as well. I knew it. Benjamin is not the kind who will let us get away with messing with him.

“This is all your fault. You have to have extra later.”

“Hey, how can you put all the blame on me? You’re the one who paid for all this food, so don’t pin the crime on me. We’ll go fifty-fifty!” insisted Kingsley while glaring at Shaun.

Arissa giggled at the sight before she continued chowing down on the lobster and the bread.

Kingsley and Shaun, on the other hand, had no choice but to stare in envy as she ate away happily.

Benjamin looked over. His lips curved into a small, devious smile.

Hah! Was it fun to eat to your heart’s content in front of me? Well, then I will treat you to all the food in the world!

About ten minutes later, numerous bodyguards entered the room with a hundred servings of lobster and placed them in front of Kingsley and Shaun.

The food smelled especially great.

“Mr. Watts, Mr. Bailey, here are your lobsters.”

Kingsley and Shaun glared at the bodyguards.

“Go on, eat up!”

Benjamin’s cruel voice came at them and got them to start eating right away.

“Mmm… It’s good.”

“Right. It’s delicious.”

At first, the two men were hungry and managed to devour ten servings each. Even then, they weren’t satisfied and kept eating away.

 

Chapter 263 Kick Them Out

Thirty minutes later, both men started looking off.

Unfortunately, the bodyguards were monitoring, and Benjamin was putting pressure on them. That forced the two men to keep shoving food down their throats.

It got to the point where Kingsley retched and had to run into the restroom to vomit.

“I can’t believe I ate so much lobster that I vomited…”

Benjamin’s evil voice drifted over at that moment. “Since he vomited, buy some more to make up for it.”

The bodyguards counted the number of servings that Kingsley had already eaten. After that, they rushed out to buy that exact number of servings.

“Seriously?” said Kingsley. He looked a little pale and horrified, but Benjamin swept his cold gaze over.

“Please forgive us, Boss. We really can’t finish it all,” begged Kingsley, who had his puppy eyes on as he stared at Benjamin.

“In that case, you can go spend the night in the wilderness,” replied Benjamin.

Kingsley shivered. What a cruel man!

“Fine, fine! I’ll keep eating.”

Kingsley had no choice but to admit defeat. He sat back down and continued eating away.

Shaun was feeling a little nauseous as well. That made sense. Regardless of how delicious something was, anything would taste horrible after eating that many servings!

Shaun saw how Benjamin punished Kingsley, so there was no way Shaun would even budge. If he had any intention of heading to the restroom and vomiting, it was gone now.

Arissa felt bad when she saw how horrible the men looked.

The lobster shells were piling up in the corner.

Both Kingsley and Shaun were in hell at that moment. It felt as though the more they ate, the more there were left.

“I can’t eat anymore.”

Shaun couldn’t handle it anymore. He didn’t vomit, but he ate so many servings that it was a miracle that the spicy food hadn’t destroyed his taste buds. On top of that, his stomach felt ridiculously bloated.

Kingsley wasn’t any better off. He might have gone to vomit everything out earlier, but he had developed a distaste for the lobsters sitting in front of him. To him, those lobsters were worse than overnight sushi.

Hence, he was on the verge of desperation when he saw the bodyguards returning with the lobsters

“How about we just spend the night in the wilderness?” whispered Kingsley to discuss the matter with Shaun.

Shaun shot a look over at Kingsley, then at Benjamin. A certain someone was working on some document at the time.

Arissa, on the other hand, had gone into the restroom to wash some clothes.

Shaun turned his attention back to the twenty or so servings of lobsters sitting in front of him. He gauged internally and wondered if he could continue chowing down.

It should be fine for him to devour a few more servings, but finishing it all was a bit of a challenge.

“Mr. Watts, Mr. Bailey. Will the two of you be spending the night in the wilderness?” asked the bodyguard while keeping his eyes on the men.

“Oh, hold your horses!” growled Kingsley as he glared over.

The bodyguard grinned in response and stepped to the side. He kept his head down as he did so.

Kingsley and Shaun, on the other hand, leaned against the backrest and struggled to decide.

They wanted to give up, but they hated that idea. After all, there was no saying what wild animals they’d encounter in the wilderness.

The bad news was that they were unable to finish eating everything.

“Kick them out and leave them in the wilderness.”

The hour was up, so Benjamin instructed his bodyguards to take the men away.

“Boss, can we go somewhere else?” asked Kingsley as he looked out the window. I’m afraid of the dark…

“Nope,” replied Benjamin. His eyes shone in a way that informed the men that there was no room for negotiation.

“Arissa,” begged Kingsley.

He had turned his attention to the restroom when he shouted over, but Arissa didn’t know that he was calling for her.

In fact, she wasn’t aware of the situation until Kingsley hovered outside the restroom and requested, “Arissa, help us put in a good word with Boss, will you? It’s dark out there!”

Arissa turned to Kingsley. She was a little surprised, and a little amused when she asked, “Wait… are you afraid of the dark?”

Kingsley grinned awkwardly.

“Kick them out!” commanded Benjamin in a voice that carried a hint of displeasure.

The bodyguards hurried over to drag Kingsley out of the room. They never even gave him the chance to beg for mercy.

“Boss, you are too cruel. Don’t bother coming to me if you ever need help…”

Shaun was better off. At least he could leave on his own.

He even took a few bottles of wine with him before he left.

Arissa watched as the men were dragged away. That is a little harsh… Arissa turned to a certain someone and asked, “Are you really going to let your bodyguards leave them in the mountain range?”

If I remember correctly, that place has a haunted cemetery…

She looked out the window and saw nothing but darkness. It would take more than courage to survive the night in a place like that. They would be scared mindless…

“What? Are you feeling bad for them?” asked Benjamin in an unpleasant tone. He scrutinized her as he asked.

Arissa’s lips curved up into a grin before she pointed out, “Aren’t they your friends?”

Why are you so mean to them? They only pulled a small prank on you.

 

Chapter 264 Beware

“I would’ve had my men break their legs if they weren’t my friends,” replied Benjamin while having a vicious expression on.

Arissa’s lips twitched a little. Speechless, she turned around and returned to the restroom to wash the clothes.

She squeezed the clothes dry, grabbed the hangars, and took everything to the balcony to hang the clothes.

Benjamin’s gaze followed her figure and traced her pink dress, the way her tied hair danced with the wind, and the exposed neckline. She was stunning. It was virtually impossible to look away at that moment.

Benjamin’s gaze turned slightly dim as he frowned. Kingsley saw her beauty earlier…

Displeasure instantly rose within Benjamin.

Just then, Arissa’s phone rang.

She recognized the ringtone, so she hurried over, but her hands were still wet.

“Answer the call for me, please.”

Benjamin frowned and ignored her.

That annoyed Arissa a little, but she made do by swiping the phone with the joints on her fingers. After that, she turned on the speaker.

“Mommy!”

“Mommy!”

Her precious’ voices filled her heart with warmth and happiness.

“Hey, Sweethearts. Why aren’t you sleeping? It’s past eleven.”

Zachary replied, “We were going to go to bed after showering at around ten o’clock, but we ended up playing with Grandpa until just now.”

Arissa found that amusing and asked, “Is your grandpa asleep now?”

Gavin answered, “Yeah, Mommy. We only call after Grandpa went back to his room.”

Arissa smiled and instructed, “Then you should go to bed, too. Don’t stay up too late.”

Oliver ignored that and asked, “Mommy, are you still working?”

Jasper then warned, “If so, you must remember not to drink any alcohol, okay? There are bad people out there.”

Jesse chimed in and asked, “Mommy, Mommy! When will you come to pick us up?”

The kids were competing against one another to talk to Arissa, and that got her to smile.

She replied in the sweetest tone. “The party is over, and I can go get some rest soon. I only drank a little, so you guys don’t need to worry. Jesse, I will be busy for the next couple of days, so play with your siblings and be good at your grandpa’s place, okay? I will go pick everyone up once I’m done with my work here.”

Benjamin stared at Arissa. Huh, she’s really sweet when she’s talking to the kids.

“We’ll be there to pick you guys up tomorrow night,” added Benjamin.

Arissa turned to him. How can he be sure that he will be discharged tomorrow?

Benjamin looked over at her before he turned his attention back to his document.

All five naughty kids instantly became quiet. It took a moment before one of them said, “Mommy, you should go home soon. Be careful and don’t stay out too late. It’s not safe for you.”

The kids were obviously hinting at something.

Benjamin’s lips twitched upon hearing that.

Arissa snuck a peek over before cooing, “Okay, kids. Go to sleep now. Good night, Sweetheart.”

“Good night, Mommy.”

Arissa blew some kisses into the phone to send her love to her children before she hung up.

Benjamin looked over and wondered if she had always behaved that way when she spoke to her kids.

Arissa turned around and went to hang out the rest of the clothes before she closed the door to the balcony. After that, she pulled the curtain shut.

Then she went into the restroom to put the empty basket back inside.

When she got out, she stared at the overwhelming amount of leftover lobsters and their shells. It seemed like she was thinking about how she’d clean everything up.

“Get the bodyguards to come in and clean it up,” instructed Benjamin.

Arissa turned to see how Benjamin was doing before she went to get the bodyguards over.

Only two men were stationed outside because the rest of them had gone to take Kingsley and Shaun to the mountain range.

At that moment, those two men were still being forced to climb the mountain.

Kingsley gripped Shaun’s hand tightly and was practically stuck to the latter.

“Holy moly, it’s so dark and creepy out here!”

Shaun was so irritated that he was speechless for a moment there. “How I wish the ladies can see you in your current state. I wonder if they will still fancy you after this.”

“Awh, are you jealous?” teased Kingsley, whose grip on Shaun’s hand was actually getting tighter.

“Jealous? Of what? Your STD?” said Shaun to fire back.

 

Chapter 265 Benjamin Graham Is A Jerk

“Hey, this is good enough, right? It’s a part of the mountain range, so you guys can go back and report to your employer now,” shouted Kingsley as he turned around to talk to the bodyguards. My gosh, is it really necessary for them to be so strict? And to think I used to share all the good stuff with them…

“Mr. Graham has made it clear that we are to escort you both deep into the mountain range where you will spend the night,” informed the leader of the bodyguards. He remained unmoved as he gestured for the two men to continue moving forward.

Kingsley’s lips twitched vigorously upon hearing that. “I’ve learned my lesson. Isn’t that enough?”

The leader ignored him.

“Let’s just go,” said Shaun. He rolled his eyes at Kingsley. There’s no point in begging, so you’re really just wasting your breath.

Kingsley pouted, but he had no choice. He had to follow Shaun along and keep going.

Something moved in the dark as they traveled into the forest.

“Ah!”

Kingsley jumped out of his skin and hugged Shaun, almost knocking the latter over.

“What the hell are you shouting for?” growled the infuriated Shaun.

“I-I heard something,” replied Kingsley in a fearful tone.

Shaun rolled his eyes and informed, “That’s just a rat. Geez, I can’t believe that all it takes is a rat to scare you out of your wits.”

“R-Rat?”

Kingsley scanned around with his guard up. It was dark out, and the branches were swaying and creaking with each howl from the wind.

The bodyguards were speechless as they followed closely behind the men.

As everyone ventured deeper into the forest, the place became colder and colder.

Something in Kingsley snapped when he saw the graveyard, and he freaked out.

“I’m going back!”

Kingsley abandoned Shaun and turned around to get out of the place, but the bodyguards stopped him.

“Mr. Graham told us to inform you that if you leave the mountain range tonight, we will take you to an abandoned island instead.”

Horror flashed past Kingsley’s face. “Benjamin Graham, you jerk!”

Shaun shook his head and continued forging ahead.

The bodyguards, on the other hand, watched while Kingsley screamed as though he had lost his mind. Eventually, Kingsley came back around and chased after Shaun to keep up.

Thank the heavens that Shaun is here with me! Kingsley held on to Shaun’s arm tightly.

Shaun stared at the arm that Kingsley had pretty much attached himself to. The former didn’t really know what to say about the situation, so he let the latter keep hugging that arm.

Who would’ve thought that this idiot is actually that afraid of the dark and ghosts?

“That jerk is inhumane! I am so cutting ties with him,” complained Kingsley endlessly. Unfortunately, Benjamin wasn’t there to hear all that.

Kingsley wouldn’t have said all that aloud if Benjamin was within hearing range, though.

“Why didn’t you complain aloud earlier?” teased Shaun.

Kingsley gritted his teeth and refuted, “Well, why didn’t you?”

Shaun chuckled and replied, “I have no intention of complaining whatsoever because, unlike you, I’m not a retard. Seriously, I won’t even be here if it weren’t for your stupidity.”

Kingsley couldn’t refute that, so he shut up.

When they reached the designated location, the bodyguards turned around and left.

“Oy, are you guys leaving just like that? Aren’t you going to keep an eye on us to make sure that we won’t sneak out?” shouted Kingsley to the bodyguards.

His shouts scared the birds and got them flapping their wings and flying away. That turned Kingsley pale with fear and got him to tighten his grip on Shaun’s arm.

“Mr. Graham knows where you are, but you are welcome to leave if you are not afraid of his punishments,” replied the leader of the bodyguards before he led his men and left the place. There are too many mosquitoes around here, so it’s better if we head back to the hospital.

“You cruel, wicked thing!” growled Kingsley.

After the bodyguards left, Kingsley and Shaun became the only ones there. That frightened Kingsley even more, and the trees in the surrounding area looked so eerie that he had goosebumps.

Shaun scanned their surroundings and saw a small gazebo some distance ahead, so he walked over.

“Why are we venturing deeper into the place?” asked Kingsley. His arms and legs were trembling as he held on to Shaun tightly.

Shaun turned to the guy and replied, “You are welcome to stay if you don’t want to go with me.”

“Don’t you dare leave me!” growled Kingsley while glaring over.

Shaun chuckled a little and continued walking ahead. “There’s a gazebo up ahead,” said Shaun.

Kingsley followed closely behind while looking around warily with his guard up. He was worried that something might hop out of nowhere and ambush them.

Maybe the place really was haunted, or maybe it was all in Kingsley’s mind, but he felt something chilly brushing against his neck.

“S-Shaun, do you feel that something is off?”

 

Chapter 266 Something Is Tugging At Me

“No, nothing at all,” replied Shaun as he led Kingsley to the gazebo and took a seat.

Kingsley was close behind. He didn’t dare to turn around to check what was going on, though.

Shaun could tell that Kingsley was terrified, and the former wanted to laugh aloud at that, but he also pitied the guy.

“It’s only a couple of graves. How is it that you’re already this scared?”

“You’re not afraid, so of course, it’s easy for you to say that!” complained Kingsley, who was tempted to somehow crawl into Shaun’s pocket and hide in there.

“Drink up!”

Shaun tossed Kingsley a bottle of wine and opened another bottle up for himself.

“How are you still in the mood to drink?” asked Kingsley in shock.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

Shaun rolled his eyes. The night is young, and we’ll have to stay here all night. We might as well do something to help us sleep.

It was only natural that the place couldn’t frighten Shaun. He was a doctor and had come in contact with dozens of dead bodies. The rotting bones in the grave were, therefore, nothing to him.

In fact, the situation in the morgue was way creepier, and he had to stay the night during his internship.

Despite that situation, Shaun wasn’t scared.

“Are you really not scared at all?” asked Kingsley, who was taking a closer look at Shaun. The former kept feeling as though the latter was feigning his calmness.

“Of course not. What makes you think I’d be scared?”

Shaun rolled his eyes at Kingsley once more.

Kingsley’s lips quivered. “D-Do you think the place’s haunted?”

Shaun felt ever so speechless. Why does he insist on talking about this despite being so scared?

“If you’re not afraid of humans, all of whom you can see and touch, why are you afraid of intangible ghosts?” scoffed Shaun. He wanted to cross his arms, but Kingsley was hugging one of them.

That forced Shaun to use his other arm as a pillow and lay down to look at the sky.

“This is a pleasant spot for stargazing. “

Kingsley tilted his head up and, as promised, a sky full of stars appeared on top.

“It is nice.”

Just then, something tugged at his shirt in the dark.

Kingsley yelped and jumped away.

“Ah! Ghost!”

“What the hell, dude?” complained Shaun, who jumped at Kingsley’s sudden antics.

“S-Something tugged at my shirt,” answered Kingsley.

All colors drained from his face.

Shaun turned around and saw something disappearing into the woods.

He only managed to catch a glimpse of its tail.

That prompted Shaun to shake his head in exasperation and informed, “It’s just a monkey.”

Kingsley stared in disbelief and commented, “I can’t believe there are monkeys here.”

Shaun glared over in annoyance and grumbled, “It’s a good thing that I have a healthy heart. If I didn’t, I would have to be hospitalized after your screams scared me like that.”

Kingsley grinned awkwardly and claimed, “Well, how was I supposed to know that there are monkeys here? We didn’t see any on our way over. I wonder what else is out there… You don’t think… There aren’t any monsters, right?”

Shaun’s eye twitched as he watched Kingsley continuously mutter nonsense.

Kingsley was scared out of his wits, so he kept talking to Shaun. No one knew how long that conversation lasted, but the men eventually stopped talking.

Just then, a noise came from the dark. “Hoots…”

It was the creepiest noise Kingsley had ever heard, and goosebumps instantly rose all over him.

“Hoots… Hoots…”

Kingsley hugged Shaun fearfully. “S-Shaun, what is that? Why does it sound so creepy?”

Shaun heard the owl as well, and even though the sound made him uncomfortable, it didn’t scare him.

“It’s just an owl.”

“Why would an owl cry like that? It sounds more like a kid’s scream,” muttered Kingsley while scanning the place warily.

“What was the owl’s screech supposed to sound like then?” challenged Shaun.

He truly regretted heading to the hospital with Kingsley. If he hadn’t done that, he would not be sleeping in the mosquito-infested forest that night.

“I want to go home,” said Kingsley pitifully.

“Would you rather go to an abandoned island in the near future?” reminded Shaun kindly.

“F*ck!” cussed Kingsley.

“Hoot…”

Kingsley shouted back, “Oh, quit screeching! I’m trying to sleep here.”

Shaun was speechless.

“It’s the owl’s fault for scaring me,” insisted Kingsley.

He tossed a bottle in the owl’s direction. There was no more noise after the glass shattered.

“Not bad,” complimented Shaun as he gave Kingsley the thumbs up.

At the hospital, Arissa stared as the bodyguards cleared away the lobsters.

“Ms. York, would you like to take some untouched lobsters home?”

“No, please take them all away. You guys can share it.”

After saying that, Arissa went to grab a rag to clean the table.

 

Chapter 267 How Dare She Whine

The bodyguards took the trash and the lobster away. They kept one box each for themselves while the rest were distributed to the medical practitioners on duty.

“I think I heard Mr. Watts screaming.”

Arissa looked out the window, wondering if she had imagined the whole thing.

Benjamin looked up at her. “Hurry up. I want to go to bed!”

Arissa was caught slightly off guard by that. She stared at him, speechless. “Go on then. I’m not stopping you.”

Benjamin stared at her. “I can’t. The lights are on!”

Arissa’s mouth twitched. However, she did as she was told and sped up.

“Bring me my clothes. I want to get changed.” Benjamin said to her after she cleaned things up.

Arissa walked over to his bag. “Pajamas?”

She glanced at him.

“Yes.” Benjamin put the documents down and sat up straight.

Arissa handed him his boxers and pajamas and put his bag down.

Benjamin was changing when she turned back around. Hence, she looked away to give him some privacy.

After he was done changing, she put his bathrobe away.

“Shall I turn off the lights now?”

“I want to work for a little while longer.”

Benjamin sat down and picked up his documents.

Arissa gritted her teeth in annoyance. He pestered me to hurry up just now because he wants to go to bed, and now he’s telling me he’s going to work for a little while longer? Who does that?

“Can’t you continue tomorrow? It’s getting really late.”

She was reminding him to take care of himself. Work could wait.

“Ethen will be coming over to pick up these documents tomorrow morning,” Benjamin replied.

Arissa stared at him and sat back down on the couch.

She placed a pillow on one end, lay down, and began scrolling through her phone.

Arissa took a photo of the hospital, typed some caption, and posted it on her Instagram story.

Benjamin’s phone lit up as he received a notification.

He glanced at Arissa and read the notification.

Arissa: Sigh. I’ll be sleeping on the couch tonight. What a sad life!

Benjamin chuckled. How dare she whines when I’m having it worse?

Arissa wasn’t aware that Benjamin had seen her post. Wait… The kids are going to see this tomorrow when they wake up. She quickly deleted her post upon that thought.

I wonder how everyone’s coping at work? I’ve been away for the entire afternoon, but nobody pinged me.

Arissa suddenly realized that she had not received any messages whatsoever since this afternoon as she checked her phone.

This is so weird.

She gave it some thought and decided to send a message to her department’s group chat.

Arissa: Is anybody still around? I’ve been away for the entire afternoon. How’s work?

Ron: Ms. York, you’re finally back.

Arissa: You’re still awake!

Ron: I just returned home from work.

Arissa: …

Arissa: It’s all my fault.

She realized her colleague’s workload must have increased due to her absence.

Arissa: What about the others?

Ron: They left a few hours earlier. Ms. York, how is Mr. Graham feeling?

Arissa was stunned. How did Ron find out that Benjamin has fallen ill?

Arissa: How did you find out?

Ron: Mr. Frank told us about it. He said not to disturb you because you need to take care of Mr. Graham.

Arissa was rendered speechless. Did Ethen really say that?

Arissa: Anyway, It’s late now, you should go to rest!

“Arissa!”

Benjamin suddenly called out to her. She quickly scrambled up and turned toward the hospital bed.

“Yes, Graham?”

Benjamin gave her a look. “I’m thirsty.”

“Got it!” Arissa stood up, put her phone down, and poured him a glass of water.

Benjamin felt better after seeing how obedient she was. “What have you been up to?”

He took the glass of water from Arissa and stared at her.

“Just chatting.” Arissa admitted.

Benjamin narrowed his eyes. “With who?”

 

Chapter 268 This Is Considered Office Romance

Arissa gave him a look. “My colleague. I was asking him about work.”

Benjamin huffed in disdain. “You guys seem to have a lot to talk about. I didn’t expect that you’d get along so well with them. After all, it’s only been a few days.”

Arissa’s eyes gleamed with amusement as she stared at him. She could tell from his tone that it was dripping with sarcasm.

Benjamin frowned. “What are you looking at?”

Arissa smiled. “Graham, you’re not jealous, are you?”

Benjamin’s face darkened as he fixed her with an icy stare. “I don’t condone office romance.”

“Ohh…” Arissa drawled.

She stroked her chin, looking distressed.

“Graham, I’m your employee too, right? But you’re asking me to be your woman. So this goes against your principles, right? Since what we have between us is considered office romance. Is this really a good idea?”

Arissa blinked and stared at Benjamin’s handsome features.

Benjamin’s face darkened. “I only asked you to be my woman. I never said that we’re in a relationship.”

Arissa snorted. “Is there any difference? We’re a couple either way.”

Benjamin glared at her. “Then you should keep your mouth shut and just do as you’re told.”

Arissa was rendered speechless. How could someone be so shameless?

Whatever. I’ll just keep this a secret since there are plenty of perks dating him.

But Ethen already said all those things to my colleagues. Anyone would be able to tell that we have something going on.

Arissa blinked as she tried to come up with a countermeasure.

“What’s going on through your mind? Put the glass back.”

Benjamin shoved the glass to her when he saw her sly smile.

Arissa took the glass and stared at him.

“What do you think is going through my mind?” Arissa threw the question back at him.

Benjamin swept his eyes over her, picked up the document, and returned to his work.

Arissa pouted. “You’re still going to work?”

“Yes.” Benjamin replied flatly.

Arissa stared at him for a bit and said, “Do you want supper?”

Benjamin frowned. “No.”

“Then, do you want to go to the restroom?” Arissa nodded.

Benjamin looked up at her.

She smiled sheepishly.

“I’m just asking. After all, I’m planning to go to bed soon.”

Just in case he bosses me around after I fall asleep.

“Go to sleep then. And stop pestering me,” Benjamin warned and got back to work.

Arissa poured him a glass of water and placed it on his bedside table before making her way back to the couch.

She yawned and went to bed.

It had been a hectic day for her since she had been busying herself with work and taking care of Benjamin.

Arissa was so tired that she fell asleep the moment her head hits the pillow.

Benjamin looked up when he didn’t hear anything from her. The next thing he knew, he had placed the document down and was walking over to the couch.

He frowned when he realized what he was doing. I’m just checking in on her. He reasoned.

Arissa was curled up sideways on the couch with a frown on her face. She looks really uncomfortable, and where is her blanket?

Won’t she catch a cold tomorrow?

With that thought in mind, Benjamin scooped her into his arms and walked over to the hospital bed. He placed her down gently on the bed and covered her up with a blanket.

Arissa smacked her lips and stirred.

Benjamin paused. After making sure she was still out of it, he made his way to the other side of the room.

He picked up the documents and continued working on the couch.

He even switched most of the lights off.

I’m just letting her have a good rest since she has been taking good care of me.

Benjamin gave himself an excuse before getting back to work.

It was already twelve-thirty in the morning when he was done with work.

He packed up the documents, relieved himself in the restroom, and went to bed.

 

Chapter 269 Such A Tease

Arissa, who had been sleeping quietly, suddenly flipped over and clung to him the moment he lay down.

Benjamin thought he would have been hit hard if he hadn’t been fast enough.

His face darkened as he adjusted her sleeping posture.

However, Arissa pestered him once again after a short while. She wrapped his waist in a tight hug this time around.

She even rubbed herself against him in an affectionate manner.

“Hug me!”

Benjamin narrowed his eyes and stared at her. Is she dreaming?

Who is she dreaming about?

He lifted her chin and asked in a low voice, “Woman, do you know who I am?”

“Hug me…”

Arissa rested her head on his chest and gently suckled on his skin.

Benjamin inhaled sharply as his pupils dilate.

He swallowed hard and glared at Arissa as a wave of desire surged through him.

Does she know what she’s doing?

Arissa wasn’t aware of what she had done in her muddled state. She bit down on his nipple instinctively.

Benjamin’s breath hitched. His cheeks were flushed as his self-control slowly slipped away.

He raised Arissa’s chin, placed a hand on the back of her head, and kissed her deeply.

Arissa was on cloud nine as she dreamt of Benjamin kissing her.

It felt so good that she couldn’t help but indulge in it. She placed her arms around his neck and returned his passionate kiss.

She figured she could do whatever she wanted since it was just a dream.

Little did she know that it was her kisses that drove him to the edge.

Benjamin tightened his grip on her waist. He wanted badly to enter her and show her who was the one leading the show.

Just as he was about to do so, his phone rang.

Benjamin snapped back to his senses, glanced at the unconscious woman, and pushed her aside before picking up his phone.

When he saw that it was Kingsley, he hung up and switched off the phone immediately.

Benjamin facepalmed himself when he turned around and saw Arissa sleeping soundly under the blanket.

After a while, he got up and went to the restroom.

D*mn it, I almost had my way with her.

Benjamin’s face fell. He took a thirty-minute cold shower to ease his flaring desire.

When he walked out of the shower and saw that Arissa was sprawled out on the bed, the veins on his forehead bulged.

He walked over, flipped her back to her side, and lay down.

However, Arissa was back at it again before he could even fall asleep.

He would have thought that she was doing it on purpose if he didn’t know she really had fallen asleep.

Arissa frowned and moaned in protest when he gave a light spanking on the butt. She then flipped over to the other side.

However, she clung to him once again after a few minutes of silence.

In the end, Benjamin decided to pull her into his arms and pin her legs down with his so that she couldn’t move.

It took every ounce of his willpower not to pounce on her as her sweet scent wafted over from time to time.

The desire that he spent so much time to quell burst to life once again.

Benjamin lowered his head and bit the nape of her neck.

“You’re such a tease!”

He finally fell asleep after a long while.

Meanwhile, Kingsley and Shaun were cursing under their breaths as they had been left in the mountains.

“He must be up to no good. How dare he hang up on me and even switch his phone off?”

Shaun was rendered speechless as he gave Kingsley a look. “You saw this coming but still jumped right in. Remember not to get me involved next time.”

He swatted a few mosquitoes while he was at it.

I should have brought mosquito repellent over just now.

A total miscalculation on my part.

“I was just joking around. Who would have thought…” Kingsley was regretting his actions.

Sighing, Kingsley then said, “Shaun, let’s play a game.”

Shaun was tongue-tied. “What? You’re not scared anymore?”

Kingsley smiled sheepishly. “Well, at least we can distract ourselves with games. Come on, let’s play Dota!”

He’s getting ahead of himself. Shaun thought as he stared at him.

 

Chapter 270 How Is It

The next day.

Arissa buried her face in the blanket blearily when she woke up.

This is so comfortable. But this pillow seems a little too bouncy.

Wait… Bouncy?

Realizing something was off, she opened her eyes and saw an adam’s apple.

A man?

Alarm bells went off in her head. She was about to roll off the bed when a deep voice sounded above her.

“How is it?”

She swallowed and slowly looked up.

Her heart skipped a beat when she locked eyes with him.

“Morning, Graham.” Arissa smiled sheepishly.

Oh dear, how on earth did I end up on his bed?

I have no recollection at all. Did I sleepwalk?

Wait a minute. I had a lovely dream last night. It’s not real, is it?

Benjamin watched on in amusement as the woman before him went from frowning to being frustrated to blushing.

“What’s the matter?”

He lifted her chin seductively.

Arissa’s heart raced. She laughed drily as she tried to hide her embarrassment and ran her fingers over his chest.

“This feels great. You have such a nice figure!”

I’m just going to talk my way out of this.

Her eyes sparkled like diamonds as she beamed at him.

Benjamin’s gaze darkened, and he softly pressed his lips against hers. Arissa widened her eyes in shock.

At that moment, she was engulfed in his masculine scent.

Her mind went blank as Benjamin kissed her till she was out of breath.

He finally let go of her just before she passed out from suffocation.

Benjamin pressed his forehead against hers as he stared at her reddened face.

She looked so alluring that anyone would have the urge to ravage her silly for hours on end.

It turned him on.

She could feel his warm breath on her face and the heat of his body just barely touching her.

“Breathe.”

Arissa felt embarrassed as she quickly sucked in mouthfuls of air.

She couldn’t help but diss Benjamin after being ridiculed. “I thought you said you didn’t like me. Why are you hugging me then?”

“Why do you think?”

Benjamin tightened his arms around her and pulled her toward him.

Arissa blushed bright red and didn’t dare to meet his eye as she felt his boner.

“Pervert!”

Her heart skipped a beat. This is embarrassing.

However, Benjamin wasn’t affected by it at all.

“Let go of me!” She pushed him away, flustered.

Benjamin swallowed and warned in a low voice, “Stop moving.”

Does she know what she’s doing right now?

He barely got any shut eye last night.

Arissa lowered her head and leaned against him.

She turned beet red from embarrassment.

Benjamin thought she looked like a meek and mild woman when she was shy. Hence, he couldn’t help but want to tease her.

“You’re already a mom. So why are you still so shy?”

“I’m not shy. You are!” Arissa looked up and glared at him.

What does this have to do with having kids anyways? It’s normal to be embarrassed.

Could it be that he’s just acting aloof but is actually a pervert deep down?

Benjamin could tell what was going on in her mind by the look on her face. “Are you secretly bad-mouthing me?”

“I-I wouldn’t dare.”

Arissa brushed him off with a smile.

Benjamin snorted in response.

“Graham, can you please let go of me now?”

Arissa couldn’t stand being in his arms anymore. She was worried he would devour her if they continued.

Moreover, she didn’t think she would be able to control herself from pouncing on him. After all, he was an attractive man.

“Aren’t you the one hugging me now?”

Benjamin mocked as he stared at her.

D*mn it. Arissa quickly let go when she realized she was indeed the one hugging him.

Benjamin stared at her lazily. “About last night…”