the two-faced Adopted Girl Who Melted CEO's Ice-Cold Heart

Chapter 263: Everyone Says Miss Delphine Fell Out of Favor, and Trouble Came in Just Half a Month

The hospital room was silent. The man stood at the bedside, looking at Delphine, who had fallen into a deep sleep. He bent down to touch her forehead, his expression complicated.

Delphine slept fitfully through the night, feeling as if someone was nearby, but her eyelids were far too heavy. When she woke up the next morning, the room was empty, leaving only her behind.

Struggling to get up, she went into the attached bathroom to freshen up, gently patting her pale face to make her complexion look less wan. When she walked out, Maximilian was carrying breakfast, smiling brightly as he said, "Miss Delphine, how are you feeling today? I brought you some porridge and fish soup. The doctor said you need to replenish your strength."

Maximilian even used a formal tone, pouring all his enthusiasm into his words. Alas, how strange—these last few days, Mr. Leclair had suddenly ignored Miss Delphine and grown close with Miss Cloud from the Cloud Family. Even Maximilian thought Miss Delphine had fallen out of favor. But who could have predicted that in just half a month, something like this would happen?

This time, Maximilian could see it clearly. Every time Mr. Leclair distanced himself from Miss Delphine, he only seemed to fall for her more deeply afterward. It looked like Miss Cloud didn’t stand a chance.

"Thank you," Delphine said in gratitude. She truly was hungry. Having gone nearly an entire day and night without food, she forced herself to drink a bowl of fish soup and eat half a bowl of porridge, despite her lack of appetite.

"I’d like to start the discharge process. The film crew is still pushing forward on their schedule," Delphine said to Maximilian. Not seeing Ignatius Leclair first thing in the morning had immediately calmed her emotions.

"The production team has already granted you a three-day leave. You should focus on recovering before returning to the shoot," Maximilian said, feeling as though his face was stiff from smiling so much—it was as if he’d used up an entire year’s worth of smiles today.

Maximilian carried the thermos cup out of the room and entered the private special care unit next door, diligently reporting the situation to the man inside.

The man hadn’t slept all night, faint red veins visible in his eyes. Hearing that she had eaten half a bowl of porridge and drank a bowl of fish soup, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mr. Leclair, aren’t you going to check on Miss Delphine?" Maximilian asked. He had kept watch all night. Why not soften up and offer some comfort?

Ignatius Leclair shot him a cold glance. He understood her temperament to some extent. If he appeared in front of her now, she’d either stage a hunger strike or insist on leaving the hospital. The usually tender and patient little cat could prove remarkably difficult to appease when angry.

He had only himself to blame. Thinking of the reckless days he had spent in the South Seas recently, Ignatius’s expression darkened. In a low voice, he said, "Deal with the rumors spreading in the South Seas over the past half-month."

Maximilian quickly nodded.

"And notify Leah Squire. Let her know that Delphine is hospitalized."

The hot-tempered young lady from the Squire Family? The one who could explode at the drop of a hat? Maximilian shrank his neck back. If Leah Squire came, she might just tear the hospital apart.

After finishing his orders, the man waved Maximilian away. Entering the bathroom, he took a shower and changed into a clean set of clothes. When he came out, his expression was still grim. He stood by the window, gazing at the snowy landscape outside.

All these years, he had lived a life of restraint, indifferent to all things. After witnessing his parents’ failed marriage and the death of his frail mother, he had treated love and marriage as a plague to be avoided.

But hearing about her experiences, about that unborn child, he found himself unable to remain unmoved.

The orphan he once treated as nothing more than a pawn now held dominion over his every mood. Was this his retribution? Ignatius sneered at himself.

He owed her—yet was hopelessly ensnared.

There was nothing more cruel in the world than this.