novelraw Chapter 641: She Took the Initiative to Approach Him for the First Time
Chapter 641: She Took the Initiative to Approach Him for the First Time
As soon as Ignatius Leclair woke up, the Howard Family’s matriarch called Delphine and specially had someone deliver tonics for her to bring to the hospital.
Over the past two days, Nicholas and Benjamin had been staying at the Howard Family residence, with the matriarch personally caring for the two children while entrusting Ignatius entirely to Delphine.
By the time Delphine arrived at the hospital, it was already evening.
The man sat on the hospital bed, his face pale and wan, his eyes lowered as he reviewed documents. Beside him, Maximilian hovered nervously, as if he wanted to snatch the pen out of Ignatius’s hand. When Maximilian saw Delphine enter, his face lit up with joy, and he said, "Mr. Leclair, Miss Delphine is here. These documents aren’t urgent—we can go over them in a couple of days."
Over the past week, there hadn’t even been time or energy to deal with such matters—all the work had been pushed onto him and Arthur White. Now, despite being grievously injured and barely escaping with his life, Ignatius had turned to handling these trivial affairs, leaving Maximilian baffled.
Upon hearing that Delphine had arrived, the man didn’t lift his head; the motion of his hand holding the pen paused almost imperceptibly, before he resumed looking at the documents.
Delphine noticed his hospital bed was covered in a mess of papers. His striking features were so pale they resembled a sheet of paper. She immediately placed the tonics she had brought onto the small table in front of him and then swept all the documents to the side, casting a glance at Maximilian.
Maximilian suddenly understood and quickly came forward, gathered the documents, and bolted out the room.
The steel pen in Ignatius’s hand paused. Raising his eyes to look at her, he said in a low voice, "It won’t kill me."
Delphine listened to his casual remark, recalling the reckless things this man had done, her body stiffened. She turned away, unwilling to speak further.
Ignatius noticed her reaction. His gaze darkened slightly, and he reached out to grab her wrist, saying, "My chest hurts. Can you help me pour the tonic? I want fish soup tomorrow."
Due to the severity of his injuries, his large hand felt uncharacteristically cold. Delphine instinctively tried to pull her hand back, but Ignatius tightened his grip. With slight desperation, his movement elicited a restrained groan of pain.
Delphine froze in place, seeing the pallor of his face as he endured the pain. She dared not resist anymore and poured the soup from the thermos into a bowl, speaking softly, "Drink it."
The man responded faintly, lowered his gaze, and drank all the tonic she had brought him, leaving not a drop behind. His deep, phoenix-like eyes flashed with a subtle hint of amusement.
Delphine waited for him to finish and noticed that he still hadn’t let go of her wrist. Her arm was beginning to ache from the strain. She couldn’t bear to say anything harsh to provoke him, nor could she tolerate such an intimate gesture. Lowering her gaze, she said in a subdued tone, "You should rest early. I’ll come back to see you tomorrow."
Upon hearing her say she was leaving so soon after arriving, Ignatius’s expression dimmed. His thin lips pressed together tightly, and, without a word, he released her hand. He then made a motion as though to stand up, and the moment he shifted, his wound reopened. Dark blood began seeping out.
Delphine’s expression shifted when she saw him attempt to get out of bed. She pressed down on his shoulder urgently and said, "Are you insane?"
Ignatius’s phoenix-like eyes narrowed, and with a cold edge in his voice, he said, "I am insane. Knowing full well that you despise me, I still foolishly held onto hope. Go ahead and leave. Whether I live or die—you don’t care anyway, so you don’t need to bother with me."
Finished speaking, the man pulled out the IV needle on the back of his hand and forced his way out of bed. The dark blood on his chest seeped through, staining the gauze and cotton top he wore.
All Delphine could see was that ominous shade of red, the same hue she had seen on that day years ago when she lost their child, staining her world scarlet.
Her eyes shut briefly, her hands trembling as she reached from behind to embrace him, holding him tightly to prevent him from moving further and aggravating his wound. Her raspy voice broke as she said, "Stop moving—You’ll hurt yourself."
Ignatius’s tall and imposing figure froze abruptly. His phoenix-like eyes faintly welled with an emotion he hadn’t shown in what felt like years. For the first time, she willingly approached him, even if it wasn’t entirely voluntary. And yet, the man couldn’t suppress the surge of emotion within him.