Chapter 210

"How could my period not be over by now? It’s been ages," she thought.

“Go shower first,” Shermaine said noncommittally.

“Alright.” Joshua planted two lingering kisses on her neck before rising. He took off his glasses, loosened his tie, and headed to the walk-in closet. After grabbing his pajamas, he went to the bathroom.

The moon shone brightly.

After waking and finding herself unable to fall back asleep, Shermaine got up, poured herself some water, and settled onto the sofa.

About ten minutes later, Joshua emerged from the bathroom wearing nothing but sleep pants, his chiseled torso bare as he towel-dried his damp hair.

His muscles, honed by years of training, were strong and well-defined. The tattoo on his shoulder seemed to ripple with wild, untamed energy.

Shermaine gazed at him, her eyes clear and unflinching. She had always appreciated a handsome man, and made no effort to hide her admiration now.

'So sexy and charming,' Shermaine thought.

Joshua’s alluring masculine scent seemed to deliberately entice Shermaine as she drank her water. After roughly toweling his hair twice, he tossed the towel aside, strode over, and pulled her into his embrace.

“Sheary, may I?” Joshua murmured.

Shermaine sat on his lap, his damp hair brushing against her neck, cool to the touch. She rested her hand on his shoulder and teased, “Go dry your hair. You’re not getting any younger–you really should take better care of yourself.”

Joshua fell silent for a moment. His deep eyes seemed to draw her in. With quiet confidence, he said, “Sheary, my age has nothing to do with my stamina.”

He was in great shape.

Besides, age was just a number.

‘I’m not old at all,’ Joshua thought to himself.

Shermaine pursed her lips. “Are you going to blow-dry your hair or not?” ‘It’s fine if I skip it,’ she thought, ‘but Joshua absolutely has to.’

“Will you help me, Sheary?” Joshua coaxed, his tone playful and affectionate.

‘Since when do I ever do this kind of thing for anyone?’

‘But this man was different–he was my husband who’s eleven years older–he really ought to take better care of himself,’ Shermaine thought.

Shermaine didn’t hesitate. “Come with me,” she said.

The hair dryer was stored in the small cabinet beneath the bathroom sink.

Shermaine headed to the bathroom, with Joshua–that sly fox–trailing right behind her.

Shermaine took the hair dryer out from the cabinet under the bathroom sink, plugged it in, and began to blow-dry Joshua’s hair for him.

Joshua was tall.

He tilted his head down slightly to make it easier for Shermaine to blow-dry his hair.

The warm air mingled with her intoxicating fragrance, sending waves of restlessness through his body and mind.

Shermaine’s fingers trembled as her ears flushed crimson. She shot him a warning look and scolded, “Keep your hands to yourself–”

Shermaine had delicate dimples at the small of her back–the slightest touch there made her shiver.

Hoping for future favors, he immediately behaved himself as soon as he heard her words.

With his short hair, it only took a few minutes to dry.

As soon as Shermaine turned off the hair dryer, Joshua slipped an arm around her waist, effortlessly lifted her onto the bathroom counter, and, without hesitation, captured her lips in a deep, searing kiss.

Joshua’s kiss was relentless. Shermaine rested her hand on his neck, refusing to be outdone as she kissed him back–only to be met with an even deeper more intoxicating kiss.

Meanwhile, at Yaleview Hospital, after a grueling seven-hour surgery, Danielle was completely exhausted. She changed out of her scrubs, walked over to the vending machine in the hallway, and bought herself a coffee with some spare change.

After that lunch with Shermaine and Janice, she flirtatiously teased Ross in the car–tentatively suggesting, “How about being a real couple?” But they hadn’t spoken since.

Ross might be the golden boy, but Danielle was every bit the golden girl.

Danielle thought to herself, ‘Alas, my feelings go unrequited.’

Sipping her coffee, Danielle couldn’t help but feel a wave of disappointment as memories of that awkward parting came flooding back.

She turned around and spotted Jason lurking in the shadowy corner. Instantly, a headache hit her.

Jason looked rather disheveled. With his deceptively innocent demeanor and good looks, he cut a pitiful figure.

‘To be honest, guys like him have never been my type,’ Danielle thought. ‘Right now, I’m completely obsessed with Ross–all I can think about is getting him into bed.’

“What are you still doing at the hospital this late?” Danielle asked.

Jason hung his head. “I wanted to see you,” he said softly. “Dr. Shelly, I’ve been waiting for you for ages.”

Danielle’s lips twitched in a wry smile. Another woman might have softened, but she wasn’t the type to show mercy to a man she didn’t care about. “Go home. I have work to attend to and no time for this.”

He stepped forward and clasped Danielle’s hand. “Dr. Shelly, can’t you be a little less cold to me?” he pleaded earnestly. “I genuinely like you.”

“Then you should be able to tell I have feelings for Ross,” Danielle said without batting an eye.

“But he doesn’t like you,” Jason retorted.

‘That stings,’ Danielle thought.

Danielle pursed her lips, her gaze icy. “None of your business,” she said coldly. “Let go.”

Faced with Danielle’s frosty demeanor, Jason had no choice but to let go. “Sorry, did I hurt you?” he muttered apologetically.

She said coldly, “I want you to understand–even without Ross, I wouldn’t be with you. First, because of who you are. Second, I simply don’t date younger men.”

With that, Danielle strode off without a backward glance.

Chapter 210

Jason’s face darkened, his eyes burning with frenzy.

Failing to become the top scorer in SAT and losing his chance to return to the Jean family really hit him hard.

This meant all his carefully laid plans had collapsed.

‘Without enough power or status, I can’t even win over a single woman,’ Jason thought bitterly.

Maybe it was the coffee, but Danielle felt a dull ache in her stomach.

Left with no choice, she headed to the GI clinic to get some medication from the doctor on duty.

However, even after taking the medicine, the pain wouldn’t go away. Danielle hadn’t eaten all night–she was in pain and starving.

Slumped in the chair, Danielle pulled out her phone and immediately dialed Ross.

Ross had just gotten into bed when Danielle called. He hesitated a moment before answering. “What is it?”

“My stomach hurts,” Danielle murmured in a weak, kitten-like voice, sounding utterly listless.

Ross paused for a beat. “You’re a doctor–you should know how to handle a stomachache.”

“I just got out of surgery and haven’t eaten all night. The pain is so bad I can barely move,” Danielle said in a weak, pleading voice. “I’d really love some oatmeal…”

There was no way Ross could miss an obvious hint.

Logically speaking, they were just in a relationship of convenience with no real feelings involved, so Ross had no obligation to care for her. He said coldly, “Order some takeout. It’s late–I’m going to bed.”

The call ended abruptly, the harsh beep still ringing in her ears. Danielle froze in disbelief–she hadn’t expected Ross to actually hang up on her. Anger twisted her already aching stomach, and soon she broke out in a cold sweat.

‘He really doesn’t care about me, not even a little bit,’ Danielle thought.

‘How ironic,’ she thought bitterly. After giving Jason such a cold rejection, now it was her turn to receive Ross’ icy dismissal.

Danielle felt her heart plunge into icy depths.

On the other end, though Ross had hung up, sleep eluded him–he just couldn’t get Danielle out of his mind.

After all, Danielle was his sister’s senior. Being this cold to her just didn’t feel right.

After a moment’s hesitation, he got out of bed again and texted her: [What kind of oatmeal do you want?]

Her phone screen, dark just a moment ago, lit up.

Danielle glanced at her phone, and the dullness in her eyes faded, replaced by a faint glimmer.