Rosalind’s mind momentarily froze, caught off guard by Malcolm’s question. She hadn’t anticipated this situation and struggled to come up with a response.
“Just call me Malcolm, that’s what my family calls me,” he suggested, trying to ease her discomfort.
She nodded, feeling a tinge of awkwardness. Given the urgency of the situation, she realized there was little room for being picky. As long as she could find someone to accompany her and appease her mother, it would suffice. The priority was to ensure her mother underwent the necessary surgery.
As Rosalind settled into Malcolm’s car, she noticed his preparedness. The back seat held a basket of fresh fruits and several boxes of what appeared to be expensive supplements. She wondered about the cost of these items and discreetly checked her bank balance on her phone.
She had only a few thousand yuan and wasn’t sure if it would be enough to reimburse him. Malcolm, however, seemed to follow her gaze and smiled reassuringly.
“Tilda mentioned that you were busy with work and wouldn’t have time to prepare, so I took the liberty of buying these items. I can’t visit your parents empty-handed, it wouldn’t be convincing,” he explained thoughtfully. “It wasn’t much, consider it my way of visiting your mother on behalf of Tilda. Otherwise, she would have had to bring something too.”
His considerate gesture made Rosalind feel even more grateful but also embarrassed. “I’ve already taken up so much of your time, and now you’ve gone through all this trouble for me. I’m truly grateful! Please let me transfer the money to you.”
“No need for that, it wasn’t a significant expense. Think of it as my contribution to our act. We can settle any financial matters later,” Malcolm insisted.
Rosalind felt a bit stiff and distant as she responded, aware of her aversion to owing people favors. She believed in repaying kindness and debts within her means.
“If you’re keeping such a strict account, how can we cultivate the feeling of being a couple? And when we meet your mother, won’t she see through our act?” Malcolm understood her personality and gently reassured her. “Let’s do this: let’s get into character and consider me your boyfriend for now. We can address these concerns once we get through today.”
She looked at Malcolm, forcing a smile. She knew he was right, but the thought of portraying a loving relationship with her best friend’s cousin made her extremely uncomfortable.
As they arrived at the hospital entrance, Eva’s call interrupted their conversation. “We’re downstairs, we’ll be right up,” Rosalind informed her.
Rosalind ended the call and glanced at Malcolm with worry. “Mr. Hines, you need to be mentally prepared. My mom is very angry about this and might react strongly.”
“Don’t worry, Tilda has already warned me repeatedly,” Malcolm assured her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder and offering a slight smile. “Once we’re inside, I’ll start calling you Rosa, and you can call me Malcolm. Don’t forget.”
His sudden touch made Rosalind uncomfortable, causing her hairs to stand on end. However, she knew that she had only one chance to make this work. If her mother discovered the truth, it would only worsen the situation. Today, she had to play her part convincingly.
Nodding, she closed her eyes and tried to persuade herself not to reject Malcolm’s closeness. As she contemplated, Ulric’s face unexpectedly flashed in her mind. It seemed that imagining Malcolm as Ulric would help her let her guard down a bit.
“Are you ready?” Malcolm’s voice whispered affectionately in her ear, concealing any hint that he was merely a stand-in.
Rosalind realized he must be treating her as he would his sister, Tilda, allowing him to assume the role so effortlessly.
“Ready. Let’s go,” she responded, acknowledging that there was no way to avoid this situation.