Seeing Nelson’s reassuring gaze, Callie felt slightly relieved. She stood up hesitantly, her fingers still bleeding.
Nelson pulled out a tissue, wiped the blood clean, and then took the iodine and cotton swabs handed over by the servant to carefully treat her wound.
His movements were steady and professional, but upon closer inspection, there was a slight tremor. His eyes were darkened, and his tone was not pleasant. “What’s more important, the photos or your hand? If something really happened, you’ll be unable to draw.”
Callie smiled. He was still concerned about her hand for designing, but at that moment, she couldn’t think of anything else. She was only afraid that the photos would cause trouble for her father and herself, and also feared ruining his beloved items.
A bitter smile spread across her lips. Looking up, she saw Reuben standing nearby, nervously watching her hand, full of guilt.
He seemed to have sobered up but didn’t dare to speak.
“Nelson… my dad didn’t do it on purpose. Don’t blame him,” she repeated.
Hearing this, Nelson’s face grew darker. After finishing the treatment, he tossed the cotton swab aside. “Did I say I blamed you? Do you trust me so little?”
Callie remained silent.
Nelson signaled the servant to bring the photos over and then said, “Take this one and all those in the box and throw them away.”
Callie was almost shocked. “You…”
“These things are not as important as you,” he said, holding her hand. “You don’t need to hurt yourself over them. Do you understand?”
Callie shook her head, then suddenly realized, “Now that Maevelyn is back, it’s indeed not important. I was making a fuss over nothing.”
Nelson frowned but didn’t let go of her hand. “Even if Maevelyn hadn’t come back today, I would still say the same.”
He rarely lied; he meant every word.
Callie’s frown eased as she looked at Reuben again.
“Father, don’t worry. No one blames you,” Nelson spoke first. “Stay here comfortably, okay?”
Reuben looked troubled. “I don’t know what came over me earlier…”
Callie immediately said, “Reuben, go rest. It’s okay.”
After hesitating for a long time, Reuben finally left the room with an apologetic look, giving them some private space.
Once he was gone, Callie pulled her hand back. “Let’s keep these photos. Maevelyn might want them someday.”
Nelson frowned slightly, studying her expression.
“I’m sincere. You don’t have to look at me like that.”
He pinched her cheek. “You aren’t usually this generous. Are you jealous?”
Callie retorted angrily, “You were gone for quite a while today. It wasn’t just a brief appearance. What did you talk about?”
Nelson was about to speak when she guessed, “Were you reminiscing about the past?”
She guessed half right. He opened his mouth but was stopped by Callie’s finger. “You don’t need to report to me. I don’t want to hear it.”
Suddenly, he pulled her onto his lap and leaned in for a kiss.
The kiss was urgent and lasted long. Callie tilted her head back, forced to endure it. She clutched his collar tightly, feeling his urgency and a hint of helplessness.
Why was he feeling helpless?
When the kiss ended, his lips were a striking shade of red, captivating.
“What’s wrong?” Callie asked worriedly.
“Only you’re allowed to shut me up; I’m not allowed to shut you up?”
Tsk.
Sitting upright, Callie wrapped her arms around his neck as he was about to say something. “Callie…”
Callie spoke at the same time: “Oconnor Group…”
They looked at each other.
Nelson gestured for her to speak first.