77

She grabbed a bottle of mineral water and, whether intentionally or not, struggled to open it. She nearly used all her strength until the cap finally came off, but her hand slipped, causing the liquid to spill onto the floor, soaking her legs and the bandages wrapped around her ankles. She couldn’t get any unluckier.
Isabella was on the verge of tears; even a bottle of water was bullying her now. It felt like life was getting unbearable.
She was struggling with the wet leg when the doorbell rang at that exact moment.
Isabella instinctively thought it might be Olivia returning, so she bounced over to open the door.
However, what met her eyes was a handsome man.
“Andrew?” Isabella stared at him, wide-eyed, looking baffled.
It takes over two hours to fly from Ithaca town to New York; Superman couldn’t make it that fast.
She instinctively thought she might be hallucinating and rubbed her eyes forcefully with her hand.
Andrew’s blue eyes revealed a hint of helplessness and amusement. Without speaking, he stepped forward, scooped her up, and walked briskly into the room.
Her feet dangled, and she let out a startled scream, wrapping her soft arms instinctively around his neck.
He carried her back to the living room sofa, then knelt on one knee in front of her, bending down to check her injured ankle.
The bandages on Isabella’s feet were thoroughly soaked, and he couldn’t help but frown. “What happened?”
“Accidentally spilled some water. I don’t know why today is so unlucky; I can’t even get a drink of water,” she complained, wearing a miserable expression.
He remained silent and began to remove the bandages from her foot.
The damp bandages fell to the floor, revealing the swollen foot. Isabella’s small feet, easily encompassed by his large palm.
His warm palm gently held her foot, rotating it twice, eliciting a couple of pained cries from her.
“Andrew, don’t take this opportunity to be mean!” Isabella glared at him angrily.
He glanced up, meeting her gaze with a calm and composed expression. “It’s just a sprained ankle, no bone damage. You won’t be crippled.”
After a moment’s pause, Isabella remembered the message she sent to him. Feeling irritated, she glared at him again.
Andrew didn’t say anything but reached for the first-aid kit nearby. He opened it, took out an antiseptic spray and clean bandages.
He proceeded to treat her injury and then re-bandaged her foot.
Sitting on the couch, Isabella cradled her foot, staring at him absentmindedly.
From her perspective, she could see about two-thirds of Andrew’s profile: sharp and distinct features, a deep and austere disposition. He held her foot in one hand and skillfully applied the bandages with the other, displaying a charmingly earnest and focused demeanor.
Despite spending the day in water and feeling cold, the touch of his slender, beautiful hand felt warm.
Resting her chin in her hand, blinking her long, thick eyelashes, she smiled and said, “Actually, think about it, there’s nothing wrong with keeping you like this.”
“What?” Andrew raised his eyes to meet hers, his deep blue eyes sparkling like gemstones.
Isabella’s clear gaze met his; she smiled earnestly, saying, “This way, you can keep me company all the time.”
He paused for a moment, then smiled faintly, nodding. “Okay.”
After he finished wrapping her ankle, he walked over to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of mineral water, and handed it to her, twisting it open.
She tilted her head back to look at him but didn’t reach out, coyly saying, “I don’t want this; I want some oranges.”
Andrew, however, didn’t indulge her and took the water back. “Not thirsty? That means you’re not thirsty.”
“Andrew!” Isabella was furious, practically hopping if it weren’t for her incapacitated foot. With nowhere to vent, she just hurled the pillow she had in her hand at him.
Did he have any sense as a sugar baby?
Andrew sidestepped the incoming pillow and then silently handed the water back to her.
This time she obediently took it, gulping down half of it in one go.
He sat on the single sofa facing her, his deep gaze slightly narrowed, remaining silent, looking profoundly serious.
After finishing the water, she casually placed it on the coffee table and inquired, “Why did you suddenly come here? You scared me.”
“Well, came to see a friend and took the chance to drop by.” He finished speaking, raised his arm, glanced at the steel watch on his wrist. “I’ll leave in a while.”
Actually, today was quite a coincidence. Andrew came to see a client, and coincidentally, Isabella had an accident. He took a detour to check on her first.
For this reason, Ryan couldn’t help but complain a bit. They were discussing a billion-dollar deal, yet Andrew put the business behind seeing a woman.
Isabella couldn’t help but grumble, “Why do you have so many friends? Scammers are everywhere nowadays, be careful not to be left with nothing but your underwear.”
Andrew responded, “… no filter; you’re not a bit like a girl.”
“How am I not like a girl?” she retorted angrily, intentionally puffing out her chest.
Even though she was a bit thin, she had her curves intact.
Andrew remained silent.
He felt their minds were not on the same wavelength. An eight-year age gap did make a difference.
There was a brief silence between them. Then, the rumbling sound from Isabella’s stomach broke the silence-she was hungry.
Usually, around this time, the crew would serve meals, but due to her unexpected injury, the shooting had been forcibly suspended, and the crew probably wouldn’t provide any meals.
“I’m hungry,” she said.
“What would you like to eat? I’ll have someone bring it,” Andrew asked.
Isabella’s eyes lit up at the mention of food. Suppressing her saliva, she said, “Go left five hundred meters from the hotel; there’s a food street. Get various snacks.”
“Okay,” he replied.
…
After eating to her heart’s content, Isabella started feeling drowsy and soon dozed off on the couch within a few minutes.
Andrew genuinely wondered if she was just a little pig.
Watching her peacefully sleeping, innocent as a newborn baby, a faint smile crept onto his lips.
He squatted beside her, quietly gazing at her for a while, then casually draped his suit jacket over her outstretched arm and got up to leave.
Beta Ryan had called more than a dozen times to hurry, thinking Andrew was caught up buying snacks. If Ryan knew Andrew was spending time queuing for street food, he might have fainted from exasperation.
Isabella slept deeply and wasn’t aware of Andrew’s departure. If someone hadn’t knocked on the door, she might have slept until nightfall.
The continuous knocking finally woke her. Sitting up from the couch, her beautiful brows furrowed with displeasure.
Rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, somewhat grumpily, she demanded, “Andrew, go answer the door.”
However, the room remained silent except for her voice.
Getting up from the couch, still somewhat drowsy but fully awake, she checked the room. Not finding Andrew there, it was apparent he had already left.
The incessant knocking forced her to answer the door.
Opening it, she found Luke standing there, holding a food bag.
“Luke, what are you doing here?” Isabella was somewhat surprised to see him.
“We just came back from the food street. Brought some local snacks. I figured you probably hadn’t eaten yet, so I brought a few things for you.” Luke said to her, his tone somewhat reserved.
“Come in, please.” Isabella stepped aside to let him in. She appreciated his kindness and couldn’t leave him outside. Besides, she had some things she wanted to clarify face-to-face.
Luke entered the room and, as soon as he sat on the couch, noticed the bespoke suit draped on the armrest. He had keen eyes and could tell it was an expensive one.
Subconsciously, he tightened his lips, feeling an indescribable emotion. But he didn’t want to dwell on it, nor did he want to consider Isabella as someone who didn’t know how to preserve her dignity.
Isabella also noticed the suit resting on the couch. Under his gaze, she casually picked it up and tossed it into the bedroom. In her mind, she thought, “Andrew, the ice-cool guy, turns out he’s also forgetful. Next time I see him, I’ll have to remind him.”
While Luke remained seated on the living room sofa, Isabella politely fetched a drink for him from the fridge.
“Olivia went to eat there too. Did you guys go together?” Isabella asked casually, initiating conversation smoothly, so it didn’t feel abrupt.
“No, but we ran into each other twice on the street,” Luke replied.
The food street wasn’t too large, so bumping into each other from their film crew was quite normal.
Luke finished his answer, unscrewed the lid of the drink, and took a couple of sips.
Isabella sat across from him, her countenance calm, clear eyes blinking at him.
“I returned the jade bracelet your mother sent. I had my sister return it. She should have received it by now,” Isabella said gently, without much emotional fluctuation, as if she were discussing today’s weather with Luke.