In a Love Nest with the Aloof CEO

Chapter 4

City North Hospital.

Skylar got off work early in the morning and went to the hospital with barely any sleep. The dark circles beneath her eyes were so pronounced that even her foundation did nothing to conceal them.

After settling the bill for Jeremy, she hurried upstairs. The situation was not as bad as she had thought, and the doctor said he could be discharged soon.

Her life could finally get back on track. If she continued working like a dog, one day, she might very well die from exhaustion in her rental house.

Right then, Jeremy was sitting on the hospital bed, figuring out the functions of his new phone. His complexion was much better than before—ironically, a stark contrast to the woman walking towards his ward. Color had returned to his cheeks, and he even put on some weight.

When he saw Skylar come in, he hastily shoved his newly bought phone into the pocket of his hospital gown.

“So, what did you do last night?” Skylar brought over a thermos which was filled with pot roast that she cooked an hour earlier. Then she handed Jeremy a pair of cutlery.

Her question stunned Jeremy. Quickly digging into the pot roast to hide his guilt, he muttered, “What else could I do? Of course I was lying here. Why did you ask?”

Skylar wet her pale lips, looking more like a patient than the man on his sickbed. “Huh… Funny story— someone saw you buying a Hermes bag for a girl. I knew she was mistaken.”

Afraid that Skylar would see through him, Jeremy gave her a tight-lipped smile and said, “Haha… Hermes? You flatter me, baby. I’m not that rich!”

Through the window, the morning sun filtered in and showered his youthful face with a golden glow that complemented his bright and gentle smile.

Skylar was dazed for a moment before raising her brows. True. Where would Jeremy get that kind of money? She would know that, as he had only given her one bag ever since they started going out.

To be frank, calling it a “bag” was an overstatement. After all, it was made of recycled scraps that were duct-taped all over, to which Jeremy claimed he bought it from the flea market. Despite that, Skylar had shared it on her social media, feeling proud of it.

“Anyway, the doctor said I can go home next week. I didn’t expect to recover so quickly,” Jeremy said after he finished the entire pot roast.

Actually, Skylar had made two portions because she came here in a hurry and did not have time to eat.

Upon seeing the thermos completely empty, she simply sighed in resignation.

Jeremy was always inconsiderate like this. After so many years, Skylar had gotten used to it.

She pushed the stray strands of hair away from her face and said, “That’s great. It’s better to rest at home than at the hospital. Wow, I can’t believe we’ve finally overcome this hurdle.”

“I’m blue, da-ba-dee da-ba-daa… da-ba-dee da-ba-daa…”

All of a sudden, Jeremy

’s cell phone ringtone blared out from his pocket. His eyes darted toward Skylar and got up hastily. “I need to use the bathroom.”

However, Skylar raised her hand and blocked his path.

Jeremy looked at her with shifty eyes as guilt rose in him with each dreading second. “Hey, why are you blocking me? I need to pee!”

Snapping out of it, Skylar put her hand down quickly, blaming Tobias for her fraying nerves.

I’m sure Jeremy would never answer a woman’s call behind my back. We have a solid relationship, one that was built over the years.

Besides, he has been sick all this while, so there’s no way he could’ve wooed a girl in his state.

After packing the thermos, Skylar heard footsteps just outside the door and looked up to see Jeremy’s mother, Pauline Yates.

She obediently greeted her, her eyes inadvertently looking Pauline over.

They had only recently seen each other, but there was already an additional gold bracelet circling Pauline’s wrist.

Judging by the looks at it, the bracelet was worth at least twenty thousand.

Skylar casually asked, “Hi, Mrs. Lane, how are you doing? Oh wow, your bracelet is so pretty! Is that new?”

Hearing that, Pauline tugged her sleeve to conceal the bracelet. “It’s fake. How can I afford to buy an authentic one in our current situation? Skylar, who was it you met the last time? It was a fake check.”

Skylar had no explanation for her, so she only responded tersely, “Ah, it was April’s Fool, I guess.”

After that, Pauline did not speak anymore, and since they had nothing to talk about, the ward fell into an awkward silence.

Skylar had always known that Pauline looked down on her, hoping that her son would find an heiress to marry, the kind that could make their lives easier and give them a house with three or more bedrooms.

She certainly did not want her son to marry a woman who was abandoned by her parents, not to mention one who was still sharing rent with someone else.

Just then, Skylar’s phone rang, the ringtone piercing through the awkward atmosphere. She immediately picked up the call and was informed to go for an audition.

With no time to waste, she didn’t wait for Jeremy to come out and informed Pauline, “Mrs. Lane, I have to go now. Help me tell Jeremy that I’ve gone for an audition.”

Pauline wore an aloof expression on her face, acting like she did not hear her.

Nonetheless, Skylar was used to Pauline’s attitude, so she did not take it to heart and left immediately after.

Pauline sighed after Skylar and grumbled, “How did my son even fall for you? Audition? It’s probably either for a maid or an extra. Hmph!”

Just then, Jeremy came out of the bathroom to find Skylar gone and his mother muttering to herself.

Pauline said with displeasure, “That girl Skylar is really an uncouth brat. She doesn’t have any manners, always pulling a long face when she sees me. She didn’t find out about the check, did she?”

With a smug smile, Jeremy replied to his mother, “Based on her IQ level, how could she? I’m curious, though. Where did she get that check? It’s hard to believe that someone like her could’ve gathered three million on her own.”

“Who cares about that…” Pauline admired the gold bracelet adorning her wrist and advised, “Hold on to Skylar for now, at least until after you’re discharged. Who knows? Maybe she sought help from her

family. After all, three million is nothing to her parents.”

Jeremy lifted the blanket and slipped back into bed. “Nah, I don’t think it’s from the Joneses. They would never acknowledge her as their daughter. I’ve realized that a long time ago.”

Looking towards her son, Pauline smiled, which made the wrinkles on her face more prominent. “As I said, I don’t care where she got the money from. After paying for your treatment, there’s still more than two million left. I’ll have to quickly find a nice girl for you to marry. I don’t think that you and Skylar are a good match.”

Jeremy kept silent, giving his consent.

The day Jeremy was discharged arrived in the blink of an eye.

Meanwhile, Skylar came out of the set to the dazzling sunlight. Beneath its brilliant glow, her fair skin seemed to shimmer beautifully. She put on a pair of black shades that hid half of her small face, then hailed a cab to Four Seasons Hotel.

To celebrate Jeremy’s discharge from the hospital, the Lanes were treating some guests to a meal here, spending an average of two thousand per head.

The fact that the Lanes could afford it here made Skylar’s suspicion shoot to the skies.

They couldn’t even afford Jeremy’s medical fees! So where did they get so much money?

Skylar wandered around the hotel lobby, but when she could not find the private room Jeremy had mentioned to her, she was about to call him to come and pick her up.

Suddenly, a deep male voice came from behind, hitting her like a bucket of cold water.

“Well, well, look who’s here. It hasn’t even been that long, but here we meet again! This time, are you also here as a promoter, Ms. Jones?”Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

Well, if it isn’t the devil himself… Ah… this is just my luck!Skylar could remember this voice even in her sleep.

She turned around and came face to face with Tobias in a suit, looking as domineering as ever, with a tender smile that matched his airy tone.

His smile did nothing to warm her. Instead, a shiver of unease ran down her spine.

At that moment, there was only one word playing on repeat in Skylar’s mind—Run.