Chapter 26
It was dawn. Mason was the one who woke up first. It was too hot. His bathrobe was all wet from his sweat because he was holding something hot. Opening his eyes, he saw Zoe. Her face was abnormally red. She was burning up when he touched her cheeks!
He rose immediately and went downstairs to relay orders to his servant. “Give Dr. Lionel a call and have him come here now.”
The servant asked, “Are you feeling unwell, Mr. Mason?”
He was already rushing back upstairs, but he stopped and said, “Just tell him to come here as soon as possible. Zoe is having a fever.”
Dr. Lionel arrived half an hour later. The servant had cleaned up the room and removed the last vestiges of last night's incident.
He examined Zoe and said, “She has quite a high fever. I suggest giving her a shot for it. Also, Ms. Zoe's a little weak. She needs to pay closer attention to her nutritional intake.”
That was all the doctor had said, but Mason knew the truth. Zoe had overworked herself and skipped meals regularly. She had always had rather a sensitive constitution.
Dr. Lionel gave her the shot and said before leaving, “It's best if she rests in bed for a day.” Mason nodded and had his servant escort the doctor downstairs.
He could hear footsteps from the stairs shortly. Thinking it was his servant, he ordered, “Make some porridge and send it in.”
However, it was Ava. She always made a point to come early in the morning to give him his business suits and shirts that she sent for cleaning the week before. She was very surprised to see Zoe on his bed.
What was she doing back here?
It was obvious that they slept in the same bed last night. His servant might have cleaned up the room spotlessly, but she could see a faint hickey on the back of Zoe's neck. He could not have planted a kiss there unless he was in a specific position to do so.
Realizing it was Ava, Mason looked at the stuff in her hands and frowned, “Put them on the couch and get downstairs! I don't need you to do this anymore!”
Ava lowered her gaze. She was embarrassed. It felt like she was exposed. She loved taking care of these private matters for him because it made her feel as though she was his wife. However, it seemed that he had seen through her.
A million thoughts coursed through her as she left the room. Why did he hate Zoe so much when he was indifferent, even tolerant, toward Lilith?
She thought she knew the answer. If Mason was going to love anyone, it would be Zoe. And that was because all men loved the prettiest lady. He was no exception.
Mason glanced at Zoe after Ava left. She was still deep in sleep. He stood by the bed, reached out, and pinched her cheeks lightly. She did not respond. He pinched harder until she turned around out of discomfort.
He felt better at that. However, his expression darkened almost immediately. He walked to his private lounge and saw his suits and shirts. They were professionally cleaned, but there was still the smell of that solvent he disliked.
Aside from this, he disliked others handling his personal effects. He might have been educated as one of the elites, but he tended to obsess over the smallest details in his life.
Take sex for example. The other guys might have loved it so much that they would conquer one lady after another, but Mason had never considered doing that in his entire life.
Men usually looked hideous when they were having sex. He was such a reserved person. So, he never wanted anyone else to see him in those moments. That was why he had never had sex with any other women in all these years.
Zoe was the only one who had ever seen him when he was turned on.
Ava was sitting on the couch in the lobby on the ground floor. She drank the tea the servant served her. Elegant and dignified, she looked like the mistress of the house.
That was when Mason came downstairs. Different from his usual formal attire, he was dressed casually today. Wearing khaki sweatpants and an Armani sweater, he looked cozy. It fit him well, giving him the air of a married man.