Chapter 28: Helping Her Apply Medicine
Vivian Lowell and Julian Faulkner’s eyes locked at that moment.
He maintained his previous posture, gripping her arms with both hands and slowly helping her up from his body.
"Are you alright?"
A gentle voice came from in front of her. Vivian almost forgot to breathe. She merely shook her head and said, "I’m fine. Ouch—"
Putting on a brave face was destined to fail.
She had twisted her ankle, and it hurt a little. As she stood up straight, a piercing pain shot up from her ankle, making her wince in severe discomfort.
Julian sighed again in front of her. "In this condition, you shouldn’t stay here to catch cats anymore. I’ll get Ms. Shaw to come over and help, how about that?"
With that, Julian glanced at Eleanor Rhodes. "I’ll take her home first. Her injury probably needs some medicinal liniment rubbed on it."
Vivian also looked back apologetically at Eleanor.
It was only when she turned her head that Vivian realized Tanya had, at some unknown point, slowly shuffled her way toward the door.
It was as if she was trying to give them some alone time!
She really was the ultimate frenemy! Where did she and Julian...
HISS!
The pain in her ankle flared up again, and Vivian abandoned any thought of acting tough. Putting on a miserable face, she said to Eleanor, "Tanya, I’m sorry!"
"It’s fine, it’s fine."
Eleanor smiled sweetly and waved at Julian. "President Faulkner looks very reliable. With him taking care of you, I’m fully at ease!
"We’ve already caught two cats! I asked around beforehand, and this litter only has the mother cat and three kittens!
"Once Ms. Shaw gets here later, I’ll put in a little more work, and it’ll all be sorted out!"
"Okay."
Vivian breathed a sigh of relief.
She figured she could come back and help later, provided she could still walk after the liniment was applied!
However, Vivian turned back to Julian and asked tentatively, "President Faulkner, could you give me a hand?"
With one sprained ankle, she could just lean on him and hop back like a rabbit!
Julian didn’t answer her.
His previously gentle face suddenly tensed up. Without a word, he turned around and hoisted Vivian onto his back.
Give her a hand? Not a chance! He was going to carry her back on his back!
Vivian read a hint of domineering intent from Julian’s actions. She didn’t dare struggle and could only obediently rest on his back.
Julian’s back was very broad.
In the somewhat chilly February of Aethelburg, his body was warm and toasty. There had been no heating in the warehouse they were just in, and Vivian’s nose was red from the cold.
Now, she felt much warmer.
Relishing his body heat, Vivian warmed her left cheek against him, then shifted her position to press her right cheek against his back.
She was comfortable, alright.
She didn’t know, however, that a certain someone’s spine was completely stiff, his whole body tense.
Fortunately, the walk from the warehouse back to the Faulkner villa wasn’t very long. Ten minutes later, Ms. Shaw finished tidying up and came out of the house. After welcoming Vivian and Julian inside, she went off to help Eleanor.
Julian set Vivian down on the sofa in the living room.
His movements were incredibly gentle. After setting her down, he said flatly, "Don’t move around."
"Oh."
Vivian nodded. Looking around, she watched as Julian turned, grabbed a bottle of medicinal liniment from the coffee table, and crouched down in front of her.
His eyelashes were very long.
Under the warm glow of the light filtering in through the window, his face seemed softer.
Julian poured out a little of the liniment. The pungent smell of alcohol rushed into Vivian’s nose, causing her to shrink back. Suddenly, Julian grasped her ankle.
The moment his large hand enveloped her ankle, Vivian felt as if she had been lightly electrocuted.
A tingling sensation spread from her ankle. She wanted to pull away, but Julian held her firmly.
"Be good."
His tone was calm. Vivian wondered if it was her imagination, but he seemed much more patient and gentle than usual, like a gentle nurse giving her a shot.
After rubbing the liniment between his palms, Julian applied it to her ankle. A slight warmth seeped into her skin, though the pain deepened a fraction.
Vivian furrowed her brows and endured it without crying out. Julian’s hands continued to massage her ankle bit by bit.
A few minutes later, Vivian’s slightly swollen ankle seemed to look a bit better. Julian turned and went into the kitchen to wash his hands.
Only then did Vivian have the chance to sit up a little straighter and look at his back.
He washed his hands very meticulously, lathering up with soap before rinsing them off.
Soon, however, Julian disappeared from her line of sight. Vivian heard the sound of the refrigerator opening, and then the kitchen fell silent.
What was Julian doing? Vivian glanced at her phone.
It was only a little past three in the afternoon. Was he already starting to prepare dinner?
What was she supposed to do, then? It was inconvenient for her to move around, and sitting on the sofa was so boring.
"Julian~"
Vivian called out to him. She remembered that Grandma Faulkner had a wheelchair. Maybe she could borrow it for a bit and just use the wheelchair for today?
Right as Vivian finished calling out, Julian emerged from the kitchen holding an apple in one hand and a fruit knife in the other. He stood at the kitchen doorway, looking at her.
"What’s wrong?"
He asked without a trace of impatience in his voice. Instead, upon noticing that Vivian seemed to be fidgeting and trying to get off the sofa again, he furrowed his brows, looking somewhat concerned.
"N-nothing—"
So he wasn’t going to cook after all! Vivian muttered in her heart before asking, "Do you have a wheelchair? I want to go up to the second floor!"
"Wait a moment."
Julian replied immediately, turning back into the kitchen.
Huh? Vivian snapped back to her senses and thought carefully. She had said "wheelchair" and not something else, right? Why did Julian go back into the kitchen? Was the wheelchair kept in the kitchen?
"Julian~"
Vivian called out again.
This time, the man in the kitchen walked out holding a fruit platter with sliced apples on it. He walked over to Vivian, handed her the platter, and ordered seriously, "Hold this."
"Oh."
Vivian was perfectly obedient, doing as she was told like a primary school student.
Just as Vivian was holding the fruit platter and waiting for Julian to fetch the wheelchair for her, she suddenly felt her center of gravity shift as he scooped her up into a princess carry.
What!? The hand Vivian used to hold the fruit platter nearly trembled.
"Didn’t you say you wanted to go to the second floor?" Julian’s expression didn’t change as he held Vivian steadily. "It’s not convenient to carry you up on my back, so carrying you in my arms is better.
"Also, the apples are for you. Given your injury, it must hurt a lot. These apples are very sweet, and eating them will help release dopamine, which will make you feel a bit better."
Dopamine. Vivian smiled gently.
Her dopamine didn’t just come from this single apple Julian gave her.