After Prison I Rushed into Marriage with a Comatose Tycoon-Chapter 60: Are You Indirectly Kissing Me?

In the sickbed, Shane Lockwood slowly opened his eyes.

The door to the room wasn’t shut tight. If he listened closely, he could hear Eliza Sutton comforting Emmett Lockwood.

She spoke in soft, gentle tones, her patience seemingly endless. To anyone watching, she was the very picture of a good mother.

Sure enough, a moment later, he heard Erik Irvine’s admiring sigh. "The Mistress is truly a virtuous and gentle woman."

Shane Lockwood retorted coolly, "When did you go blind?"

’That woman is full of tricks,’ he thought. ’He’d never lacked for fawning women, but Eliza Sutton was the only one who had ever managed to make Emmett let down his guard.’

If Eliza Sutton knew what Shane Lockwood was thinking, she would have sincerely replied: ’Is it possible it’s just because Emmett is bright and, unlike some people, isn’t blind?’

Erik Irvine didn’t dare to respond, but he genuinely felt Eliza Sutton was different from all the women who came before. He could sense it.

"Push me to the bathroom."

Erik Irvine quickly helped Shane Lockwood into his wheelchair and pushed him to the bathroom.

"Call me when you’re done." Erik Irvine closed the bathroom door and left.

Shane Lockwood glanced at the closed door, then wheeled himself over to the washbasin. He pulled his earlobe back slightly, tilting his head to examine it in the mirror.

A tiny pinprick came into view.

Shane Lockwood’s eyes grew cold.

When Eliza Sutton returned after seeing Emmett off, she found that Shane Lockwood was no longer in the bed.

"Where is he?"

"President Lockwood went to the restroom."

"How long has he been gone?"

"About ten minutes or so."

"I’ll go check on him." Soon, Eliza Sutton’s voice rang out, "Mr. Lockwood, are you alright? Do you need any help?"

Eliza Sutton called out a few more times. When Shane Lockwood didn’t respond, she began to worry, thinking of his useless legs and the wound on his back.

"Mr. Lockwood, I’m coming in." Just as Eliza Sutton was about to open the door, she heard a CLICK, and the bathroom door swung open.

Shane Lockwood wheeled himself out. "Is there a problem?"

"You were in there for a while. I was getting worried."

"Is that so?"

Eliza Sutton looked down at Shane Lockwood, trying to decipher his expression, but his face was impassive. She couldn’t read him at all.

"Go make some food. I’m hungry."

Eliza Sutton agreed.

Shane Lockwood’s back wound was only just beginning to heal, so his diet required special attention. Eliza Sutton made a lotus seed congee, which was known to aid in recovery.

Just before the congee was done, she mixed in a medicinal powder she had prepared earlier.

Shane Lockwood’s injuries were too severe. Relying solely on nightly acupuncture sessions would be too slow.

And since Shane Lockwood was a workaholic, constantly straining his body, she decided to supplement his treatment with medicine.

「At the dining table.」

Shane Lockwood eyed the lotus seed congee before him and took a sip. His sharp brows furrowed. "What did you put in this?"

Eliza’s heart skipped a beat, but she feigned confusion. "I didn’t add anything."

Eliza Sutton looked at Erik Irvine. "Secretary Irvine, does this congee taste strange?"

Erik Irvine took a large spoonful and nodded. "It is strange."

The moment Erik Irvine spoke, the atmosphere at the table grew frigid.

Shane Lockwood’s gaze was as sharp as a knife.

Eliza’s scalp prickled. She forced a smile. "Secretary Irvine, in what way is it strange?"

"It’s just... strangely good. They’re just ordinary lotus seeds, but it tastes incredible. I’ve never had congee this delicious before." As Shane Lockwood’s secretary, he was highly regarded and had tried his fair share of delicacies.

But this was the first time he’d ever been so impressed by a simple bowl of congee.

He didn’t know how to describe the taste; he only knew that compared to this bowl of congee, all the so-called gourmet dishes he’d ever had were complete garbage.

Eliza Sutton: "..."

Eliza Sutton looked at him earnestly. "Secretary Irvine, could I ask you a small favor?"

"Of course, Mistress," he said.

"From now on, please finish your sentences all at once. Pausing like that can give people the wrong idea," Eliza said, her tone light and joking. "For a second there, I thought Mr. Lockwood was going to accuse me of poisoning his congee."

To prove her point, Eliza Sutton took a spoonful of congee from Shane Lockwood’s bowl and tasted it herself, then remarked with a hint of distaste, "The lotus seeds still aren’t quite sweet enough. Otherwise, the flavor would be even better."

Shane Lockwood’s face instantly darkened, his glare sharp enough to throw daggers.

Eliza was baffled.

’What’s wrong now?’ she wondered. ’I even tasted it for him, so he shouldn’t be suspicious anymore. Sigh. People with tongues more sensitive than a dog’s nose are just so much trouble.’

’I was already so careful, and he still noticed something was off with the congee.’

To show that the congee was perfectly fine, Eliza took another spoonful.

Shane Lockwood’s expression grew even fouler. Unable to stand it any longer, he snapped, "Eliza Sutton, you just used that spoon, didn’t you?"

Eliza froze, now completely bewildered.

Shane Lockwood continued, "You ate from the spoon I’ve eaten from. How is that any different from an indirect kiss?"

"Eliza Sutton, do you have designs on me?!"

Eliza was so startled she quickly waved her hands. "No, no! I wasn’t thinking that at all!"

Shane Lockwood narrowed his eyes. "So you’re trying to tell me I’m not even worthy of you having designs on me?"

"Of course not! You’re so handsome, any normal woman would be drooling over you."

The moment she finished speaking, Eliza Sutton clamped a hand over her mouth.

’Oops, I said the quiet part out loud.’

Shane Lockwood sneered. "You’ve got some nerve."

Saying this, Shane Lockwood lowered his head and started eating the congee.

Eliza Sutton wanted to say something but stopped herself.

’He just said that my using his spoon was an indirect kiss... so what is he doing now? Continuing to use it, knowing what happened? Is he doing it on purpose?’

However, when Shane Lockwood’s gaze flicked over to her, she swallowed all her words.

「Late at night.」

Shane Lockwood lay prone on the bed, his breathing even. He had fallen into a deep sleep.

Eliza Sutton opened her eyes in the darkness, turned to look at Shane Lockwood, and called out in a low voice, "Mr. Lockwood? Shane Lockwood?"

She called his name several times, but Shane Lockwood didn’t respond.

Eliza Sutton turned on the light, watched Shane Lockwood for another moment, and when he still didn’t stir, she took a needle pouch from a hidden pocket.

The slender Silver Needles glinted coldly under the bright light. Eliza Sutton gently wiped them with disinfectant, her gaze focused, so she didn’t notice Shane Lockwood’s eyes slowly opening.

Eliza quickly finished disinfecting the Silver Needles. She knelt by Shane Lockwood’s side, and the Silver Needle in her hand flashed out like lightning—but then her wrist was seized.

Eliza Sutton froze, and when she looked up, she saw Shane Lockwood watching her.

His eyes were icy, clear and completely devoid of sleepiness.

Shane Lockwood said, enunciating each word, "Eliza Sutton, what are you doing?"