Chapter 68 - I Don't Want To Be Alone

Soon, Jackson returned from the bathroom. He had changed into a black t-shirt and jeans. In his left hand was a bandage and in his right hand was a hairdryer.

By this time, Halia was seated back on the bed wearing a short black dress. She had forgotten​ to ask Max to bring some more appropriate clothes, so she had no choice but to wear this dress.

Without a word, Jackson walked over to the woman and kneeled down at her feet. He then unrolled some bandage and started wrapping it around her foot. This scene was slightly familiar. Not too long ago, Jackson was the one that was sitting while Halia was treating his injury.

Halia subconsciously glanced at Jackson's arm where the stitches she made could still be seen. "Don't forget that your stitches need to be removed soon," she reminded as she looked at the man's arm.

Jackson glanced at his stitches and smiled, "After my deal with Remy."

Halia's heart sank when she heard these words. If he was still going to the deal with Remy, would she be removing his stitches in prison? She couldn't let that happen!

Jackson quickly finished wrapping Halia's foot and stood up. He then plugged the hairdryer he brought into a socket and turned it on. Gently, he climbed onto the bed behind Halia and started drying her hair for her.

Halia's heart melted at this caring gesture. No one had ever been this thoughtful. The man was patient and gentle as his fingers ran through her hair, carefully making sure that her entire head was dry before he turned off the hairdryer and returned it to the bathroom.

"Stay here, I'll clean up the mess in the lab and we can have lunch after," Jackson said as he returned from the bathroom and peeked into the bedroom.

Halia nodded her head as she checked her watch. They had been messing around for so long that it was already 2pm and they hadn't even had lunch yet. Halia's stomach grumbled at this realization.

The lab was a total mess. It took Jackson roughly half an hour to quickly throw the bulk of the mess in the bin. He then returned to the bedroom.

"Let's have lunch, I'll mop the floor later," he said as walked over to Halia and lifted her in his arms.

Halia grabbed onto the man's neck in surprise. "I can walk," she said.

"No, you need to rest your foot so it recovers faster," Jackson replied dotingly as he carried her out and placed her in a chair.

He then brought her a dish of pasta that Max had brought earlier. "I've heated it up for you, it should be ready to eat," he smiled.

After the couple finished lunch, Jackson carried Halia back into the bedroom and lay her down in bed. "Have a nap, rest your foot and don't do anything today. I'll take care of the bomb," he said.

At the mention of the bomb, Halia quickly wrapped her arms around the man and stopped him from leaving the room. "Come lay down with me. I don't want to be alone..."

...

Meanwhile, Max and Cleo had just arrived at the restaurant that Max bought and were sitting inside. The place was still getting renovated, so there were tools and random paint tins sitting around.

Max pulled out a folder and showed her a few sheets of paper inside.

"I'm planning to have a changing seasonal menu. This is what I'll be serving for the first three months after opening. It should be summer by then, what do you think about these recipes?" he asked.

Cleo looked through the recipes with seriousness and pulled out a pen, "Can I draw on this?"

"Sure," Max replied.

Cleo started scribbling on the papers. As Max watched, he realized she was calculating the calories. "You're amazing," he subconsciously said.

Cleo glanced up from the paper and saw the man staring at her and he quickly turned away nervously. "I'll go get you some water," he said as he scurried away.

Cleo smiled as she watched the man disappear into the kitchen.

...

Outside the restaurant, Sean was watching over the doorway from his car. He saw Cleo and Max walk in, but they hadn't come back out for a while so he began to wonder if Halia was inside. If that was the case, did that mean Cleo was involved?

Eventually, he decided to get out of his car to confirm.

As he approached the restaurant, he realized it wasn't actually operating yet. It had recently been sold and the interior was undergoing some renovations. The windows were tinted, but as he got closer, he began to see what was happening inside. Cleo was seated alone at a table, focusing on some doc.u.ments. There was no one else around: no Max, no Jackson...and no Halia...

At this time, Max walked out of the kitchen. Sean quickly hid in case Max saw him. Only after Max sat down opposite Cleo did Sean carefully peer in again. What were these two up to? Were they undergoing some kind of illegal deal?

Sean kept watching the two for another hour, but nothing odd happened. They simply remained focused on the doc.u.ments in front of them. Worst of all, there was still no Halia in sight. Seeing that nothing seemed to be happening, Sean quickly popped into the convenience store nearby to borrow the bathroom.

But...after he was done and stepped out of the convenience store, he came face-to-face with a familiar woman. "What are you doing here?" the woman asked.

It was Cleo and next to her stood Max...