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Chapter 123

Chapter 123

The moment the words left my mouth, I was engulfed in a wave of awkwardness.

I couldn’t help but berate myself for being too blunt, thinking surely Ernest would feel just as embarrassed.

But instead of stepping back, he took nearly half a minute before responding with a simple, “Oh.”

Oh?! That’s it?

His calmness caught me off guard.

When I looked up at him, he finally straightened up, leisurely saying, “You’ve got poor eyesight. You said you couldn’t replace it, how am I supposed to help if I’m not close?”

His logic seemed sound, making me feel like I had overthought the situation, letting my mind

wander where it shouldn’t.

Ernest casually moved to sit down, picking up his tablet to work on something. I sneaked a few glances at him before grabbing a cup of coffee to sip and refocus on my tasks.

There were a few minor issues in the document Ernest had marked, but nothing major.

He could’ve easily handled them himself, or just called me to confirm, instead of having me stay up late for this. It felt a bit unnecessary.

Was he doing this on purpose?

I stole another couple of looks at him, but he was deeply engrossed in his work, not even glancing my way, making me feel like I was being paranoid.

Still, I finished addressing the marked issues and turned to him, only to freeze. Ernest had fallen asleep on the hotel’s lounge chair, tablet still in hand.

I had thought he was the type who never got tired, but I guess I was wrong.

He’s only human, not some tireless deity, even the gods in the series I’ve been watching do take their naps.

I watched him silently, noticing how peaceful he looked asleep, his tan skin glowing under the overhead light, making him look every bit as handsome as any special effects–enhanced TV show protagonist.

Considering how Deborah always complained about being tired, Ernest had to be even more exhausted. Working with him these past days, even though he’d ask me to do this and that, he was the one constantly moving around, physically and mentally taxing himself with the lighting setup.

He must be worn out to have fallen asleep like this.

Suddenly, a breeze made the curtains flutter, and I felt a chill.

2-16

Chapter 123

Seeing Ernest in his short sleeves, I quietly got up, fetched a blanket, and draped it over him.

Maybe my movement was too abrupt, or his instincts were just that sharp, because as soon as the blanket touched him, his eyes snapped open, and his hand grabbed mine – hard.

“Ouch,” I whispered.

He loosened his grip but didn’t let go, just looking at me.

Close enough to see the panic in my eyes, and in his, his restrained gaze, his dark pupils…

Neither of us spoke, just staring at each other in silence.

Until my legs began to tremble from leaning over too long, nearly making me stumble, which prompted him to steady me with his other hand.

Now, both my hands were in his grasp. I quickly tried to explain, “I… I saw you were asleep, and I just wanted to make sure you didn’t get cold…”

Realizing how it sounded, I hurriedly added, “Don’t get me wrong, it’s just… just in case you got sick and it would affect the work.”

After saying that, I tried to pull away, wanting to escape the situation.

But Ernest didn’t release me. Instead, he pulled me slightly closer, causing me to almost lose my balance, “Just… worried about the work?”

His voice was raspy from sleep, sending my heart racing and my cheeks fl