Titus Zane woke up near nightfall, the room was dark without the lights on, and the curtains were not drawn, relying on the faint light from the lamps in the villa’s courtyard.
Glancing at the unfamiliar surroundings, Titus Zane felt a moment of confusion, and as soon as he realized it was Nathan Moore’s room, he forced himself to sit up.
Looking down at the floor beside the bed which had no slippers, Titus Zane still got out of bed and walked out of the room barefoot.
The hallway lights were on, bright and clear, and Titus Zane, barefoot, held onto the railing and walked down the stairs.
"Auntie Liu..." Titus Zane called out in a voice, already soft spoken by nature, which seemed even weaker from sickness.
"Auntie Liu, could you please make some porridge for me..."
"Sis, you’re awake?" Olivia Zane looked up with a smile, her baby-face showing neither surprise nor much worry, as if Titus Zane had not just been ill but merely napped in her room.
Titus Zane looked at her without responding, feeling frail from just recovering from a severe illness, and after not eating much for two days, he was utterly weak. Holding onto the railing, he slowly descended the stairs. Even though there was carpet, his bare feet still felt ice cold.
"Auntie Liu," Titus Zane called out again, softly, and Auntie Liu, busy in the kitchen, couldn’t hear her.
"Auntie Liu, sister is calling you!" Olivia Zane called out towards the kitchen, "Hey, coming now!"
Auntie Liu came running out while drying her hands, "My dear Miss, what is it?"
"Please make some porridge for me, I’m hungry," said Titus Zane, who had already reached the bottom of the stairs, holding onto the railing and panting slightly.
Only then did Auntie Liu remember she was still sick. Hurrying over, she supported Titus Zane towards the sofa, "My dear Miss, why did you come down by yourself? Just call and I’d take care of it, you should be resting in bed while your body is recovering."
As Auntie Liu helped her sit on the sofa and kept chattering away, she saw her bare feet and couldn’t help but scold.
"My dear Miss, why are you so careless? You’re still ill, why are you walking barefoot on the floor, it’s as if you don’t care about your health!"
Titus Zane managed a strained smile, "Auntie Liu, can you stop scolding for a moment, I’m starving."
"Alright, alright, I’m going to make something for you to eat right now," Auntie Liu said as she hustled back to the kitchen. However, at this moment, Olivia Zane reminded her.
"Auntie Liu, don’t forget the instructions Nathan gave before going to work."
Auntie Liu stopped in her tracks and turned around, her expression clearly startled. After a moment, she glanced at Titus Zane with a complicated look and said, "I haven’t forgotten," and then she went into the kitchen.
Titus Zane lay on the sofa, feeling extremely weak. She wanted a drink of water, but had no strength all over her body, so she just had to endure.
Olivia Zane turned her face, looking at her with a somewhat meaningful smile.
"Sis, aren’t you curious what Nathan instructed before he went to work?"
Titus Zane instinctively responded, her eyelids too weak to stay open.
The corners of Olivia Zane’s lips widened with a look of watching a spectacle.
"Nathan said, no one is allowed to take care of you, nor is the kitchen to cook specially for you! Whatever is cooked at home, that’s what you should eat, it’s just that I’m in a particularly good mood today..." At this, Olivia Zane paused, smiling even more brightly.
"And then?" Titus Zane opened her eyes, her cold gaze focused on Olivia Zane, knowing already that she wouldn’t make things easy for her.
"Today I instructed the kitchen to cook lots of delicious dishes, soft fried shrimp, small crispy pork, braised fish, and stir-fried beef," Olivia Zane listed out four dishes in one breath, each one greasy and completely unsuitable for a sick person to eat.
Titus Zane knew she did it on purpose and said coldly, "I’ll just eat plain rice."
"Oh dear, sorry sis," Olivia Zane suddenly cried out in shock, then placed her exaggeratedly spaced hands in front of her lips, "I forgot you were sick and can’t eat oily food, the main dish prepared by the kitchen is shrimp dumplings."
"Got it," Titus Zane lowered her gaze, supporting herself up from the sofa with her elbows, "Please tell Nathan Moore that I won’t be having dinner." Saying this, Titus Zane dragged her heavy body towards the staircase.
Behind her, Olivia Zane’s lips curled into a cold smirk.
Auntie Liu, carrying a bowl of soup from the kitchen, was startled to see the man standing by the door, her hands trembling and some soup spilled.
"Sir, standing there without making a sound, are you trying to scare someone to death!"
Olivia Zane suddenly turned back, seeing the silent man at the door, she squeezed out a faint smile, "Nathan, when did you come back? Why didn’t you make a sound..."