Chapter 84
At 3:40 a.m., Joycelyn woke up and quietly slipped out from under the covers, trying not to disturb Ellison as she got out of bed. He was still fast asleep, and the soft light made his peaceful, handsome face even more mesmerizing.
Joycelyn gently pulled the covers back up to cover him and reached out to stroke his face, smiling happily as she left the bedroom, careful not to wake him.
The moment the door clicked shut behind her, Ellison reached out, feeling the bed beside him. The sheets were still warm, but there was no sign of the soft woman who had been lying there.
She’s gone.
Ellison opened his eyes, his strong brows furrowing, and immediately threw off the covers to get out of bed.
Downstairs, Joycelyn had let Rocky outside to do his business. She was surprised to find that the little guy had already finished and was now waiting patiently for his breakfast.
“Rocky, such a good boy! Already knows how to go potty on his own and waits quietly for mama to feed him,” Joycelyn’s voice was full of sweetness, her tone laced with baby-talk as she looked at the obedient puppy, radiating maternal love.
The little dog sat beside her, wagging its tail and smiling as it waited for its meal.
Joycelyn was completely melted by the sight of him.
“Don’t bring me into this. I don’t have a dog–son,” Ellison’s deep voice came from behind her, dripping with displeasure. The puppy turned its head, seeing Ellison’s tall figure approach, and barked immediately.
Ellison narrowed his eyes and glared at the dog.
The little puppy, scared, immediately scurried toward Joycelyn, burying its face in her pajama pants.
Seeing the little dog scared, Joycelyn quickly put the bowl of dog food down and comforted him softly. “Don’t be afraid, he’s a good guy. He’s not mean.”
Rocky kept burrowing into Joycelyn’s lap, still trembling.
Ellison almost felt a pang of guilt at the puppy’s sad little face, but it was quickly replaced by frustration. He pulled out his phone and Googled how old a dog should be before it can be neutered.
After reading the results, he muttered coldly, “You little brat, I’ll let you get through a couple more months, and then I’ll take you for the operation.”
Rocky whimpered and immediately clung to Joycelyn’s legs.
Joycelyn, with a soft laugh, patted the puppy’s head and said, “Don’t worry, we’ll have breakfast first, then I’ll make you two eggs for extra nutrition later.”
After soothing the puppy, Joycelyn couldn’t help but mutter softly, “Why do you have to get up early to fight with a puppy?” Her voice was light, tinged with a playful pout.
This only made Ellison more irritable, especially as he watched the puppy eat happily, his eyes like cold daggers.
The little dog froze for a moment, its eyes wandering, clearly distracted. It had stopped eating as happily as before and started shifting closer to Joycelyn.
Joycelyn thought, Tim’s scared too. Ellison had woken up grumpy like a lion with its fur standing on end, and she dared not go against him.
But the atmosphere was so tense that she finally couldn’t resist asking, “Aren’t you going for your morning run today?”
“No,” Ellison replied coldly, his voice like ice.
At his words, the puppy trembled, and its wagging tail slowly dropped.
Joycelyn, worried that Ellison might really do something to the little dog, stayed put, squatting by Rocky with her slippers on, her feet nervously scraping the floor.
Ellison’s gaze, watching her awkward movements, almost made him laugh despite his irritation.
“William said Rocky’s training is going well. He knows to go potty by himself now, so we won’t have to watch him all night anymore. I have someone come by to clean up after him from now on.”
“Ah? Oh.” Joycelyn looked a little stunned for a moment, then nodded obediently.
Ellison, his voice full of disdain, asked, “What are you still crouching there for? Won’t he eat by himself?”
“Oh…” Joycelyn pouted and stood up slowly.
Rocky, seeing her stand, stopped eating too, tilting his head up and whining a little. He looked at Joycelyn with big, sad eyes.
Joycelyn also pouted, her brows furrowed, trying to comfort the puppy with her eyes.
The situation seemed like both Ellison and the dog were being wronged, making him look like a villain.
“Go wash up, we’re going to visit grandma for lunch.”
“Okay.” As she left, Joycelyn couldn’t resist turning back and comforting Rocky, “Good boy, eat your breakfast…”
Hearing the affectionate words, Ellison’s face showed disbelief. He’d never seen anyone feed their dog at six in the morning. You really spoil him.
My dog has a better life than me, he thought, feeling completely exasperated.
“I’m worried he might not be used to his new home. If he’s hungry, he’ll eat, and then go play when he’s full,” Joycelyn continued to spoil Rocky, giving him another affectionate scratch on the head.
“I’m going to shower and disinfect. I’ll make breakfast for you later.”
“Thank you,” Ellison replied, his tone almost laced with subtle resentment.
“You go play with him for a while. I’ll go shower and change,” Joycelyn said, keenly aware that Ellison’s obsessive cleanliness might mean he’d throw her out if he saw her spending too much time with the puppy.
Once Joycelyn went upstairs, Ellison fixed his gaze on the white little puppy, his expression darkening.
Half an hour later, Joycelyn was back downstairs. After three days of rest, she should have gone back to work today, but since it was Saturday, she could stay home a little longer.
Her wrist marks had faded, so she could go visit Isolde without worrying about making her grandmother worry.
She made a beautiful and delicious breakfast and packed a few soft cakes for Isolde before heading to the hospital around 10.
When she arrived at the hospital half an hour later, Ellison happened to run into the attending physician downstairs, so he followed him to the office to check on things.
“Grandma had some checks this morning and might not be in the ward. You go ahead and wait in the room, I’ll join you soon,” Ellison instructed Joycelyn.
Joycelyn said, “Okay.”
Ellison asked, “Do you know where the room is?”
“Yes, Isolde’s the only one on that floor,” Joycelyn answered, nodding with the food container in her hands.
“Alright,” Ellison said as the elevator arrived, and he and the doctor headed off to review the reports.
Joycelyn went upstairs. There was no one at the nurse’s station, probably busy with Isolde’s checkup. She walked to the ward, carrying her things.
As she entered, she heard footsteps behind her.
Turning, she saw a young, elegant woman in a new Chinese-style dress walking toward her.
The woman was graceful and poised, and clearly not one of the hospital staff.
“Who are you? What are you doing here?” Leah, the woman, asked immediately, frowning when she saw Joycelyn.
“I…” Joycelyn instinctively lifted the lunchbox she was carrying.
“Are you the delivery person? Just drop it and leave. Isolde doesn’t like being disturbed by outsiders,” Leah said coldly, directly ushering Joycelyn out with an unfriendly look.
Joycelyn felt the hostility and was confused.
