Chapter 378
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Chapter 378:
“No,” Carmen blurted out, her voice slightly panicked. She looked away quickly. “My friend isn’t ready yet. Thank you, though p>
Justin leaned back in his chair. A cold, knowing smile touched his lips. She was still terrified of him. Still hiding. But it didn’t matter. He already owned the board — she simply didn’t know yet that they were playing chess.
Meanwhile, in the massive master bedroom of the Collins penthouse.
Jocelyn woke up feeling as though she had been run over by a freight train. Every muscle in her body ached with a deep, satisfying soreness.
She remembered Gaston’s so-called “medical checkup” the night before — how after applying the ointment, he had decided her muscles required “more rigorous physical therapy.” She ground her teeth in frustration.
She pulled on her silk robe and marched out of the bedroom.
She found Gaston in the open-concept kitchen, wearing grey sweatpants and a tight black t-shirt, effortlessly flipping an omelet in a copper pan and humming a soft French melody under his breath. He looked ridiculously energized.
Jocelyn walked up behind him and pinched the hard muscle of his lower back as hard as she could.
D𝗼w𝗇𝗅о𝖺d𝖺𝗯l𝗲 P𝘋𝗙𝘴 𝘰𝗻 ѕ.𝗰𝘰𝘮
“You are an absolute beast with zero self-control,” Jocelyn grumbled.
Gaston chuckled. He turned around, caught her hand, and pulled her flush against his chest. He leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose.
“Mrs. Collins,” Gaston said, his eyes dancing with dark amusement. “I starved for ten years. You cannot blame a man for overeating at the banquet p>
Jocelyn rolled her eyes, her face flushing bright red. She pushed him away and sat at the marble island.
Her phone buzzed on the counter. A text from Carmen, briefly explaining the car crash and the hospital.
Jocelyn’s playful mood vanished instantly. She stood up, her face going dead serious.
“I have to go to Mount Sinai,” Jocelyn said. “Carmen’s father is in the ICU p>
Gaston immediately turned off the stove. “I will have Chen bring the car around. Two guards will stay with you at the hospital p>
An hour later, Jocelyn stepped off the VIP elevator at Mount Sinai.
She walked into the lounge and stopped dead in her tracks. Justin Collins was sitting in the armchair, watching Carmen sleep. The heavy, possessive energy radiating from the Senator was unmistakable. Whatever this was between them, it was no fabricated political arrangement.
Carmen stirred awake and saw Jocelyn. She immediately stood, grabbed Jocelyn’s arm, and pulled her out into the quiet hospital corridor, away from Justin’s sharp ears.
Carmen leaned against the wall, hands trembling, and quickly whispered the truth about the AB-positive blood type and the false adoption.
Jocelyn’s eyes widened in shock. Her mind flashed instantly to the faded Polaroid photo Carmen had found at the Collins estate — the one bearing the initials C.G.
Jocelyn took Carmen’s cold hands and squeezed them tightly.