Chapter 155: Being Bossed Around

The deal was sealed.

"Put your clothes back on," Hannah said, unable to tolerate Oscar's nakedness.

"I broke a leg," he replied.

Before she could respond, he added, "And an arm."

Hannah mused, So, how did you take your clothes off? She tried to endure his nonsense, picking up the clothes he'd discarded.

Just as she was about to help him dress, Oscar spoke again. "I want clean clothes."

"But you only wore them for a short time," Hannah said, exasperated.

"They're worn," he insisted.

Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself and returned with fresh clothes. As she started to help him, he interrupted, "The doctor said I can't shower, but I can rub myself with a towel."

Hannah glared at him.

"You should help me with that," Oscar demanded, matter-of-factly.

Burning with anger, Hannah eventually controlled her temper and fetched a hot towel. As she approached, he added, "I want to get on the bed. I'm exhausted from standing on one foot."

Despite her fury, she helped him onto the bed.

Once settled, he said unceremoniously, "Okay, now you can start."

She rushed to the bathroom, seething, and returned with the towel. This time, Oscar remained silent, seemingly enjoying the attention.

While rubbing his upper body, she found it difficult to avoid looking at his skin, barely concealing her thoughts.

Throwing the towel at him, she said, "You can do the rest."

Oscar looked down. Hannah turned away, her face blushing. How could anyone be so unashamed?

Oscar didn't bother her further. After a while, he said, "Done."

"Put on your underwear," she said, still facing away.

"Don't you want to see me?" Oscar asked.

"Are you so confident?" Hannah retorted, still angry. She felt manipulated since moving in with him.

"Indeed I am," he said with a smile.

Hannah's face flushed crimson. There was no one more shameless, she thought.

The ward fell silent. Hannah waited impatiently for him to put on his pants. Just as her patience wore thin, a knock came at the door.

She turned to see Oscar already dressed in trousers and a jacket. He'd tricked her, she realized—he'd been bossing her around!

Suppressing her anger, Hannah answered the door to find Theodore.

"Why are you here?" she asked, surprised.

"I came to see Oscar," Theodore replied confidently, striding into the room.

Hannah, unwilling to engage, left them alone. Birds of a feather flock together, she thought.

"Close the door," Oscar instructed Theodore.

"How did it go?" Oscar asked directly.

"I investigated, but there was no trace of Charles. Last night, I sent men to stop those following Hannah. Two fled, two collided with a truck—one died instantly, the other died later in hospital despite emergency treatment. The last died in the collision with your car. No evidence remained, but we identified them as mercenaries from Country M. Mercenaries are paid; they don't betray their employers, so there's little to work with," Theodore explained.

Oscar's expression grew serious.

"Logically, he shouldn't have access to mercenaries. I think we were right—he must have close ties to the nobility," Theodore speculated.

"Keep looking," Oscar said.

"Okay," Theodore nodded.

"Right," Oscar said, a new thought occurring to him. "Let him know we're investigating him."

"What?" Theodore questioned. Wouldn't it be better to catch him off guard?

"To prevent him from acting," Oscar explained. "Let him go; it'll give us something on him. Even if we find no connection to the nobility, if we find evidence of his crimes and give it to the police, he'll be out of the picture and we won't have to waste time."

"If he falls from power, how will we find out who orchestrated this attempt to monopolize the families?" Oscar looked at him intently. "It's a long game."

Theodore looked doubtful.

Oscar ignored his doubt. "I'm not in good health. You need to handle things in the capital."

Theodore understood; he would do it anyway. But he asked, "You said we should make it public... are you protecting Hannah?"

Oscar didn't respond.

"Is she worth it?" Theodore pressed.

Oscar remained silent.

"What if she was sent by someone...?"

"No, she's not," Oscar stated firmly.

Theodore, despite his doubts, was helpless against Oscar's conviction. Oscar always gave his all in love.

"Fine. As long as you know what you're doing. I have nothing more to say," Theodore conceded. It had always been this way; he never rejected Oscar.

Oscar nodded, ending the conversation. When he finished a topic, it was non-negotiable.

Theodore left, saying, "I'm going."

"Okay," Oscar replied.

Shortly after Theodore left, Max entered, carrying a tray of porridge and vegetables. Noticing the disappointment in Oscar's eyes, he said with a smile, "Mrs. Wells went to work."

She's heartless, Oscar thought. I nearly died yesterday, and today she goes to work as if nothing happened.

"Mrs. Wells just got a call from the company. It seems she'll be busy today," Max added pointedly.

But Oscar wasn't listening; his face fell again.