Chapter 91: Why Did You Bring Cherries?

Caleb silently reflected on Aiden’s words when Yelena remarked sarcastically, “If you refuse to sacrifice for others, at least use your connections to help Jesse find a good doctor. You won’t find a doctor, and you won’t give him your heart. What’s the point of the Quixall family supporting you?”

Caleb became even more certain of his own thoughts. “So, you’re telling me that you’ve already found a doctor who could treat Jesse’s illness, but you still want to take my heart?”

Yelena’s pupils narrowed. She hadn’t expected him to be so perceptive. She paused for a moment, then stated bluntly, “It’s none of your business. All you need to concern yourself with is the heart transplant.”

Caleb nodded. “I understand.”

Yelena felt somewhat taken aback. “You understand?” Unable to make sense of his attitude, she decided to ignore him and carried on a conversation with Jesse.

Midway through their exchange, Jesse said, “Yelena, I want to eat the fruit Caleb brought for me.”

Yelena shot a disdainful look at the fruit basket. “What good could he possibly have brought? It’s probably filled with rotten fruit.”

Jesse insisted, “But I want it. I haven’t sung in days. I need some fruit to soothe my throat.”

His words struck a chord with Yelena. Due to his illness, Jesse hadn’t performed on stage for two months, and if things continued this way, he risked fading from public memory. Yelena’s heart softened. “Fine, I’ll get it for you.”

Taking the fruit basket, she began to sift through its contents. As she did so, a sudden wave of anger washed over her face. “Caleb, why did you bring cherries? Don’t you know Jesse is allergic to them?”

Jesse gasped, “There are cherries in there? Thank goodness I didn’t eat them… Caleb, you know I can’t eat cherries. They make my whole body itch.”

Surprised, Caleb remarked, “Really? I had no idea.”

Yelena’s fury intensified. “You brought them! How could you not know?”

Caleb calmly raised his hands. “I truly didn’t know. Agnes was the one who bought the fruit. I wasn’t involved at all.”

“You should have checked them first.” She harbored a trace of resentment toward Agnes. Caleb could be excused for his ignorance, as he hadn’t spent much time with Jesse. But Agnes had been serving him for five years and still made such an avoidable mistake.

Yelena pushed the fruit basket aside. “Deal with these fruits. Jesse can’t have them, and we don’t want his condition to worsen.”

“All right.” Caleb picked up the fruit basket and turned to leave. Yelena stopped him abruptly. “Where are you going?”

“Didn’t you say you didn’t want the fruit? I don’t like them either, so I’m just going to throw them away.”

Yelena hesitated for a moment before saying, “You don’t have to. Just keep them for yourself.”

With a brief acknowledgment, Caleb left, carrying the fruit basket. A flicker of uncertainty appeared in Jesse’s eyes as he asked, “Yelena, do you think Caleb actually knows about my cherry allergy?”

After a moment of reflection, Yelena replied, “Maybe he genuinely doesn’t.” Caleb had only known Jesse for a few months before he ended up in prison. Over the past several months, their focus had been entirely on Jesse, with little regard for Caleb’s feelings. As this thought crossed her mind, an uneasy sensation settled in Yelena’s heart. Had she been too harsh toward Caleb? Would things have been different if she had approached him with kindness instead of hostility?