My First Love Died, Now My Step Uncle Wants Me-Chapter 18: Scent of Perfume

Nina was a little frightened, her body stiffening where she lay.

The cool back of Caleb Rhodes’s hand rested on her forehead for a moment before he pulled it away.

"The housekeeper said you started running a fever this afternoon and have been asleep ever since."

"Your fever’s broken now. We probably don’t need to call a doctor."

Nina finally realized she had been running a fever all afternoon and had slept for most of the day.

’But why do I still feel so groggy after sleeping for so long?’

She chalked it up to Caleb Rhodes being too close.

Though she was frightened, she spoke in a tiny voice. "Mr. Rhodes, could you turn on a light?"

Caleb Rhodes walked to the door and switched on a small lamp.

As the light flickered on, Nina squinted. She saw that Caleb Rhodes’s suit was impeccably tailored, accentuating his height and long legs, giving him an air of intimidating nobility.

He was also wearing a tie, its diamond clip glittering under the lamplight—exquisite and opulent. Even the watch peeking out from his cuff looked impossibly distinguished.

Nina had seen many men in suits, but she had never seen anyone wear one the way Caleb Rhodes did.

Cold, ascetic, and impossibly regal.

Nina stared for a moment, then suddenly felt even more nervous than before. She instinctively lowered her gaze.

Perhaps feeling a bit warm, Caleb Rhodes removed his tie, draping it casually over a chair. He then took off his suit jacket, revealing a finely striped white shirt underneath.

Without his jacket, Caleb Rhodes lost some of the sharp aura of a man in power, but it was replaced by a cold reservation that seemed ingrained in his very bones. Nina still didn’t dare to look directly at him.

He put down his jacket and went out the door, returning in less than two minutes with a large paper bag in his hand.

He took all the food containers out of the bag, placed them on the table, and looked at Nina. "Get up and eat something."

Nina was indeed a little hungry. She got out of bed in a daze, subconsciously clutching a white pearl headband in her hand.

Caleb Rhodes’s gaze swept over her, his eyes dark and profound. "The dress suits you."

The dress’s design was simple. On Nina, it made her look delicate and innocent, brimming with a youthful air—much better than that qipao.

Nina tugged at her dress. Remembering the issue with the underwear, her face grew hot. Her voice was barely a whisper. "Thank you, Mr. Rhodes."

Then she instinctively clipped the headband into her hair.

She already had a clean, delicate beauty, and the headband revealed the perfect shape of her face. It added a touch of innocence and charm that suited her perfectly.

Caleb Rhodes’s gaze rested on her face for a few seconds before he nodded. "Go ahead and eat. It’s all porridge. See which kind you like."

Nina opened the containers. There was seafood porridge, lotus seed and lily bulb porridge, pumpkin porridge, and a sweet osmanthus soup.

Nina had a few bites of the lotus seed and lily bulb porridge and drank all of the sweet osmanthus soup, but she didn’t touch the rest.

’The osmanthus soup tastes a little different from how I remember, but it’s still good,’ she thought. ’It would be even better with a plump poached egg in it.’

When she finished eating, Nina tidied up the containers. She looked up to find Caleb Rhodes standing by the window, watching her with a heavy gaze.

A tingle went down her scalp. She lowered her head and said quietly, "Mr. Rhodes, it’s so late. You... you should be going."

Caleb Rhodes’s gaze was dark and his face was expressionless. It was impossible for most people to guess what he was thinking, and Nina certainly couldn’t.

’Still,’ she thought, ’it’s so late. He really should be going.’

But Caleb Rhodes remained leaning against the window, unmoving. He didn’t answer her, clearly having no intention of leaving.

Nina felt awkward and could only lower her head, pretending to continue tidying the table.

After a while, Caleb Rhodes slowly walked out the door.

The moment he left, Nina sank into a chair, breathing a sigh of relief.

But for some reason, she felt Caleb Rhodes’s scent still lingered in the air, a phantom presence floating around her that made it hard to breathe.

’Could he be standing right outside the door?’

At the thought, Nina grew restless again. Finally, mustering all her courage, she walked to the door and opened it.

There was nothing there. The corridor outside was empty, not a soul in sight.

This time, Nina let out a genuine sigh of relief.

But before she could feel happy, she saw Caleb Rhodes’s suit jacket still draped over the chair.

She stared at the jacket for a moment, then, as if in a trance, walked over, picked it up, and gently sniffed it.

The fabric of the well-tailored suit was high-quality. It carried the faint scent of cedarwood—crisp, cool, and reserved, just like Caleb Rhodes himself.

But today, mixed in with his scent, was a wisp of floral fragrance. It was extremely faint, like the scent of orchid carried on the night wind—a fleeting, yet unforgettable, trace.

’Is this Vivian Landon’s perfume?’

"What are you doing?" Caleb Rhodes’s voice sounded suddenly from behind her. Nina frantically dropped the jacket.

Like a schoolgirl caught cheating on a test, she didn’t dare look at him. "N-nothing. I just saw you forgot your jacket..."

She kept her head down, absolutely terrified to look up, and instinctively hid her hands behind her back.

Caleb Rhodes stared at her intently, the darkness in his eyes as inscrutable as the night outside the window.

The atmosphere grew awkward.

After a long moment, Nina asked in a small voice, "How is Miss Lowell? I heard you on the phone this morning. Is she sick?"

Caleb Rhodes placed the paper bag he was holding onto the table. His voice was deep and cold. "Her business is none of your concern."

Nina felt a fresh wave of awkwardness.

’But he’s right,’ she thought. Rosalind Lowell was a high and mighty young lady, the cherished daughter of a prestigious family, the center of everyone’s world. It wasn’t the place of someone like her, living on the fringes of society, to inquire about her.

’But why did he come back? He isn’t planning on spending the night here, is he?’

Nina couldn’t help but tense up again. She glanced at the large paper bag on the table, wondering what was inside.

Caleb Rhodes quickly gave her the answer.

He took out pajamas and a change of clothes, as well as a set of toiletries.

Nina’s eyes widened, her palms started to sweat, and she stammered, "M-Mr. Rhodes..."

Caleb Rhodes glanced at her, then turned and pulled a smaller white paper bag from the larger one, handing it to her. "This is for you."

Confused, Nina opened the bag. Inside was a garment made of a white knit fabric, seemingly the same material as the clothes Caleb held. A bad feeling washed over her. "Wh-what is this?"

Caleb Rhodes’s voice was flat. "Do you want to shower first, or should I?"

It was like a thunderclap in her mind.

Nina felt like her head was going to explode. She was completely tongue-tied. "Y-you’re... staying the night here?"

Caleb’s voice was devoid of emotion. "What else would I be doing?"

Nina was so panicked that sweat beaded on her forehead. "But... but this is a hospital! And there’s only one bed. And it’s so small..."

Caleb Rhodes’s gaze rested on her panicked face for two seconds, a flicker of some unreadable emotion in his eyes. "They have bigger beds. We can switch rooms now."

Nina was stunned.

’This is a hospital! Why is he so insistent on staying here?’

’And she was sure he owned plenty of properties, probably one right nearby. What was the point of cramming into a small bed with her? Was he tired of his mansions and wanted to experience what it was like to squeeze into a tiny bed with someone?’

Her face paled with panic. "No, that’s not it, Mr. Rhodes! This is a hospital!"