Chapter 722: The Cold CEO's Soft Side

~ At Chou Hospital ~

Bianca finally woke up after sleeping for several hours. She was still weak and her body ached when she tried to move around.

She looked down as she felt someone holding her right hand. She was surprised to see Clifford sleeping on the chair while holding her hand.

He finally drifted off to sleep after staying awake all night just to watch over her. Bianca felt glad knowing that nothing bad happened to Clifford. She succeeded in protecting him. That was her duty as his bodyguard.

She smiled inwardly seeing the handsome face of sleeping Clifford. He slept like a baby. He looked so tired.

"He stayed with me…" Bianca mumbled, feeling so touched. 

She had the urge to sit up and touch his face but her body was still frail and aching. She just felt content watching him.

She roamed her eyes around the room. She didn't know if she was in the hospital or she was in the house. The room was so spacious.

"Where am I?" She whispered, asking herself. She didn't want to wake Clifford since he looked very tired. He needed to get more sleep.

Bianca looked down to see their entangled hands. Clifford was gripping her hand tightly.

"Did he worry about me? I didn't expect to see his soft side." 

Bianca was still observing Clifford when the door slid open and a nurse emerged from it. She signaled the nurse to stay silent so that Clifford's peaceful sleep would not be interrupted.

The nurse complied with her request. She smiled at Bianca as she slowly approached her to check her vitals.

"Ma'am, your boyfriend didn't sleep the whole night. He was so worried about you." The nurse talked to Bianca with a teasing smile on her face. She mistook them as a couple.

Bianca's face reddened from embarrassment. She wanted to correct the nurse's wrong assumption but in the end, she just smiled shyly while keeping quiet.

Then she moved her gaze to Clifford. She really appreciated his concern for her. But she knew that Clifford just did it because he was grateful to her. He was indebted to her since she saved his life again.

'Does it feel good to have someone taking care of me as a lover?' Bianca thought to herself as she recalled how Andrew and Tristan treated their beloved women with so much love and care.

When the nurse was done checking her vitals, she left the room. She told Bianca not to move hastily or else her wound might open up and bleed. 

Her doctor would visit her later. Yuri would be coming to the hospital this afternoon. Bianca learned that she was in the hospital right now, occupying one of the VIP rooms. She didn't expect that she would get to stay in this VIP room.

She shook her head helplessly. 'He really spent money because of me. He even transferred me to this VIP room. I guess he is truly grateful. But I just did my job. He doesn't need to do this.'

Bianca was still talking to herself when Clifford suddenly moved. It did not take long when he slowly opened his eyes only to see Bianca looking at him.

Bianca's eyes widened when she realized that Clifford was already awake.

'Damn! He caught me gazing at him.' Bianca bit her lower lip.

Meanwhile, Clifford immediately stood up, moving closer to Bianca. He was still holding her hand.

"Bianca! You are now awake! How do you feel? Do you feel hurt somewhere? Wait, I will just call the doctor!"

Clifford was about to call the doctor when Bianca pulled his hand, thus stopping him.

"Don't… No need to call for a doctor. The nurse just came here to check my vitals." 

Bianca could see the worry in Clifford's eyes. Even his voice sounded so anxious.

"Why didn't you wake me up? How do you feel now?" He asked her worriedly.

Bianca didn't respond right away. She was just staring at his face with an amusing look in her eyes. Clifford's voice sounded very gentle as he spoke to her. She was not used to him treating her like this. She felt shy and awkward.

'What happened to the arrogant and cold CEO that I know?' She pondered to herself.

"Hey, Bianca, please answer me. Are you alright? Are you hurting somewhere?" Clifford squeezed her hand gently.

Bianca's heart skipped a beat. She felt like there was electricity traveling from her hand spreading inside her system the moment Clifford squeezed her hand. She realized that Clifford was still holding her hand, refusing to let her go.

She wanted to say that she was fine but the words that came out of her mouth were different.

"My body is aching. I feel so weak. I can't move. Can you help me? I want to sit and lean my back on the headrest," Bianca said, putting on a pitiful face.

Clifford immediately helped her up as he adjusted the sickbed. He made sure that Bianca would feel comfortable in her bed.

"I will call the doctor so that she can check you again. The doctor should be the one checking your condition to tend to your needs and make you feel better, not a nurse."

Clifford was about to leave when Bianca held his arm.

He turned around only to see her shaking her head.

"I'm just fine. It's just natural to feel this way because I underwent major surgery. I will feel better soon. Don't worry too much."

She didn't expect that Clifford would overreact like that when he heard her complaints about her aching body.

Clifford stopped and just gazed at her intently. Bianca fell silent when she met his eyes. She could see the guilt in those eyes.

"Bianca… I'm sorry. I should be the one who got shot, not you. It's all my fault. I'm sorry."

Bianca opened her mouth to say something only to close it again. She didn't know what to say. She was speechless seeing how Clifford was acting like this. She was not used to this kind of treatment coming from him.

She felt like she was dreaming. Clifford was showing his concern for her. He was lowering his pride by apologizing to her and admitting his fault, blaming himself for what happened. He was also very gentle toward her.

After taking a deep breath, Bianca finally found her voice to speak up.

"Hey, no need to apologize. I am your bodyguard. It's my duty to protect you. This is not your fault, don't blame yourself," Bianca said with a smile, trying to console Clifford.

Clifford watched her with complicated emotions on his face. He knew that but it didn't feel right. He preferred to get shot rather than seeing Bianca getting hurt because of him even though she was his bodyguard.

"If you don't want my apology then I want to say thank you… thank you for saving my life." Clifford's words were filled with sincerity.

Deep inside he was still bothered that Bianca had to put her life on the line just to save others.

'Her job is very dangerous. She is so brave. How can she do that without any hesitation? I admire her for that.'