###Chapter 27: I’m Just His Sister
After buying food and returning to the hospital, Nina Wainwright gave the meal to Mrs. Wainwright, then walked to the side and sat down, remaining silent.
Seeing that her daughter’s cheek was still a little red, Mrs. Wainwright finally said, somewhat sheepishly, "Mom was just too anxious today... That’s why I hit you. I know I was wrong..."
"You should eat first," Nina said calmly.
Seeing that she didn’t want to talk about it, Mrs. Wainwright changed the subject. "I know it’s hard for you to go ask Zachary Hawthorne for money, but you have to remember, isn’t your father working so hard for your sake?"
"For my sake?" Nina found her mother’s words laughable. "Why don’t you try asking Zachary for money yourself, just once? As his elders, you care about your pride, so you’re too embarrassed to ask him. You just send me instead. Don’t I have any pride?"
Hearing this, Mrs. Wainwright immediately started to cry. "Nina... Mom is begging you one last time. Just this once. When your father wakes up, I promise I’ll convince him to give up the company, okay?"
"The company is already being liquidated to pay off debts, and he can’t even come up with a hundred thousand yuan. How can he have the nerve to keep it going?" Nina retorted, speechless.
"But if your father hadn’t started his company, how could you have possibly married Zachary Hawthorne and enjoyed three years of bliss?" Mrs. Wainwright said, as if it were a matter of course.
Nina was so angry she almost laughed. ’Three years of bliss?!’
"I’d rather have never married him," Nina said, then quietly took a breath.
’Marrying him... it ruined my future. And now, he sabotages me every time I even try to find a job.’
"Easy for you to say. You’ve had your fill of the good life, and now you claim to regret marrying him. Weren’t you the one who agreed to it in the first place?" Mrs. Wainwright muttered.
Nina was rendered speechless by her mother’s words. Not wanting to talk anymore, she said irritably, "I got you a cot. Finish your food and get some rest."
"Nina, what about the money?" Mrs. Wainwright asked relentlessly.
"I’ll earn it by working," Nina said curtly.
Leaving the hospital room, Nina planned to sneak back home for a bit.
As she came down the stairwell, she ran into Adrian Pemberton, who was just about to leave for the day.
Adrian was slightly surprised to see her. "You’re at the hospital so late?"
Just as Nina was about to answer, Catherine Grant’s voice suddenly called out from the hospital entrance. "Nina! I haven’t seen you in ages! I went to your place but you weren’t there. I just knew you’d still be at the hospital!"
"What brings you here so late? Is something urgent?" Nina asked, hugging Catherine as she threw herself at her.
"Can’t I come see you just because? A friend of mine’s bar is having an event tonight. You should come hang out with me!" Catherine said, holding her arm and shaking it.
"It’s already very late." Nina still had to continue her job search tomorrow; she had no time to go out.
"You should go have some fun. You’ve been so wound up lately, you deserve to relax," Adrian said in a gentle voice.
Catherine unconsciously glanced at him.
The man was dressed in simple, casual clothes and had a gentle demeanor, yet his expression was incredibly aloof.
Nina gave a light cough. "I’ve never been to a bar, so I might not be used to it."
"You’ll get used to it after one visit. There’s no need to suppress yourself like this," Adrian said, his eyes filled with a hint of anticipation as he looked at her.
Catherine’s gaze shifted between them, and she immediately chimed in, "Yeah, yeah! Come on, come hang out with me!"
Nina felt helpless and could only nod. "Adrian, do you have to work early tomorrow morning too?"
’Since we’ve run into each other,’ she thought, ’we might as well all go relax together.’
"I have the morning off tomorrow. I’ve been on duty for several days straight, and my body’s taking a toll. Why? Are you hoping I’ll go with you?" Adrian’s expression softened.
"Yeah..." Nina just felt it would be awkward for him to know they were going out without inviting him.
Catherine immediately said, "The more the merrier!"
Once the three of them had made plans, they left the hospital building. Adrian went to get his car, while Catherine held Nina’s arm and asked, "By the way, I was in such a rush last time I was at the hospital, I never got his name. He seems really familiar with you."
"Yeah, he was my neighbor growing up. His family moved away during high school. I never expected him to become a doctor," Nina said, feeling a bit sentimental.
’We were so carefree back then, with nothing to worry about but homework.’
"So, you’re childhood sweethearts," Catherine said with a mischievous grin.
"Stop teasing. He just sees me as a little sister," Nina said, quickly explaining for fear of being misunderstood.
Catherine pouted. "I’ve seen him twice now. When he looks at me, his face is completely blank. But the moment his gaze shifts to you, it’s filled with affection. You really haven’t noticed?"
"No way. He looks at me the same way he looks at you. He has a cold personality; something like a look ’full of affection’ is impossible. Besides, he really just sees me as a sister." Nina had never once thought that Adrian might have other feelings for her.
They used to be as close as real siblings. When they were even younger, they had even gone to the swimming pool together.
"So there are no feelings now, but you can cultivate them slowly. You’re not planning on getting hung up on Zachary forever, are you? He wouldn’t even help you with a hundred thousand..."
"He has no obligation to pay it. He’s done a lot for my family over the years. It’s my parents who can’t get their act together, and I’ve been greedy myself." In her heart, Nina didn’t blame Zachary for not taking on her parents’ debt. It really had nothing to do with him.
Helping is a kindness, not an obligation.
’He had helped for so many years, but my father never showed any improvement. So why should he have to keep paying for my father’s incompetence?’
’What I’m angry about now is that Zachary knows my family’s debts are pressing. Yet every time I try to find a job, he corners me step by step, forcing me back into the cage he’s woven for me.’
’Even though his heart already belongs to someone else, he still won’t let me go.’
"Sigh... But since you’re planning to divorce, you should think about other men. Even just dating someone would be good. I mean, you never even dated before you got married. Now you regret it, and even getting a divorce is difficult. He probably never really liked you, did he..."
Catherine had blurted out the last sentence unintentionally, and she immediately covered her mouth.
Nina knew very well that she was telling the truth, but her heart couldn’t help but ache at the words. Thankfully, Adrian’s car pulled up just then.
Catherine quickly took her arm, and they got into Adrian’s car together.
"Which bar is it?" Adrian asked Catherine.
Catherine immediately replied, "The Moonlight Bar."
"Your friend owns that? It’s a very trendy bar. I’ve heard the bartenders there are all incredibly handsome or beautiful, and each one has a unique style," Adrian said as he started the engine.
"You know my friend’s bar? I’d only heard it was really popular, but I’ve barely seen any videos of it when I scroll through short-video apps," Catherine said, completely puzzled.
"That’s because the clientele all have a certain level of spending power, and I heard the bar isn’t very welcoming to people who like to film videos inside," Adrian continued.
𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶
"You sure know a lot," Catherine remarked, immediately striking up a familiar conversation with him.
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