The Billionaire's Bought Bride and Instant Mom Chapter 55

Aveline

I woke to the soft morning light filtering through the hospital room windows and immediately froze at the sight that greeted me.

Orion was slumped in the chair beside my bed, his upper body draped across my legs, his dark hair tousled from sleep. He looked almost vulnerable like this, his sharp features softened by unconsciousness, his usually perfect posture relaxed into something more human.

But the intimacy of the position sent waves of panic through me.

Why had he stayed the night? Why was he sleeping practically on top of me? And most terrifying of all—what had happened while I was unconscious?

My mind immediately spiraled into worst-case scenarios. What if I'd talked in my sleep? What if I'd said something incriminating about that night? Oh God, what if I'd unconsciously blurted out something about how good his body felt, how much I'd enjoyed having sex with him, how his handsome face had made the whole experience even more intoxicating?

If I'd said anything like that, I'd probably wake up to find security guards dragging me away in handcuffs.

My slight movement must have disturbed him, because Orion's eyes snapped open immediately. He lifted his head from my legs with quick, practiced efficiency, as if sleeping on hospital patients was something he did regularly. But there was no embarrassment in his expression, no awkward explanations or apologies.

Instead, he just... stared at me.

For a full minute, he studied my face with the kind of intense focus usually reserved for scientific specimens. His dark eyes moved from my eyes to my lips to the curve of my jaw, cataloguing every detail like he was memorizing evidence.

I tried to maintain an embarrassed smile, then attempted to look away, then forced myself to meet his gaze again. The silence stretched between us, heavy with implications I couldn't read, and I had absolutely no idea what to say.

Finally, just when I thought I might die from the awkwardness, Orion stood abruptly and asked, "Good morning. What would you like for breakfast?"

I blinked at him, completely thrown off guard. After all that intense staring, he wanted to discuss meal options?

Relief flooded through me so suddenly I almost laughed. Here I'd been convinced he was about to accuse me of assault, and instead he was playing the solicitous caregiver. Maybe he hadn't figured out who I was after all.

"Thank you so much for everything you've done," I said, trying to inject genuine gratitude into my voice. "But I'm feeling much better already. You don't need to stay and babysit me—you should go handle your business."

Orion's expression shifted, something almost hurt flickering across his features. "You're just going to push me away like that?"

The words carried an undertone I couldn't quite decipher, and my paranoia immediately spiked again. "I... what do you mean?"

*He definitely knows something. That's not a normal response. He's been tracking me, investigating me, and that's how he got to the hospital so quickly yesterday. That's why he stayed all night—he's gathering evidence!*

Orion's expression turned almost petulant, which was so unexpected it threw me off balance again. "If Ryan finds out you were hospitalized and I didn't take proper care of you, he'll refuse to speak to me for a week. Since I came yesterday, I'm responsible for making sure you're completely recovered before you're discharged."

The word "responsible" made my skin crawl with implications, but I forced myself to stay calm. "Well, I guess I could eat something light. I'm actually feeling steady enough to walk—we could go to the cafeteria together if you want."

Just as Orion was about to respond, there was a gentle knock on the door, and Colin appeared with a paper bag and a coffee carrier that smelled like heaven.

"Good morning, Aveline," he said warmly, his face lighting up when he saw I was awake and alert. "I brought you some breakfast—fresh croissants, fruit, yogurt, and that herbal tea you mentioned liking. Nothing too heavy for your stomach."

I felt like I'd been thrown a lifeline. Colin's presence immediately diluted the weird tension that had been building between Orion and me all morning.

"Colin, you're so thoughtful," I said, genuine pleasure coloring my voice. "You really didn't need to go to all this trouble."

But I noticed Orion's expression had turned significantly colder. He approached Colin with the kind of predatory grace that made the temperature in the room drop several degrees.

"You must be Colin," Orion said, his voice carrying that deceptively casual tone that I'd learned meant danger. "Ms. Reeves's colleague. You two certainly have a close relationship—flowers yesterday, breakfast today. I don't recall her mentioning having such an attentive boyfriend."

Heat flooded my cheeks at his deliberately provocative words. "Orion, you're misunderstanding the situation. We're just good friends—"

But Colin didn't retreat or deflect the way I'd expected. Despite being significantly shorter than Orion, he met the other man's gaze directly, his blue eyes steady and unintimidated.

"I'd say it just shows that Aveline inspires loyalty in the people around her," Colin replied with perfect composure. "Just like you, Mr. Blackwell. For a CEO to personally spend the night caring for an employee shows remarkable... dedication. She must be far more important than your usual business priorities."

The subtle challenge in Colin's words clearly caught Orion off guard. His eyes sharpened with something that might have been respect or irritation.

"Ms. Reeves is a hundred times more important than any business priority," Orion replied coolly.

The words sent an unexpected shiver through me. *What the hell is he playing at?*

Orion settled into the chair beside my bed with obvious territorial intent. "Ryan has never connected with a Aveline the way he has with Ms. Reeves. If anything happened to her, if she wasn't happy and healthy, it would break his heart."

I felt a stab of disappointment at the reminder that his concern was ultimately about Ryan. But before I could process that emotion, Colin redirected the conversation entirely.

"Actually, Aveline, seeing you is one reason I came, but I also wanted to update you about the truck driver who caused your accident."

Orion's entire demeanor shifted, his attention snapping to Colin with laser focus. "Truck driver? I was told Ms. Reeves crashed into a guardrail by herself."

Colin nodded grimly. "According to the police report I heard about, there was a freight truck that ran a red light just before Aveline's accident. The traffic investigators reviewed the security footage and determined that his illegal turn forced her to swerve, which caused her to hit the barrier. He's been arrested and they're pressing charges—reckless endangerment, fleeing the scene of an accident."

My blood went cold as the memory came rushing back with crystal clarity. That truck hadn't just run a red light—it had aimed directly for my car like a guided missile. The driver had been accelerating toward me with obvious intent, not just making a careless mistake.

"That wasn't an accident," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "He was aiming for me. I remember now—he accelerated when he saw my car, like he was trying to hit me on purpose."

The silence that followed was deafening. Orion's face had gone completely white, then flushed with a fury so pure it was almost frightening to witness.

"Someone tried to kill you?" His voice was deadly quiet, the kind of tone that preceded violence.

"It seemed like it," I admitted, suddenly very aware of how exposed and vulnerable I was in this hospital bed.

Orion stood slowly, his movements controlled but radiating barely contained rage. "I'll handle this. "

He paused at the foot of my bed, his expression softening slightly as he looked at Colin's breakfast offerings. When he spoke again, there was something almost petulant in his tone.

"Since your breakfast has arrived, I'll step out for a while."

The words were polite, but the way he said them carried an unmistakable threat. He moved toward the door with predatory grace, and I could practically feel the violence radiating off him.

Before I could respond or ask what he meant by "handling this," he was gone, leaving behind an atmosphere so charged it felt like the calm before a storm.

Colin set down the food with careful precision, completely unruffled by what had just transpired. If anything, he looked almost amused.

"Well," he said quietly, settling into the chair Orion had vacated, "that was quite the territorial display. Does he always get that possessive over his employees?"