On the other end of the line, a man’s deep, languid voice sounded.
“Star, are you having trouble with something lately?”
Stella replied, “Yeah, it’s about Antoney, but nothing I can’t handle for now.”
“If you ever run into something you can’t fix,” Neville said, “promise you’ll call me.”
“I will.”
As soon as she hung up, a glass of warm water appeared in front of her.
“Stella, drink this.”
Marvin, looking far more mature than his years, said earnestly, “Dad always says if you’re coming down with something, the best thing is to drink lots of warm water. You’ll get better faster.”
Stella took the glass from him, a gentle warmth welling up inside her.
“Thank you.”
A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. As Stella moved to answer it, Marvin stepped in front of her.
“That’s probably Dad. You should lie down and rest, Stella. I’ll get the door.”
Seeing how thoughtful he was, Stella didn’t argue.
Sure enough, when Marvin opened the door, Neville stood outside.
Marvin whispered, “Dad, Stella’s running a bit of a fever. Did you bring any medicine?”
Neville shot him a look. “Of course I did. I’m not that clueless, you know.”
Only then did Marvin relax, nodding in relief.
Stella’s face was pale, exhaustion written in the lines between her brows.
Neville’s gaze swept the room, landing on a digital thermometer lying on the coffee table.
He picked it up and scanned Stella’s forehead.
102.6 degrees.
Neville’s eyes narrowed, his usual laid-back demeanor gone. “Star, your fever’s pretty high. We need to get you to the hospital right away.”
Stella was about to reply when her phone suddenly rang.
She barely made it a few steps before the room spun, forcing her to steady herself against the wall.
“Abby’s in trouble. I have to go.”
Neville caught her wrist; her skin was burning.
“Look at you. You can barely stand, and you still want to go out?”
The scare had drained what little color was left from Stella’s face.
Neville’s voice softened, but his eyes were serious. “Star, in your condition, you won’t even make it to your car.”
“But I can’t just leave Abby,” Stella said, drawing in a shaky breath. “If I don’t get there, she could really be in danger.”
Neville considered for a moment. “Fine. I’m coming with you.”
Stella glanced at Marvin. “But what about Marvin?”
“I’ll have the driver take him home.”
Marvin piped up, “Stella, don’t worry about me. I’ll go home with the driver, I promise.”
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