"Dr. Lin, is there something you need?" Yancy Shaw looked up at her, his gaze distant and cold.
Just moments ago, the way he looked at Lauren Shaw was nothing like this. Now, as he turned his head to address her, an unmistakable chill surrounded him.
Mona Lane felt a shiver run through her, unnerved by his eyes.
Regaining her composure, she forced a stiff smile. "N-no, nothing."
"If that's all, please return to your post."
What a blatant dismissal—he didn’t bother to spare her feelings in the least.
She bit her lip and turned to leave, but Yancy Shaw stopped her.
For a moment, her heart fluttered, but all Yancy Shaw said, in a polite tone, was, "Please shut the door on your way out."
Mona Lane closed the door behind her. As Yancy Shaw’s gentle voice echoed faintly from inside, her whole body went rigid. She stood outside the door, momentarily forgetting how to walk away.
It wasn’t until a passing nurse noticed her pale face and asked, "Dr. Lin, you don’t look well. Are you feeling alright?"
Shaken from her thoughts, Mona Lane didn’t answer, but simply walked away in a daze.
She had never seen Yancy Shaw so gentle before. She’d always thought gentleness was simply not in his nature. If she hadn’t seen it herself, she never would have believed a man like him could have such a soft side.
She thought of the phone call she’d seen on his phone the other day—‘Little White Rabbit’ must be this woman.
Heh, what a joke.
Inside the office.
Yancy Shaw gently cradled her foot, applying an ice pack to the swollen area.
He kept his head down, saying nothing.
Lauren Shaw sensed an odd tension in the air.
"Are you... mad?"
He furrowed his brow slightly. "Why would you say that?"
"Because you won’t look at me." Though his every movement was careful, almost afraid of hurting her, he hadn’t once raised his head to look at her since he came in.
At last, Yancy Shaw lifted his eyes, shadows flickering in their depths. "I’m not angry. I just feel... I’m not doing my job as your husband very well."
"Why would you say that? It’s not your fault I got hurt. The reason I didn’t call you right away was because I didn’t want to disturb your work. It’s just a twisted ankle, no big deal. I can handle it myself."
She was used to it. Back when she was with Yvonne Sung, she’d once twisted her ankle and called him, only to hear a voice full of impatience, as if she were just a bother.
So she’d developed a habit: if she could solve something herself, she’d never trouble anyone else.
On the way to the hospital, she had considered calling him, but then she worried. What if Yancy Shaw got annoyed, just like before?
Yancy Shaw listened carefully, then fixed her with a focused gaze. "Shengsheng, I’m your husband. Whatever it is, you can always tell me. Don’t worry about bothering me."
She didn’t know—when Henry Mills told him what had happened, he’d been so worried he wanted to fly to her side immediately.
"You don’t really see me as your husband, do you?" Yancy Shaw’s voice held a trace of defeat.
Lauren Shaw’s heart tightened. She quickly grasped his hand and explained, "It’s not that. I just wanted to wait until after seeing the doctor before telling you. But you showed up before I had the chance."
"You are my husband. To me, you’re my closest person now—it’s just that some habits take time to change, that’s all."
She lowered her head, a shadow passing over her face.
Yancy Shaw’s heart was awash with complicated feelings.
He ruffled her hair tenderly, his voice sincere and gentle: "You can lean on me."
Time can smooth out some things, but the wounds left inside are always there. The way she tiptoed around relationships made his heart ache.
Lauren Shaw looked up at him, a smile breaking through on her face. "Okay."
Relief softened his features as he noticed her ankle wasn’t as swollen as before.
Lauren Shaw reached up and smoothed out the crease between his eyebrows. "It’ll be fine after a few days. Don’t worry so much."
"How did this happen?" He looked at her, his eyes dark and intent.
She didn’t intend to cover it up. "Someone pushed me, and I fell."
It wasn’t really her own carelessness. Anyone would have lost balance if shoved unexpectedly, especially in heels. Eva Snow sure hadn’t held back—even though she was a dignified heiress, she’d resorted to such nasty tricks.
Pushed? Yancy Shaw’s expression flashed cold, but the look disappeared before Lauren Shaw could notice.
"Who pushed you?" he asked, his tone deliberately casual.
Lauren Shaw didn’t catch the undercurrent of anger in his voice.
"Who else? Eva Snow, of course."
Instantly, regret flickered on her face—she’d spoken too fast. Given the relationship between Eva Snow’s family and theirs, if this created trouble with her sister-in-law, it could blow up into something serious.
She absolutely didn’t want to cause such drama.
"Honestly, it was my fault too for not being careful. Just one push and I fell. Don’t tell Mom and Dad, okay?"
If Mrs. Chen found out, her relationship with Mandy Snow would only get worse.
She didn’t want to be the source of family squabbles.
"I’ve got good news—I made it to the finals!" At least something to celebrate today.
Yancy Shaw already knew; his second brother had told him ahead of time. Whether the results were ‘arranged’, he couldn’t say, but Lauren Shaw was certainly qualified.
"My partner is Film Empress Li Qiuchi. Surprised? I never expected I’d be chosen—I was just planning to go through the motions since they invited me."
But now, with her injured foot, she probably wouldn’t be able to make it to the studio these next few days; her design work would have to be put on hold.
"If you don’t want to go, you can always quit. What you need most right now is a good rest at home."
"I’m not quitting! My goal is to win the championship!"
Didn’t Eva Snow accuse her of daydreaming? Well, she’d prove it to her—she’d win first place just to spite her.
Night fell.
Watching the person sleeping peacefully beside him, Yancy Shaw slipped quietly out of bed. He took his phone and stepped onto the balcony, dialing Sean Snow.
Loud music blared in the background when Sean Snow answered.
"Third Brother, still up this late? Want to come out for a drink?"
Sean Snow teased. Did he call at this hour because he had just fought with his wife? But Yancy Shaw’s next words surprised him.
"Tell Eva Snow to stop provoking my wife."
Careful not to wake anyone sleeping inside, he kept his voice low.
It took Sean Snow a second to process. What trouble had Eva Snow stirred up this time?
"What did she do to Sister-in-law?"
"Go ask her yourself. If she thinks life here is too boring, I have no problem sending her abroad."
No one knew better than Sean Snow—Yancy Shaw rarely lost his temper, but that didn’t mean he’d never do it.
His tone, icy and dangerous, sent a chill down anyone’s spine.