No Strings Attached

Chapter 477

When was that, exactly?

Wasn't their first encounter in that alley?

When Ian saw that she was finally asleep, he didn't disturb her tranquility. Instead, he tucked away his confusion deep within his heart.

The next morning, as Clara fluttered her eyelids open, the first sight that greeted her was Ian's scruffy, bearded face, shadowed with dark circles under his eyes.

A pang of sympathy struck her, and she gently caressed the stubble. Her voice sounded raspy from sleep. "Honey, it's time for a shave."

Ian looked down and kissed her forehead softly, asking in a whisper, "Would you stop loving me if I had a beard?"

Clara chuckled, "No, it's just... I'm not used to it."

"I'll shave in a bit. Does your wound still hurt?"

"It's much better. Have you been up all night?"

Ian stroked her hair tenderly and murmured, "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. As long as you and the baby are safe, that's all that matters to me."

He attempted to sit up but realized his arm had been pinned under Clara all night and had gone completely numb, refusing to budge.

He leaned over and ended up collapsing back onto the bed, inadvertently pinning Clara beneath him. Thankfully, his other arm braced their fall, sparing her wound from the impact. The position,

however, was undeniably intimate.

Just at that moment, the hospital room door swung open.

Chase, clad in a pristine white coat, stood at the threshold, his gaze unblinkingly fixated on the scene.

"Damn, Ian! Clara's not just pregnant but also injured, and here you are, all hot and heavy?"

Ian slowly rose, shooting Chase a glare.

"Isn’t there a rule that even doctors should knock before entering a patient's room?"

Chase gave a roguish grin. "I was just concerned about Clara's pain and wanted to check on her. Plus, Sasha tasked me with a mission first thing in the morning to make sure I visited Clara and recorded a video for her." Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

Pulling out his phone and hitting record, he addressed Clara, "Sasha, can you see? Clara's looking better. I even caught them making out just now, so her wound can't be that bad, right?"

Clara's cheeks flushed as she looked at him. "Ian just lost balance because his arm was numb from me lying on it."

Chase nodded, his expression loaded with innuendo. "I see. And here I thought Ian was letting his animal instincts take over. If that were the case, Sasha, that little firecracker, would have charged straight here to take Ian down."

Ian chuckled from behind, "Since when did Sasha get the nickname 'firecracker?'"

"That's because she's feisty, like lighting a match to gunpowder. If she's not like a firecracker, then what is she? The girl even snaps at me, yet she gets pushed around on set."

"And when did you two start nesting together? Last I remembered, you were just a 'contract couple.'"

Chase kicked Ian lightly when he heard the sarcastic tease, a mix of annoyance and jest in his action.

"Mind your own business, man. The truth is, we're living together now, and even her fans are calling me her boyfriend."

Chase was gloating so much that he forgot the phone was still recording. Engrossed in bantering with Ian, he carelessly sent the video.

Ian raised an eyebrow at him. "You do realize your firecracker is about to explode."

"Don't be such a jerk, man. I'm doing her a favor by checking on Clara. She should be thanking me."

But as soon as the words left his mouth, a video call notification popped up on the phone. It was Sasha, and Chase, with a look of smug satisfaction, tapped the screen.

"See? She's moved. She's calling to express her gratitude."

He hit the answer button, wearing a grin that was a mix of suave and sleazy, but before he could say a word, Sasha's voice erupted from the phone.

"Chase, who are you calling a firecracker? If I’m a firecracker, I’ll explode your damn balls, so you'll be a eunuch for the rest of your life!"