Novel Ships
Chapter 120
"Good morning, love," the deep voice said. "How are you feeling?"
Cherise still felt like her head was being hammered, and she did not notice the pet name Hudson used for her or that it was him. "Urghhh... Can you stop shouting?" she groaned.
Hudson looked at her with amusement. He wasn't even talking that loudly, yet she thought he was shouting. But he could understand the sick feeling of being hungover.
"Can you sit up and have breakfast yet?" Cherise heard that familiar deep voice again and felt the side of the bed near her dip as someone sat on it.
She groaned again, pulling one of her pillows and her duvet, burrowing her head and her whole body under it. She hated the sunlight that shone through her curtain. "Can you just stop talking? You are making my head hurt. And make the room dark." This time, Hudson had to bite his bottom lip to stop himself from laughing.
It was already 10 a.m., and he had asked Neil to cancel any meetings Cherise had for the day because he knew she would need at least a day to recover.
He had woken up early, took a long shower in his penthouse, and asked Miles to bring everything he needed to work on to Cherise's penthouse. He was prepared to spend the day with her even though she might just spend the time sleeping. Thinking of Cherise's words, he thought about how he was supposed to turn the room dark when it was light outside.
He looked at the thin curtain covering the wall-to-ceiling windows in one part of her bedroom and thought he could ask someone to add another thicker layer. However, he didn't want anyone to enter Cherise's bedroom while she was asleep and might disturb her. Maybe he could whisk her to another part of the world where it was still dark?
He shook his head to clear his thoughts and chuckled. What was he thinking? He was so in love with her that he would whisk her away to the other part of the world so she would not be disturbed by the sunlight and could sleep peacefully for an entire day until she recovered.
"Cherise, it's already 10 am," Hudson said with a patient and gentle voice. "I know you still want to sleep, but what about having some breakfast, a hangover cure, and a shower before continuing your sleep?"
At the mention of the time, Cherise jolted awake, sending her pillows and duvet flying from her body.
Hudson had to swallow thickly and look away because her sleep dress had ridden up her thighs, and one of the thin straps had fallen from her shoulder, making her look like a seductress even though she had just woken up.
Cherise groaned again and massaged her temple. "And you only woke me up now?" She tried to sound stern, but her headache was too much for her to handle, and her throat felt dry.
Hudson realized what Cherise needed and took the cup of water he had prepared on her bedside table. He brought it to Cherise's lips, and Cherise gladly took some much-needed sips until she realized who the man in front of her was.
Her eyes widened, and she choked on her water. Luckily, Hudson was still holding the cup, and he quickly placed it back on her bedside table and patted her back.
Cherise coughed until she gasped; tears ran down her red face, and she felt her headache worsening with each cough.
"Are you alright?" Hudson caressed her back once she stopped coughing.
Cherise wanted to glare at him but decided to close her eyes and leaned back against her headboard as she felt the energy in her body depleted just from coughing.
She rubbed her temples again, her brows furrowed together, and asked her ex-husband, "What are you doing here?"
Suddenly, she felt skeptical and forced herself to open her eyes to check her surroundings. 'Please don't let her be in a hotel room or Hudson's place,' she prayed, heaving out a sigh of relief when she saw she was in her penthouse's bedroom. Hudson waited for her to check her surroundings. Once he felt she was calm enough to talk about the reasons he was there, he asked her, "What do you remember about last night?"
As much as Cherise didn't want to think of anything at the moment, she forced herself to recollect the events of the night before.
She remembered eating one of the most delicious spicy meals ever and getting drunk because of the high level of alcohol in the drinks Mr. Phillip ordered for them. That must be the cause of her splitting headache, then.
Cherise had never felt this bad before. 'How strong was the alcohol in Country F's drinks?' she wondered.
She must be careful when attending social engagements in Country Flest she end up in the same situation as now.
Then she suddenly remembered clinging to Hudson, asking him why he never loved her back, throwing up on him, and of him bathing her.
Her eyes snapped open, and Hudson knew she remembered mostly everything by her horrified expression.
"You undressed me against my consent, saw me naked, and touched me, you bastard," she hissed at him.
Hudson looked at her helplessly. Of course, she would see him in that kind of light, but yet he still explained to her patiently, "Cherise, you had vomit all over your dress. I had to bathe you and change your clothes, or you would feel uncomfortable sleeping. I used your loofah, so I didn't touch you."
After being reminded, Cherise felt embarrassed. She had accused Hudson of doing something he didn't do. Now, she felt like she let her prejudice against Hudson rule her mind, which made her no better than him when they were still married.
As per her upbringing, when any Alster family members made a mistake, they should not be afraid to apologize, which was what Cherise did.
But that did not mean she was not angry at him. She glared at him and ordered him, "Go into my walk-in-wardrobe and help me take a change of clothes. I need to shower and have breakfast."
Hudson obeyed her and came back with a change of clothes for Cherish, which made her speechless. She looked at the sexy black nightgown and a very thin lacy g-string.
"Hudson, what are these?" She would have shrieked at him if she wasn't having a headache. "Panties and nightgown," Hudson replied, the tips of his ears red from embarrassment.
When he opened her panties drawer, his mouth went dry as he saw all the lacy underwear, so he just snatched one and also a nightgown because he was sure she would sleep more throughout the day.
"You men," Cherise muttered and still went to her bathroom with the clothes Hudson had chosen for her.
When she finished showering, she wore a kimono over her nightgown and was about to exit her bedroom when Hudson surprised her by bringing her a tray of food for her to have in bed.
He motioned for her to go back to bed, and as Cherise was still feeling unwell, she obeyed him but still stared at him with suspicion.
Hudson placed the tray in front of her and told her that he had asked Neil to cancel all her appointments for the day and that he would be working from her living room.
At that moment, Cherise felt dazed by Hudson's little pampering and how he had taken care of her affairs for the day, or canceled them, to be exact.
At any other time, she would get angry, but with her condition right now, she felt rather thankful to him. She knew she would not be able to concentrate on her job even if she went to her office.
After eating bits and pieces of her breakfast, Hudson gave her a hangover cure, which she swallowed while scrunching her nose as it tasted and smelled terrible.
Soon, she felt sleepy and sensed someone tucking her into bed, kissing her forehead, and a gentle, deep baritone voice telling her to have a sweet dream and that he would be there when she woke up.Exclusive © content by N(ô)ve/l/Drama.Org.
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And for once, in her moment of weakness, even though she knew who that man was the man who had made her suffer for three years, she let herself be swept away by his gentle care.
While Hudson and Cherise were having their moment, Theo was bringing Erica to the most popular cafe for teenagers and ladies alike.
Unfortunately, Polly and Emely were also there at the same time.
"Hey, isn't that Theodore Kingston who has been seen having dinner most days with Cherise?" Polly asked Emely and dragged her toward them. "Let's greet them."