淑女的欲望

She could only nod in response to Scarlett's words.

"Alright, I'll call him later, but not right now..." Scarlett sipped her coffee, her focus shifting to her work. "I have to go through my tasks first; there's a lot to manage at the moment." She paused, her gaze sharpening as she regarded Zara. "...By the way, despite being one of the RAS directors, why do you seem so relaxed? Is everything alright with the company?"

Zara rolled her eyes playfully. "Being a director doesn't mean I don't need a break. I'm human, too, you know. I could use a vacation," she remarked, sipping her coffee while brushing off Scarlett's teasing.

Scarlett chuckled at Zara's response. She stood up from her seat, "Well, sis, if you haven't booked a hotel, you can rest at my apartment upstairs. Cruz can show you the way. Let's catch up over lunch later."

With that, Scarlett walked purposefully toward her office. A stack of documents needed her attention, particularly about her restaurant business. The restaurant management was separate from Red Animation Studio, she managed it alongside Cruz, as the culinary venture was her own hobby. 

Scarlett was so engrossed in her work that she lost all sense of time. She might have completely skipped lunch if it weren't for Xander's call.

"I know. I'm about to take a break for lunch," Scarlett responded while quickly tidying up her workspace. She intended to continue her work later.

"Make sure to eat properly and don't overwork yourself, babe..." Xander said in concern.

"Hmm, I will," Scarlett assured him.

Before long, a polite knock sounded on her office door as Scarlett was still on the call with Xander. She granted permission to enter, and to her expectation, Cruz was standing at the door, gesturing to her for lunch. 

"Xander, I have to go for lunch now. I'll call you back later. And make sure you have your lunch too, alright?"

"Sure thing, babe! Take care, and I love you," Xander's voice came through the phone before they hung up.

Scarlett was pleasantly surprised when she stepped out of her office – a well-laid lunch spread on the pantry's dining table right outside her office. Zara was already seated, waiting. 

"Good job, Cruz. Did you arrange all of this?" Scarlett praised him, appreciating his thoughtfulness. Going out for lunch would be a bit of a hassle, given that there was still a lot of pending work. She had to settle all her work before going to the hospital to visit Carter.

"Well, I noticed you were caught up with work, so I took the initiative to order our lunch," Cruz explained. He then asked Scarlett and Zara to begin eating. He also invites Logan to join them. 

After lunch, Scarlett apologized to Zara, explaining that she had a family matter to attend to which made her can't accompany her. She didn't mention that she was planning to visit Carter in the hospital. There was a hunch within her that Carter didn't want Zara to be aware of his condition.

"It's okay, boss," Cruz smiled at Scarlett. "I will accompany her. How long will you stay here, Zara?" he asked, turning his gaze to Zara.

"I'll go back to LA tomorrow afternoon," Zara responded before looking at Scarlett. "I hope to hear from you tonight, Scarlett."

Scarlett nodded, "I will try."

"Zara, how about we hit a club tonight?" Cruz suggested with an enthusiastic grin.

"Sounds perfect!" Zara raised her glass, toasting with Cruz.

Scarlett chuckled softly, shaking her head as she watched their lively planning unfold. She was slightly tempted to join them but decided to spend her night at home, waiting for Xander. Curiosity lingered in her mind—Xander hadn't mentioned her birthday all day, and she wondered if he remembered it. 

***

Hope Hospital. 

Scarlett and Logan arrived at the hospital around four in the afternoon. Upon reaching Carter's ward, they found him just waking up from a nap. His face lit up with joy at their arrival.

"Sis, you finally come..." Carter smiled. "Hi, Logan!" he added, acknowledging Logan's presence.

Scarlett sat in a chair next to the bed and looked around the room. "Where's Auntie?"

"Mom went home after I finished lunch," Carter explained while sitting up in a comfortable position.

"Why did she leave so early?"

"I asked her to go home. I can't get a moment's peace with her around. She's always nagging and forbidding me from doing anything," Carter replied, a mischievous glint flashing through his eyes.

"Really, Carter Riley? You're acting like such a child," Scarlett scolded, though her tone was affectionate. She then started peeling an apple for him.

"Sis, I'm so bored being stuck here. She even hides my cell phone. Mother insisted that I rest and not exert myself," Carter confided.

Having spent nearly a week in the hospital, he grew increasingly restless. He longed to return home, even if it meant using a wheelchair. However, the medical team adamantly opposed his leaving the hospital. It seemed likely that he would remain here until the day he flew to Country M.

"Big guy, put that matter aside," Scarlett's hand, which had been peeling the apple, suddenly halted. She fixed her gaze on Carter, who looked puzzled by her words. "There are more urgent matters demanding your attention!"

Perplexed by the change in her chat direction, Carter asked, "What are you talking about, Sis?"

"Did you propose to Zara before your accident?" Her eyes narrowed at Carter.

Carter suddenly froze. He had forgotten entirely about Zara; it had been a week since they last communicated. How had Scarlett found out about his proposal? Had Zara talked with her?

"Sis, where is she now?" he asked. 

"Answer me first!"

"Yes, Yes... I proposed to her. But she turned me down!" Carter admitted with a deep sigh. "Seems like it's the end of the road for me with her. Given my current state, I doubt I have the confidence to pursue her any longer!"