He Lost Me to His Best Friend novel Chapter 16

But the moment he opened his mouth, Scarlett felt her heart plummet straight into hell.

"Talia, don't try to stir up trouble. Scarlett is Caleb's aunt by marriage. We're all family. She should help if she can, especially since she has extra."

Caleb... He said the name with such tender familiarity, as if the boy were his own flesh and blood. Yet, his own biological daughter was already a month old, and he still hadn't bothered to register her birth or even give her a name.

Scarlett lowered her eyes to the IV needle in her hand, scoffing inwardly. "I'd rather feed it to a stray cat than give it to your precious Caleb. Keep dreaming."

Yardley's expression cooled, but he still forced himself to sit down. He set down the insulated container of chicken soup he'd brought, opened it, ladled out a bowl, and offered it to Scarlett. "I know you're angry, but my hands are tied. Julian calls every single day, urging me to take good care of Sylvia and Caleb. I'm just honoring my friend's request."

He brought a spoonful to her lips, his voice softening. "Scarlett, you've interacted with Julian before. He's an incredibly rare talent. When the blueprints for Zenith Tower had construction issues that delayed everything, we sent them to him. He stayed up all night to revise the drafts for us without a second thought, and that's how we finally locked in the design."

"Besides, haven't you always admired Julian's talent and designs?"

Yardley wasn't wrong about that.

Julian was a senior alumnus from Scarlett's university, three years ahead of her. He was the top architectural prodigy their college had ever produced, and his skills rivaled those of world-renowned master architects.

Furthermore, Julian's character was impeccable—the very definition of a true gentleman. He was currently overseas working on a classified infrastructure project, having been deployed to Country A on a government-sponsored aid mission, not for any selfish gain.

She had never met Julian in person, but because of Yardley, they knew each other and often discussed architecture online. Whenever she hit a wall in her work, she would reach out to him for guidance.

Hearing his name calmed Scarlett's agitated heart slightly. She instinctively opened her mouth and took a sip. "Then for Julian's sake, I'll..."

She was about to agree to give Caleb her extra milk, but in an instant, something felt horribly wrong. Before she could finish her sentence, she violently spat the soup out.

Her tongue and throat swelled up almost instantaneously. Clutching her neck, she rasped, "What... what did you just feed me?"

"Yeah, I'm a lunatic!"

"You feed me Sylvia's leftovers, and you expect me to pump breast milk for her son?! Yardley, you absolutely disgust me!"

"Fine! You want me to feed her kid so badly? I'll head over there right now and feed him personally!"

Seething with rage, Scarlett stormed out the door. She had lost all reason, not even bothering to remove the IV needle from her hand.

Ripping her arm away caused the needle to tear through the skin on the back of her hand, and blood immediately started streaming down. But she couldn't feel the pain at all, because right then, her heart felt like it was being scorched in boiling oil, the agony seeping deep into her bones.

Yardley stood frozen in place. The piping-hot chicken soup dripped off his expensive suit and onto the floor, but he didn't even notice. He was utterly bewildered. Scarlett had been perfectly fine—what was wrong with her? Why was she throwing such an explosive tantrum?