The Last Time I Cried Your Name novel Chapter 520

Jay walked to the hospital room door, ready to report the news to Franco.

As he reached the threshold, he heard Franco speaking to Petty in a tone outsiders would never hear in their lifetime: "Watching a screen for too long is bad for your eyes. Do you want to ruin them completely?"

Petty stared at the auto-locked phone. The "low battery" trick was a one-time gimmick, so Franco had actually gone out of his way to set up a timed lock on his device.

When the screen first went black, she assumed she had accidentally bumped the power button. She re-entered the passcode, but the phone simply buzzed and a text box popped up: *Still want to watch?*

She turned to the man sitting beside her, seemingly engrossed in his documents. He had practically been counting the seconds in his head, looking up the precise moment she turned to him to deliver his little lecture.

Franco always had a ridiculous number of tricks up his sleeve.

For a moment, she honestly didn't know how to respond to him.

"Thank you." Rather than handing the phone back, she set it down on the table in front of him and stood up, ready to leave.

Suddenly, a warm, dry grip clamped down on her uninjured wrist. Acting on sheer instinct, she tried to pull away, but the hold only tightened.

It didn't hurt her, but it was an iron-clad grip she couldn't break.

"Are you mad?" Franco stood up beside her, his tall frame looming as he looked down at her face.

By the door, Jay silently took a few steps back, sliding out of view and gesturing with his eyes for the bodyguards to give them a wider berth.

Petty had no idea how Franco had concluded she was angry. There was nothing to be angry about. She had gotten to watch the videos for half an hour, which had settled some of the panic in her chest.

She just wanted to leave because she couldn't bear to be alone in a room with him.

The more she thought about it, the more obvious it became that Franco was just manufacturing excuses to keep her close. A flash of inexplicable irritation cracked her usually stoic expression. "Clumsy."

Clumsy?

Franco knew exactly what she meant. He didn't bother denying it.

"You have," Franco cut her off, his voice low as he watched her eyelashes flutter in surprise. "If you don't believe me, have a taste at noon and see for yourself."

Jay waited out in the hall for another five minutes before Petty finally emerged. He offered her a polite nod, waiting until she was safely back in her own room before striding over to Franco.

"Boss, Nash definitely has a guilty conscience. He already resigned from the university."

The vulnerability in Franco's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a freezing frost, like a sudden, brutal winter wind. "Don't alert him yet."

"Also, Laura's case has been formally submitted to the judiciary. I've pulled the necessary strings; they'll wrap it up as quickly as possible."

Franco gave a low sound of acknowledgment just as Jay's subordinates walked in, carrying multiple grocery bags. "Boss, the ingredients you asked for are ready."

Galen, who had conveniently vacated the room to give Franco and Petty space, wandered back in just in time to see Franco pull a plain apron from one of the bags and tie it around his waist. He let out a loud scoff.

"What, are you addicted to cosplay now? Playing Malcom wasn't enough to satisfy your theatrical urges, so now you're cosplaying a domestic house-husband?"