Total pages in book: 33
Estimated words: 30680 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 153(@200wpm)___ 123(@250wpm)___ 102(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30680 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 153(@200wpm)___ 123(@250wpm)___ 102(@300wpm)
"I know this is going to sound silly—-"
Philippe frowned at the way her fingers started interlocking and unlocking over her lap.
"But I just want to be sure—-"
"Qu'est-ce que c'est?" What is it?
"Are you my husband?"
Fifteen minutes later, and Philippe had his worst fears confirmed in the private office of Dr. Konstantin Manolis. He had known the other man for years, and it was in light of his friendship with the Greek neurosurgeon that Philippe wasn't even thinking of getting a second opinion.
If Konstantin believed Charlee-Mae suffered from amnesia, then that was what it was, but what he did have a hard time accepting was what his new "wife" had no memories of.
"The E.R. had to sedate her when she first came in," Konstantin relayed, "since she started panicking and insisting that they had it wrong, and she wasn't married."
"I see."
"I took charge of her case when I found out she was your wife. We spoke briefly earlier, and from what I can tell, there is nothing your wife can recall from the past two weeks."
And now, Philippe did see why his new "wife" had forgotten him, since it was also only two weeks ago that they had become a part of each other's lives, contractually speaking.
"For now, my only advice is to make sure she has lots of rest. While it's not necessary, it's best to keep her here until we at least get the stitches out. It's always better to err on the side of caution with head wounds like hers."
"I'll defer to your expertise then." An image of Charlee-Mae suddenly intruded in his mind, and Philippe found himself trying to imagine what it would be like to wake up with two weeks of his life suddenly missing. It would be hell for someone like him, and the realization made him feel...concerned.
And that was normal, Philippe told himself. His conscience wasn't completely dead, and for as long as she was his "wife", he also had a duty to take care of her.
Looking back at Konstantin, he asked, "Is there anything else I can do to make things easier for her?"
"Don't let anything upset her," was his friend's blunt reply. "Situations like this are extremely tricky, and it's imperative that your wife refrains from forcing herself to recall her memories. Placing herself under unnecessary mental stress will only make things worse."
The nurses still on duty started elbowing each other again when they saw the Frenchman and the broodingly handsome Dr. Manolis step out of the latter's office.
Thanks to their resident Google expert Nurse Mindy, they now knew that Philippe DeRose, aside from being the billionaire they had correctly assumed him to be, also possessed the reputation of a tough negotiator in the boardroom and a jet-setting playboy outside it.
But because they also knew from Cha-Cha's vlogs that their favorite former beauty was silly and kind-hearted, carefree and incredibly down-to-earth in spite of her privileged upbringing—-
No two persons could be any more different than Cha-Cha and her husband, and it became even harder to imagine how the couple had fallen in love when the nurses overheard Dr. Manolis and the French billionaire conversing entirely in French.
Oh dear.
Most of the nurses started giggling, all of them having recalled Cha-Cha's vlog about her first visit to Paris...and how she had consequently succeeded in murdering the names of several French fashion houses. She had pronounced Hermes with a not-silent H, spoke of Balmain like it rhymed with Maine, and as she ended her vlog with a tour of her hotel suite, she had showcased the toiletries provided by L'Occitane, which Cha-Cha had mistaken as another brand that included a long 'a' in its pronunciation.
The nurses were still giggling among themselves as both men entered the elevator, but as soon as the doors closed, and the two were finally out of everyone's earshot—-
Konstantin raised a brow at his friend. "I seem to recall I had this friend in college who gave the cold shoulder to any girl who was unable to pronounce Lanvin correctly."
"I can't help it if their attempts at speaking French hurt my ears," Philippe answered without missing a beat, "but obviously, Charlee-Mae is the sole exception."
Konstantin smirked. "Is that the latest euphemism for being in love?"
"It is now." While Philippe trusted his friend implicitly, he also preferred to minimize his risks. The fewer people who knew about the true state of his marriage, the less likely his mother was to find out about Philippe's plans.
Since Charlee-Mae was still in session with the hospital's trauma specialist, Philippe agreed to have coffee with Konstantin and his wife, a shy brunette who apparently was yet another fan of his wife.
On his way back to Charlee-Mae's room, the nurses informed him that his wife was still in session, and left to his own devices, Philippe made use of one of the hospital's conference rooms and spent the next hour in communication with his security and I.T. teams.