Chapter 262: With Me Here, You Can Grow Slowly
“It’s nothing, I just wanted to tell you what I’m doing,” Paige said. “By the way, let me show you something.”
She pulled back the blanket and took out a stack of photos from under the pillow. The first one on top was a solo picture of herself. “I know you’re trying to adjust to everything right now. I’ll help you too. For today, let’s start by recognizing some people.”
“Recognize you?” Enrico thought she was being a bit self-absorbed.
“Remember this face. She’s a good person. You should listen to her,” Paige said, pointing at her own photo.
“…”
Enrico remained silent.
Paige looked at the photo for a while before setting it aside. The second photo was a solo picture of Jeremy. As soon as Enrico saw it, his expression changed, and a deep hatred surged in his eyes, almost ready to explode.
“Yes, he’s a bad person.”
Paige quickly placed Jeremy’s photo aside. The third photo was of Rachel.NôvelDrama.Org exclusive content.
In the photo, Rachel looked elegant with an artistic vibe.
“Who is she?” Enrico asked, the hatred in his eyes fading, replaced by confusion.
“She’s your non-blood-related sister. She really likes you and has always tried to seduce you, but you ignored her,” Paige said, pointing at the woman in the photo.
Hearing the word “seduce,” Enrico’s face stiffened.
How could he, at 28, still be such a magnet for unwanted attention?
“She’s a very bad person. When you were sick, she tied you up and imprisoned you. If you ever see her in the future, either beat her up or walk away. Don’t listen to a word she says,” Paige warned, even though she didn’t plan on giving Enrico the chance to meet Rachel.
“Why?” Enrico frowned.
“Aren’t you afraid she’ll pounce on you and kiss you?”
Paige kindly reminded him.
“…”
Enrico sat there, his brows furrowing in disgust. The face in the photo suddenly seemed revolting. The thought of her pouncing on him and kissing him-she didn’t even consider her looks, so ugly.
Sister? He only had one sister. Where did this other one come from?
Paige, satisfied with Enrico’s reaction, set Rachel’s photo aside and showed him Leah’s photo next, followed by photos of other key figures in the conglomerates.
After going through the thick stack of photos, explaining each person’s position and character, she asked him, “Can you remember them?”
Enrico nodded. Paige acknowledged, “Good. Remember them well, so if you encounter them, you won’t be caught off guard.”
“Aren’t you keeping me by your side for three months?” He looked at her, puzzled as to why she was telling him all this.
“You’ll eventually return to the Gustin Group. You wouldn’t want to stay stuck at nine years old forever.”
Paige looked at him, seeing through his thoughts entirely.
“…”
Enrico pursed his lips, feeling a bit uneasy under her keen perception.
“But don’t rush.” Paige got off the bed, handing him the stack of photos. “With me here, you can grow slowly.”
No matter how big the storms, she would always be there to shield him. He had suffered enough; from now on, he only needed to enjoy sweet moments.
“…”
Enrico felt like he was an open book in front of her, everything laid bare.
He did indeed want to return to the height he should be at his age as quickly as possible, but deep down, there was still some anxiety.
Her words about growing slowly strangely put him at ease.
He took the photos and started to leave the room when Paige suddenly called out to him, “By the way, wake up at 6:30 tomorrow.”
“That early?” Enrico was puzzled.
“Yeah, we’re going for a morning run,” Paige replied.
“Why?”
Only elementary school kids need to run. He wasn’t a kid anymore.
Paige glanced at him, her eyes landing on his stomach. Enrico, feeling scrutinized, leaned back against the wall, giving her a “what do you want now?” look.
“You’ve been sick for three years, lacking exercise, and you’ve lost your six-pack. You need to get it back,” Paige said with utter seriousness, as if it was a very important matter.
Enrico couldn’t help but touch his stomach. “What do my abs have to do with you?”
With his memory stuck at nine years old, he didn’t care about abs.
“I just want you to exercise and be healthy, don’t you want that?” Paige asked.
“Oh.”
Enrico didn’t ask further. He returned to his room, collapsed onto the bed, and held the thick stack of photos in his hand, with Paige’s photo on top.
He glanced at it-well, she was quite good-looking.
He rolled over, placed her photo under his pillow, and shoved the rest of the “eye-polluting” photos into the bedside drawer before closing his eyes to rest.
Paige lay in bed, staring at the light on the ceiling.
She had spoken quite a lot with Enrico today.
Three years-it had been three years since she last heard his voice.
She reached up to turn off the light. With two beds separated by a partition, the room went dark. Paige closed her eyes, and the smile on her lips deepened.
…
From the next day onward, Paige set up a series of exercise routines for Enrico.
They went for runs together every morning. Afterward, Enrico had to do weightlifting, sit-ups, and other exercises. Perhaps the body has a memory-before long, the lines of muscle on Enrico’s body began to reappear.
As his immune system improved, Paige also reduced the amount of traditional medicine he was taking.
Enrico, being naturally strong-willed, never complained of being tired or that the medicine was bitter. He did what needed to be done, practiced what needed to be practiced, and in his spare time, he constantly watched the news to absorb new information.
From the initial guarded, prickly demeanor, he gradually softened, even occasionally showing a carefree, genuine smile-all because he was adapting to his changes and the changes in the world as quickly as possible.
This adaptability was a testament to why Enrico had made the Gustin Group the largest conglomerate in the country-luck had nothing to do with it.
No matter the situation, he always knew what path to take.
To prevent the new Rose Estate from being exposed too early, Jaden was kept at a distance by Paige and was only occasionally allowed in, where he played basketball with Enrico and Rafael.
One day, as Paige passed by the basketball court in the neighborhood, she saw three men in sportswear inside.
Enrico was wearing the white outfit she had bought him. He leaped up to dunk the ball into the net, landing with a youthful look of pride, even taunting the other two with a hand gesture.
Rafael and Jaden looked frustrated.
Paige stood outside, watching quietly for a while, a faint smile on her face.
After a while, Enrico made another dunk. As he lifted his shirt to wipe the sweat off his face, he noticed Paige standing outside.
Thinking about his yet-to-be-formed six-pack, he quickly pulled his shirt back down.
Paige smiled, waved at him, then turned and walked away.
“No more, no more, my old back’s about to give out,” Rafael complained. Spending too much time in the presidential palace, the only exercise he usually got was for show-nothing this intense. He was so tired that even his legs shook when he walked.
“I’m tired too,” Jaden said. He was doing slightly better but was still drenched in sweat. He leaned against the iron fence and sat down, not caring if it was dirty.
“You guys are just getting old. Your stamina is terrible.”