A Reborn Bride Pearl Emerging from Dust

Lance glanced at Calliope, then at Hudson. He nodded, trying to sound businesslike. "Yeah, bro, I'll take care of the office today. You stay home and get some proper rest. Let Callie give you a thorough checkup, all right?"

"Honestly, you haven't looked great lately. You really do need a checkup. Last week I even had a nightmare-you got some awful disease or something!" he blurted out, shuddering a little. "It's gotta be all that stress."

"From now on, we'll take turns at work. You don't have to shoulder everything yourself. I can handle it too, you know."

Lance looked genuinely worried, his eyes wide.

Remembering his dream, he shook his head hard, then spat over his shoulder, as if to ward off bad luck. “No way something like that would happen to you. That dream was just my brain playing tricks on me! How could I even have a dream like that? I must be losing it."

"Seriously, man, when you keep refusing treatment, it gives me anxiety issues!" He spoke while munching on scrambled eggs, "Today, you're off duty. Turn your phone off, let everyone at the office call me if they need anything."

Hudson watched Lance fuss, and couldn't help giving a quiet sigh.

"I'm fine, really. And I thought you hated handling the company stuff?"

"I do," Lance shot back, "but if it's for you, that's different! You're the most important person in my life. I can't lose you, okay?"

He tried to grin at Hudson, looking both brave and a little desperate. "Don't worry about anything. I don't like running things, but I'm not useless-I can handle it. Don't underestimate me!"

Hudson nodded. “That's good. You'll have to learn to run things eventually. I can help you for a while, but I can't do it forever."

Lance's face fell. He scowled at Hudson, clearly not liking the sound of that.

"What do you mean, not forever?" he protested. "You promised you'd always have

my back! I'll always need you. Don't you dare try to sneak out of this!"

"And you know what? You saved me back then, but you needed saving too. If I hadn't been there, you

wouldn't have made it either. Wenet

saved each other, man. That means we're stuck together for life. No running away!"

"If you do, I'll be pissed!" He pouted, trying to look fierce but mostly just looking worried.

Hudson smiled at him, that warm, gentle smile that always managed to calm Lance down. But Calliope could tell behind the smile, his eyes were full of something a lot like sadness. She knew he was struggling too. Maybe even more than Lance. noveldrama

"I hear you," Hudson said quietly. "I'm not going anywhere. Now eat up Once you're done, head to the office and handle things. I've already set up what you need-no slacking off!"

"Yeah, yeah, boss," Lance grumbled, rolling his eyes. "I'll do everything for you, happy now?"

“Perfect. That means I get a day off." Hudson laughed, ruffling Lance's hair as if he were a kid.

Calliope watched them with a soft sigh. She couldn't help feeling for both of them -brothers tied together by fate and history, each trying to take care of the other in their own clumsy way.

After breakfast, Lance headed out the door, promising Hudson he'd give it his all and that Hudson should let Calliope run a full checkup.

Hudson just smiled and waved him off.

But the moment Lance was gone, his whole demeanor changed. He slumped onto the couch, elbows on his knees, hands pressed to his temples like he was fighting off a migraine.

"Let me take a look at you," Calliope said, frowning in concern. "Is it your head again?"

Hudson glanced up, his eyes rimmed red.

"It's not just my head," he admitted quietly.