A Reborn Bride Pearl Emerging from Dust by Sally Garcia

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?"

that's different! You're the most

at Hudson, looking both brave and a little desperate. "Don't worry about anything. I don't like running things,

to run things eventually. I can help you for a while, but I

Hudson, clearly not liking the

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

need you. Don't you dare

You saved me back then, but you needed saving too. If I hadn't been

have made it

That means we're

He pouted, trying to

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

Now eat up Once you're done, head to the office and handle things. I've already set up what you need-no

rolling his eyes. "I'll do everything for

I get a day off." Hudson laughed, ruffling Lance's hair as if he were