They say a girlfriend's best friend is just as hard to please as her mother. Whoever came up with that was a genius.

Seth Harcourt let out a helpless sigh. "I'll let you play with it as much as you want later, okay? However you want."

Noreen Gilmore was groggy, mumbling as if she were half-asleep. "Not today. So tired."

Seth's breathing grew visibly heavier, his restrained voice taking on a strangely hoarse quality. "Alright. Next time, then."

Noreen woke up the next morning with a splitting headache. She took a shower, which finally made her feel a fraction better.

Just as she stepped out of her bedroom, Sophia Cole opened the front door, carrying takeout bags.

"You're awake, Noreen? I grabbed you some breakfast and a hangover cure." Noreen rubbed her temples, genuinely feeling under the weather.

An indescribable lethargy weighed down her entire body.

Noticing her pale complexion, Sophia asked with concern, "Not feeling well?"

"A little." Noreen sat at the dining table and asked casually, "There wasn't anything wrong with the alcohol yesterday, was there?"

"No, everyone else is totally fine."

"Then why does my head feel so heavy?"

She took a sip of the hangover soup. The familiar taste instantly flooded her senses, making her thoughts jolt to a halt.

"What's wrong?" Sophia asked, noticing her sudden pause.

Noreen shook her head. "Nothing."

After finishing half the bowl of soup, her dizziness finally subsided a bit.

Sophia urged her to eat some actual breakfast.

The spread was exceptionally generous today.

There was porridge, some side dishes, and a cup of fruit tea.

Seeing Noreen staring at the fruit tea, Sophia quickly explained, "Isn't it almost that time of the month for you? Drinking this a little early helps with the cramps."

Noreen lowered her eyelashes, staying silent.

Her period had arrived early, but Sophia didn't know that.

Which meant that, in all likelihood, Sophia wasn't the one who had prepared this.

During the morning meeting, two employees called in sick at the same time.

Both had come down with the flu.

Noreen had Sophia buy elderberry syrup for the entire staff, reminding everyone to wear masks and take precautions against the outbreak.

But the flu was relentless, and soon enough, Noreen herself caught the bug.

By that very evening, her fever spiked to a hundred and two degrees.

To make matters worse, her period decided to join the chaos.

Even an iron-willed woman like Noreen couldn't withstand this double assault.

She was just about to text Sophia to bring her some medicine when she saw a message from her assistant sent a minute ago.

Sophia had caught the flu too and was currently at the hospital on an IV drip with a high fever.

Noreen's request immediately turned into instructions for her assistant to get plenty of rest and focus on recovering.

Putting her phone down, Noreen dragged her aching body to the living room to rummage through the first-aid kit.

There were some basic cold meds inside, and she swallowed a dose without overthinking it.

She curled up on the sofa and fell into a feverish, restless sleep.

It felt like she hadn't been asleep for long when a sharp, agonizing cramp in her abdomen woke her up.

Her body temperature was entirely

out of whack-she was shivering one second and burning up the next engulfed in an indescribable wave of misery.

The basic cold meds she had at home were practically useless against this aggressive flu.

Left with no choice, Noreen ordered stronger medication through a delivery app, adding a box of painkillers to the cart.

While waiting for the delivery, she

curled into a tight ball, clutching her stomach. It felt as though every single cell in her body was

screaming in agony.

Right at the peak of her torment...

A noise came from the entryway.

Assuming it was the delivery driver, Noreen forced her heavy, aching body to stand

up and head for the door.

Suddenly, the door swung open on its own.

A familiar voice rang out in the darkness. "Why are the lights off?"

Noreen froze.

Seth flipped the light switch.

The sudden brightness forced

Noreen to squeeze her eyes shuts Before she could adjust to the glare, a hand gently rested against her burning forehead.

His palm was cooler than her skin, though not exactly cold.