Chapter 20
“BANG!” The door burst open. The hand above my thigh froze. The men in the room stared in terror at the entrance; they tried to flee, but before they could move, they were tackled to the ground by black–clad security personnel and dragged out like dogs. The scene was chaotic–people wailing, men scrambling naked across the floor. It was truly horrifying.
The security team was efficient. No one dared look at me on the bed. A woman quickly covered me with a sheet, untying my bonds. After a brief check, she left to report.
Outside, Evan’s expression was frigid. “How is she?”
“We arrived just in time. She’s unharmed, but… slightly disoriented, probably from shock.”
Evan entered the room. It was quiet. Olivia was huddled under his jacket, her hair disheveled, her face pale. There was blood on her lips, and her body was trembling uncontrollably. She was like a rose crushed by a blizzard…
He leaned down, his fingertips lightly touching her cheek. The next moment, her face pressed against his finger, rubbing against his palm.
Evan froze. He tried to pull his hand away, but her tightly closed eyes slowly opened. She looked up at him, her gaze shifting from dazed to sorrowful and pleading, like an injured fawn in a forest.
His heart stirred; he reached out and gently stroked her head.“It’s okay. No one will hurt you.”
“Whoa…” I burst into tears, each drop falling into his palm.
“Don’t cry…”
“Evan wasn’t good at comforting; the more he told me not to cry, the harder I sobbed.
My cries reached the hallway; Gary was also distressed. The manager was still there; Gary told her, “Don’t say a word about this. If it gets out, the hotel will be held responsible!”
The manager nodded seriously. She couldn’t afford to offend someone like Evan Jones, and since the incident. occurred in their hotel, she wouldn’t dare to make it public.
Evan carried me out of the hotel through a side route. On the way to the hospital, I continued to cry, my tear ducts overflowing, soaking the front of his shirt. He sighed, allowing me to sit on his lap and cry in his arms.
I cried for over half an hour. He used an entire pack of tissues just wiping my tears and nose. Finally, I stopped crying. Then, I leaned quietly against his shoulder and fell asleep.
While they were rounding a bend, Olivia’s head tilted forward, her soft lips brushing against Evan’s Adam’s apple… He held his breath, gently pushing her head back.
At the hospital, Gary asked with surprise.“Mr. Jones, why are your cheeks so red? Are you hot?”
“…You shut up.” Evan gave him a cold look. Gary was puzzled; why was his boss angry?
It was a private hospital; arrangements had been made; a nurse was waiting at the entrance. The moment Evan got out of the car, they took Olivia inside for examination.
At 12:30 AM, I awoke from a haze. I turned to see Evan sitting by the bed. His shirt was wrinkled, his sleeves rolled up, his collar unbuttoned. He looked casual and relaxed.
“Mr. Jones.” I spoke, my voice hoarse.
“Do you remember what happened?” he asked.
“…Yes.” I offered a wry smile. From the attack to my rescue, though confused, I hadn’t completely lost consciousness.
“Thank you. Thank you so much for saving me!” If not for him, I might have died.
He looked at me intently, his eyes deep.“Good news and bad news. Which do you want first?”
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< Chapter 20
“Both.”
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The good news is you are fine; the needle didn’t go in. You only got a small dose of anesthetic, nothing serious. The bad news…” He paused.“…Your boyfriend was behind this.”
“I know…” I lowered my gaze, my hands twisting together.
He didn’t comment on that.“I’ll take care of this and keep those people in custody. Do you want to call the police or settle it privately? It’s up to you.”
“You’ve already helped me a lot,” I raised my eyes. “I’ll handle the rest myself.”
“Are you sure you don’t need help?”
“I already owe you a lot; I can’t owe you any more. I can’t repay you.”
He chuckled faintly.
My phone rang. It was my father. It was almost 1 AM and I hadn’t returned home. My parents were worried.
I cleared my throat.“Dad.”
“Olivia, where are you?”
“I’m… I’m at a club with my friends.”
“You’re not coming back? Your mother can’t sleep; she’s worried about you.”
“Mm, I’ll be right back.”
Hanging up, a wave of sadness washed over me. I couldn’t imagine what my parents would do and how much pain they would suffer if something had happened to me.
I turned to Evan.“Can you take me home?”
“In this state? Aren’t you afraid your parents will notice?”
I joked.“If I don’t go home, my mother won’t sleep; I have to…” My eyes welled up again. Taking a deep breath, I said, “It’s strange; why am I crying again? This is so embarrassing.”
“It’s okay. I’ve seen you cry all the way here.”
Almost 2 AM, Evan sent someone to take me home. I put on makeup, covering the tear stains on my wrists. At home, I pretended to be drunk, chatting briefly with my parents before going to sleep. Seeing me back, they relaxed.
Back in my room, after washing my face, I called Sherry.“Sherry, Julian and I won’t end quietly. I’m going to ruin him.” Sherry, half–asleep, was instantly alert.
