After She She Stopped Loving Him

With that, she limped to her feet, didn’t even look at Charles, and made her way back to her own car.

Quentin hurried up after her. “You don’t even have a manager with you-who’s gonna get you to the hospital?”

Leo watched the whole thing, then elbowed Charles. “You not gonna help her out? Looks like her ankle’s in pretty

bad shape.”

7

A

Xavier was right there, catching Leo’s comment. His eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“Wait, seriously?’ Xavier wondered. ‘Is Leo into Joelle too?"

“He's been keeping tabs on her from the start. Now with Charles here, maybe he’s too shy to offer a ride

himself? Xavier guessed, more confused than ever.

‘Has he had his eye on her this whole time, just waiting for a moment to do something?‘ he thought, picking up

the tension.

Xavier's mood soured. “There are already more than enough guys chasing after Joelle, and Leo-man, he’s no

Casanova. With that many rivals, he doesn’t stand much chance,’

Charles wasn’t planning to help out, but after Leo nudged him and saw Joelle still shutting Quentin down, he

finally gave in and walked over.

“Letdrive you,” he said.

Joelle gave him a grateful-even slightly guilty-look. “Won't you miss out on the hike because of me?”

“Hospital's just a half-hour from here. I'll drop you off and get back before anyone even notices.” Charles replied.

“Thanks, Charles. | really appreciate it,” Joelle said.

9:35 Sat Oct 25

Chapter 203

Quentin's face fell, all the light gone from his eyes.

156 vouchers

Navier was turning it over in his mind: Wait, isn’t Charles basically with Yolanda now? As long as that’s still a

thing, Leo actTitan 206

Chapter 206

Yolanda followed Simone, her backpack slung over her shoulder.

“Aunt Simone, the short scene is really booming right now. Should we consider having our talent without

scripts try their hand at it?” Yolanda asked.

Simone was about to respond when lan suddenly spoke up.

“Ms. Grant.” lan called out.

“Yeah?” Yolanda looked over.

She turned to face him, noticing he seemed unusually quiet tonight.

“Can | talk to you about Ms. Sinclair's new script?” lan asked.

Simone hadn't forgotten lan was turning down the role, so she gave Yolanda a thoughtful, sympathetic pat on

the shoulder.

“Try and talk ssense into him, will you? If Mr. Rowe didn’t have such a soft spot for him, this kind of golden

opportunity wouldn't even land in his lap. His popularity is soaring, but his list of credits is way too short. After

Zack's show finishes up, mine is coming next, and if he adds this film to the mix, he’ll becan A-list star

practically overnight,” Simone urged.

Yolanda could hear the urgency in Simone’s voice. In truth, Simone really liked lan-he was talented, worked hard,

kept his head down, and always acted with respect. Honestly, what manager didn’t wish for talent like him?

“Ill talk to him, Aunt Simone,” Yolanda promised.

Simone knew they needed sprivacy, so she called out to the rest and led them off ahead.

Yolanda walked over to a nearby little pavilion and sat down, motioning for lan to join her. “Csit down.”

The benches here were designed in an interesting way-swere higher, slower. She chose the taller

one.

Jan walked over and sat on the lower bench at her feet. He took her backpack, opened it, and started

transferring the contents into his own bag.

Yolanda watched him, and even without a word from lan, she could tell he was still stewing over something. ‘He's

totally sulking again, she thought.

With a teasing grin, she propped one leg playfully across his lap.

lan froze, hands mid-motion, giving her a sideways look. “Careful, Grant. Your man’s about to show

catch us.”

up and

Yolanda couldn't help but laugh, leaning back with an easy swagger. “Still holding a grudge, huh?” she teased.

“Like I've got any right to be mad? You toldto chill out. If | keep being clueless, you'll probably kickto

the curb,” lan shot back.

With his head bowed and a gentle look on his face, lan tucked her sunscreen spray into his own bag, left her

backpack empty, and finally zipped it up.

Yolanda’s hair was slicked up in a high ponytail, her black sportswear making her skin look almost porcelain pale.

Her jet-black hair looked sharp against her fair face, and her eyes sparkled even brighter than the night sky

around them.

“lan, | don’t want you to take this script.”

lan went still for a second, eyes lowered, the barest hint of a smile flickering on his lips. “Really?”

Yolanda leaned in close and gave his earlobe a playful pinch. “If you did, the female lead wouldn't be Joelle.

Honestly, | can’t handle you getting all close and personal with her on screen.”

The thing about Yolanda-she could wrap any guy around her finger. Just a second ago, lan was sulking like a sad

puppy, and now he was all up in her space, tail practically wagging.

“Ms. Grant, honestly, before | ctonight, | was thinking... If you really madework with her, I'd just vanish.

You wouldn’t seeanywhere near you,” lan muttered.

He went full puppy mode, resting his chin on her shoulder, lashes down, back all hunched-looking like the

saddest, most pitiful guy in the world.

Yolanda reached up and gave his hair a little tousle. “Let's go. We'll miss the sunrise if we don’t move.”

lan practically bounced back to life, grabbing her hand and pulling her up the path. But halfway there, Yolanda

caught footsteps behind them, so she quickly dropped his hand and opened up sspace between them.

Leo sauntered over, all smug and casual, before firing off a snarky remark. “Well, well, you two again. Guess |

took a whole lap just to bump into you both. What's up with all the sneaking around?”

Yolanda was fed up with Leo and his prickly sarcasm. She definitely wasn’t about to let him sniff out what was

going on between her and lan. ‘Not a chance,’ she thought.

She buried her head and pushed forward, but Leo stuck to them like ssoggy, creepy ghoul, matching their

steps just out of spite.

For a second, Yolanda figured he was just taking his sweet time.

Then she caught on-speed up, he sped up; slow down, he slowed down. The guy was totally glued to them.

He was seriously like a shadow that just wouldn't go away.

Yolanda took a deep breath, spun around, and shot him a look. “Don’t you have anything better to do?”

Leo glanced over at lan and mentally scoffed, ‘Talk about extra. Who the hell wears a mask hiking?"

“What, this path yours or something?” Leo shot back.

Yolanda wasn’t about to waste her breath on him. Thankfully, they'd reached the top. The lights from the

mountain lodge glowed nearby, and everyone who'd made it was already waiting on the grass for the sunrise.

Leo let out another cold snort as he walked past lan, shooting him a glare that could cut glass.

Yolanda needed to hit the restroom and just handed her bag off to lan. “Go snag us a good spot for the sunrise -

I'll catch up in a sec.”

Saying no more, she strode off toward the lodge.

lan stood there clutching her bag, was just about to take a step after her when Simone’s voice rang out.

“lan, chelp us move a table,” Simone called out.

Leo’s eyes lit up, and he swaggered toward the lodge, tossing a cocky line over his shoulder. “Superstar, you

better get moving. If you're late, there won't be any seats left for you.”

He shot inside in a flash, obviously not wanting to get caught and forced by Simone to help out.

The tables were for breakfast later, and the staff was already hustling around, getting everything set up.

lan couldn't turn Simone down, so he just headed over to lend a hand.

Leo headed for the restroom on the first floor, but the door was wide open and the place was totally empty.

Leo frowned-where had Yolanda gone?

He checked the second floor, then the third, still nothing.

Back on the first floor, he pulled out his phone, ready to call her, but before he could dial, someone cracked him

hard on the back of the head. He dropped, lights out.

Andrew dragged Leo into the nearby courtyard and shoved him into the trunk, where Yolanda was already

out cold.

She'd been knocked out with something.

Andrew had originally planned to take just Yolanda, but Leo was so annoyingly persistent, hanging around

looking for people, that he finally just decided to drag him along too.

When Leo finally regained consciousness, his head was still spinning. Looking around, he realized he was locked

in srundown, abandoned factory. Sunlight spilled in from outside, but inside it was stripped completely bare-

just piles of scattered bricks on the ground, a single locked door, steel bars over the windows, and a camera

dangling from one of the window frames. That was all.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed someone behind him. Turning around, he saw Yolanda leaning back

in a chair.

Leo froze, and his first instinct was to reach for the chain around her ankle and try to undo it, but almost

immediately, he felt something wrong with his own body.

Leo felt like his whole body was overheating, his skin prickling with heat as if he might explode any second.

‘What the hell did they do to me?‘ he wondered, blinking through the haze.

Yolanda was sprawled across the only chair in the place-a grimy, beat-up thing, way too shabby for someone like

her. She looked so out of place, so vulnerable.

But even now, she was impossibly striking. Her pale skin seemed to almost shimmer under the weak sunlight,

and her athletic outfit traced every curve. Leo found himself dumbfounded, unable to look away.

“Yolanda? Hey, Yolanda?” Leo called out, his voice dry and low, and he slowly dragged himself closer to her.

He tried to get her attention, his body heavy and off-balance as he moved step by step toward the chair.

His hands were tied behind his back, so he could only nudge her with his head.

Yolanda had breathed in so much of the knock-out drug, she was totally unconscious.

Leo could barely think straight, her scent clouding his mind. He lowered his gaze, barely keeping himself in check

as he fought the urge to give in to his body's instincts.

“Hey, wake up,” he muttered, his voice rough and strained.

Leo had been kidnapped before, but never with someone like Yolanda. How the hell did she end up here with

him?

‘Who the hell is actually behind this? Is itthey want, or is Yolanda the target?‘ Leo thought, mind racing.

The thirst was killing Leo-every step closer made it worse, until he just gave in and pressed his face right into

her neck, desperate for any relief.

“Hey...” Leo croaked, his voice barely audible, rough with need.

He felt like he was boiling alive, trapped in a desert, the heat suffocating him. Getting close to her was the only

thing that made it even a little more bearable.

Even half-conscious, Yolanda could sense his burning presence against her, frowning in discomfort as she

instinctively shoved him away,

“Don’t push me... | feel awful,” Leo mumbled, voice thick with discomfort.

The camera dangling by the window caught everything-streaming every second live for whoever wanted to

watch.

Andrew was straight-up crazy. He blasted the group link out to a bunch of people: Charles, lan, Samuel, Xavier,

Quinn-the whole crew.

But everyone knew Andrew was persona non grata, so as soon as he sent out that link, most people instantly

blocked him and didn’t give it a second look.

Andrew was the black sheep of the Sinclair family, cast out and unwanted-no one needed to bother associating

with someone like him.

So, only a handful were left in the group.

ually stands a chance.

Navier nudged Leo. “Aren’t you going with them?”

Leo squinted, then swung open Charles's car door and pushed his older brother inside.

“Bro. I'm counting on you-don’t let Ms. Monroe get mistreated,” Leo said.

It finally clicked for Navier-Leo was trying to avoid letting Charles know he liked Joelle too, so he was keeping his

feelings on the down-low, and letting Xavier be the one to look after her.

Man, when did this kid get so low-key? Navier thought, a little taken aback.

Xavier shot him a look that said, ‘Don’t worry, I've got your back.

Leo just curled his lips in a smirk, thinking, ‘Yeah, whatever, dumbass.

He turned and headed for the trails, and with the car already gone, Xavier didn’t even realize he'd picked the

middle path.

aze linger shamelessly on Nnenna.

"Where are you going?" Carl shot up from his seat. "What do you mean the treatment’s over?" His brows

furrowed, confused.

"It means exactly what | said, it’s over," Darius replied in that matter of fact tone that made people want to

strangle him. "She’s not depressed. In fact, she’s taken this whole thing like it's a vacation trip to the tropics. Her

mental health’s fine. Honestly, you would see that too if you weren't looking at her through your big brother’

lenses."

Carl froze, jaw tightening.

"You were right," Darius added smoothly, eyes glinting. "There really is a conflict of interest in you treating her,

but not because she’s going to break apart. No, it's because you need to work on being objective when it comes

to family."

The words landed like a dart.

Satisfied, he adjusted his cuffs and headed for the door. "I expect my payment in my account before | get to the

airport," he called over his shoulder. "Oh, and | have a feeling this session benefitted more than just one person.

So don’t be stingy with the bonus."

The nerve.

"You're not going anywhere," Arthur's voice cut through the air, cold and commanding.

Darius didn’t even break stride. He kept walking, only to bump into two hefty men blocking the doorway.

"Mr. Darius," one of them said firmly, "his highness isn’t done speaking with you."

With polite but very firm hands, they ushered him right back into the dining hall.

Darius sighed tically, dragging his feet like a prisoner being hauled back to his cell. "And this, gentlemen,

is exactly why | don’t visit," he muttered. "One best friend is a smiling poison, the other is an iceberg armed with

knives..." He trailed off, eyes narrowing slightly before he added in a quieter voice, "And once upon a time, there

was the mountain, unshakable, immovable, crushing everything in his path. Somto."

The room fell still for a beat. Even Darius’s mocking tone softened as he bowed his head slightly. "May his soul

rest in peace," he said, genuine for once. The weight of the loss pressed against them all for a fleeting moment.

Then, as if flipping a switch, his smile returned. "So," he asked lightly, glancing at Arthur, "what exactly do you

want?"

Arthur didn’t even look at him as he picked up another dish and served himself calmly. "I want you to do what

you were brought here for. Otherwise, | see no reason for you to continue practicing your profession at all."

The threat hung in the air like a blade.

"Carl?" Darius called out quickly, looking for backup.

But Carl only shrugged, casually spearing a piece of food with his fork. "Don’t look at me. | agree with him."

Darius let out another long sigh, muttering something under his breath about being bullied by icebergs and

traitors.

"How many times do | have to tell you guys?" Darius finally snapped, frustration slipping through his usual

smooth tone. "She's fine. There's no denial, no repression, none of those textbook emotions you expect from a

‘normal’ patient."

"We don't think so," Arthur replied flatly, not even bothering to look at him.

Darius rolled his eyes so hard it was a miracle they didn’t get stuck. "Fine," he grumbled, throwing up his hands

in mock surrender. "She might not need my help accepting the paralysis, but she does have a trace of

unresolved trauma from what happened to Somto. Barely noticeable, which means she’s healed a lot. Still, |

guess | can stick around and make sure it’s a hundred percent. Happy now?"

Arthur didn’t answer. Not even a twitch.

Darius clicked his tongue. "Cold as ever." He turned toward Nnenna, gesturing tically like a knight offering

to escort a princess. "Con, Nnenna. Let's go."

Nnenna nodded politely, wiping her mouth with a napkin before tapping the controls on her chair to follow him.

"Oh, and Darius."

Arthur's voice stopped him in his tracks.

Darius groaned loudly, head tipping back. "What now?"

"| expect you to dust off those books on doctor patient boundaries before her next session," Arthur said calmly,

returning to his food without sparing him a glance.

Darius muttered something under his breath, rolling his eyes as Nnenna'’s lips twitched in amusement. Together,

the two of them left the hall, followed by the two hefty guards.

The moment the doors shut, the atmosphere shifted. Only Carl, Arthur, the housekeeper, and Nanny remained.

Arthur turned his cold gaze on Carl, his words laced with ice. "You just had to hire that flirt, didn’t you?"

Carl leaned back in his chair, meeting his stare without flinching. "Well, we wanted the next best person, didn’t

we?"

He didn’t wait for a reply. Carl stood smoothly and walked out, leaving Arthur behind with his icy aura spreading

through the room like a storm about to break.

Upstairs, Nnenna wheeled straight towards her room with Darius trailing behind.

"Am | even allowed in there?" he asked, glancing around the hall as they approached. "I don’t think brother

dearest would approve."

"Well, brother dearest already turned my room into the fortress of medicine," Nnenna said dryly, amused. "So

what better place for a session than here? Plus, this is just the outer part of my room. | thought | would show you

where to cwhen you're done dusting off those books on doctor patient confidentiality."

"Oh, that," Darius laughed it off, as if he hadn't been worried a moment ago. "Well, lately | don’t exactly like

using clinical settings for my sessions. They just... kind of cto me. Even in the most inconvenient places....

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