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 shovTitan 207

Chapter 207

lan caught on early that Yolanda was missing and had already sent the Crimson Gallery crew out to look for her.

Meanwhile, Charles had just arrived at the mountaintop villa. Not seeing Yolanda around, he started searching

the place.

Charles thought Andrew was a total lunatic, so the moment Andrew hit him up with the stream link, Charles just

removed him from his contacts without a second thought.

At the end of the day, only lan, Sam, Xavier, and Quinn were tuning in to the stream.

lan and Sam both knew Andrew wouldn't have sent them something like this if it wasn’t serious. Xavier, hanging

out at the hospital with Joelle, just clicked in out of habit.

And Quinn? He was purely in it for the entertainment-nothing like a bit of chaos to keep things interesting.

Andrew had sent the link out to over thirty people in their circle, but only four were actually watching.

He wasn't thrilled about that, but it didn’t matter-those four were all insiders, and as long as they saw Leo

hooking up with Yolanda on the live stream, Yolanda’s reputation would be trashed for good. Once he felt the

timing was right, he'd just take her out, no hesitation.

As for Leo, Andrew might be crazy, but he knew better than to go up against the Lawson family. Leo had to be

kept alive.

When lan saw the two people on the stream, he could pretty much guess who was behind this trap.

He was already in the car, talking to his team. “Find out where that signal's coming from. | need an address in

thirty minutes.”

Andrew had picked up all sorts of shady tricks overseas, and his signal was blocked off from the outside world.

Cracking it was going to take stime.

Right now, Andrew was running the show as the admin of the stream and sent out an announcement.

[Alright, folks, the real fun’s about to kick off. Hope you all enjoy the spectacle.]

He hadn't shared the stream with the general public for a reason. If the whole city of Beloris caught wind of

Yolanda’s mess, it wouldn't just be Charles getting humiliated-the entire Sinclair family would be dragged down

with him. And when it cto screwing up like that, his grandfather would tear him apart.

Honestly, the only reason he’d made it through all these years of Charles hating his guts was thanks to his old

man backing him up.

So when it cto anything that could shake the Sinclair family, he couldn't afford to screw around.

But if it was just the usual insiders watching, well, everyone knew how powerful the Sinclair family was-and they

knew Yolanda wasn’t exactly beloved. The scandal wouldn't touch the Sinclairs one bit. Charles would probably

kick Yolanda to the curb and, who knows, maybe all eyes would turn to Joelle next.

Andrew was hopelessly into Joelle-whatever she wanted, he’d move heaven and earth to get it for her.

Xavier was utterly furious seeing his brother dragged into this disgusting live stream. He didn’t waste a second

before barking out orders for his guys to find Leo, fast.

But when he realized the woman was Yolanda, Xavier totally freaked out.

If Leo actually got tangled up with Yolanda, how the hell were they supposed to face Charles?

Right now, it was obvious Leo had been drugged-who the hell would cup with a schthis vicious?

Leo was completely out of it-all he knew was there was something cold and sugary right in front of him, and he

wanted it bad.

He fought against his restraints, desperate to get that sweet, chilly treat into his mouth, but with his hands tied

behind his back, it was hopeless. ‘Why can’t | reach it? | need it, now!’ Leo thought, panic rising.

The sfour people were still watching the stream.

Andrew was pretty annoyed-he’d blasted the link out to a bunch of people, and only four had actually shown

up.

Leo was sweating bullets, his lips fumbling blindly in desperation until he finally bumped into Yolanda’s. Driven

by instinct and panic, he pressed a frantic kiss on her lips.

Sam’s hand stalled for a moment as he watched the scene, his face darkening. He quickly tore his eyes away

and barked at his people, “Find the address, now!”

Xavier was so freaked out he almost dropped his phone. He kicked the guy next to him hard.

“What the hell are you waiting for? Get moving! Find them, now!”

He absolutely had to stop Leo before it was too late.

Xavier jumped into the chat, his fingers flying in desperation.

[Andrew, you'd better listen up-don’t do anything you'll regret. If you mess with Leo, | swear I'll track you down

wherever you go.]

Andrew was completely nuts-he feared no one but his grandfather, and the rest of the world didn’t even register

to him.

Grinning, he typed into the chat.

[Well, would you look at that-Xavier’s here. Sit back and enjoy the spectacle, Xavier. Watch as your precious little

brother gets his first tstolen away, live. Hahaha.]

Xavier fired off a whole torrent of curses, but the system instantly censored them all.

Quinn watched the stream and let out a long sigh.

‘For fuck’s sake,’ Quinn thought, ‘I was just curious about what kind of dirty crap that psycho Andrew was

sharing, but I never thought it'd be this messed up!

Now, seeing Leo making out with Yolanda like there was no tomorrow, Quinn figured the kid was so out of his

mind he probably didn’t even know who he was kissing.

‘Shit, they're totally screwed now!‘ Quinn muttered to himself.

‘Beloris is about to go up in flames!‘ Quinn thought.

Leo absolutely hated Yolanda-he was always ragging on her, saying she was way too uptight, like, even the

slimiest pond eel had more energy and excitement than she did. He'd joke that Charles must've been cursed for

eight lifetimes to end up marrying someone as boring as her.

‘Man, when Leo snaps out of it and realizes he was all over Yolanda like that,’ Quinn thought, ‘he’s gonna go

ballistic-wouldn’t be surprised if he grabbed a knife and went straight after Andrew. Once that’s done, he'll make

sure Yolanda pays too, no doubt about it. His precious first kiss, gone just like that!”

‘Shit, what the hell is even going on?’ Quinn muttered to himself.

Quinn didn’t dare just pick up the phone and call Charles-there were only four people watching right now, and

Xavier was obviously one of them. ‘Xavier's here, but who the hell are the other two?’ Quinn wondered,

suspicious.

If Charles wasn't in the chat, then the four of them could just act like this whole mess never happened. Just don’t

mention a word about it to Leo later-especially since he wasn’t all there to begin with.

Quinn was itching to figure out who those other watchers were, but he really didn’t want his own npopping

up. Last thing he needed was to get dragged into this mess too.

At least for now, Andrew, the lunatic behind this whole fiasco, had no idea who the four viewers actually were.

‘Damn, | can’t even look at Leo like this anymore,” Quinn thought, forcing himself to look away from the

screen.

Leo had been making out with Yolanda for what felt like forever-seven, maybe eight minutes. The camera was

set up by the window, so it could only catch their movements, not their voices. Leo buried his face in Yolanda’s

neck and whispered, “Yolanda...”

Yolanda felt like her whole body was overheating, her breaths coming quick and shallow as she struggled for air.

Finally, through the haze, her mind began to clear. ‘Where am I? Why does everything feel so stifling?‘ she

groggily wondered.

She raised a hand to press against her aching forehead, only to bump into something scorching hot right next to

her. Instinct kicked in-she shoved it away without even thinking.

Leo, lost in his fever and need, instinctively reached out and grabbed her hand, pressing it against his cheek like

it was the only thing grounding him.

The soothing coolness from her palm washed over him, chasing away sof that burning heat. ‘Finally... that’s

better,’ Leo thought, relaxing into it.

Yolanda jolted awake and tried to get up, but the moment she moved, her ankle jerked back-chained tight. No

matter how desperately she scrambled, she couldn't get more than a step away before the cold metal stopped

her short.

“Leo, get a grip!” Yolanda yelled, her voice trembling with fear and irritation.

Leo lowered his lashes at her righteous tone, clinging to his last thread of sanity even as every cell in his body

screamed with pain and burning heat.

‘If this was lan, she wouldn't be acting like this,’ Leo thought bitterly. ‘She'd be falling over herself to help him,

even giving him water without hesitation.”

His hands were tied tightly behind his back-he coulTitan 208

Yolanda had no idea she was being live-streamed, so she was completely unaware of Xavier's frantic reactions

on the other side of the screen.

She kicked Leo away and glanced around.

She quickly realized that Andrew must have been the one behind all this.

Andrew always saw himself as Joelle’s loyal knight, and it looked like he'd been fooled by a few of Joelle’s cryptic

lines again, showing up to take out anyone who threatened her.

There was no reasoning with a guy like him. Andrew would gladly lay down his life for Joelle, and there was no

way Yolanda could talk him out of it.

Right now, staying alive was her only priority.

Yolanda hoisted her leg, still tangled in chains, up onto a chair, both hands straining as she tried to force the

shackles apart.

But the chain wrapped around her ankle fit so snug, it might as well have been tailored for her-it was useless,

she couldn't move it one bit.

Her other foot was still on the ground when Leo, looking crushed and miserable, inched toward her. He rubbed

his tear-streaked face against her foot, curled up small as if trying to hide from the world, his sobs tracing

muddy rivers down his cheeks.

To be honest, after all these years, Yolanda had only ever seen him act like a pompous jerk, always thinking he

was above her. This was the first tshe’d ever seen Leo so completely and utterly defeated.

Xavier couldn't stand it anymore. He started relentlessly spamming the live chat.

[“Yolanda, just you wait! How could you treat my brother like that? You'll regret this, | swear!“]

Quinn watched the scene and finally breathed out in relief-things were finally back on track.

Yolanda was usually the quiet type, but she could always tell when someone didn’t like her. She'd never taken to

Leo, so she’d always kept him at arm’s length all these years,

Out of the four, Samuel was easily the calmest of them all.

He had a stack of papers laid out in front of him, while his assistant stood respectfully at his desk, reporting back

with meticulous attention to every detail.

“Here's what we've got so far: the Andrade manor managed to snag that piece of land, but apparently there's

ssort of problem with it. No one’s figured out what it is yet. Cedric rushed over to the Andrade manor in the

middle of the night, so we should be hearing more about that land any minute now,” the assistant explained.

Samuel's gaze drifted over to his phone. The assistant, guessing he was checking out sbusiness stats,

considerately asked, “CEO, do you wantto bring over a phone stand?”

‘It’s probably a hassle for him to check the screen with the phone just lying there, the assistant thought to

himself.

Samuel pressed the power button and flipped his phone face down, sounding completely unbothered. “Don’t

worry about it-just updateon any news about that land. And get someone to track down Andrew's current

whereabouts.”

Right now, lan had control of the Crimson Gallery. If he wanted to track down Yolanda, he could do it in no time.

And with Xavier looking out for his brother like a hawk, there's no way this livestream could drag on for much

longer.

Samuel leaned back in his chair, thinking, ‘The longer we keep these tangled relationships under wraps, the

safer we are. If this mess blows up, the Grant Family's definitely getting dragged into the chaos.’

Yolanda would be left to face everyone's blame, and that kind of pressure could grind her to dust.

If those two men ever decide to back her up, she might stand a chance. At the end of the day, though, it all

depends on whether she’s got enough charisma to convince them.

Samuel lived by a single rule: never do anything reckless or out of line.

With all that responsibility weighing on him-and the Grant Family still climbing the ranks-there were just too

many things outside his control.

He lowered his gaze, and once his assistant had left, quietly picked up his phone to check the livestream again.

Yolanda was still fumbling with the chain on her ankle, while Leo’s cheek rested against the foot she kept on. the

floor.

He looked absolutely miserable, face flushed as he croaked, “Con, just lethave a drink... Why are you

being so cold-hearted, Yolanda? Please, I'm begging you...”

“Just one sip. Please... I'm so hot, | feel like I'm gonna burn up.”

His mumbling was so quiet, only Yolanda could actually hear him.

Yolanda just tuned him out, her fingers numb and aching as she tried helplessly to yank the chain open, but it

didn’t move a millimeter.

Finally, she just let go and sagged against the chair, hoping someone else would show up and pull her out of

this mess.

Leo, his wrists covered in bloody scratches, slowly pushed himself up from the floor and knelt down beside

her.

Yolanda's lashes fluttered as she immediately snapped upright, legs stiff with nervousness. ‘It’s not like | told him

to kneel, she thought. ‘Seriously, if he remembers this later and totally freaks out about it, please just don’t let

him go

Leo, dazed and burning up so badly he could barely make out anything in front of him, lurched forward in

confusion.

The chair simply couldn't take both their weight and collapsed backward.

Yolanda tumbled down with him, seeing stars as her world spun from the impact.

Sometimes, she seriously wondered if Leo was just her personal jinx.

She struggled to get up, saying, “Leo, con, get a hold of yourself...” ‘Seriously, does he even hear me?"

Yolanda thought, frustration written all over her face.

But before she could finish, the chair tipped sideways, and the overturned seat ended up blocking the camera by

the window. On the live feed, all anyone could see now was Yolanda and Leo lying motionless on the floor,

neither of them moving an inch.

Leo was still out of it, restlessly trying to get closer, pawing at the ground like a desperate animal rooting

through dirt-the more he struggled, the more flustered and miserable he became.

It hit Yolanda late-she started to realize she wasn’t feeling right either.

The drug in her system was just a tiny bit, but with that delayed onset, the discomfort only got worse as time

dragged on.

Yolanda lifted her foot and tried to kick him away.

The chair had flipped over, blocking most of the camera’s view.

The people watching on their screens had no clue what just happened; for all they knew, Yolanda and Leo were

just getting into another heated scuffle.

lan cut the live feed, and as soon as he locked down Yolanda’'s location, he slapped on his mask and was out the

door.

Only three people were left in the livestream now.

Yolanda’s head felt foggy, like her whole body was crawling with ants. Still, she was sure that Leo was the one

with her right now.

She kicked out again, but ended up giving Leo just the chance he'd been waiting for.

‘Gotcha!’ Leo thought.

Just as Leo buried his face, the livestream camera was blasted apart by a single shot. Right after, a car came

roaring in, smashing straight through the old factory door like it was nothing.

The car had no license plates-nobody could even guess who it belonged to.

Leo’s lips had barely brushed hers when suddenly someone seized him by the back of the neck and hurled him

aside without a second thought.

Yolanda, her whole body flushed red, was suddenly swept up into a pair of icy arms and carried straight out the

door.

The man holding her radiated a chilling aura, gripping her so tightly it felt like he could crush her right then and

there.

Yolanda could barely tell who this was-her vision was swimming. All she registered was the cold mask hiding his

face and the overwhelming, suffocating presence closing in on her.

“Letgo...” she barely managed to whisper, her voice thin and trembling.

She didn’t even get the words out before he hauled her up and tossed her into the car. The next thing she knew,

his lips crashed down onto hers.

Her mind snapped into focus for just a heartbeat, but the feverish heat roaring through her body swept her back

into the fog.

Yolanda had no idea where this guy was taking her-all she could feel was like she'd been dragged through a

burning desert for ages, about to shrivel up from the heat. Suddenly, she was slammed down onto a bed,

snapping her out of the haze.

The room was shrouded in darkness, and the masked man was standing over her, looking down from above with

a chilling intensity.

dn’t move a muscle.

Yolanda could only sit in the chair, the cold chain around her ankle keeping her in place. No matter how she tried,

she couldn't break free.

Leo pressed his chin against her thigh, voice hoarse and desperate. “Give it to me... I'm hurting.”

Yolanda shoved him away with a sharp kick, all nerves and zero hesitation. “What the hell is wrong with you?

Don’t freakout!”

Leo gasped as pain shot through his chest from the kick, his eyes turning bright red and misty in an instant.

Xavier, watching the whole mess play out, felt his scalp start to tingle from sheer rage.

[Yolanda, are you fucking kidding me? Can't you see he’s not even in his right mind? You think he actually likes

you? That kick-believe me, | won't forget it. You better watch yourself!] Xavier slammed the message into the

chat, furious.

ed 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....