Daniel lay on the bed of his hotel room, staring at the ceiling. It was the next day already.
He had barely slept. He tried to sleep, but every time he closed his eyes, a certain memory kept replaying in his head.
He had saved her. He had carried her back to the hotel. He had done a lot for that crazy fool. He had saved that ungrateful idiot.
And what did she do?
She hugged another guy. That was the second time she had done that. She was such an ingrate and would always be an ingrate.
He was annoyed.
He sat up, grabbed his jacket, and left the room.
---
In the car, Liam drove in silence. The city lights of Merra blurred past the tinted windows. Daniel sat in the backseat, his head resting against the leather, his eyes closed. But he was not sleeping. Liam could feel Daniel's anger radiating from the backseat like heat from a fire.
He needed to report. He had been putting it off, but now there was no escape.
"Sir," Liam said carefully. "She was in Merra. Our guys chased her down, but she suddenly disappeared."
He paused, his hands tightening on the steering wheel.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Viggo. It was my fault."
Daniel said nothing.
He had known they would not catch her that easily. He had been looking for her for three years, but all they ever got were leads. Three years of dead ends. Three years of nothing but leads that went nowhere. Finding her—catching her—was not going to be easy. He knew that. And he was not in a hurry. He had waited this long. He could wait longer.
But the thought of her, still out there, still free, still breathing the same air as him—it made his blood run cold.
"The chairman is calling," Liam reported suddenly, pulling Daniel from his thoughts.
Daniel hummed in response. He did not even open his eyes. He did not even attempt to look at the phone or pick it up. He knew what the call was about.
He was not in the fucking mood to talk.
"Cut anyone from home off from contacting me," he ordered.
Liam nodded. "Yes, sir."
---
The car came to an abrupt halt.
Daniel jerked forward. His eyes snapped up.
"Do you have a death wish?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous.
Liam shook his head quickly. His face was pale.
"Miss Johnson," he said.
Daniel's eyes widened.
He was out of the car before Liam could finish explaining. The door slammed behind him. His long legs carried him forward in quick, purposeful strides.
Lina was lying on the ground in front of his car. Her body was limp. Her face was pale. Her dark hair was spread across the pavement.
Daniel did not think. He did not hesitate.
He crouched down, slipped one arm under her knees and the other behind her back, and lifted her into his arms.
He carried her to the car.
"Drive," he barked.
Liam stepped on the pedal. The car shot forward, weaving through traffic at full speed.
---
They arrived at the hospital.
Daniel carried Lina inside, his jaw tight, his eyes fixed straight ahead. The hospital staff rushed toward him as soon as he entered.
They took Lina from his arms. His hands felt empty.
They wheeled her toward the emergency room. The doors swung shut behind her.
Daniel stood in front of the closed doors, his posture cold. The temperature of the room seemed to drop.
He did not move. He did not speak.
Liam stood behind him, shaking with fear. He kept his face blank, his posture straight, but the killing intent radiating from Daniel was enough to make any man afraid. Liam had seen Daniel angry before. He had seen him cold. He had seen him cut off ten fingers without flinching.
But this was different.
This was not anger.
This was fear.
And that made it so much worse.
---
Twenty minutes passed.
The emergency room doors opened. A doctor walked out, still wearing his scrubs. He had a clipboard in his hand and a calm expression on his face.
"Mr. Viggo," the doctor said.
"She's fine," the doctor continued. "There was no head injury and no fractures. She had a classic vasovagal syncope—essentially, a fainting spell caused by sudden shock and fear. We are keeping her for a short observation out of caution, but she can likely go home within the hour."
Daniel breathed a sigh he did not even know he was holding.
His shoulders dropped slightly. Just slightly. Anyone who did not know him would not have noticed.
He made to walk into the room, but then he remembered Liam.
He turned around.
Liam stood at attention, his face carefully blank, his eyes fixed straight ahead. Inside, he was trembling. But he knew that showing his fear would only make his punishment worse.
Daniel looked at him from head to toe. His gaze stopped at Liam's feet.
"I can really see you don't know how to use those legs of yours," Daniel said.
His voice was cold. Flat. Emotionless.
Lina was fine. If she had been hit by the car, that would have been another issue entirely. He would not be standing here having a conversation. He would be standing over a body.
But she had not been hit. So Liam would be spared—a little.
But the thought that Liam had almost hit Lina—someone Daniel was not done with—made his eyes turn cold again.
"Twenty-four hours on ice," he said.
Then he turned and walked into the emergency room.
He could live without a driver for a day.
---
Lina sat on the hospital bed, her phone in her hand.
She was FaceTiming Bella.
Bella's face filled the screen. Her eyes were red. Her lip was trembling. She looked like she had been crying.
"Lin," Bella called out, her voice choked.
"B, I'm fine," Lina said.
She knew her best friend was suppressing her emotions. Bella was not good at showing vulnerability. She was the strong one, the loud one, the one who always had a plan. But right now, she looked like she was about to fall apart.
"If I wasn't fine, would I be on video with you?" Lina asked.
Bella shook her head. She wiped her nose with the back of her hand.
"Okay," Bella said. "Come back to Eldrida in one piece. Make sure of it."
Her voice was firm, but her eyes were still wet.
Lina nodded.
Bella looked like she was about to break down. Her face crumpled.
"This is all my fault, Lins," Bella said. "I was so caught up in getting you to make a move on Carter that I did not think about you. I did not think about how you would feel. I did not think about how you would walk around in those clothes." Her voice cracked. "This is all my fault, Lins. I am so sorry."
Lina shook her head, but she did not stop Bella from feeling guilty. She knew that if Bella were given another chance, she would still pack those clothes again. That was just who Bella was.
"I'm fine," Lina said. "It's okay—"
She stopped mid-sentence.
Unintentionally, she looked up.
And she immediately froze.
Daniel stood in the doorway.
He was leaning against the frame, his arms crossed, his expression unreadable. The light from the hallway spilled around him, casting his face in shadow. But his eyes were unmistakable. Dark. Cold. Watching.
Lina stared wide-eyed at the man standing in the doorway.
Her heart stopped. Her breath caught in her throat. The phone slipped from her hand and landed on the bed with a soft thud.
Daniel pushed off the doorframe and walked toward her. His footsteps were slow. Deliberate. Each one echoed in the quiet room.
He stopped beside her bed. He stood over her, looking down at her from his full height. His gaze traveled across her face—the bruise on her cheek, the cut on her lip, the fear in her eyes.
He reached out to touch her face.
Lina flinched.
The movement was small. Instinctive. She could not help it. Her body reacted before her mind could stop it.
Daniel's hand froze mid-air.
His face turned cold. Hard. The flicker of something—concern? care?—that had been there a moment ago vanished completely.
He dropped his hand.
"Very well," he said.
His voice was flat. Empty.
He turned away from her.
She did it again. She flinched from him. She pulled away from him. Just like she had hugged Carter. Just like she had always run to another man.
Always the same. Always an ingrate.
He walked toward the door without looking back.
Daniel reached the door. He paused for just a moment. He did not turn around.
Then he walked out.
The door swung shut behind him.