"You want him?"

I turned around and met Lorcan's dark, depthless gaze. My smile grew contemptuous as I noticed the way he was gripping my arm. "What about it, Mr. Steele? He's not part of Skylark Entertainment, is he?"

There was a long silence, then Lorcan swallowed and said in a grainy voice, "I'll let you sign whoever you want in Skylark Entertainment as long as it's not Sabrina."

"Let go!" I shrugged him off, grimacing in anger. It was always "Sabrina" this and "Sabrina" that with him. I'd lose my mind if I heard her name again!

Lorcan stared at me for a heartbeat, then narrowed his eyes. In a show of compromise, he released me. "Fine."

I appraised him critically, then turned to leave. The next second, I felt the world spin and go out from under my feet. Before I knew it, I was slung over Lorcan's broad shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"What the hell are you doing, Lorcan?" Blood rushed to my face as I screamed and smacked him. In a seamless series of movements, he carried me out of the hall, tossed me into the car, and took me home.

His abode was much fancier than the home I'd lived in before my family went bankrupt. It was an overtly resplendent house, as expected from the wealthiest man in the country.

"What the hell, Lorcan?" I demanded, whirling to fix him with an angry, indignant look after he'd taken me here against my will.

However, I'd only just turned when I noticed how deathly pale Lorcan looked. I was so startled that I asked, "Hey, what's the matter with you?"

Lorcan glanced at me, beads of cold sweat forming on his brow, and said nothing. The next second, his towering figure went slack, and he collapsed.

Panic had me lurching forward to catch him, though I made a clumsy job out of it. I carried him to the couch, which later proved to be a laborious endeavor that left me breathless.

Lorcan sank into the couch, his brows knitting together as pain etched on his face.

This was the first time I'd seen him like this, and I couldn't help feeling sorry for him. My tone softened. "What's wrong with you, Lorcan?"

He couldn't speak, and his brows remained drawn. At that moment, a piercing ringing sliced through the air.

It was Lorcan's phone. He didn't respond even though it had been ringing for over ten seconds. I decided I was past asking for his permission and leaned forward to dig his phone out of his pocket.

I slid my thumb across the screen and put the call through. "Hello?"

"What the hell?" The person on the other line boasted a rather familiar, if not annoying, loud voice. "Tessa?"

My head throbbed. "Yes."

"Why do you have Lorcan's phone? Are you with him? Hold up, when did you two get so chummy? Also—"

I cut him off, "Stop. I have only one question now—does Lorcan have a medical condition or something? He's now—"

I lowered my gaze and assessed the man lying on the couch. His face was ashen, and he'd broken into a cold sweat. Whatever it was he had, it looked serious.

"Did that punk drink again?" Callum cried, "He's got gastritis!"

"Is it serious?" I asked.

"Well, yeah. During the class reunion last week, the punk downed so much alcohol while I wasn't looking and ended up in the hospital emergency room with a bleeding stomach."

I hung up, but Callum's words still echoed in my mind.

I was in the kitchen making hot tea with honey when Jonathan called. For what it was worth, Lorcan's way of living was decent by conventional standards. At least his fridge wasn't empty.

"Tess, where are you?"

I brought the honeyed tea out of the kitchen. "What's up?"

"Hurry over! I found you a decent Credean man!" It was all flashing neon lights and white noise on Jonathan's end. From the looks of it, he was at a bar.

I put the call on speaker and set my phone on the couch. Then, propping up a very weak and vulnerable Lorcan, I said to Jonathan, "Go have fun without me! I can't make it."

"Why not?" Jonathan looked scandalized. "Are you planning to use me to ward off unwanted suitors again? You know what my sweetheart will think of that! She'd be livid!"

I shot him an odd look. "You don't have a sweetheart."

Lorcan seemed to be doing better after recuperating for a few minutes. He opened his eyes lazily, held my stare, then dropped his gaze to the cup of honeyed tea in my hand. He said nothing.

"I just met her! She's super cute, and so, so beautiful—" Jonathan rambled on like a lovesick fool, only to snap out of his trance a second later. "Wait, don't change the subject, Tess! I'm serious about that Credean guy. I found you a match, and a handsome one at that!"

I handed the honeyed tea to Lorcan as he lay awake on the couch and turned to grab my phone. "Alright, fine, give me his number. I don't have time today, though…"

There was a loud crash, followed by the sound of porcelain shattering. My back stiffened as I spun to look at Lorcan.

Lorcan had knocked over the cup of honeyed tea and grabbed me forcefully by my wrist.

I barely registered what was happening as he flipped me around and pinned me under him. He leaned over me, biting my lip with newfound ferocity.

As the sparks went off in my head, I felt his weight crushing me, holding me down so completely that I couldn't budge. I turned my head to the side and snapped, "You're out of your mind, Lorcan!"

"Yes, I am." Lorcan clutched my jaw and turned my face to his. He stared at me intently, his voice rough. "I'm out of my mind because I miss you too much and I'm jealous of all those men leering at you."

I froze, but Lorcan continued to kiss me. A few seconds later, tears sprang to my eyes, and I tried my best to shove him away. "Lorcan, what are you doing? What about Sabrina? Aren't you worried she'd catch you doing this?"

"What does any of this have to do with Sabrina?" Lorcan paused, though he pinned me in place as he frowned at me.

"But you and Sabrina are together…" I turned away from him to hide the tears glistening in my eyes. I avoided his gaze.

But Lorcan wouldn't allow it, for he turned my head to face him again. There was no room for negotiation in his tone. "Look at me, Tessa."

I sounded resentful. "Why? You're a bastard for trying to hook up with another woman when you're already seeing someone!"

Lorcan sputtered, the sound angry and bitter. "Which idiot told you Sabrina and I were dating?"

I made no reply. He pinched my jaw and kissed me hard once. "Can't you tell who I'm in love with?"

Panic, bitterness, and resentment wove through me as I pushed him away and bolted. He grabbed my wrist and sat upright, pulling me into his arms. "Where do you think you're going?"

I found this to be a total farce.

Lorcan had protected Sabrina and shielded her from the world. Besides, he told me to stay away from him. Even if he and Sabrina weren't dating, I'd been stung once, and that was enough to leave a scar.

I regarded Lorcan pensively as clarity entered my red-rimmed eyes. "But I'm not in love with you anymore, Lorcan."

Lorcan clutched my wrist tightly. I tried to pull away, only to realize it didn't take much to shake off his grip.

After a long while, he finally said in a gravelly voice, "It's late. You'll stay in the guest room tonight. I'll drop you off at the hotel tomorrow."

The torrential downpour happened again the next day.

Lorcan gave me a ride to the hotel and remained silent for most of the drive. I was about to open the car door to get out when I realized I couldn't.

I gaped at him incredulously. His expression was veiled in shadows, and his eyes were as dark as treacherous whirlpools, threatening to suck me in and spit me out the other end in pieces.

"Tessa." His voice was imposing and hoarse. "Will you leave again?"

My heart skipped a beat. It felt like time had stopped, and for a moment, all I did was listen to the whooshing sound of the torrential downpour. I replied softly, "I will."

"Half a month," Lorcan suddenly said.

I lifted my gaze to his. "I'll take you to see Sabrina after half a month. Just stay away from that no-good Xander Townsend."

So, he was keeping Sabrina in a gilded cage somewhere and hiding her away from the world. Disgust overcame me, and I roughly wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.

Xander Townsend. He was the candidate I'd been reading up on. Sensing my incredulity, Lorcan pressed a button and unlocked the car door, explaining, "He's bad news."

I suppressed the discomfort working to lodge itself in my chest, then nodded as I opened the door.

"Tessa," Lorcan called out to me after I left, frowning. "Did you hear me? Stay away from him!"

I held up the umbrella and stepped out into the rain, answering nonchalantly, "Yes, I heard you."

Lorcan was a grown, grounded man. If he said Xander was trouble, I believed him.

Headquarters tasked Jonathan with procuring another female celebrity who happened to be shooting out of town. After he left on that assignment, I was left in the hotel alone.

Since then, someone new had occupied Jonathan's room. Lorcan moved in right across the hall from me, and after learning that, I'd stopped going out. The last thing I wanted was to run into him.

On this rainy day, however, I suddenly craved a pastrami sandwich. Although I had no family here, I still missed Credea and everything about it.

It was 5:00 pm. Lorcan must still be in the office. With an umbrella in hand, I gingerly snuck out of the room.

I'd just entered the elevator when a tall figure followed me in, his long legs closing the distance between us easily. I instinctively clutched the umbrella tighter.

Lorcan followed me for quite some time.

I had to cross a wide street to get to the delicatessen where they sold pastrami sandwiches. The green light of the pedestrian crossing lit up, and without paying any attention to the people around, I headed toward the street across from mine.

The rain got heavier, ruthlessly splattering against my umbrella. More puddles began to form on the road, and even my sandals were soaked.

Suddenly, a large truck burst forward, the puddles spraying as it drove past them. I stood frozen under the umbrella like a deer in headlights.

The next moment, I felt a gust of wind behind me. Someone had lunged for me, his warm, strong body wrapping around me as we hit the ground and rolled to safety. The rain soaked through our clothes as we clung to each other.

There was red in the rainwater.

A loud ringing filled my head as I lay on the ground. I propped myself up slightly and found Lorcan lying prone as well, blood trickling down his body.

I peeled the strands of hair clinging to my face, shivering with the cold as I leaned over and picked up my phone. Without wasting time, I dialed 911.

"Why are you crying, Tessa?" Lorcan asked, his eyes suddenly opening as he flashed me a smile. "I'm not dead yet, you know."

The rainwater merged with my tears as I held him, propping him up. I snapped, "I'm not crying!"

A smile played on his lips, his heavy-lidded eyes closing. Terrified he'd fall asleep, I held him and kept talking to him. "Why did you run over, Lorcan?"

He chuckled, only to cough out a mouthful of blood. "Because I… am your bodyguard… of course."

I tasted the rainwater. It was salty.

The surgery went well. Lorcan pulled through the critical stage, but remained unconscious for now. The doctor couldn't give me a straight answer on when they expected him to regain consciousness.

I gaped at the man now lying in the hospital bed. He looked as brusque as ever, though his brows were still tightly knitted.

My mind turned blank. Countless emotions, most of which were inexplicable, built up within me until they threatened to carve my neck out.

It was a bittersweet feeling.

Callum entered the room then with a paper bag. "Here, Tessa. Get changed before you catch a cold."

"Okay…" I opened the bag to find my clothes from back in high school nestled within. I lifted my gaze to Callum, waiting for an explanation.

"No, it's not what you think!" Callum quickly defended himself. "I was in such a hurry and came across these clothes in his car. He'd stored them for years. I thought they were just regular spare clothes he often used."

Just then, I felt emotions crawl through the crevices in my heart, which wrenched at the thought of it. In the end, Lorcan went back on his word, for he was unconscious for a long time.

He'd promised to take me to see Sabrina in half a month, but he didn't wake up when it was time for us to call in our orders.

The doctor also mentioned that if Lorcan did not wake up, he'd live like this forever.

I'd been so terrified that the tips of my fingers turned white.

I moved out of the hotel and into the VIP hospital room. In the quiet of the evening, I opened the window and let in the evening breeze.

If I had to be honest, Lorcan was far better-looking than the celebrities on the internet. He was full of masculinity, with strong, chiseled features and luscious lips. He also sported a very attractive build.

I propped my chin up in my hand and subconsciously reached out to touch Lorcan. He was soft in some places and hard in others, his skin hot under my fingers.

I blinked and felt the blood rushing to my face.

There was a sweet-sounding snort that came from the door, startling me so much that I turned to look at the visitor.

"My, my, Tess, are you only capable of doing something so depraved and pathetic?" The woman took off her shades and mask, revealing a face that was both familiar and not.

It was none other than Sabrina.