The inferno raged in the night, and Cordy's whole body was shaking.No… he was not dead! Not like that!She rose to her feet but fell just as she did, her feet too weak to carry her.She only wanted to go to John…As such, she crawled over to the wreckage even as she felt as if she was crumbling with despair inside, her heart aching so much she was unable to breathe…That was when she seemed to see silhouettes suddenly appearing amid the flames, dashing wildly in her direction. They were all on fire and looked like they were going to be burned, but they were also unquestionably alive.John was still alive! Still, after running and getting some distance between them and the burning wreckage, they dropped to the ground and started rolling around, intent on putting out the flames.Cordy did not hesitate to throw herself on John, using her own body to put out every flame over his body.Eventually, they all managed to put out the fires, and only the wreckage was burning. Still
But even as Cordy kept shoving John off, she said, "Don't worry, that doesn't apply to me."John kept holding on tightly to her, so she made herself very clear. "You just might be able to do it, though."John paused then, as something seemed to hit him right then.He eased his hold on Cordy and stared at her for a while."It's exactly what you think," she told him and slithered out of his arms, swiftly walking up to Patrick.The man was writhing in utter agony, though she almost saw him bleeding out of every orifice.Cordy thought she was imagining it since it had not been that long, but as she put her hand on Patrick's nostrils, she felt the vicious sensation of blood.And from up close, she saw his eyes staring blankly into thin air while he bled out from his ears too…How heavily did the Stuarts drug him? Were they trying to kill him?!However, it made sense that the Stuarts had a backup measure in case they failed to kill them in the car crash. If they could at least made
The elevation of the slope made it difficult to traverse and even more so for John, who had to carry Cordy.However, she was really spent and could not even open her eyes as she leaned in his arms.She vaguely heard cars screeching to a stop and the whirring rotors of a helicopter…Patrick's people had probably arrived.What perfect timing—not a moment too soon and not a moment too late.With that, Cordy finally dozed off. -When she woke up again, she found herself in a place she did not recognize.It was not the hospital, her apartment in North City, or John's apartment.She blinked, her eyelids still feeling very heavy just like her head.She felt like she had slept for a long while to the point that she could not wake up."You're awake." John's deep voice spoke beside her just then, quietly and tenderly.Cordy turned toward that familiar face of his and saw that his fair, handsome cheeks were covered in cuts and bruises of every size. Blinking, she asked, "Where am I
In the end, Cordy had to ask him.John had been unbelievably nice, and that left her suspecting if she was somehow crippled.Nonetheless, John chuckled so she could feel panic too.Cordy had to avert her eyes in turn—somehow, that man's smile was simply beautiful, even if it was filled with cuts and bruises. "Don't worry, you're not missing any limbs, though there's a minor fracture on your right foot," John answered seriously then. "There are also plenty of cuts and bruises all over your body, and you lost quite a lot of blood. The doctor assured me that you'll soon make a full recovery, regardless.""What about you?" Cordy asked, staring at him just then.Sure, she was fine, but what about him? Was he hurt? Even if he was not in the car when it crashed, he was definitely hurt when he rescued them.She noticed that both his hands were bandaged, but he still took care of her, even helping her drink."I'm fine," he said flatly.Cordy gulped.There was so much she wanted to
Cordy also never saw the so-called doctor John spoke of."Would you rather have Dicky keep you company?" John asked. "The doctor said that you should stay in bed and rest for up to five days given your condition, and it'd be two weeks before you can move around freely. To be precise, two weeks is how long it would take for you to recover your physical abilities, but that fractured leg would need at least three months to heal.""No." She rejected John just then—she would not want Richard to be sad seeing her in this miserable state. "Alright." John respected her decision.But with that, silence ensued between them until Cordy suddenly said, "I need the washroom.""I'll carry you," John said, and scooped her up in his arms before she could say another word…That was when he realized that the IV drip was still attached to her wrist.Staring at it for a moment, he put her back in bed. "It's a nutrient drip, so you won't need it after you eat. I'm going to pull it out of you, so bea
Cordy stared at John, speechless.He remained calm and collected as he added, "I've been taking care of you over the last few days."So?"I've wiped your face, your body, and changed your diapers…"As John went into detail about how he had been helping her over the last few days, she finally had enough. "Could you please stop?""Okay." John grinned.There's that bewitching smile again."So? Do you still want to take a shower?" John asked."Nope," Cordy refused—ignorance was bliss, but knowledge certainly changed everything."Where are we, specifically?" she then asked, just to distract herself from her urge to shower."My private residence in Rocktown," John replied. "We're two hours away from Stuart Hall. Aside from myself, there are two servants, five bodyguards, and one doctor.""Has Jessica been here?" Cordy asked. She would not take offense, since anything could happen between John and Jessica after how far their relationship had progressed. What she cared about, ho
Cordy nodded, agreeing with John's take.He was still watching her and solemnly giving her his analysis. "In summary, William has two key individuals he needs to deal with before his rise to power: Patrick and myself. However, he has labeled Patrick as a hostile that needs to be eliminated, while using every method at his disposal to attempt luring me to his cause. And for them, the only issue with that is you, which is why there's no doubt that they would come after you."Cordy blinked but did not respond.John then continued. "When you showed up at that charity ball with Patrick, it meant that they could make one move while gaining twice the rewards. They were never going to let that chance slip.""In reality, I'm not that formidable that I can fully read their mind, and everything I've mentioned is my supposition along with some after-action observation. I'm not clairvoyant—I can't protect you even before something happens, and it's not until the last moment that I realized the
Cordy suddenly asked, "How's Patrick?"There were many things she did not understand, so she was not going to rack her brains for nothing.The only thing she knew for a fact was that right now, she and Patrick were on the same side."He's not dead," John replied without further elaboration."Could I borrow your phone to give him a call?" she asked him politely then.John did not agree to it—it was clear that he was still hostile toward the man.That only begged the question further: what on earth was the relationship and standpoint between her and him?!Cordy did not get pushy, however, and calmly said, "Fine. I'm just going to lie down here.""You knew about his… taste?" John suddenly asked."Yeah," Cordy said, not bothered to hide it.In fact, Patrick had given her compromising photos of himself with other men back when he first visited her in her office.That was why she trusted him more than most and even had absolute faith in him. The ensuing controversy those photos co