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
Cordy snorted. "Let's get down to business.""Alright," Patrick replied cheerfully, and his tone quickly changed. "After we managed to escape by chance the other night, William's side of the family must be fuming—especially Jessica. She must be losing it too, knowing that you are now with John. That's why you'd better watch out. I'm really worried she'll do something drastic.""What, wasn't that night drastic enough?" Cordy scoffed."Their whole family was in on it. In this case, Jessica would be doing it on her own volition, and it's going to be something insane.""Yeah," Cordy replied, having anticipated that.After all, John had left Jessica alone at the charity ball, went straight to Cordy's rescue, and stayed with Cordy ever since.It was far more than what any woman could take."Also, my grandfather is making his move against William following that night," Patrick added bluntly. "William burned his bridges when he tried to hurt us, and I apologize that you almost lost your
The sudden change in subject left Cordy taken aback."What, you don't want to leave?" Patrick teased her."I mean, I would like to, but I'd rather not trouble you," Cordy said bluntly. "I can't even get out of bed right now.""I'm just kidding," Patrick said. "I won't be able to take you with me even if I came, not to mention that I have no idea where you are. I'm sure John would do all he can to hide you from me, but that's the point—he's keeping you very well hidden, so be at ease and take your time to rest for a while at his place."Cordy could not quite describe how she felt after hearing what Patrick said.That was when another call came in, and she said, "I'm hanging up. Jessica is calling John's phone.""Ask the man to buy you a phone, okay? Just stick to your old number so that we can keep in touch," Patrick did not forget to tell her."I know."Once she hung up, she called out at the direction of the door, "John!"John opened the door and entered, having been waiting