Gia twisted the hem of her shirt as the elevator doors opened on the third floor. She had considered various scenarios for why Raven sounded angry, but none of it was helpful; all those guesses only added to her nervousness.Gia blinked rapidly when she entered the room, which turned out to be nearly pitch dark. However, her eyes quickly adjusted, and she spotted Raven's chair lying next to the large bed."Mr. Lindgren?"Gia approached cautiously, and as her gaze fell on the bed, a small gasp escaped her lips. Raven was groaning with his back arched, gripping his right thigh."Raven! What’s wrong?" Gia rushed to the bed without thinking."It hurts like hell!" Raven shouted, his eyes staring aimlessly."Wait, wait... I can't see! Why is this room so dark?!" Such a large room shouldn’t only have a dim bedside lamp.*CLAP!* Raven clapped his hands once, and the lights turned on brightly. The room's switch could be activated by a clap.Gia quickly released her grip on Raven's thigh due to
Gia opened her eyes slowly, feeling momentarily disoriented. She was confused by the unfamiliar sight in front of her.“Good morning!”A cold greeting snapped Gia into awareness.Beside her, Raven sat casually, leaning against the headboard. He was staring at her—well, maybe not staring, since his eyes looked unfocused. But his head was turned directly toward Gia, who was now standing up.For a brief moment, Gia felt like a terrible person for being relieved that Raven was blind. She could feel the dampness of drool on her cheek and knew she must look like a mess.“You’re awake, Mr. Lindgren? No more pain, right? Then, if you’ll excuse me.” Gia hastily greeted him, eager to make herself presentable.“I had Sophie move your things in here earlier, so you won’t need to go anywhere. I’ve also arranged for Jasper to order a new bed for you. However, until it arrives, you can continue to sleep as you did last night."Raven spoke casually and calmly, as if they were discussing dinner plans.
Gia opened her eyes slowly, feeling momentarily disoriented. She was confused by the unfamiliar sight in front of her.“Good morning!”A cold greeting snapped Gia into awareness.Beside her, Raven sat casually, leaning against the headboard. He was staring at her—well, maybe not staring, since his eyes looked unfocused. But his head was turned directly toward Gia, who was now standing up.For a brief moment, Gia felt like a terrible person for being relieved that Raven was blind. She could feel the dampness of drool on her cheek and knew she must look like a mess.“You’re awake, Mr. Lindgren? No more pain, right? Then, if you’ll excuse me.” Gia hastily greeted him, eager to make herself presentable.“I had Sophie move your things in here earlier, so you won’t need to go anywhere. I’ve also arranged for Jasper to order a new bed for you. However, until it arrives, you can continue to sleep as you did last night."Raven spoke casually and calmly, as if they were discussing dinner plans.
Gia opened her eyes slowly, feeling momentarily disoriented. She was confused by the unfamiliar sight in front of her.“Good morning!”A cold greeting snapped Gia into awareness.Beside her, Raven sat casually, leaning against the headboard. He was staring at her—well, maybe not staring, since his eyes looked unfocused. But his head was turned directly toward Gia, who was now standing up.For a brief moment, Gia felt like a terrible person for being relieved that Raven was blind. She could feel the dampness of drool on her cheek and knew she must look like a mess.“You’re awake, Mr. Lindgren? No more pain, right? Then, if you’ll excuse me.” Gia hastily greeted him, eager to make herself presentable.“I had Sophie move your things in here earlier, so you won’t need to go anywhere. I’ve also arranged for Jasper to order a new bed for you. However, until it arrives, you can continue to sleep as you did last night."Raven spoke casually and calmly, as if they were discussing dinner plans.
Gia's eyes snapped open as she heard something in the darkness. She had been sleeping soundly, but a noise disturbed her. A faint growling sound had caught her attention just moments ago.Gripping her blanket tightly, Gia shivered. She hated everything horror-related, and her mind immediately began conjuring scary images as she remembered the growl.“No… Please don’t!”Gia kicked off her blanket and got up. That sound wasn’t a ghost; it was Raven. She clapped her hands, and the lights turned on.Raven was moving restlessly on his bed. Gia walked over slowly. Although he remained asleep, a terrible event appeared to be unfolding. His face was ghostly pale, glistening with sweat. His hands clenched the blanket tightly, and he continued to let out low growls—the sounds Gia had mistaken for a haunting presence.“Raven!” Gia sat on the bed and shook his shoulder gently.But her attempts didn’t wake him. He kept mumbling, pleading in his sleep.“RAVEN!”Gia raised her voice and shook him mo
Gia’s sensible mind, still intact, kept reminding her to continue on to the storage room. But the idea of seeing who was visiting Jasper pounded the back of her head, demanding attention.Gia drew back the window curtain by the door.In front of the gate, she saw Jasper facing a girl cloaked in a thick white coat. She was nearly as tall as Jasper.At first glance, Gia felt she was looking at an antique doll, whose beauty was almost inhuman. The girl’s skin was porcelain-pale and flawless. Her large green eyes, framed by long, wavy black hair, fell over a red scarf at her neck.Her appearance was in stark contrast to Gia. Gia’s skin had a warm yellow tint, her hair was straight and blonde, and she didn’t even reach Jasper’s chin in height.“I know he’s here! Let me see him!”“Miss Gilbert, Mr. Lindgren is not here. I hope you understand; he’s currently in France,” said Jasper.“Stop calling me Gilbert. Don’t act as if you just met me. We were college friends, Jasper!”“Yes, we were fri
"Move aside!"Gia was torn. She wanted to step aside, but she also knew that this girl was one of the people Raven had forbidden from seeing his current condition."I said, move aside!""HAZEL! Let Willow in, and come in too."Raven's voice startled the girl. However, Willow quickly pushed Gia to the side, nearly causing her to stumble. Luckily, her one hand still gripped the door."RAVEN!" she called, her voice playful as she ran towards him."Stop there!" Raven pointed to the floor."Why? I just want to hug you!""I'm dealing with the flu. You'll catch it! Your body is weak," Raven lied. He simply didn’t want Willow to see the wheelchair hidden behind his desk. The backrest looked like any typical office chair.He appeared normal, especially with his dark glasses back on. From the front, he didn’t look sick—just a little odd, wearing sunglasses indoors at night. But Willow didn’t seem to mind, focusing instead on her demand for answers from Raven."Willow, why are you still here? Di
"Yes!""Keep going... slowly. You can do it... Come on!" Gia could barely contain her excitement as she watched Raven take his tenth step.Ten steps were an extraordinary achievement for Raven's condition. Even though he soon had to brace himself with his hands due to fatigue, this was still significant progress.Gia rushed over with the wheelchair so Raven could sit and rest."Good job!" Gia waved her hand in front of Raven's face, then lifted his right hand for a high five. At first, Raven only frowned in confusion, but then he smiled a little. The high-five was to celebrate his success in taking ten steps.Gia smiled and was satisfied. She then bent down and massaged Raven’s legs one more time before ending the session. Now that Raven could start walking, she needed to be vigilant about examining his legs. Early detection of any issues was crucial, or the last two months of effort would be wasted."All done. I’ll take you to your room."Gia pushed the wheelchair toward his room.
“There’s been a slight change of plans. We cannot return to Norway today,” Raven said, accelerating the car after the traffic light turned green.“What about Al and Frey?!” Gia protested loudly. She had been holding back her longing for them, and Gia was sure Raven felt the same.“Don’t worry. Jasper has sent a plane there. I think they’ll arrive here tomorrow.”"Oh, that’s good.” Gia sighed in relief.“The problem we faced earlier isn’t as simple as I thought. It might take a month or two to resolve. You don’t mind staying here for a while, do you?” Raven knew Gia loved their cabin in Norway the most.Gia quickly shook her head. “I don’t mind being anywhere as long as they’re there and you’re with me.”Raven smiled gratefully, appreciating how easily Gia understood and accepted the situation without making many demands.“Then where will we stay?” Gia asked. Raven was now driving toward the city area.“We don’t need to hide anymore. So I think it is safe to return to my old home.”"Th
However, they immediately faced west. They didn’t notice Gia sitting behind them.Gia felt cornered, as she had no other space to hide or escape. The entrance to Raven’s office was far to the east.Reluctantly, Gia sat still, waiting for them to leave.“You’re not joking, are you?” one of them, a woman with wavy red hair, exclaimed in shock.“I saw it with my own eyes. Sia came out of the elevator with Mr. Lindgren. And you should have seen it. Mr. Lindgren was carrying a coat and a large box, even though he usually never carries anything in his hands when he’s with someone else.”Gia’s heart raced as she realized they were talking about her, making her nervous.The lengthy explanation came from the woman Gia had first seen welcoming Raven. Her short black hair swayed as she nodded enthusiastically.“Is she pretty?” another member of the group asked."Her face is decent. Not extraordinarily beautiful, but sweet and pleasant to look at.”As if she had just passed a challenging test, Gi
Gia’s face flushed with embarrassment. She remembered how nearly everyone had stared at her face and scrutinized her body earlier.“They were just staring; no one made any comments. The rule still stands, Haze. If any of them had commented about you, and I happened to know or hear it myself, I would send them to hell faster than you can blink,” Raven asserted.“Bad comments, you mean,” Gia corrected.Gia didn’t support Raven’s habit of firing or punishing employees, but there wasn’t much she could do when Raven was so determined. Besides, it wasn’t like she could keep track of every employee Raven had let go.Gia made a slight correction, hoping the number of employees fired would be fewer. She also hoped no one would comment negatively about her, so no one would have to lose their job.***“Come in,” Raven said as they arrived in front of a large wooden door engraved with the name ‘Raven Corbin Lindgren’ in gold ink.Raven’s office was located in the most strategic corner of the floo
"Wait." Raven stopped Jasper from entering the elevator, then pressed the button for the top floor, marked P. The elevator doors closed.“If you want to change clothes before meeting the occupants of this building, you’ll have to do it here. Right now."That was the reason Raven had prevented Jasper from entering the elevator. She explained this before Gia could accuse her of being cruel for leaving Jasper behind.“Once these doors open, a room will be full of employees working under the board of directors. So, you need to change now.”That wasn’t a fabricated excuse, but Gia still had to think twice before doing something so bold. She would be undressing in a public space, even inside an elevator.At the moment, her outfit wasn’t appropriate for making a good impression. She had dressed casually, thinking today’s event was just about picking Raven up from prison—an occasion that didn’t require fancy attire."How about it?" Raven asked."What about you? You’re changing too." Gia point
"Take good care of her!""No need to tell me!" Raven snapped upon hearing Matteo's message.As they left the prison, Matteo expressed his desire to return to Italy again. He had urgent matters to attend to.Seeing no way to stop him, Gia finally gave up, trying to persuade him to stay. Raven kindly lent one of his planes to Matteo to take him to Italy.“Send my regards to Aria and Vero,” Gia said.Matteo nodded, briefly hugged Gia, and gently touched her face. “Take good care of yourself. Come visit as soon as you finish your business here.”“Sure,” Gia nodded confidently. Matteo then walked up the plane’s stairs, waved his hand, and the door closed behind him.“We need to take off soon, too,” Raven said, leading Gia toward another plane Jasper had prepared.But just as they were about to step forward, Raven’s phone vibrated. “What now?" Raven asked, answering the call with an annoyed expression.“What for? Isn’t it clear that I..."Raven paused momentarily, listening to what was undo
Yesterday, the political world of Sweden was shaken when Prime Minister Ronald Errikson suddenly resigned from his position. He cited health reasons, but three people in the car knew the reason.Gia was sure Caius knew since she had shared everything in that room with Jasper.“I hope Queen Silvia lets him go,” Gia muttered, shivering as she recalled Caius’s mother’s threats.“Don’t worry. My mother loves making threats, but considering her calculated moves so far, I think she’ll forgive him,” Caius replied confidently.Gia felt a bit sorry for Robert, who had also been manipulated by Willow. Yet, remembering what the two of them had done made Gia feel nauseous.“I met your brother. You two look alike,” Gia said, steering the conversation to a lighter topic.“I’m better looking, of course,” Caius smirked, refusing to back down.“Yeah… sure,” Gia conceded half-heartedly as Matteo snorted in disgust.That was all they said about Daniel. Gia fell silent, unable to comment further. She did
Gia stared at the building in wonder, then turned to Matteo, who was frowning as he tried to park the car neatly.The remaining parking space was narrow, requiring full concentration to fit their car in without grazing the vehicles on either side.“Are you sure we’re in the right place? We’re supposed to pick Raven up from prison. Why did you bring me here?" Gia protested as Matteo turned off the engine.“That building is Tabellen 4 Sollentuna, the highest-security prison in Stockholm,” Matteo explained.“Are you sure you didn’t mix up the address?” Gia asked, still doubtful."No, Gia. You can read the nameplate over there.”Gia wanted to argue again, but when she read the nameplate, she froze.She realized the tall building was indeed a prison. However, since the exterior was entirely covered in glass, it didn’t look like a typical prison but resembled a modern office building. From this angle, the sunlight reflecting off its surface made Gia squint slightly, even though it wasn’t ho
Matteo uttered the keyword “materialistic” and sparked an idea in Gia’s mind.King Gustaf greatly valued money if it served the nation’s interests. Taxes were the answer—essential to the country’s finances, with the funds allocated for the people’s welfare. He would never willingly lose that much money in an instant.Lindgren Corp likely contributed at least ten to fifteen per cent of the nation’s tax revenue. This is a small percentage, but in monetary terms, it was immense. The sum was roughly equivalent to the nation’s needs for two months. Losing it would disrupt the economy.Gia regretted not realizing this sooner, but it seemed Matteo had prepared it as a final negotiation card if all else failed. Still, she felt proud of herself for quickly deciphering Matteo’s brief hint.Once again, laughter erupted behind Gia. “I like your style, Gia. I really do…” Queen Silvia clapped in delight. She enjoyed the drama Gia brought and seemed thoroughly satisfied. “Someday, I’ll invite you
CRASH!As Queen Silvia finished her sentence, an ashtray flew through the air and slammed into the wall behind Ronald. King Gustaf had thrown it. He snatched the ashtray from the table and hurled it with all his strength in Ronald’s direction.His fury had reached its boiling point. Anyone could understand the implication behind Queen Silvia’s words about “spreading legs.” Imagining Willow doing such a thing with Ronald was enough to make Queen Silvia’s disgust apparent.Especially for King Gustaf. Though he found it hard to believe his wife’s words, Ronald’s increasingly bowed head confirmed the truth.Gia covered her mouth, trying to stifle her gasp. She hadn’t expected Willow to stoop so low to achieve her plans. Matteo, however, seemed utterly unbothered, the only one in the room unimpressed by the unfolding drama. He’d witnessed far more shocking events in the past.“I knew that girl was disgusting! But you are even more repulsive for accepting her. She’s the same age as your dau