"Don’t jump to conclusions."
Just then, a calm, steady voice pulled me from my state of panicked confusion. I reflexively looked up and found myself staring into Sebastian Forrest’s dark, gleaming eyes. "Right now, this is all just speculation," he said. "Let’s wait until we’ve investigated properly."
I nodded. He was right.
’It’s all just speculation.’
’What if it’s just a coincidence?’
’I can’t let myself jump to the worst-case scenario.’
But even as I tried to comfort myself with these thoughts, my chest still felt tight, as if a heavy weight was pressing down on it, making it hard to breathe.
"Are you finished eating?"
I instinctively looked up, thinking Sebastian Forrest was asking me. But just as I was about to nod, I saw he had turned to speak to Jude Miller.
"I’m finished," Jude Miller replied with a nod.
Sebastian Forrest nudged a bowl in his direction. "Go do the dishes."
"..."
Jude Miller gave Sebastian Forrest a look of utter defeat. "Seriously? We can’t afford a housekeeper? Who normally does the dishes? Don’t tell me you do them yourself."
Sebastian Forrest shot Jude Miller an annoyed glare. "I told you to do them, so just do them. What’s with all the complaining?"
With a look of resignation, Jude Miller carried the bowls toward the kitchen.
I quickly stood up to help, but Sebastian Forrest stopped me. "It’s just a few bowls. He can handle it."
Soon, Jude Miller finished the dishes. He walked toward the living room, drying his hands with a towel.
"Thank you for your trouble, Dr. Miller. Have some tea," I said, quickly getting up to pour him a cup.
"Ah, Joyce, always so considerate."
Jude Miller complimented me with a grin, raising the cup to drink.
But before he could even bring the cup to his lips, Sebastian Forrest’s cool voice cut in. "I need you to go back to the hospital—right now. Have someone copy all the surveillance footage of Clara Langley from that day."
Jude Miller, teacup in hand, looked utterly incredulous. "Now?"
"Yes. Right now. Immediately."
"..."
Jude Miller set the cup down on the coffee table with an expression of utter surrender. He pointed an index finger at Sebastian Forrest before turning to leave.
Once Jude Miller left, I also started thinking about going home.
After all, I hadn’t gone back last night, and it felt inappropriate to keep staying at Sebastian Forrest’s place.
"I’ll let you get some rest, Senior Forrest. I should be heading home."
"I’ll walk you."
I gave him an exasperated smile. "I just live across the hall. You don’t need to see me out."
Sebastian Forrest paused for a moment, then smiled. "Alright. Call me if you need anything."
I smiled back at him, then turned and walked out.
However, just as I stepped out and was about to open the door to my own apartment, the phone in my pocket suddenly started vibrating.
I instinctively glanced at the caller ID. It was my brother!
My heart clenched as I remembered what William Westwood had said on the phone earlier. I quickly answered. "Hello, Brother...?"
"Chelsea, come save me! Someone’s trying to hurt me!" my brother’s frantic voice came through the receiver, mixed with muffled sounds of shouting and a door being pounded on.
"What’s going on? Who’s trying to hurt you?"
"I don’t know them! They must be with the mob! They just broke in for no reason and beat me up! You have to get over here and save me!" my brother cried, his voice desperate.
I couldn’t believe he still wasn’t telling me the truth, even now. "How am I supposed to save you? You need to call the police!"
"If calling the police would help, why would I be calling you?" my brother snapped. "Hurry up and bring Sebastian Forrest over! He’s the Forrest Family heir, isn’t he? Is there anything he can’t sort out?"
I was so angry I actually let out a laugh. "You—"
But before I could finish, I heard my brother suddenly scream in pain, followed by the sound of crashing and banging through the phone.
"Brother? Brother...?"
A moment later, the line went dead. Someone had obviously hung up.
I frantically called back but was met with an automated message: ’The number you have dialed is currently unavailable.’
Just when I was at a complete loss, panicked and helpless, the door behind me opened. I spun around instinctively and found myself looking into a pair of deep, luminous eyes. They were like a lighthouse suddenly igniting in the depths of the sea, its steady, unending glow sparking a flame of hope in my heart.
"What is it?" Sebastian Forrest asked, his brows furrowing slightly when he saw my expression. "What happened?"
"My brother..." I said, struggling to compose myself. "He called... he said someone was trying to hurt him. I heard fighting and things breaking over the phone, and now when I call back, he’s not answering."
At that moment, I was both furious with my brother and desperately worried about him.
I was angry that he wouldn’t tell me the truth, yet terrified that William Westwood’s men would actually hurt him.
"Don’t worry. I’ll take you to his hotel to check."
"Thank you."
...
Soon, the car stopped in front of the hotel where my brother was staying.
Sebastian Forrest and I took the elevator upstairs. Before we even got close, we could see from a distance that the door to my brother’s room was open.
I instinctively started to go in, but Sebastian Forrest stopped me. "You wait here. I’ll go in and take a look."
I quickly nodded.
The hotel room my brother was staying in wasn’t large; you could see almost everything at a glance.
Sebastian Forrest’s brows were slightly furrowed. He casually kicked aside a toppled chair and strode toward the bathroom.
I nervously followed him in, but remembering what Sebastian Forrest had just told me, I stopped obediently at the door, not daring to go any further.
Soon, Sebastian Forrest’s hand was on the bathroom doorknob. He glanced back at me first, then suddenly pushed the door open—
"Mmmph, mmmph..."
The moment the door opened, I heard muffled sounds coming from inside. I knew without thinking that it was my brother.
I instinctively wanted to go forward, but before I could take more than a few steps, Sebastian Forrest turned his head to look at me. "Stay right where you are. Do not come any closer."
I froze for a second, not daring to move, but I was still worried. "My brother... how is he?"
"Relax. He’ll live."
Sebastian Forrest glanced coolly into the bathroom, then scanned the room. Finally, he walked to the wardrobe, pulled out a pair of pants, and turned back toward the bathroom.
After quite a while, I saw my brother come trembling out of the bathroom. He was shirtless, wearing the pair of pants Sebastian Forrest had just taken in.
The moment I saw him like that, I instantly understood why Sebastian Forrest hadn’t let me go in earlier.
—My brother had been stripped naked and tied up in the bathroom!
"What on earth happened? Who did you provoke?" I demanded, my face grim.
My brother grabbed a shirt and threw it on, covering the bruises that littered his body. He kept his head down and mumbled, "Didn’t I already tell you? I don’t know who they were..."
"Brother!" I cut him off, my voice cold. "Are you still planning to hide things from me, even now?"