"Sir, Miss Kramer just went out and hasn’t returned yet." The assistant lowered his head, answering respectfully.
Before Elias Sinclair’s expression could change, the sound of high heels clicking approached from the side. Joyce Kramer came over, her face graced with a pure and gentle smile, walking with elegance.
"Sir, were you looking for me?"
The man’s brows furrowed tightly as he glanced at Joyce Kramer with indifference, speaking with a cold intensity: "Book the earliest flight back to the country immediately."
At his words, Joyce Kramer’s head shot up in disbelief, looking at Elias Sinclair: "Sir, you’re going back to the country?"
"Yes." The man’s brows knitted even tighter, his impatience showing.
"Sir, you can’t go back. There’s an important meeting with the Andes board tomorrow that you need to attend personally." Joyce Kramer’s deep eyes were filled with an indescribable complexity.
Elias Sinclair’s eyes darkened like ink, his gaze instantly icing over with frost, his tone as chilling as it was tremulous: "Since when did you have the authority to order me?"
The man’s gaze was fierce and ruthless, the oppressive atmosphere around him made Joyce Kramer, despite her reluctance, dare not continue speaking.
"I didn’t mean it..." Joyce Kramer bit her lip, her voice significantly subdued, losing the assertiveness from before.
"You just need to do your job. I don’t want to repeat myself." Elias Sinclair’s face remained stern as he cast Joyce Kramer a cold glance and turned to leave.
Joyce Kramer stood dumbfounded in place, feeling as if drenched from head to toe, not needing to guess why Mr. Sinclair was in such a hurry to return to the country.
That damn Savannah Lowell, truly a lingering pest.
Joyce Kramer’s hand at her side clenched tightly, her beautiful eyes flashing with resentment as she returned to the office to check the quickest flight back to the country.
She naturally did not dare defy Mr. Sinclair’s orders and could only try to make moves through Quinn Lockwood.
Elias Sinclair, upon receiving the ticket, didn’t even finish the ongoing meeting, rushing to the airport immediately.
Meanwhile, Quinn Lockwood was with Cameron Grant, tracing the IP of that foreign phone number and analyzing the available clues to derive a series of analyses.
The two had been at it until the following day’s evening, yet still, they had found nothing.
Quinn Lockwood sat at the dressing table, rubbing her throbbing temples with both hands.
She was utterly exhausted, having stayed up several nights, her complexion showed signs of wear, and a pimple appeared on her forehead.
As she soaked in a bathtub infused with lavender essential oil, Quinn Lockwood nearly fell asleep in it.
Only when the water turned somewhat cold did Quinn Lockwood shiver and get out of the bathtub, accidentally bumping her injured arm, which shocked her awake with pain.
After wrapping herself in a bathrobe and applying a soothing face mask, Quinn Lockwood leaned against the sofa to check the latest public opinions, gradually falling asleep.
At this time, Elias Sinclair was already on his way home from the airport, the driver nearly flying the car in a bid to pick him up.
The man, seemingly anxious, stepped quickly. Once home, he directly went upstairs to Quinn Lockwood’s room.
Pushing the door open, Elias Sinclair paused slightly.
There, Quinn Lockwood lay asleep on the sofa, a face mask half-dry on her face.
A solemn look crossed Elias Sinclair’s eyes. He softly shut the door, lightening his footsteps.
His eyes were filled with tenderness and affection as he walked to the edge of the sofa. His hand, clearly defined by the joints, slowly lifted, gently peeling the face mask from Quinn Lockwood’s face.
As he gazed upon Quinn Lockwood’s tired face, Elias Sinclair noticed her brows furrowed tightly, as if deeply troubled.
Recalling what the news on X said about Quinn Lockwood’s recent troubles, Elias Sinclair felt an intense heartache.
Considering her tough nature, she must have suffered a lot these past few days.
He gently smoothed out the stray hair stuck to Quinn Lockwood’s face and as he reached out to carry her to bed, he heard a soft whimper the moment he touched her.
"It hurts." Quinn Lockwood’s little face furrowed as she muttered softly.
Elias Sinclair frowned slightly, puzzled. His gaze swept over to see her arm wrapped in thick bandages.
A strange look flickered in the man’s eyes, his face quickly turning grim as he gently lifted Quinn Lockwood’s arm to check her injuries.
Quinn Lockwood’s eyelids fluttered open slightly, hazily aware that someone was touching her.
Elias Sinclair? How come he appeared in her dreams again?
Her sleepy face flushed pink, apricot eyes dazed and dreamy, she struggled to keep them open, gazing at Elias Sinclair for a long moment, her lips curving into a slight smile.
How many days would he be back this time, she wondered?
Elias Sinclair lowered his head, unwrapping the bandages around Quinn Lockwood’s arm. Upon seeing the deep, bloody wound, his eyes appeared to ignite with flames.
"Hiss." The sensation on her arm grew sharper, the sting of the wound being touched felt immensely real.
Quinn Lockwood’s eyes snapped open, staring at the man before her, hardly able to believe it.
When Elias Sinclair heard Quinn Lockwood’s cry of pain, he quickly lifted his head to look at her face; in that instant their eyes met, his icy, sinister eyes softened.
"How did you get hurt? What happened?" Elias Sinclair reached to touch Quinn Lockwood’s face, but she tilted her head, avoiding his touch.
"Just an accident." Quinn Lockwood’s face cooled as she recalled how Elias Sinclair hadn’t answered her calls over the days, and the pent-up anger from the past few days rose to the surface. For origınal chapters go to novel-fire.net
He hadn’t contacted her at all, not even answering her calls. Now he didn’t even know what had happened to her.
"An accident? What kind of accident? This wound clearly looks like it was inflicted by a sharp object, someone did this on purpose." Elias Sinclair’s gaze lingered on Quinn Lockwood’s arm, his thin lips pressed tightly together.
The man glanced up at Quinn Lockwood for a moment, seeing her sullen little face turned away from him, a vague discomfort crept into his heart.
Standing up, he fetched fresh bandages from the medicine box and returned, kneeling down in front of Quinn Lockwood.
"I just had the wound dressed at the hospital yesterday, no need to change the bandages." Quinn Lockwood turned her head away, pulling back her arm, and said with a hint of irritation.
Elias Sinclair drew her small hand back, seemingly ignoring her words, and quietly wrapped the bandages.
Quinn Lockwood pouted and was about to turn her head to reject Elias Sinclair’s kindness, but seeing him seriously and attentively tending to her bandages, an inexplicable feeling rose within her, swallowing the words that had reached her throat.