Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run

"Aiden, I want to ask him... Why did he say that?"

He'd said those words before. More times than she could count.

If you ever leave me, I'll die...

Dylan was never the type to say things like that, but in the chaos just now, it slipped out.

Clara's thoughts were a frantic jumble, desperate to make sense of it all, but Aiden had already turned away.

No one understood Dylan's state better than he did.

Clara waited outside the door for two hours. When it finally opened, Dylan was in

a wheelchair, head bowed, eyes closed. The only thing visible were his long lashes resting against his cheeks.

Pain stabbed through her chest. She hurried forward. "Dylan...”

He didn't open his eyes, but his hands clutched the armrests so tightly that the veins on the backs of his hands stood out.noveldrama

Aiden silently pushed Dylan toward the elevator. Clara trailed after them on instinct.

But when they reached the elevator, the doors were already closing.

Aiden glanced at her, his face tense but voice steady. "Mrs. Carter, the CEO's condition can't wait. Let's talk when he's back."

Standing alone in front of the closed elevator doors, Clara felt like she'd somehow been left behind in a different world.

She wandered over to the stairs at the end of the hall. As she started down, her legs nearly gave out and she almost fell.

A housekeeper spotted her just in time and called out, panic in her voice.

"Ma'am!"

Clara gripped the railing, steadying herself. "I'm okay..."

Two housekeepers rushed over, worry written all over their faces. "You haven't eaten all day, ma'am. Please, just a little? We made chicken soup."

But Clara couldn't even think about eating. Her stomach twisted.

Still, they gently led her to the table and set out the soup, along with some small

dishes-mashed potatoes, steamed veggies, a bit of roast chicken.

"Ma'am, if you don't eat, Mr. Carter won't either. Please don't do this to yourselves."

Clara's lashes fluttered in surprise. But confusion quickly settled in.

"He... hasn't eaten?"

Both housekeepers nodded, letting out a sigh. "He hasn't, but he's asked about you a few times-wanted to know if you'd had anything. He really cares ma'am. We don't know what happened, but it's obvious how much he worries. Yesterday, he came home with those cherry blossoms, looking so happy. We think they were for you. There's that famous old temple out by the city-maybe he picked them there. He's not the type to talk about his feelings."

Cherry blossoms?

Oh, right. Dylan had spent the evening flower-viewing with Tara, and the next day,

he'd brought home flowers.

Dylan. Tara...

Clara's mind felt like a tangled mess. She forced herself to sip the soup.

The housekeepers relaxed a little when she finally ate something.

For the

Sext two days, Clara moved

through life in a daze. She couldn't sleep at night, and during the day, everything felt hazy.

She tried calling Aiden, but he never picked up.

With nowhere else to turn, she stopped the man in black who was still lurking around the villa.

He was always hiding in the shadows, but it was obvious he was skilled— probably some sort of bodyguard.

"Hey, Black, do you know where Aiden took Dylan?"

He frowned. "That's not my name."

Clara ignored him and pressed, "Dylan's been taken somewhere. Can you take me to see him?"

"No."

His answer was blunt, no room for argument.

Before

the doorbell rang. The rang. The housekeeper opened the door to find

A could say anything else,

Mrs.

standing out

She strode inside, her gaze cutting straight up the stairs. When she spotted Clara,

her voice snapped out, sharp and commanding.

"Grab her!"

A dozen bodyguards poured in behind her, heading straight for Clara.

The man in black tried to pull Clara away, but Mrs. Ferguson's voice cut through the chaos.

"If I don't leave here with her tonight, I'll die right here at Palm Bay!"

Her words stopped everyone in their tracks—even the man in black froze.