The door was pushed open.
It revealed a whitish-blue, polished room. The entire office was spotless and so bright that it was almost eye-blinding at first glance.
Books were neatly arranged on the bookshelves that lined one side of the room. In the middle stood a large black desk, its surface perfectly organized. A black leather chair sat behind it, while a neatly arranged pen holder containing several fountain pens rested beside stacks of carefully organized documents.
A table lamp stood on one side of the desk, while a desktop computer was placed on the left.
At the front of the desk were two leather chairs, positioned neatly for visitors. To the side of the room were two large black leather couches, arranged around a small glass center table. The couches looked soft and expensive, adding a touch of luxury to the otherwise serious atmosphere.
The walls were decorated with simple, elegant frames, while a large window covered by dark curtains stood at the far end of the room, allowing only a small amount of sunlight to enter.
Everything in the office seemed to have its own place.
There was no unnecessary decoration, no clutter, and not a single thing out of order.
The room was quiet—almost too quiet.
Behind the desk sat the same man from earlier.
Edmund Devereux.
He wore a pair of square-shaped glasses, his eyes fixed on the document he held in his hands. His expression was calm and unreadable.
"Boss, Dr. Hayes has arrived," the bodyguard said.
"Let him in."
His voice was calm as his gaze remained focused on the document.
Slow, cautious footsteps could be heard approaching the room.
Daniel walked in and stopped in front of the desk, his hands held together nervously. But that didn't stop him from looking around the office. After all, he had turned one of the hospital rooms into a workplace.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
Daniel swallowed hard. He could already feel the pressure in the room.
Edmund slowly lifted his gaze from the document.
His eyes met Daniel's.
Daniel immediately straightened his posture.
"Sir."
Edmund said nothing. He simply stared at him.
The silence grew heavier.
Daniel began to regret every decision that had brought him into this room.
He secretly wondered if saving the girl's life twice was really worth putting his own life at risk.
Well, it was actually the other way round.
"What's her condition now?" he finally asked, drawing Daniel out of his thoughts.
"She is more stable than before, and there are improvements in her chances of waking up. Although I do not know the cause of the shock that awakened her, it did cause a slight agitation in her health. But everything returned to normal immediately after she passed out."
He inhaled.
He had explained everything he observed in one breath.
Edmund stared at him for a while, his eyes expressionless and cold.
The only thing that could bring out an expression from those cold eyes was anything related to the girl on the bed.
Daniel had noticed that.
Even he had started to wonder who this girl was and what place she had in Edmund's life to get such a strong reaction from him.
Since she was brought to him a month ago, covered in wounds and barely breathing, Daniel had tried everything humanly possible to revive her.
At that moment, he had felt his life flash before his eyes.
In all his twenty years of serving Edmund Devereux, that was one moment—a memory engraved so deeply in his mind that he could never forget it.
One Month Ago...
Daniel sat in his office, looking through a document. An annoyed expression appeared on his face with every page he turned.
He finally got tired and slammed the documents onto the table.
He stood up from his chair, about to go out for some fresh air.
Just as he took a step, the door suddenly opened with a loud bang, showing just how much force the person had used.
Daniel stood there in shock, his eyes wide open.
He stared at the entrance of the door. Immediately, his shock was replaced with fear.
Standing at the doorway was a man covered in blood.
His breathing was ragged, his eyes filled with bloodlust, and blood dripped from his face down to his hands. A gun could be seen clearly in one of them.
The blood stained the white marble floor.
At that moment, it looked like a murder scene—and it seemed like Dr. Daniel was going to be the victim.
Daniel knew no one who would dare enter his office looking like this and with that kind of attitude, except for a few very special people.
And the man standing in front of him was one of them.
He quickly recovered.
Opening the cupboard in his desk, he took out a first-aid kit and hurried toward the man.
But just as he reached him, he heard him speak.
"Come with me."
Immediately, he turned and walked out.
His voice was deep, deadly, and lifeless, but there was a faint trace of panic in it.
Confusion plastered Daniel's face.
"What?"