Chapter 15: Who Exactly is He?
“Do you require any further assistance?” Ryan asked.
Fear gripped Evelyn’s heart again, this time for Ethan.
Sienna’s vengeance would certainly not be aimed only at her.
“Please,” she pleaded. “Take me to my friend... Ethan. He is in danger!”
Ryan’s gaze dropped to the hand tightly clutching his sleeve. That hand was still faintly shaking, her knuckles white from the effort.
He did not brush her away.
“Ethan.”
He repeated the name softly. His gray blue eyes were utterly calm, like a block of ice, showing no ripple of emotion.
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door. Two men in black suits entered. Their expressions, like their boss’s, were cold and lifeless.
They did not even glance at Evelyn, their eyes sweeping over the two unconscious men on the floor before looking to Ryan, awaiting instructions.
“Clean it up, I do not want to see them anywhere again.”
“Yes, sir.”
The two subordinates silently dragged the two kidnappers out, one man each, as if they were disposing of two bags of trash.
The door, which had been nearly kicked down, closed once more, as if nothing had just occurred.
Another subordinate, who had been waiting at the door, stepped forward and respectfully handed him a brown paper bag.
Ryan took it and placed it on the edge of the bed. “Change into this.”
With that, he turned, facing the door he had kicked in, his back to her, like a wall that shielded all her distress and shame.
Evelyn’s head was still buzzing, but Ethan’s name was like a sharp knife, piercing through all the confusion.
She opened the paper bag with trembling hands. Inside was a soft black dress and a pair of flat shoes.
Simple, with no unnecessary embellishments, yet enough to cover all her brokenness at the moment.
She quickly stripped off the torn remnants of her dress and put on the new clothes.
The fabric felt cool against her skin, which slightly calmed her frantic heartbeat.
“I do not know where he would go, Maybe his hospital, or maybe...”
Ryan turned back, his gaze lingering on her for a second. His eyes were like ice tempered with fire, causing her to instinctively straighten her spine.
“Address,” he said concisely.
Evelyn reported the address of Ethan’s hospital almost instinctively.
Ryan took out his phone and quickly tapped the screen one handed, seemingly sending a message to someone.
Having finished, he slipped his phone back into his pocket and lifted his chin slightly toward the door.
“Let us go.”
He strode toward the exit.
Evelyn bit her lip and practically scrambled to keep up with him.
The soft carpet in the corridor swallowed every sound, and also swallowed the last bit of hesitation in her heart.
Ryan’s car sped through the city. Seated in the leather seat, Evelyn was still wrapped in Ryan’s jacket, which carried the scent of tobacco and a cool, sharp cologne.
She remained silent, turning her head to watch the streetlights through the car window.
Finally, the bright lights of St. Mary’s Hospital cut through the darkness outside the car window.
Ryan stopped the car, then came around to open the door for her, his movement as graceful as inviting a dance partner.
The hospital corridor reeked of acrid disinfectant.
Ryan led her toward the surgical doctors’ lounge.
A figure in green scrubs just happened to push the door open, removing his mask to reveal a tired yet gentle face.
It was Ethan.
“Ethan!” Evelyn grabbed onto him like a drowning person seizing a life raft. “I called you so many times... why did you not answer?”
Ethan was first surprised to see her, then his brows furrowed, his gaze resting on Ryan beside her with a hint of scrutiny and wariness.
“Evelyn? You look terrible. What is wrong?”
He quickly stepped forward, instinctively trying to shield her. “My phone... damn it, someone stole it on the street corner this afternoon. I went straight into surgery after finishing the police report. What happened?”
So that was it.
Evelyn’s tense shoulders finally slumped, as if a great weight had been lifted.
He was not threatened by Damian, and he did not deliberately ignore her. That was enough.
But how could she explain everything that had just happened?
To say she was almost... by people hired by Sienna?
She opened her mouth, but not a single word escaped.
“Miss Evelyn got lost, and her phone died,” Ryan’s voice interjected smoothly. “I merely had the good fortune to lend a small hand.”
He gave Ethan a slight nod, but his gaze fell on Evelyn, a knowing, deep smile playing on his lips.
“Well, since you are safe now, I will not intrude further.”
He turned to leave, but stopped after a few steps. He looked back and said, “I look forward to our next meeting, Miss Evelyn.”
Ryan’s figure disappeared down the corridor, his parting words, “I look forward to our next meeting,” lingering in Evelyn’s ears like an echo.
Ethan’s gaze withdrew from the direction Ryan left and returned to Evelyn’s pale face, the worry in his eyes deepening. “Who was that person?”
“A... kind stranger,” Evelyn avoided his gaze.
She was too exhausted. She did not have the strength to explain the nightmare, nor did she want to drag him into deeper trouble.
Ethan noticed her fatigue and evasiveness, and did not press further.
He raised his hand and gently touched her forehead with the back of his hand. Her temperature was normal.
“Wait for me. I need to change, and then I will take you to my studio to rest.”
When they left the hospital, the night wind was colder.
Ethan drove the car to the building where his studio was located. However, just as he was about to switch off the engine, he abruptly stopped.
Across the street, a black sedan was conspicuously parked in the shadow. Inside, two men were smoking, their cigarette tips blinking on and off in the darkness.
“Damn it,” Ethan muttered under his breath. He immediately shifted the gear, turned the steering wheel, and the car silently slid out of the parking spot and merged into the traffic.
“Do not look back,” his voice was strained.
But Evelyn had already seen them.
The silhouettes of the two men, their menacing posture, sent a chill through her blood.
They were Damian’s men.
They truly were relentless.
Ethan drove around the city for a few circles, confirming they were not being followed, before heading toward the outskirts.
“We cannot go to the studio. Damian knows that place,” he kept his eyes fixed on the road ahead. “A friend of mine has a guest house in the suburbs. It is very isolated, and it is the off season, so it should be empty.”
A wave of intense nausea suddenly surged up her throat. Evelyn’s vision went black, and her body uncontrollably slumped to one side.
“Ethan...” She weakly grabbed his arm, cold sweat instantly soaking her back.