Chapter 108
The elevator doors slid shut right in front of Harper, the upward arrow lighting up with merciless finality.
Harper's heart plummeted. A massive wave of despair and panic threatened to drown her.
Dahlia's triumphant gaze, the direction of the guest rooms, and Alaric's radio silence...
The pain in her leg grew sharper. She leaned against the cold wall, almost sliding to the floor.
Just as her vision started to black out, a searingly hot and incredibly strong hand shot out from behind the fire-exit door next to her, grabbing her wrist with a sudden, firm grip!
Harper let out a short, sharp cry. Her heart stopped, and fear gave her a final burst of strength. She struggled desperately, her other hand flailing wildly behind her.
"It's me, Harper. Don't be afraid."
A low, husky voice, yet one she knew intimately, whispered right next to her ear.
His hot, slightly ragged breath fanned across the side of her neck.
At the same time, the grip on her wrist loosened slightly but remained steady, supporting her body, which had become even more unstable from her struggling. His other hand gently but firmly covered her mouth, stifling the scream that was about to escape.
All of Harper's movements froze.
That voice... the scent of this embrace...
She turned her head in disbelief.
The light in the fire stairwell was dim, illuminated only by the ghostly green glow of the emergency exit sign.
Alaric's face, inches from hers, was sharply defined in the faint light.
His face was flushed with an unnatural heat, his hair was slightly damp, and his breathing was a little heavy.
But his deep eyes were not clouded with the drug-induced confusion she had imagined. Instead, they held a clear, cold light.
"Alaric?" Harper's voice trembled, the words muffled by his hand. "What are you doing here? Are you okay? That drink... you..."
Alaric moved his hand from her mouth to her shoulder, his fingertips still radiating an unnerving heat, but his gaze was lucid.
"I'm fine." he said, his voice raspy but reassuring. "I never swallowed that drink. I knew something was off with the smell the moment it touched my lips. When she wasn't looking, I spit it out."
He paused, his eyes as sharp as a blade. "She thinks she's so clever, but she forgot the most basic rule: be vigilant. From the moment she so meekly agreed to the press conference tonight, I knew she had something else planned."
Harper's heart, which had been hanging in her throat, finally dropped back into place, only to be filled with an even greater wave of anger and lingering fear."She actually dared to use such a disgusting trick! If... if you had really drunk it..."
"There are no 'ifs'." Alaric cut her off, his tone firm and icy. "Once I saw through her plan, I wasn't going to give her any chance. The discomfort I showed earlier was just an act for her benefit. How else would she think she'd succeeded and rush to the next step?"
Realization dawned on Harper, mixed with a shiver of dread. "So she went to... a guest room?"
"Yes." Alaric's gaze shifted to the crack in the fire-exit door, as if he could see through the walls to Dahlia's smug expression. "She probably thinks I'm the one in there."
The pieces clicked into place for Harper. "Then who is in there?"
"I don't know. I just gave the room key to a random waiter," a cold, cruel smirk played on Alaric's lips. "The show is just beginning. Since she dared to set this trap, she needs to be prepared for the backlash."
Harper's eyes narrowed, quite satisfied with this outcome.
If Dahlia wanted to harm someone, let her be hoisted by her own petard.
"So we wait here?" Harper looked at him.
Alaric nodded, signaling for her to be patient.
They hid in the shadows behind the fire-exit door, the crack offering them a perfect view of the elevator bank down the hall.
Sure enough, it wasn't long before another elevator arrived.
Dahlia stepped out.
She had reapplied her makeup and changed into an incredibly sexy, form-fitting black slip dress, with a hotel robe thrown over it. She walked quickly, her steps filled with a suppressed excitement and anticipation.
As she walked, she looked down at her phone, her fingers flying across the screen. The smile on her face grew wider, her eyes flashing with a malicious glee.
She stopped in front of a guest room in the middle of the hallway, cautiously looking left and right. Of course, she couldn't see the two pairs of eyes watching her from the crack in the door.
Dahlia pulled a key card from her clutch.
With a soft click, the door unlocked.
Dahlia took a deep breath, her face a mixture of nervousness and excitement, and gently pushed the door open.
The main lights in the room were off, only an ambiguous, dim ambient light spilling out from the doorway.
She didn't go in immediately. She stood at the door, said something into her phone, and then slipped inside, the door closing softly behind her.
Watching that closed door, Harper's heart still clenched.
Even though she knew it wasn't Alaric inside, the thought of Dahlia's triumphant look and the sordid scene she might have arranged still made her feel a wave of nausea and anger.
Alaric pulled her shoulder tighter, his voice cold. "Dahlia also set up an aphrodisiac scent in the room."
He didn't elaborate, but the meaning was clear.
Harper's eyes widened. Dahlia was truly audacious. She had probably arranged for the media to be there, just waiting to capture a shot of her and Alaric in a compromising position.
Sure enough, the sound of many footsteps and hushed whispers soon rose from downstairs.
The room door was pushed open with precision; it hadn't even been properly closed.
Inside, Dahlia, intoxicated by the aphrodisiac she had set, didn't even see clearly who the man entangled with her was. As the camera flashes hit her, a shy expression even appeared on her face.
But then, she saw the flash illuminate the man's face.
A piercing scream erupted from the guest room.
Harper and Alaric exchanged a look and couldn't help but smile.
That's what you call just deserts.
Harper returned to her apartment, escorted by Alaric.
"Should I walk you up?" Alaric stopped at the entrance, not presumptuously assuming he could go upstairs.
A wave of warmth spread through Harper's heart, but she still shook her head. "I'll be fine on my own."
"Then you have to be careful with your leg. Absolutely no strenuous movement. Take your medicine on time. I'll have someone send you some nourishing soup tomorrow." Alaric, surprisingly, was getting a bit fussy.
Harper found it amusing. "It's not that serious. I can still get around, I just can't run. You should head back."
She was shooing him away, but Alaric lingered, reluctant to leave.
He gave her detailed instructions on caring for her leg injury and arranged for a reliable bodyguard to watch over her discreetly from downstairs before he finally left.
Watching his tall figure disappear, Harper's expression softened.