Chapter 249 Knocked Unconscious by Someone

Chapter 250 Do You Trust Me?

Henry glanced at himself, then looked at Anna, his lips pressed into a thin line.

"Nothing should have happened between us. I'm a doctor, I can tell if my body has done that kind of thing. Feel carefully - do you have any discomfort?"

Anna forced herself to calm down and carefully checked her body.

Apart from the dull pain at the back of her neck and the soreness from being hit, there was nothing unusual.

She slowly let out a breath, her tense shoulders relaxing a little, but this relief lasted less than two seconds.

Because footsteps came from outside the door - not just one person's footsteps, but many people, many feet stomping in the hallway, chaotic and hurried, like a pack of hyenas that had caught the scent of blood closing in.

Anna and Henry locked eyes. Neither had figured out what would happen next, but there was no time to react.

The door was shoved open from outside.

Blinding camera flashes exploded in the same instant, so bright they couldn't open their eyes.

The shutter clicks were as dense as a rainstorm, each click like some kind of verdict.

Excited, cold, curious faces crowded at the doorway, lenses aimed at the two people wrapped in sheets on the bed, greedily capturing every detail of the scene.

"Miss Rivers, wasn't there news before that you and Mr. Gray were back together? How come you're with Dr. Clark now? What exactly is your relationship?"

"Dr. Clark, how long have you two been together?"

"Miss Rivers, whose baby are you carrying? Does Mr. Gray know about your relationship?"

Questions fired like machine guns, giving no room for answers. The voices piled on top of each other, turning into buzzing noise.

Anna closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, her expression had returned to calm. Though her fingers clutching the sheet were still trembling, her voice no longer shook.

"I'm not wearing clothes." She looked at those reporters, her tone cold as ice. "If you keep shooting, you're violating my privacy. I can sue you."

The shutter clicks paused for an instant, then continued.

Henry positioned himself in front of her, blocking as many lenses as possible.

Bare-chested, his expression hard and cold, he said nothing.

Just then, a commotion came from outside the door.

Someone was shouting "move," followed by the sound of heavy objects being pushed aside. Someone fell, and the sound of a camera hitting the floor was particularly crisp.

Ethan pushed through the crowd. He shoved aside everyone blocking the doorway - whether they were reporters with cameras or onlookers with phones - unceremoniously pushing them all aside.

Someone's lens cap flew off, someone's head hit the door frame, someone cursed under their breath but swallowed the profanity when they met his eyes.

The moment he walked into the room, the whole room went quiet.

Then he saw Anna and Henry on the bed.

He asked nothing. He took off his suit jacket, strode to the bedside, and wrapped the jacket around Anna.

The suit was large, covering her body, leaving only a section of her calves exposed.

He crouched down, looking directly into her eyes, his voice low: "I'm sorry I'm late."

The tears Anna had been holding back for so long suddenly fell when she heard those words, but she quickly wiped them away and shook her head at him.

Ethan stood up and turned to the reporters at the door who were still clicking shutters, his face cold and expressionless.

"Anyone who takes one more photo, Gray Corporation's legal department will sue them into bankruptcy." His voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the room heard it. "I mean what I say."

The shutter clicks finally stopped.

Someone wanted to say something but was pulled back by the person next to them and shut their mouth awkwardly.

The crowd began to loosen. Some people started backing out, some were still hesitating, but Ethan stopped looking at them.

He turned and said something to Jake, who had followed him in.

Jake nodded, blocked the reporters from coming back in, and arranged for someone to bring a set of men's and women's clothing.

Henry and Anna changed clothes.

Ethan hugged Anna: "Are you hurt anywhere?"

"No."

Ethan seemed to be forcing himself to suppress some emotion. He brushed her cold-sweat-dampened hair behind her ear, his movements very gentle.

"Should I take you home?"

Anna nodded.

Ethan helped her stand up, one hand constantly at her back, helping her pull the suit jacket tight, making sure she wasn't exposed at all.

She kept her head down, burying her face against his shoulder, not looking at anyone.

He walked her step by step through the crowd still outside trying to capture something more. The moment the elevator doors closed, everything went quiet.

She leaned against him, listening to his heartbeat, feeling his hand gently patting her back, like comforting a child.

He said it's okay now, I'm taking you home.

The elevator descended all the way down. Anna's hand clutching his shirt never let go.

Ethan kept his arm around Anna's shoulders. Her face was buried in his chest, her breathing gradually steadying.

Jake had already arranged for a car to wait at the hotel's back entrance.

Ethan protected Anna as she got in the car. The moment the car door closed, the outside world was shut out.

The driver started the car and drove away from the hotel alley, leaving the flashing lights and noisy voices far behind.

Ethan looked down at the person beside him.

Anna's hair was messy, her lips were dry and cracked, her face pale and bloodless.

Her hands were still clutching his suit jacket, knuckles white, her whole body curled up in his jacket like a rain-soaked cat.

"Have some water first." Ethan took out a bottle of water from the car's storage compartment, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to her.

Anna took it and drank a sip. After the water moistened her throat, her voice was still a bit hoarse: "How did you know I was there?"

"Someone sent me an anonymous text."

Anna sighed: "Looks like that person is still watching us."

Ethan looked at her, waited a moment, then spoke: "Don't you want to ask me anything?"

"What should I ask you?" Anna turned her face to look at him.

"Aren't you afraid I'll misunderstand something?"

"Do you suspect me?" Anna interrupted him.

"No." Ethan didn't hesitate for a second. "Not for a single second."

Anna looked at him. His shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, his tie was crooked - it wasn't hard to see how anxious he had been.

"Ethan, thank you." Anna's eyes stung. She hugged Ethan, her voice choking.

Ethan held her tightly: "I promised you that no matter what happens, I'll listen to your explanation and won't easily doubt you."

Anna made a sound of agreement and let go: "Actually, I suspect Aurelia did this."

Ethan: "Me too, but I don't know who's behind her."

"Do you think it could be Asher?"