Chapter 37 He is Back
Elodie's POV
Her words stopped abruptly mid-sentence, as if she suddenly realized something. "It's you. I bet you used your little tricks to seduce Nelson again, didn't you? Got him to get you out of that hellhole?"
Her nails dug deep into my flesh, making me gasp from the pain.
The fear from the explosion, the anxiety of being separated from my companions, my doubts about York, and now Vivian's baseless accusations—all these negative emotions exploded at once.
I was no longer the Elodie who would just silently endure everything.
I suddenly raised my hand and pushed her away hard. "Get your dirty hands off me."
Vivian didn't expect me to fight back. My push made her stumble and nearly fall.
Vivian looked at me in disbelief. After steadying herself, she lunged at me again with her claws out. "You bitch, I'll kill you!"
Just as her hand was about to touch me, an arm reached out from behind me and firmly grabbed Vivian's wrist.
The hand was slender and strong, moving quickly and precisely.
"Miss, let's talk this out calmly."
York had returned at some point and was now standing beside me.
Vivian seemed intimidated by his presence. Her struggling stopped. She looked up at this handsome man who had suddenly appeared, then looked at me, her face full of jealousy and resentment.
York released her and turned to me. "What happened?"
"She's... Nelson's ex-girlfriend. She won't stop harassing me."
I kept it brief, not going into details.
York nodded knowingly. When his gaze behind the glasses fell on Vivian again, it had grown much colder. Without another word, he stepped forward, grabbed Vivian's arm, and despite her screaming and struggling, half-dragged, half-pulled her toward a black sedan outside the hotel entrance.
His movements were forceful and efficient, creating a stark contrast with his refined demeanor.
I watched as he stuffed Vivian into the car, gave the driver some quiet instructions, and the car quickly merged into traffic and disappeared.
The whole process took less than a minute, so fast it felt like a hallucination.
Soon, York walked back. He straightened his slightly disheveled suit cuffs, as if he had just brushed off a bit of dust from his clothes.
"What did you do to her?"
"Don't worry, I just had someone take her to a place where she can cool down, and warned her not to harass you again."
His words were casual, yet carried a convincing authority.
After everything—the explosion, losing touch with my family, Vivian acting like a complete psycho—York stepping in felt like someone finally threw me a rope. I was so grateful.
"Thank you, sir. If it weren't for you today, I really wouldn't have known what to do."
"Just call me York. Between friends, there's no need to be so formal. You look exhausted. Go back to your room and rest. Your foot injury needs time to heal. Once your signal comes back, it won't be too late to contact your family."
I nodded. He was right—what I needed most now was to calm down.
Back in my room, I locked the door and leaned against it, finally feeling the delayed exhaustion and weakness wash over me.
Before going to sleep, I looked at my phone showing zero signal bars, and with a slim hope, sent Nelson a message.
Me: [I'm okay. I'm at The Century Hotel. Reply when you see this.]
I knew he probably wouldn't receive it, but this was the only thing I could do right now.
After doing this, I couldn't hold on any longer. I collapsed on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.
I don't know how long had passed when urgent, forceful knocking jolted me awake from my foggy sleep.
"Who is it?" I sat up warily.
There was no response from outside, only more persistent knocking, each knock harder than the last, as if trying to break down the door.
My heart jumped to my throat. I hesitated about whether to call York.
Just then, a familiar voice came from outside the door.
"Elodie, open the door!"
It was Nelson!
I practically rushed to the door, my hands trembling as I opened it.
The moment the door opened, a wave of cold outdoor air mixed with the smell of smoke engulfed me.
Nelson stood outside. He was still wearing the black shirt from the banquet, but it had lost all its former elegance and neatness.
Two buttons at the collar were undone, his hair disheveled.
Without a word, the instant I opened the door, he reached out his long arms and pulled me tightly into his embrace.
The force of that hug was surprisingly strong, as if he wanted to embed my bones into his body.
He held me so tight I could barely breathe.
"You..."
He held me without saying a word, just burying his head in the crook of my neck, breathing in my scent greedily and forcefully.
After a long while, he loosened his grip slightly, cupped my face, and his bloodshot eyes scanned every inch of my face, as if checking whether I was completely unharmed.
"What happened?"
"I was investigating the people behind Vivian when my men sent word that there was an explosion at your hotel." He spoke. "By the time I rushed back, you were gone. Graham and Rod were gone too."
He said it casually, but I could tell from his tense jawline and the lingering fear in his eyes just how terrified he must have been.
"It was the fire alarm. We escaped with the crowd, but got separated downstairs." I quickly explained, then grabbed his hand. "I ran into York. He saved me and brought me here."
I thought he would be relieved, but the name York made the storm in his eyes gather again.
"York?" He narrowed his eyes dangerously.
"Right, the guy who helped me back in New York. Can you believe he's staying around here too? Small world." I told him the whole story.
Nelson listened without a word, looking angrier and angrier. He whipped out his phone and said coldly, "Check all the guest records at The Century Hotel tonight, and find everything on a man named 'York.' Use every resource available. I want all his information. Now."