INICIAR SESIÓNCameron's expression darkened at the two men's response as well after Maria chuckled. "Don't think that just because you played the self-sacrificial card is enough to make us compromise. If you're not from this island, then you shouldn't be here."The two men stayed firm. "No, we must protect Mr. Shaw. That was Mr. Freeman's strict order. You said he was injured here, right? Was there some accident at sea? How do we know it was really an accident and not something you did? We must guarantee his safety."Cameron clenched his fists as his expression darkened. He walked over and was ready to fight.Maria pulled his arm at once and shot him a look, signaling him not to act rashly. These two clearly knew how to fight. If it came to a real fight, he could not win.Seeing that she was determined to hold him back, Cameron took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He then said, "Fine. Let them stay on the perimeter. As long as they don't disrupt our lives, it's fine. We'll sen
"Mr. Trent Freeman is handling the Shaw Group on behalf of Mr. Shaw right now," the bodyguard answered honestly. "He knew Mr. Shaw was here, so they sent us to bring him back. He said that something serious has happened."Maria had a bad feeling when she heard the bodyguard's words.Given these circumstances, what could have happened outside that was so serious?The ones close to Richard currently were Trent and Jonathan, as well as the Shaw Group. If there was something serious, it would almost certainly be one of those.She calmed herself and looked up at the two men. "If possible, can you tell us what exactly happened?"The two men exchanged a look. They clearly didn't expect Maria to care about this. One of them coughed lightly and lowered his voice. "Unfortunately, it's not our place to mention it to you. Mr. Freeman forbids us."Maria found that even more suspicious."Richard is injured. He just had stitches last night, and he's still very weak. We want him off this isla
Maria stared at Richard's calm, almost cold expression in surprise, but still instinctively put her hand in his. Richard clutched her hand tightly and pulled her up, then turned and walked away without a word.Seeing that he had no intention of bothering her and didn't even try to speak, Maria found his behavior even more bizarre.Still shaken, she glanced behind her and saw the bird flap its wings a few times, then fly off in fright. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.She followed Richard back to their accommodation, and he turned straight into his room.Scarlet happened to see this and looked a little startled. "Wait, you two..."Maria shook her head at her, signaling that nothing had happened. Then, she walked over and asked about the bird from before."I don't know what it's really called. When I was a kid, my dad just called it a sawtooth bird," Scarlet said. "Sharp teeth, sharp beak. Sometimes it leaves people alone, sometimes it chases and bites. It's scared of fi
While the surroundings of Auster Island were beautiful and Maria's stay there was comfortable, there were always too many unknowns. Her mind was never truly relaxed.When Cameron came to talk about the cello, she finally felt a spark of interest. She sat across from him and picked up the instrument. The moment she drew the bow across the strings and began to play the composition, a figure slowly appeared outside the door.Neither of them noticed.Maria focused on the composition in front of her and focused on the performance, while Cameron focused on her face, unable to look away.When the performance ended, Maria lowered the cello and happened to glance toward the doorway. She jumped in surprise when she saw someone standing there. Before she could say anything, Richard turned and left in a hurry, as if he was afraid of being discovered and disturbing them.Maria immediately stood up and chased after him. She only managed to catch sight of Richard quickly walking back to his ro
"Even if he really does end up with depression, it has nothing to do with you," Cameron said as he looked at Maria deeply.Maria paused and said nothing more, offering only a small smile. "I understand. I want some time alone. For the next few days, let's try not to say much in front of him."Cameron nodded in agreement and cooperated.After the psychiatrist finished a round of counseling for Richard and came out, he saw Maria waiting in the hallway. He spread his hands and said weakly, "I'm sorry. I still haven't found a suitable way to treat him. Mr. Shaw's condition is a bit abnormal. No matter what I say, he doesn't react. Even when I mention you, he doesn't give much response. It's like he has completely shut himself off and can no longer communicate with the outside world."Maria paused as she took a drink before nodding. She was prepared for this result. "Use every method you can to treat him, but the priority is the injury on his head."The psychiatrist nodded. "Have a f
Maria had never seen Richard like this before. He looked completely lost, as if he had no idea what he was doing or where he was going.Richard stopped and looked at her, opening his mouth at last. "I..."Maria raised her brows, puzzled. "Yes? I'm listening."Richard shook his head again. "Nothing. I won't say anything."Maria froze for a moment. Richard pulled his hand free and kept walking.His steps became stiff and repetitive, almost mechanical. Maria frowned slowly, a strange light flashing in her eyes. She raised her head and met Cameron's eyes. "Call the psychiatric team over. Something's really wrong with him. If this keeps up, he might not even survive."Cameron nodded and went back to pressure Scarlet to get the doctors here as soon as possible.Meanwhile, Maria followed Richard for more than half an hour, worried that something might happen to Richard. Only after that did he finally make his way back. When they passed each other, he didn't even turn his head to lo







