CHAPTER 3: His Betrayal

Nora POV 

I stood rooted to the ground, at a loss of what to say. I fixed my eyes on the ground, unable to look at him and to prevent him from discovering my trembling sight.

Tyler frowned when I didn't say a word. He pushed me back into the room and came into contact with my mother. He eyed us before asking, "What are you doing here?"

"Ehm…" I struggled to find the right excuse to give. "I'm a nurse here… I mistakenly entered the wrong room."

"Oh! And the woman?"

"She is my patient." I lied and fortunately, my mum didn't say a word.

"Take her to the toilet." He commanded and I had no choice but to do that.

Tyler switched on the bedside lamp, and the moment he saw my face, he was momentarily stunned, falling into silence.

Just as I was getting more nervous, he suddenly smirked. "Well, that works out. I need someone to check my wound."

With that, he casually pulled open his shirt, revealing his broad shoulder. The wound wasn't deep, but under the dim light, the blood smeared across his skin making him look both dangerous and alluring.

I cursed my bad luck inwardly but had no choice but to approach, my heart pounding. I took the medical kit I saw in the drawer and gently made my way to him.

The moment my fingers touched his, I noticed him shiver at my touch and raised my head to him but quickly lowered it back. It was hard for me to read his emotions but I sensed something different from him.

"Start here," he pointed at the wound right below his lips, his gaze provocative. I moved closer to him, our faces an inch away from each other. I could feel his breath on my face as I tried to treat the wound.

As he watched me, the warmth in his gaze made my heart beat just a little faster. Slowly, he reached out, brushed a loose strand of hair from my face, and tucked it gently behind my ear.

I swallowed hard. "Sir…"

But he paid no heed to me, his hand lingering against my cheek. "Yeah?"

I leaned into his touch without thinking, my eyes meeting his. The air grew heavier, charged with something neither of us could deny any longer.

When he shifted closer, my breath hitched.

His lips met mine in a slow, lingering kiss. His arms wrapped around me, pulling me onto his lap, and I melted into his warmth.

Just when I thought we were about to dive deeper, he put an end to it and pulled away. Flustered, I prepared to make my escape when gunshots suddenly rang out from outside.

The door was kicked open, and a bulky man entered. "It's handled. Those pests outside are all dead."

I looked at the man, then at Tyler, and back to the man. What did he mean by that? Is he one of those…

My fear intensified and I realized I had stumbled into something much bigger than I could handle.

Leaning back lazily, Tyler chuckled. "Looks like you're lucky. You walked into the right room."

I recoiled in fear and instantly declared, "I'm blind. I didn't see anything. I don't know anything."

Tyler laughed but didn't expose my lie. Instead, he signaled for his men to bring someone in while motioning for me to step aside.

Landon was dragged into the room, still shouting, "I'm Darius's favorite son! Who the hell are you? If you touch me, my father will make you pay!"

I watched as the scene unfolded before me. Fortunately, the lamp made me see it clearly but I was not easily spotted by Landon.

"Your people are all dead." Tyler roared as Landon was forced to his knees.

"What do you want?" Landon's voice was barely a whisper.

"Do you think you still have the right to ask that?"

Landon didn't dare respond.

Tyler smirked at Landon's downcast expression. "Consider this payback. Your father's medicine shipment is overdue. I had no choice but to come collect."

"That has nothing to do with me! I had no idea what my father was doing—"

"No idea? Weren't you just boasting about being your father's favorite son?"

Landon panicked as he looked at Tyler's ghastly face. "Maybe I should just kill you. Send your father a little message?"

"No, no! Please! I'll do anything! I swear I…my father will honor any deal from now on!"

Tyler paused, attempting to think about it for a while. "You think I'd believe you? The best I can do is keep your life. But since your father can't keep his word, I'll just take his most precious son away as my hostage. Before every transaction, I'll send him pictures of your 'situation'—see if he still dared to cross us."

Landon turned ghostly pale, already imagining the torture he'd suffer. Desperate, he suddenly had a stroke of genius.

"Wait! You're misunderstanding! My father's real favorite child isn't me—it's my sister! Nora. Take her instead! She's a woman, she's worth far more than I am, she could do more…" He looked in the direction where I was seated.

Tyler glanced at me, his expression unreadable while I felt as though I had fallen into an abyss of ice. How had Landon seen me?