CHAPTER 3

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

Tyler frowned when she didn’t say a word, he pushed her back into the room and came into contact with her mother. He eyed them before asking, “What are you doing here?”

“Ehm…” she 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.” She lied and fortunately, her mum didn't say a word.

“Take her to the toilet.” He commanded and Nora had no choice but to do that.

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

Just as Nora 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. 

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

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

“Start here,” he pointed at the wound right below his lips, his gaze provocative. Nora moved closer to him, their faces an inch away from each other. She could feel his breath on her face as she tried to treat the wound.

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

Nora swallowed hard. “Sir…”

But he paid no heed to her, his hand lingered against her cheek. “Yeah?”

She leaned into his touch without thinking, her eyes meeting his. The air grew heavier, charged with something neither of them could deny any longer. 

When he shifted closer, her breath hitched.

His lips met hers in a slow, lingering kiss. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her onto his lap, and she melted into his warmth.

Just when she thought they were about to dive deeper, he put an end to it and pulled away. Flustered, Nora prepared to make her 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."

Nora looked at the man Tyler and back to the man. ‘What did he mean by that? Is he one of those…’

Her fear intensified and she realized she had stumbled into something much bigger than she could handle.

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

She 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 her lie. Instead, he signaled for his men to bring someone in while motioning for Nora 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!" 

Nora watched as the scene unfolded before her. Fortunately, the lamp made her see it clearly but she 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 Nora was seated.

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