Kendrick’s POV
I hadn’t stepped foot in the hospital for a week, I knew grandpa would be extrely furious by now.
Not because I didn’t care about him , if anything, it was the opposite. Caring was dangerous and one person was enough for to take the risk for but now, it seems like my control is slipping and my emotions are all over the place.
And love is even more dangerous and I will never let it ruin everything I have worked hard for.
So, I buried myself in work, letting the tick of the clock and the endless pile of contracts keep from thinking about her.
She had sohow worked her way into my head and after our last talk, I knew this was no longer just a contract.
Her voice, her laugh, that damn stubborn way she looked at like she could see through every wall I’d built over the years.
Maybe if I stayed away long enough, I would be able to get rid of this unnecessary emotion.
Instead of going to the hospital myself, I sent Evans to the hospital every day to check on grandpa’s health.
"Just update if anything cos up," I had told him on the first morning after I decided to stay away.
And he did, precise, impersonal updates on my grandfather’s health.
I sotis waited for him to say sothing about Christy but just talks about my grandpa, never once ntioning Christy, and I never asked even though I knew she was there with him.
I was halfway through reviewing a set of international contracts when Evans ca in, setting a file on my desk.
"Are you back from the hospital? How is he? " I asked him with a serious expression.
"His vitals are stable, the doctor said the swelling has gone down,"he said simply.
"Good," I muttered, signing another page without looking up.
There was an awkward silence and he shuffled his feet like he was hesitating to say what was on his mind.
"Any other thing I need to know?" I asked him while I was still busy with the docunts.
"She asked about you again,"he said with a hesitant voice.
My hand froze on the pen and it took a few seconds to snap out of it.
"And you told her?" I asked, and stopped reading the docunt and looked at him.
"That you were busy." His tone was neutral, but I caught the judgntal flicker in his eyes.
"Good" I said plainly before going back to reading the docunt and signing.
" I honestly think you both should talk about things" He said and hurried out of my office
Before I could co up with a suitable excuse , the door opened again. Gary walked in without knocking, like always. He tossed himself into the chair opposite my desk, leaning back and studying .
"You look like hell, your eye bags are having eye bags," he said.
I didn’t answer, as I focused on signing the docunts in front of .
"I saw Evans in the hallway. He told you haven’t been to the hospital in a week. What the hell are you doing?" He asked with an annoyed tone.
"Working." I replied without lifting my head to look at him.
"No," Gary leaned forward, with his elbows resting on his knees.
"You’re running." he said with a sigh.
I looked up sharply.
"From what?"
Why would he say I am running, I have nothing to run from. I just needed ti to think about everything.
"From her." He said without blinking.
"From feeling sothing that actually matters." he added with a frown.
"Grandpa asked to tell you that he wants to see you tomorrow" he inford expressionlessly.
He hardly gets upset and this is one of the few tis I have seen him like this.
My jaw tightened. "You think I have ti to play emotional gas? Feelings get in the way. They cloud judgnt. They... "
"They make you human, Kendrick," he cut in. "You’ve built this empire, fought off enemies, survived things that would’ve destroyed most people. And now you’re scared of one woman because she makes your heart race? That’s pathetic."
I slamd the pen down. "It’s not just about her. You don’t understand..."
"Then make ," Gary challenged.
I looked away, my chest tight. mories I kept buried scratched at the surface.
My father’s voice, sharp and cold, the sll of blood, the heat of betrayal when people I trusted sold out.
Twice I’d co close to death before I was twenty-one. Twice I’d learned that attachnts made you a target.
"She’s not a ga I can afford to lose," I said finally, my voice low. "And I don’t want her to be my weakness."
Gary shook his head. "You’re so busy protecting yourself from hurt that you’re hurting her anyway."
I didn’t reply... I couldn’t. The truth of his words lodged in my chest like a blade.
*****
Christy’s POV
Seven days. That’s how long it had been since I last saw Kendrick.
Every morning, Evans ca in with that polite, practiced smile and told he was ’busy’.
Every afternoon, he left before I could press for more details.
I told myself I didn’t care. That I was here for his grandfather, not for him. But the hollow ache in my chest said otherwise.
Grandpa was propped up in bed, reading the newspaper when I ca in. He smiled when he saw .
"Ah, my sunshine," he said warmly.
I sat in the chair beside him, forcing a smile.
"How are you feeling today?" I asked him with a smile.
"Old," he chuckled, then his expression softened. "Christy, I need to ask you sothing."
I frowned. "What is it?"
"Promise you won’t leave him."
The sudden plea caught off guard. "I’m not, I an, we’re not... "
"I know what you are and what you’re not," he interrupted gently.
"But I also know my grandson. He feels for you. Probably more than he’s ever let himself feel for anyone. And that terrifies him."
My throat tightened. "Why?"
He sighed and set the paper aside.
"Because of what he’s been through."
I leaned closer as he began to speak, his voice low and heavy.
"When Kendrick was a boy, his father... neglected him, to say the least. He was left to fend for himself most days. When his father did pay attention, it was to criticize, to tell him he’d never be enough.
Then, when he was eighteen , he was attacked. Twice, in the sa year. The first ti, soone cut his brakes. The second..." His voice faltered.
"The second, they left him bleeding in the street."
My hands clenched in my lap. "Who would do that to him?"
"Enemies of the Black family , mostly. But the worst damage ca from inside the family.
Saen made it her mission to ruin him. She spread rumors about him, cruel, ugly lies about his sexuality, about his... nature.
People believed her. Friends turned away. He learned early that trust was dangerous."
I swallowed hard, my chest aching.
"He doesn’t let people close because everyone who’s ever gotten close has hurt him," Grandpa finished quietly. "But I can see it, you’ve slipped past his guard. Please, Christy... don’t give up on him."
Tears stung my eyes. I reached for his hand, squeezing it gently.
"I won’t."I promised, even though I wasn’t certain I could keep it .
For a long mont, we sat in silence, the weight of his words settling over . My heart ached for Kendrick, for the boy he’d been, for the man he’d beco because of it.
I left the room to clear my head, walking slowly down the corridor. The hospital slled faintly of antiseptic, the air cool and dry. I stepped outside into the crisp air, letting it bite at my cheeks as I tried to process everything I’d just learned.
Kendrick wasn’t just cold or distant by choice.
He was protecting himself from a lifeti of pain. And yet, I wanted to be the one to lt the ice around his heart.
After twenty minutes, I headed back toward the room.
The door was ajar and I rember vividly that I had closed it when I left.
A prickle of unease slid down my spine. I pushed it open quietly and froze.
A man stood beside Grandpa’s bed, his back to . He was holding a syringe filled with a cloudy, pale liquid, his hand steady as he reached for the IV line.
For a split second, I couldn’t breathe as I stared at him.
"What the hell are you doing?!" The words ca out of my mouth before I could think.
The man jolted, half-turning toward . The light from the window caught his face, a stranger, dark eyes flashing with sothing I couldn’t na.
I could feel the killing intent emanating from him as he stared at expressionlessly.
The syringe glead in his hand and his grip tightened around it.
And then he moved, he was so fast that I couldn’t react before he grabbed my neck.
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