Chapter 545
Suddenly, Christina’s voice cut through his thoughts. “Are you finished changing?” She still kept her back to him.
“One moment,” Dylan answered, snapping back to himself. He hurried to get changed, determined not to let Christina change his pants for him and notice his erection. He was resolved not to let her think of him as some kind of creep.
“All right, I’m done,” Dylan said quietly.
Christina glanced over and found him reclining, now clad in the loose hospital pants. The full patient outfit only seemed to emphasize how vulnerable he looked.
“Does the wound still bother you?” she asked softly, concern threading her voice.
Dylan’s reply was barely audible as he kept up his charade. “Yeah.”
“Does it hurt a lot?” Christina pressed gently, her brow knitting as she instinctively reached for his hand. A quick touch reassured her—he was stable, just needing time to heal.
“It aches a little,” Dylan murmured, careful not to speak too loudly, afraid she might pull away if he didn’t appear weak enough.
“That’s completely normal. No need to worry,” Christina reassured him, gently releasing his hand.
As her touch slipped away, a quiet pang of disappointment flickered across Dylan’s face.
“Make sure you get plenty of rest,” she added, her tone soft but firm.
Dylan gave a small nod. “I will.”
Meanwhile, inside a secluded manor, a middle-aged man asked, his back rigid and unyielding to his listener, “Have you finished the task assigned?”
The girl in white—the unmistakable one who had tried to get close to Dylan and Ralphy but failed—immediately sank to her knees, trembling with fear. “No… I couldn’t. Dylan won’t let any girl near him. I never even got close,” she replied, her voice quivering with frustration.
“Worthless!” The man whirled around, delivering a brutal kick that sent her sprawling. His face was hidden behind a chilling mask, concealing all identity and making him a shadow of menace.
Despite the searing pain, the girl clawed herself back onto her knees, terror painting her pale face. “Please… please give me another chance. I swear I’ll get close to Dylan and Ralphy,” she pleaded desperately.
The masked man’s gaze froze her like ice. “Fine. One last chance. Fail again, and you know what awaits.”
“I—I won’t fail this time! I swear it!” she stammered, her body shaking uncontrollably.
“Now get out of my sight,” he commanded sharply.
“Yes… yes…” she whimpered, turning on trembling legs and fleeing, her face drained of all color. Failure this time would mean a fate far worse than death.
Moments later, from the darkened corners of the room, a figure emerged. “Dad, that worthless girl is going to fail again—no doubt about it.” It was none other than Bruno, his tone edged with biting certainty.
The middle-aged man slowly peeled off his ominous mask, revealing the stern face of Eugene—Bruno’s father.
Eugene’s brow furrowed deeply as he fixed his gaze on his son. “And why are you so certain?”