Chapter 9 Entangled Fates: A Tale Of Passion, Deception, And Redemption
The room was as dark as ink, with only a sliver of light seeping through the gap in the curtains. Finn MacLeod leaned in close, but he still couldn't make out her features. The familiar feeling, however, sent him into a daze, as if he had been transported back three years to the moment when he had held that girl who had left such a deep impression on him.
Finn MacLeod thought he was dreaming. His suite was always empty, and he had been searching for that woman for three years without success. He gazed at the woman in his arms, with the hazy moonlight streaming in from the window and casting a soft glow on her face. He reached for the bedside lamp, wanting to see her clearly. But in the end, he didn't. He had had this dream many times before, and each time he was about to see the woman's face, he would wake up. So he restrained himself. This dream was the most vivid he had ever had in the past three years, and he didn't want to wake up easily.
Finn MacLeod gently traced her cheek with his finger, outlining her features: smooth skin, a delicate nose. The more he did so, the more he found the woman in his arms unbearably adorable. He felt as if his entire body was on fire, with a burning desire urging him to do something. It was as if he had been transported back to three years ago, and his body was almost out of control.
The woman suddenly let out a soft moan, shifted in his arms, and buried her face in his chest. Finn MacLeod's heart raced, and he held her even tighter, as if he wanted to merge her with his own body. The woman struggled again, and as she turned her face, her lips brushed against Finn MacLeod's. His eyes darkened, and it felt as if a raging fire was burning inside him. He leaned down and kissed her deeply.
His broad hand glided over her slender waist and effortlessly untied her silk robe. Evelyn Ross, who was in a state of semi-consciousness, felt a pair of hands caressing her body. She jolted awake, realizing she was in a strong embrace, with the man's lips fiercely claiming hers. Instinctively, she tried to push him away, but her body was weak from just waking up, and the man's grip was like iron, holding her tightly.
The kiss grew more and more intense, almost taking away all the oxygen from her mouth. The sensation was all too familiar... The man from three years ago had done the same, taking everything from her. The bitterness and humiliation of that experience came flooding back, and tears welled up in her eyes.
"No..." she pleaded weakly.
Finn MacLeod felt as if he was on fire, kissing the woman in his arms uncontrollably. The woman was trying to push him away, just like she had struggled desperately three years ago. "No..." her plea was clear and real in Finn MacLeod's ears. He sobered up in an instant. This wasn't a dream! Remembering the woman's helpless cries and sobs from three years ago, he had hurt her once, and he couldn't afford to make the same mistake again.
He quickly turned on the bedside lamp. The woman in front of him was the girl with the clear features and fair skin from the press card. And around her fair neck was the very important necklace.
"How could it be you?" Evelyn Ross was extremely surprised. She was still weak from the excessive inhalation of ether, and her head was spinning. Moreover, the man in front of her was Finn MacLeod, the very man who filled her with fear at the mere sight of him.
"Don't come any closer!!!" Evelyn Ross screamed in fear, "Mr. MacLeod, I know you have the power to do anything, and I can't resist you. But even if it costs me everything, I will never submit!"
Her voice was still weak and breathless. She was half-leaning, half-sitting on the bed, with most of her skin exposed under the bright light. Coupled with her tear-streaked face, she looked incredibly vulnerable.
He sneered, "First, you deliberately made yourself look unattractive, and then you used your real appearance to climb into my bed. You just wanted to get my attention, didn't you?"
"I swear, I have no interest in you at all!" Finn MacLeod was furious. He had never seen such an overconfident woman. How dare she play such a vulgar trick of feigning disinterest in front of him?
"Get out!"
She hurriedly tried to get up and leave, but her legs were too weak. As soon as she stepped on the carpet, she fell back down.
"Ah!" she cried out involuntarily, and her silk robe slipped down a bit more. Seeing her pitifully sitting on the floor, unable to stand up, Finn MacLeod felt even more disgusted. He closed his eyes and refused to look at her.
Evelyn Ross stumbled out of the room. Finn MacLeod opened his eyes only to feel the alcohol rush to his head, making him irritable. He wanted to call David Benjamin and ask how that woman had gotten into his room.
As he took out his phone, it was still on the unread text message. It turned out that the woman had been drugged, which was why she had ended up there.
Recalling how she had been unable to sit up or stand earlier, Finn MacLeod initially thought she was pretending to be weak to tempt him. Now he realized he had misunderstood her.
David Benjamin's text also mentioned that the gang members were acting under Clara Sinclair's orders.
Why would Clara Sinclair want this woman dead?
The first time he had seen this woman, she had indeed been troubled by Clara Sinclair, but that wasn't enough for Clara Sinclair to want to eliminate her completely.
If there were any old grudges between the two, it was impossible. She had always been a foreign correspondent and couldn't have offended Clara Sinclair.
It seemed there must be a story behind this woman.
Finn MacLeod called his subordinate Jason and told him to keep a close watch and ensure her safety. Ensuring her safety also meant ensuring the safety of the necklace pendant. As for why she was wearing that necklace pendant, he would investigate slowly without alerting anyone.
Evelyn Ross stumbled back to her small home and quickly found the medicine for her heart condition, swallowing it in one go. But even after taking the medicine, she still had trouble breathing and suspected it had something to do with being knocked out earlier.
No matter what, the surgery could no longer be delayed.
After a while, she managed to drag her exhausted body back to the bedroom. Lying down, Evelyn Ross thought about Finn MacLeod again. Calming down, she began to carefully ponder what had just happened.
She only remembered being knocked out by Clara Sinclair's men, and the next thing she remembered was being kissed awake by Finn MacLeod. This led her to suspect that there might be some collusion between Finn MacLeod and Clara Sinclair.
But then she thought again, and it didn't seem right. Clara Sinclair had clearly wanted the gang members to harm her, not to send her to Finn MacLeod's bed. Moreover, given Finn MacLeod's status, he would certainly not stoop to colluding with Clara Sinclair.
Could it be that Finn MacLeod had taken a liking to her, so he had her rescued from Clara Sinclair's clutches? But if that were the case, why had he let her go just now?
She couldn't figure it out.
But no matter what, Finn MacLeod was an extremely dangerous man, and she had to stay away from him!
The next day, Evelyn Ross arrived at the company, only to be stopped by Group Leader Klein as soon as she entered.
"Where have you been these past few days?"
Evelyn Ross lowered her head, avoiding Group Leader Klein's gaze.
"I'm sorry, sir."
"Absent without even a word for several days. What am I supposed to say to you?"
Unable to explain, Evelyn Ross had no choice but to make an excuse.
"My heart wasn't feeling well, and my phone was broken. I've been resting at home these past few days. Sir, I'll definitely be more careful next time..."
Hearing this, Group Leader Klein's gaze softened, and he sighed helplessly.
"Now the editor-in-chief wants to fire you. You'd better go talk to him yourself."
Evelyn Ross had no choice but to head to the editor-in-chief's office.
Michell, the editor-in-chief, had an office in a corner of the company, with a wide view of the avenue and excellent lighting. As soon as Evelyn Ross entered, Michell's face turned cold.
"What's going on with you? Do you not want to keep your job?!"
Michell's loud voice startled Evelyn Ross, who took a deep breath to calm her racing heart.
"I'm sorry, sir. I definitely won't make this mistake again..."
Michell glanced at Evelyn Ross with a lewd look that was hard to miss. The man touched the corner of his mouth, smiled, and walked over to Evelyn Ross. "It's not that hard for me to forgive you..."
As he spoke, the editor-in-chief's hand reached for Evelyn Ross's slender waist...
At that very moment, across the street in a commercial building, Finn MacLeod stood in front of a large floor-to-ceiling window with a dark expression.