"Lyse doesn''t know you''re meeting me, right?" Axel lowered his voice with ragged breathing.


    "She''s asleep." Jasper nced at him deeply. Frowning, he questioned, "Axel, you look unwell. Are you feeling sick? I''ll get my grandpa''s physician to check on you."


    Axel ushered Jasper into his room and shut the door. Letting out a sigh, he walked to the couch, where he gritted his teeth and took off his torn ck shirt under the dim light.


    Jasper''s pupils dted in shock. He gasped at the horrific wounds across Axel''s muscr body, some with scabs and some still bleeding.


    What shocked Jasper was the palm-sized burnt injury on Axel''s back. Axel''s honeyed skin turned a shade of red. Bloodied fluids oozed out of the burst blister.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "How did it get this bad?" Jasper''s heart nearly stopped. He hurried over and helped Axel to take a seat.


    "Jameson Schmidt sent assassins after me and Amber. Later, they set a fire around the vi to burn us alive." Axel clenched his jaw when he recalled the painful sensation of the burns.


    As a hardy man, he rarelyined or groaned when injured. In fact, he nearly couldn''t make it when he arrived at Alyssa''s door, yet he kept his injuries to himself to avoid worrying her. "Jameson Schmidt, you fucking maniac!'' Gripped by anger, Jasper helped disinfect the wound.


    With his back facing Jasper, Axel took a breath and chuckled. "Now, I''m really thankful that Lyse has always been into you, even when Jameson tried to woo her. Thank God she didn''t fall for his lies, or her life would be ruined."


    Jasper''s fingers started to tremble as he choked on emotions.


    "In some way, I have you to thank," said Jasper while secretly grimacing at the pain.


    "It''s truly an honor to be chosen by Lyse," Jasper confessed, his voice thick with emotion. "I''ve never felt like I''ve done much for her. She''s always been the one looking out for herself, relying on her intelligence."


    "Pfft. Looking out for herself?" Sweating from the pain, Axel grinned. "She''s never looked out for herself in the sense of the word. Winston protected her when she was a kid. And us brothers, we''ve been there for her as adults. No one truly wants to be overly independent when they have people who care and love them."


    While speaking, Axel thought of the gorgeous Amber who had fought alongside him. He could tell from herbat skills that she had been put through grueling training-her attacks more lethal than defensive. Blinking back bitter tears, he silently pondered, "When did she capture my heart?" By the time he btedly realized the depths of his feelings, she had already taken root in his heart.


    "Jasper, is this how it feels to finally fall for someone in a life of solitude?"


    Jasper listened attentively to Axel''s musings.


    Axel mumbled, "Romantic love is on a whole different level from familial love. I''ve been putting on a front for as long as I know, I almost forgot how to love as a human being. Still, I''d like to give it my all, just like you. I want to give it a try."


    Amber returned to The Millennium with Carl on that eventful night. Everything seemed normal and calm at the clubhouse.


    Jameson did not show up in the next three days or summon her. Not only that, he didn''t assign any new tasks to her.


    She spent most of her time sleeping during the three days, perhaps from the side effects of the drugs. The sensation of drifting between reality and dreams could be addictive.


    In her dreams, she snuggled and


    shared passionate kisses with Axel. The racy scenes starkly contrasted with the cold reality, which only deepened her desire for him. If she had a choice, she wouldn''t mind taking two more of the blue pills and drifting to sleep. Only then would she stand a chance of meeting Axel.


    That wasn''t too much to ask for, was it?


    On the fourth night, Amber mustered her energy to take a bath and changed into a simple, pure azure dress. She emerged from her bedroom and wandered into the corridor. There, she found a


    ovel


    bodyguard walking in her direction,


    holding a pot of flowers.


    When they neared each other, she widened her eyes in fear, her heart leaping into her throat.


    The bodyguard was carrying a pot of red roses that Jameson kept in his living room!


    The guard came to a halt and greeted her, "Hi, Ms. Altman."


    "A-Aren''t these flowers from Mr. Schmidt''s room? Why did you remove them?" Amber tried to appear nonchnt despite her drumming heart.


    "Oh. Mr. Moses made me remove them. He said Mr. Schmidt did not need the flowers anymore." With that, the bodyguard passed her by.


    The color drained from her face. At the same time, she heard Carl''s deep voice echoing behind her, "Amber, Mr. Schmidt would like to see you. Pleasee with me."