The doctor left a couple of hours later, after probing me like I was some kind of lab experiment and checking every bruise and wound twice. Before leaving, he gave Miss Lily a mild reminder that he would be back by morning.
Miss Lily, on the other hand, hadn't left my side once. She helped me clean up as gently as she could, carefully wiping away the dried blood from my skin and changing me out of my ripped, stained clothes. I barely had the strength to help her. By the time she slipped a soft, flowy gown over me, I was already exhausted.
"You need to rest now," she murmured.
I nodded.
She helped me settle back against the pillows before bringing over the food room service had sent. The smell reached me, but instead of making me hungry, it only made my stomach turn.
"Just a little," she coaxed, lifting the spoon toward me.
I opened my mouth obediently.
The first bite was difficult to swallow.
I managed another, then another, but soon I turned my face away.
"I can't."
Miss Lily lowered the spoon immediately.
"That's enough."
I gave her a grateful look.
She placed the food aside and reached for the glass of water instead, holding it carefully while I took a few small sips.
"There you go."
I rested my head against the pillow.
Outside the balcony glass the faint sounds of the city drifted through , cars passing somewhere below, distant voices, the occasional muted horn.
Miss Lily pulled the chair closer to my bed.
"You know," she began softly, "the sky looked beautiful today."
I turned my eyes toward her.
"The sky?"
She smiled.
"Mm-hmm. Blue this morning. Then it became cloudy. I thought it was going to rain, but it never did."
I listened without saying anything.
So she kept talking.
She told me about the weather, the meals she liked ordering. Then she started talking about the little things she had noticed from the window; the clouds changing shapes, the trees moving whenever the wind passed through them.
Her voice became softer with every word.
My eyelids grew heavier.
"Miss Lily…"
"Yes, child?"
I swallowed.
"Don't go."
Her expression softened.
"I'm not going anywhere."
I believed her.
My fingers loosened against the sheets as sleep began pulling me under.
The last thing I remember was the warmth of her hand resting over mine.
Her voice continued somewhere in the distance, gentle and steady, telling me something about the garden outside.
I tried to listen.
I really did.
But the words slowly blurred together.
And before I could hear the end of the story, I fell asleep.
Lily remained beside Jennie's bed for several minutes after she finally drifted off. Her breathing had evened out,the faint marks on her skin standing out beneath the soft light of the bedside lamp.
I reached over and carefully pulled the blanket higher over her shoulder.
"Sleep, child,"
I whispered, although I knew she could no longer hear me. She had been through more than anyone should have to endure in one day.
I slowly rose from the edge of the bed and crossed the room to the armchair near the window. I lowered myself into it before reaching into my pocket for my phone. There was one person who needed to know she had finally woken up.
I typed a message.
She's awake.
I sent it before placing the phone on the armrest.
My eyes returned to Jennie almost immediately. She shifted beneath the blanket, turning her face slightly toward the window, and I held my breath until she settled again. When I was certain she was still asleep, I relaxed against the chair.
The room was quiet except for the faint hum of the air conditioner and the distant sounds of the city beyond the glass balcony doors. There was something about watching over a sleeping child that made the whole world seem to slow down.
Then my phone vibrated.
I glanced down at the screen.
Good. Stay with her.
I smiled faintly before locking the phone again.
Young Master Jacob was several buildings away, Jacob was still buried beneath a mountain of paperwork.
The office was quiet except for the occasional click of his keyboard and the faint sound of pages being turned. A macbook pro occupied most of the space before him, displaying financial reports and figures from one of the company's ongoing projects, while several thick files lay open across the polished surface of his desk.
Jacob had been working for hours, but there was no sign of fatigue in his posture. His sleeves were rolled neatly to his forearms, his tie loosened slightly around his neck, and his attention remained fixed on the documents in front of him. Whatever thoughts might have been occupying his mind, he had become exceptionally good at keeping them hidden behind that calm, controlled expression.
Mark and Samantha stood several feet away, waiting patiently.
Neither dared interrupt him.
Jacob finished reading a page before signing his name at the bottom and sliding the file aside. "Have the legal team review the revised contract again before it reaches the board. I don't want any surprises tomorrow morning."
"Yes, Young Master," Mark replied.
I reached for another document, but before opening it, the soft notification sound from my phone interrupted the silence.
My eyes lifted briefly.
Mark glanced toward the desk and noticed the screen lighting up with a message. He stepped forward and picked up the phone, intending to check whether it was something urgent.
His gaze moved over the notification.
"It's from Miss Lily."
My hands stopped over the document.
"What did she say?"
Mark looked at him. "Jennie is awake."
My gaze moved to the phone in Mark's hand, and although his face remained composed, the faint tension that had been sitting around his eyes eased.
"She's awake?" he repeated quietly.
"Yes."
I held Mark's gaze for another second before giving a small nod.
"Good."
Mark placed the phone back on the desk.
I looked down at the document and continued reading as though the interruption had meant nothing. I managed a few lines before my eyes stopped moving.
My mind had already wandered back to the girl in the hotel room.
Jennie.
I remembered how fragile she had looked when I first saw her. There was something in her eyes that I couldn't quite explain, something that had stayed with me long after I had left the room. I have seen fear before,had seen pain, desperation, even hopelessness. But there had been something different about hers. Something that made him want to understand rather than simply look away.
Jacob slowly leaned back in his chair, his fingers resting against the edge of the desk.
"Mark."
"Yes, Young Master?"
"I want you to run a background check on Jennie."
Mark's expression became slightly more serious. "How thorough?"
Jacob looked toward him.
"Very."
He picked up his pen, turning it slowly between his fingers before adding, "I want to know everything possible about her."
Mark nodded. "Her family?"
"Everything."
"Education, employment, financial history, personal connections?"
Jacob's lips curved into the faintest smile.
"Find out where she came from. Who she knows. Where she's been. Anyone who might have a reason to hurt her." His smile disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. "And I want to know why."
"I'll handle it."
Jacob nodded once and dismissed him with a small gesture.
Mark turned toward the door, but Jacob had already returned his attention to the documents.
He picked up his pen again and forced himself back into the work he had abandoned.
Yet, despite his best effort, one thought continued to linger at the back of his mind.
He had only met Jennie once.
And already, he found himself wanting to know far more about her than he should.