Lucas looked troubled. Seeing Elena's pitiful expression, he almost couldn't bring himself to hurt her. But no matter how unwilling he was, there was no choice.
As the old saying goes—when the master commands, a servant cannot refuse.
He was silent for a few seconds before finally speaking.
"Miss Sung, Mr. Sterling asked me to deliver a message to you."
Elena instinctively asked, "What did he say?"
Lucas told her honestly,
"Mr. Sterling said Miss Sung shouldn't overthink things. The only reason he stepped in today wasn't because he wanted to help you, but simply because of your title as Mrs. Sterling."
"If Mrs. Sterling is humiliated, it reflects poorly on him."
In other words, everything he had done was to protect his own reputation.
It had nothing to do with Elena herself.
Elena thought of last night, when he had sent the butler and bodyguards to punish Sophia and pull her out of the misery at the Sung household. She had thanked him sincerely, but his reply was cool and dismissive:
"No need. Even a dog reflects on its owner."
In Lucian's eyes, she was nothing more than a dog bearing his name.
And no matter how much he disliked this dog, he would never allow others to bully it and embarrass him.
Every time she felt a rush of gratitude toward him, it always turned into a cruel joke—mocking her for being foolishly sentimental. How could Lucian ever truly help her?
The dimness in Elena's eyes didn't escape Lucas, but he had to grit his teeth and continue:
"Mr. Sterling also said… Miss Sung shouldn't bother him anymore. Seeing you only makes him feel sick."
Her heart tore open like a wound, icy wind rushing in until she shivered from the cold.
"Lucas, please pass a message back to Mr. Sterling for me…"
Her pale lips trembled as she spoke. After hearing her out, Lucas sighed deeply, then stepped aside into a quiet corner and dialed Lucian's number.
"Mr. Sterling, I delivered all your words to Miss Sung," he reported.
"She asked me to tell you that she understands. She won't disturb you again. She also wanted to thank you—for saving the two most important people in her life. If she ever gets the chance, she'll repay you."
Beep. Beep. Beep!
Before Lucas could even finish exhaling, the line went dead.
The cold dial tone seemed to pour out Lucian's bad mood.
Mr. Sterling was angry again.
Lucas instantly realized it and rubbed his temples. His head ached.
Mr. Sterling, oh Mr. Sterling… what now?
Fine, be angry if you must—but please, don't drag that anger into work. Do you know how nerve-racking it is for your assistant to live every day on edge like this?
Outside the hospital, a plain black Audi sat parked by the curb. The driver's window was cracked open, letting in the night breeze that ruffled his hair.
His cold gaze was fixed on the hospital's top floor.
"Won't bother me anymore? Thank me for saving the two most important people in her life?"
Most. Important.
He let out a bitter laugh.
"Elena… I could strangle you with my bare hands."
Elena spent the entire day at the hospital. During that time, Derek and Felix called her repeatedly, but she was too drained to answer a single one. She only replied to Vivian, briefly explaining the situation.
That night, when she returned to Vivian's apartment, Vivian nearly had a breakdown. She grabbed Elena, checking her from head to toe. Only after confirming she wasn't hurt did she finally breathe.
But the next second, Vivian's eyes turned red, tears threatening to spill.
"You stupid girl, do you know how scared you made me?!"
"I called you all last night and your phone was off. You didn't reply to my messages. I went to the hospital but couldn't find you. I even asked the doctors, but they said patients' information is private and couldn't tell me anything!"
"If you hadn't sent me that one reply, I would've thought something terrible happened to you. I was about to storm over and confront that bastard father of yours!"
Elena smiled and reached out to pinch her cheek.
"Vivian, don't cry. Look—I'm perfectly fine, aren't I?"
Seeing Elena smile only made Vivian angrier. "And you can still laugh?!"
Elena raised her hands in surrender. "Alright, alright, I was wrong. I promise—no matter what happens, I'll tell you right away from now on. I won't ever do anything again to make my dearest Vivian worry."
Vivian's mood eased slightly. "That's more like it."
Elena hugged her tightly, sighing.
"Ahh, my Vivian really is the best."
Vivian didn't bother to be modest. "Of course I am."
But then she remembered something important. "Oh, right—Elena, what's going on between you and Felix? He's been looking for you like crazy. He comes here every few hours. I asked him what was wrong, but he wouldn't say. He just looked frantic. Maybe you should call him and let him come pick you up?"
Elena quickly shook her head. "No need…"
If Felix was that anxious, visiting every few hours, it was probably because of what happened to Sophia last night. He was likely coming to scold her.
Now that Sean was safe, Elena had no patience left for such nonsense.
But Vivian didn't know about any of this—nor about Felix and Sophia being together. Elena didn't want her dragged into the ugliness. The longer she could keep it from Vivian, the better.
"Vivian, Felix and I had a fight. I really don't want to see him right now. If he comes here again, can you just tell him I'm not with you?"
Vivian hesitated. "But Felix seems… really worried about you."
"Vivian!" Elena clung to her arm, whining like a child. "Please, just help me. I really don't want to see him!"
Vivian was powerless against that trick. She immediately gave in.
"Alright, alright. If Felix comes again, I'll tell him you're not here. Let him worry himself sick! Maybe next time he'll think twice before upsetting our Elena!"
Elena's nose stung, but she didn't dare let it show, afraid Vivian would see through her.
"Love you!"
She planted a playful kiss on Vivian's cheek. "I've been running around all day. I'm sweaty. I'll take a shower first—wait for me, and then we'll sleep together, okay?"
Vivian watched her carry clothes into the bathroom, a strange feeling rising in her chest.
For some reason, she couldn't shake the sense that Elena was hiding something from her.
When Elena came back out from her shower, Vivian's eyes lingered on her, scanning her up and down with a suspicious look.
Elena blinked, confused. She touched her own face.
"What's wrong? Do I have something on me? Did I not wash my face properly?"
Vivian studied her for a moment before saying evenly,
"I just got a call."
"And?"
"The man's voice… he sounded harsh."
"…"
"And familiar, too."
"…"
"He said you must go home immediately—or else face the consequences!"
It hit Elena like a bolt of lightning.
Lucian's temper these days was dangerously volatile. She didn't dare hesitate. She threw on her clothes in a rush.
"Sorry, Vivian, something urgent came up. I can't stay the night with you."
Vivian frowned. "What's with that look—like you just saw a ghost? What are you afraid of? And that man just now—"
Before Vivian could finish, Elena grabbed her and planted a quick, fierce kiss on her cheek.
"We'll talk another time, okay? Bye!"
Then she bolted out the door.
She raced down the elevator and headed for the underground garage. Luckily, she had driven today. Otherwise, with Lucian's villa perched halfway up the mountain, no taxi driver would've agreed to go there.
Just as she reached the garage, a Porsche rolled in.
Elena glanced at the license plate and immediately felt her head pound. She scowled and turned toward her own car.
"Elena!"
The Porsche screeched to a stop in front of her. Its driver jumped out and blocked her path.
"Where were you last night? Why didn't you answer my calls or reply to my texts?"
Elena lifted her gaze. Her eyes on Felix were icy, as if she were looking at a stranger.
"Move. You're in my way."
Felix's face twisted in anger.
"Everyone's saying you're messing around with some fat, ugly, married old man for money. Is it true?"
He'd heard it from the Sung family servants.
According to them: "This kind of scandal is humiliating. So the second young lady tried to persuade the eldest to break things off for the sake of the family's reputation. But instead of listening, the eldest thought her sister was trying to ruin her life, so she tattled to that old man. Together they stormed the Sung household and beat up both the second young lady and Madam Sung."
The fact that Sophia and Lynn had indeed been hospitalized that night—bleeding, even if only from surface wounds—proved the servants weren't lying.
They also told him: "Afterward, Miss Sung left with that old man. She hasn't returned since."
Felix's fury was beyond words. It surged inside him like a storm.
"Were you with that old man last night? Did you sleep with him?!"
Elena was already in a foul mood. Being interrogated like this only worsened it. She snapped,
"None of your damn business."
She shoved past him without a second thought, leaving Felix staring after her in disbelief.
"Elena! Elena, stop right there!"
He chased after her. Elena frowned, not even bothering to look back.
"Elena, explain yourself!"
He caught up and grabbed her wrist, refusing to let her leave.
At that moment—
BEEP. BEEP-BEEP!
A car horn blared from a few meters away. Headlights flashed, painfully bright, forcing them both to shield their eyes.
Startled, Felix instinctively let go of her.
As the lights dimmed, they turned toward the source.
Not far away, a black Audi had appeared out of nowhere, stopped dead in the middle of the lane. It neither pulled into a parking spot nor drove off—just sat there, hulking and silent.
The sleek body gleamed under the harsh light, emanating a cold, oppressive aura. Elena's heart skipped a beat.
"Elena, you're not leaving until you give me a proper explanation!" Felix's voice dragged her attention back.
"Explanation? For what?" Elena gave him a sharp, mocking smile. "My private life has nothing to do with you."
"Of course it does!" Felix shouted, panicked.
Elena laughed suddenly, the sound cutting like glass.
"Felix, don't you find yourself ridiculous? You dumped me to be with Sophia. Now what are you doing?"
"Sophia got beaten last night and ended up in the hospital—by my doing, no less. Shouldn't you be here demanding justice for her? But instead, you're hounding me about whether I spent the night with some old man. What exactly are you trying to say?"
Felix froze, struck as if by a blow. He staggered back a step, face pale.
Elena sneered at him, then turned to leave.
"Elena!"
He lunged and caught her wrist again. "Don't go!"
Just then, Elena's phone buzzed in her bag.
She yanked her hand free and pulled out the phone. The moment her eyes landed on the caller ID, her stomach dropped.
Damn it, all because of Felix—he's wasting my time. If Lucian gets angry, can Felix afford the price?
Her lips pressed into a thin line as she answered. "Hello…"
"Get in the car."
The man's voice was low, cold, and brooked no argument.