Eileen’s POV
I cried out in surprise.
Adrian’s hand clamped tightly around my wrist.
The strength of his grip forced me to look up.
Our eyes met.
For a moment, the world seemed to stop.
His gaze was dark—far darker than before—like a predator staring at its prey.
My heart skipped violently.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly became suffocating.
I instinctively tried to pull my hand back.
“Let go…”
But my injured body wasn’t steady. As I struggled, my elbow slipped and slammed heavily against the fresh wound at Adrian’s waist.
“—!”
Adrian’s muscles tensed violently.
A low grunt escaped his throat.
The pain seemed to break whatever strange tension had taken over the moment before.
He looked down at me again.
This time, my frightened expression must have been obvious.
My eyes were wide, like a startled rabbit.
Something flickered across his face.
The dangerous intensity in his gaze slowly faded.
Adrian released my wrist immediately.
“…Sorry.”
His voice was low and restrained.
Without another word, he stood up quickly.
He put on his shirt in a few swift movements, as if afraid that staying any longer might cause something unexpected to happen.
Then he walked toward the door.
Just before leaving, he paused for a moment.
But he didn’t look back.
The door closed quietly behind him.
I stared at the empty doorway, my heart still racing.
What… was that just now?
I lowered my gaze to my wrist.
The place where he had held me still felt warm.
Strangely warm.
About twenty minutes later, someone knocked on the door.
A tall man in a dark suit stepped inside.
It was Zane, Adrian’s assistant.
He carried a small box in his hand.
“Miss Evans,” he greeted politely.
He placed the box on the bedside table.
“This is for you.”
I opened it.
Inside was a brand-new mobile phone.
I blinked in surprise.
“Mr. Vance asked me to deliver this,” Zane explained. “Your previous phone was damaged in the fire.”
I hesitated for a moment before asking carefully,
“Does… Mr. Vance have a private number?”
Zane raised an eyebrow slightly.
“I feel guilty,” I added quickly. “He was injured while saving me. I wanted to check on him later.”
Zane smiled faintly.
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
He pointed to the phone.
“Mr. Vance already saved his number there.”
My fingers paused.
“And he also asked me to pass on a message,” Zane continued calmly.
“No matter what problems you encounter in the future, Miss Evans can contact him at any time.”
For a moment, I didn’t know what to say.
“…Thank you.”
After Zane left, the ward became quiet again.
Soon, a nurse brought dinner.
Seafood porridge.
Still warm.
I sat on the bed slowly eating.
But my thoughts kept drifting.
Adrian’s face appeared in my mind again.
The way he rushed into the fire yesterday.
The way he defended me earlier.
And the strange restlessness that surged inside my body when we were close just now.
My White Wolf had reacted strongly.
Too strongly.
It was as if…
It had recognized something.
Just then, the new phone suddenly rang.
The caller ID displayed a familiar name.
Winnie.
I answered the call.
“Eileen!”
My best friend’s voice exploded through the speaker.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were injured?!”
I winced slightly and held the phone away from my ear.
“I’m fine,” I said helplessly.
“Fine?” Winnie scoffed. “I only recognized you because the news showed the Vance CEO carrying you out of a burning building!”
My heart skipped.
“The news…?”
“Yes! ‘The Vance CEO injured saving someone from a factory fire.’ That’s literally everywhere!”
I rubbed my forehead.
“Sorry. I didn’t want you to worry.”
Winnie sighed dramatically.
“Explain everything. Right now.”
So I told her.
About the kidnapping.
About Chris abandoning me.
About Adrian appearing at the factory.
But halfway through the story, my voice slowed.
“…Actually, this isn’t the first time someone saved my life,” I murmured.
Years ago…
During a bounty hunter mission, I had nearly died.
I was badly injured and hiding in an abandoned cabin in the mountains.
That was when a man appeared.
He was also being chased by enemies.
Both of us were wounded.
So we stayed in that cabin together for several days.
We relied on each other to survive.
Somewhere during those quiet nights… something soft and warm had begun to grow between us.
But fate had other plans.
I had been poisoned with wolfsbane during the mission.
It damaged my senses badly.
I lost my sense of smell.
My hearing became unreliable.
From beginning to end, I never clearly saw the man’s face.
Nor could I identify his scent.
The only thing I remembered was the pack crest on him.
One night, while helping him bandage his wound, I had touched it.
I traced its shape carefully with my fingers.
I had always believed…
If I met that person again one day, I would repay the life he gave me.
When the Evans family brought me back years later and arranged my marriage to Chris, I saw that same crest on him.
So I believed he was the one.
That was why I agreed to the marriage.
But now…
A bitter smile touched my lips.
Chris wasn’t my savior.
He was just a selfish, shallow man.
“…But something feels different now,” I murmured.
“What do you mean?” Winnie asked.
I looked at the phone in my hand.
At the contact name saved inside.
Adrian Vance.
“I think… I might have finally found the person I’ve been looking for.”
The next morning, Zane appeared again.
This time he brought breakfast.
And lunch.
“Prepared by the Vance family chef,” he said calmly.
I blinked.
“That’s… unnecessary.”
“Mr. Vance insists.”
While arranging the food, Zane casually added,
“Mr. Vance was very angry about what happened yesterday.”
I paused.
“He ordered Chris to return to the Vance family’s old mansion.”
Zane’s tone remained calm, but his next words carried a strange weight.
“Tonight will likely be… very lively.”
After he left, I sat quietly on the bed.
My thoughts were spinning.
For years…
I had been mistaken.
But now, the truth might finally be within reach.
This time, no matter what—
I wouldn’t miss the opportunity to confirm it.
Just then, the nurse came in for routine rounds.
“Your injuries are recovering well,” she said.
I looked up at her.
“Can I be discharged early?”
She blinked in surprise.
“You should rest a few more days.”
I shook my head slowly.
“I have somewhere important to go.”
“Where?”
I lifted my gaze toward the window.
My voice was calm but firm.
“The Vance family’s old mansion.”