His savior

Gustave approached him. "The doctor is on the way," he said seriously.

"Hmm." Augustine nodded and went into the study. He stood by the floor-to-ceiling window and looked out, the rain intensifying. Pulling out a cigar, he lit it up with a lighter, sucking the smoke and blowing it out.

Gustave stood beside him and asked grimly, "Do you know who she is?" He paused, waiting for his reply. But Augustine was silent.

"She is Anne Clair," Gustave added, "Denis's girlfriend. You shouldn't be entangled with her. You should focus on your plan."

Augustine was still quiet. He dragged the smoke deeply and kept it inside his mouth before letting it out slowly.

"You have just come back from abroad after ten years," Gustave reminded. "Your attention should be on expanding the business and retribution."

Augustine's jaw clenched and unclenched, his eyes darkening.

In his past life, he had met an accident the day he had returned from abroad, crippling him. Later, he learned that his uncle and cousin had tampered with his car, causing the accident. Because of the tragedy, Anne died, and he was imprisoned. He had suffered endlessly in jail, losing his life eventually.

But he was reborn. This time, he would not let those who conspired against him go unpunished.

"I don't forget anything," he said coldly. "My goal has nothing to do with Anne. She is the woman who saved me from those kidnappers in the past. I owe her. Anything I do for her will be considered less compared to her favor."

Gustave fell silent. He knew about that incident, but he didn't know Anne was the girl who had helped Augustine back then.

Ding-Dong…

The doorbell rang, interrupting their conversation.

"The doctor might have arrived. I'll go see." Gustave turned and exited the study.

Augustine extinguished the cigar into the ashtray and walked out. He looked down at the hall and saw Gustave inviting a doctor inside.

"The patient is inside." Gustave ushered him into the bedroom.

Augustine stood outside the room. "It's getting late. You should leave now. Come early tomorrow. We'll go meet my uncle."

"Understood." Gustave nodded and left.

Augustine entered the room and found the doctor bandaging Anne's hand. "How is she?" he asked, his gaze meeting hers.

"The injury is not deep. But she should avoid getting her wound wet. She has a mild fever. I've given her medicine. She will be fine soon." The doctor stuffed his belongings in his bag and stood up. "Bring her to the hospital if there is any pain."

"Hmm."

The doctor took his leave.

Silence descended inside the room. Augustine looked at her. It was only at this point he noticed she was wearing his shirt. Something dark flickered in his eyes.

"I wore your shirt," she murmured. "I'll give it back to you after washing it. Don't worry; I'll iron it neatly."

He quirked his lips slightly. "It looks nice on you. Keep it."

"Huh? I-I don't need it."

"It's late now," he interrupted her. "You should get some rest." He walked out, closing the door behind him.

Anne shrugged, glaring at the closed door. "Does he mean he won't use it since I touched it? Does he have OCD?"

The next day…

Anne woke up and walked out of the room. She found him sitting on the sofa in the hall, sipping coffee and reading a newspaper.

"Good morning," she greeted him.

Augustine lifted his head and saw her smiling down at him, his gaze dropping to her slender, bare legs. He couldn't take his eyes away from her. The white shirt she was wearing barely covered her thighs.

His heart thumped, and something else coiled deep down inside his tummy. He crossed his leg over the other, taking a slow sip of his coffee.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, returning his gaze to the newspaper. But the words blurred. All he could think about was her bare legs.

"Better. Thank you for last night. I-I won't bother you anymore. I'll leave now."

Augustine folded the paper leisurely and set it aside. "What is the hurry?" He put the cup down and picked up the carrying bag beside him. "Have breakfast with me." He handed her the bag. "I have arranged some clothes for you. Check if they fit."

"Thanks," she took the bag, "but I'll be leaving now."

He stood up and stood tall in front of her. "Since last night, you have thanked me several times."

Anne flushed under his unwavering gaze. She parted her lips, words refusing to escape her mouth. "You saved me," she managed, "took care of me. I'm really grateful to you. But I don't want to trouble you anymore."

She pivoted and hurried into the room.

Augustine's lips curled into a smile. "You can't run away from me, Miss Clair." 

Anne quickly changed her dress and left the house. "Oh, shit!" she muttered. "I didn't even ask him his name." She was embarrassed. "Forget it. Right now, I need to go to the office. I'll find a time to come back here and thank him properly."

She flagged down a cab and hopped in.

Anne arrived at the office. She was determined to resign. After all this, she wouldn't want to be Denis's secretary anymore.

As soon as she settled in her desk, Denis approached with a cold look on his face.

"Where were you last night?" he hissed, his tone dangerously cold. "I called you so many times, but you didn't answer me."

Anne simply stared at him. She was stunned to see how he was acting like he was worried about her. 'He clearly enjoyed the night with Tania, didn't he? Why would he remember me?'

She shrugged nonchalantly. "I didn't hear your calls."

She opened the laptop, but he closed it back with a thud.

"Come to my office." He strode away.

Anne looked around. Not wanting to alert her colleagues, she rose from her seat and followed him into his office.

The moment she stepped in, he shut the door. In a flash, he pushed her against the wall and squeezed her jaw. His grip seemed to crush her bone.

Anne whimpered.

"Do you have any idea how much I was worried about you?" he grunted out through his gritted teeth.