COLLATERAL EMOTION

[AUTHOR POV]

---------

= GRAND HOTEL =

Tyler was in a private room, fuming with anger because in front of him was Christine when it should've been Khoeznie.

"Who gave you the right to come here instead of her?!" he snapped, his voice cold and sharp like a blade.

"I-I'm sorry, sir…" the staff stammered, nervously fidgeting with the folder in her hands.

"She had diarrhea and—"

Tyler didn't let her finish. His patience had already run out. He grabbed the files from her, the force making Christine stumble slightly backward, and without saying another word, he stormed out of the room.

"Tell everyone I'm not feeling well," he ordered icily before slamming the door behind him.

His jaw was tight, his hands clenched into fists as he walked briskly to the parking lot. Rage was simmering beneath the surface, not just from the unprofessionalism, but from a growing unease he couldn't quite explain.

Still annoyed, Tyler drove home. The city lights blurred past as he sped through the streets, but nothing could distract him from the storm building in his chest.

He wanted to see Khoeznie she had been acting strange lately, and now she was suddenly left without explanation. His thoughts were cut off when he arrived at the mansion.

The moment he stepped inside, something felt wrong.

He paused.

The silence was deafening.

Then he saw it.

Blood.

Thin trails of it some dry, some fresh on the tiled floor, leading toward Khoeznie's room.

His breath caught in his throat.

He immediately scanned the area, instincts taking over. No signs of a break in. No shattered glass. No forced doors. Still, his heart raced.

With slow, cautious steps, he followed the trail, until he was standing right outside her bedroom door.

He pushed it open.

The room was dark and eerily still. The only sound was the faint, uneven breathing from the figure lying on the bed.

"K-Khoeznie…" he whispered.

He rushed to her side.

She wasn't crying. She wasn't speaking. But her body was trembling. Her breathing was labored, shallow. She looked like she was fighting a pain too great for words.

"She's not crying. She's not speaking… but obviously her body is struggling," he muttered to himself, voice breaking. "Faint, broken… like she's fighting a pain too heavy to hide."

Tyler reached for the first aid kit on the nightstand. But the moment he touched her arm, he flinched. Her skin was burning up.

"Khoeznie…"

"Sh*t—"

His eyes fell to her thigh, where blood was still trickling from a gash. A loose handkerchief was weakly tied around it—useless. He noticed bruises on her shoulders, a scratch across her neck, and a welt forming just above her collarbone.

Someone had hurt her.

Without hesitation, Tyler scooped her up into his arms, cradling her as if she'd shatter any moment.

He didn't care about the blood on his shirt. He didn't care about his own panic.

He had to save her.

Minutes later, he sped through the city, ignoring traffic rules. Khoeznie was slumped in the passenger seat, unconscious, pale, barely moving. Every few breaths, she winced, her body convulsing slightly.

Tyler cursed under his breath.

As soon as they reached the hospital, he slammed the car door and ran toward the emergency entrance.

"Emergency case! She's bleeding and has multiple wounds. She needs immediate care!" he shouted.

Doctors and nurses scrambled to help, taking Khoeznie from his arms and rushing her inside. Tyler stood frozen, covered in her blood, her handkerchief still clenched in his hand.

He stared at the ER doors that had just closed in front of him.

Is this dad's doing again? Damn it…

She can't die. Not now that I've already introduced her to the public!

Tyler muttered to himself, jaw clenched.

It would be a disaster.

If the media or the underground heard about this, he would be ruined. The people who trust him and those vip clients of his company might not trust him anymore. If that happens he will lose a lot of money supporting their underground activity.

"I won't let this girl destroy my years of effort, just to build this massive fund for me," he muttered through gritted teeth.

Then, he turned around and left the hospital without another word.