Chapter 95

The spacious room was filled with nothing but the sound of their mingled, uneven breaths.

Megan suddenly realized something was off about Tristan.

Her hazy eyes widened; she pressed her palms against his firm chest. "Dr. Adams said you shouldn't be doing anything too intense right now."

Tristan's nose brushed against her jaw, lingering at the curve of her neck. His voice came out low and hoarse."Ifeel...really hot."

Megan could feel the heat radiating off him too. She reached up and touched his forehead. "You've got a fever."

"No, I don't," Tristan murmured, lips brushing across her collarbone, "I'm just thirsty. Really thirsty. For you."

His burning hand slid up her fair arm, and then moved down her leg, starting to lift her dress.

Megan caught his hand. "Quit it. You're really burning up."

She slipped from his arms and stood up. "I'm getting you something for the fever. And I'll run a bath. Just sit tight."

From the walk-in closet, she pulled out a first-aid kit and found the anti-inflammatory pills. Then she filled a glass with warm water from the dispenser and returned to the bed.

Tristan was sitting on the edge, leaning forward,his forearms resting on his knees. He looked up at her,eyes still dark with heat.

Staring at the cup she handed him, he gave a lazy smile."Kinda hot."

Hot? Megan took a sip to check. "It's warm. You'll be fine." He popped the pill into his mouth and stared at the lipstick mark left on the rim. His eyes darkened as he followed the imprint, pressing his lips right onto the same spot. With a deep gulp, he swallowed the water and the pill.

Megan quickly averted her gaze. The way he looked at her-it didn't feel like he'd just drunk water. It was like he just devoured her whole.

She took the glass and hurried off into the bathroom.

As she watched the water rise in the tub, her lips pressed into a tight line.

He gave up his life for her in a past life.

Now, once again, he didn't think twice about risking it all to save her.

The thought of that bullet being just a few centimeters lower sent a chill down her spine.

Her hands clenched tightly at her sides.

Then suddenly-warmth. He pulled her back into his arms, head lowered close to her ear. "What's on your mind? Hmm?"

She snapped out of it, just in time to realize the bathwater was about to spill over. She reached for the knob.

But Tristan held her in place. "Megan, just stay.Let me hold you for a bit."

He did seem unusually clingy tonight.

"The water's gonna overflow," she mumbled.

His fingers gently brushed her cheek before he leaned down to kiss her. His breath was burning against her skin.

Long fingers slipped past the neckline of her sparkly dress.

A surge of emotion rushed through her-like her heart was being tickled by feathers-thoroughly disarming.

She didn't even notice when her dress slipped off and hit the floor. Tristan's lips explored the sensitive vein on her neck,his voice raspy.

Then she suddenly felt something hard press against her waist-her scalp tingled.

Dr. Adams said physical activity wasn't a good idea in his condition, especially not with a fever.

She lifted her hand and gently pinched Tristan's chin."How about...another time?"

He chuckled lowly. "Then bathe with me."

Before she could say no, he had already scooped her up into his arms and stepped straight into the tub.

He didn't do anything else-just held her in his arms as his lips lingered on her spine.

"How'd you find me?" she asked.

A smirk tugged at his lips. "Take a guess."She'd already ditched the bug, and thanks to the top-tier firewall she'd installed on her phone, no one was getting into her system. So whatever was going on, it wasn't related to her directly.

Turning her head slightly, she asked, "Was it NNova Tech?"

Tristan tapped the tip of her nose with a smirk."Sharp as ever, little fox."

She rolled her eyes. "Giving me that bot was more about keeping tabs on me than keeping me safe,admit it."

"I can't let anything happen to you," he said, turning her toward him so they were face to face. "Megan,if something ever happened to you, I wouldn't want to go on either."

She quickly pressed a hand to his lips. "Don't. Don't say stuff like that."

"I mean it," Tristan said firmly, wrapping his hand around her wrist.

How could she not believe him? In their past life,he had pushed a military blade into his own chest right after she'd died-no hesitation, no second thoughts. Megan's nose started to tingle, and before she could stop herself, hot tears streamed down her cheeks."I know," she whispered. "I know you mean every word."

With a gentle touch, Tristan used his finger to catch a tear. He chuckled softly. "Even someone like you,with tear ducts that barely work, is tearing up. Are my words that touching?"

Snuggling closer into the curve of his collarbone,Megan sighed. "It's not just what you say. it's all the things you've done. Tristan, thank you."

"Say three different words-I'd like that better."

"Thank you?"

"Huh?"

"I miss you."

Tristan's hand tightened around her waist. "Wrong again. That calls for some punishment."

"You're awful!" she pouted. Then he started tickling her, making her shriek with laughter.

"Okay, okay! I give! I'll say it!" Megan's arms locked around his neck as she grinned, breathless. "Tristan,I love you. I really, really do."

Just as Tristan cupped her cheeks to kiss her,she splashed a handful of foam into his face.

She quickly scooted to the far side of the tub. "Dr.Max said you're not supposed to do anything too intense,remember?"

Caught off guard, Tristan threw her a look and muttered something under his breath.

The smile froze on Megan's lips. Wait, what did he just say? That was definitely crossing the line.

After their bath, they both slipped into robes and made their way back to the bedroom.

Seeing that his bandage had gotten wet, Megan carefully re-cleaned the wound with iodine before wrapping it again with fresh gauze. She tucked him in, then climbed into bed beside him.

"You know that murder case Ryan mentioned...about the killer bugs? You've heard of it, right?"

"Yeah."

"Tell me."

Lying in the dark, Tristan's eyes glinted with a serious edge. He narrowed them slightly and began to explain.

See, the difference between a regular rich family and a financial conglomerate is influence and control.Conglomerates are tied up in monopolies, bloodlines,spanning industries, and messy ties with politics.They don't just have money-they've got power. Real power. And they use family ties and internal stock shares to keep things locked tight.

A powerful dispute over the next leader's position started this twisted war among the four big families.In the aftermath, the Richmond family was completely wiped out. The Reid and Lewis families aligned, while the Channing and Bennett families formed their own alliance. Both sides were evenly matched, making the neutral Richmond family the balancing piece on the board.

Each alliance tried persuading the Richmond family,but they didn't budge.

Still, the Richmond family wasn't blind; they knew that if they didn't choose a side, they'd end up with every other family turning against them.

The night before the final vote, the Richmonds made a call. They sided with the Reids and the Lewises.

Maybe someone within leaked the info, because that same night, all sixteen members of the Richmond family-excluding staff-died from a fatal, sorcery worm.And the bodies...completely destroyed, as if they'd been soaked in acid. Total horror show.

That's how the infamous sorcery worm murder case became etched into history.