?Chapter 234:


    Z set her bag down on the sofa, strode over to Kian, and sat down next to him, cing her hand on his shoulder. Her gentle voice seemed to have a magical effect on Kian, soothing his aching heart. “Kian, I know you must be devastated by what happened to Vivian. I am, too. But we need to pull together first to figure out a way to rescue her,” Z said.


    The words struck Kian like lightning, his eyes suddenly widening. He held Z’s hand and buried his face in her shoulder, holding her tightly. “That mental hospital won’t be easy to deal with—no matter how much money we offer, they won’t budge. I talked with Bryan, and he said he’d have the best psychiatrist take care of Vivian. He also told me to give up the idea of rescuing her; otherwise, he’ll terminate Vivian’s treatment,” Kian said.


    Kian furrowed his brows in distress. Even if he managed to rescue Vivian, she would still need treatment. Rather than taking that risk, he decided Vivian would be better off receiving treatment in the mental hospital. He had investigated that mental hospital, finding that the doctors there were all top-notch professionals—the best in the country.


    Z hadn’t expected that Bryan would make sure that Vivian received her treatment. Bryan was cunning; he managed to keep Vivian locked up, and by offering treatment, he prevented Kian from going all out to rescue her.


    “Z,” Kian suddenly raised his head and looked at her tenderly. He reached out to touch her cheek, gently stroking her skin. “I’ve already lost Vivian; I can’t lose you, too. Be with me. I’ll take you back to the Warren family.”


    He rested his forehead against Z’s, the scent of alcohol lingering between them. The alcohol fueled his emotions, destroying all sense of rationality. His hands now acted with a mind of their own, fumbling to untie Z’s dress strap.


    Z’s eyes widened, and she tried to push him away, but he was too strong. To her dismay, her feeble resistance only ignited Kian’s passion further. He immediately pinned Z down on the sofa.


    “Kian, calm down,” Z said. “Don’t do this. Please, I can’t—”


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    Kian’s kiss shut Z up, her pleas falling on deaf ears. With Z underneath him, Kian’s mind was filled with the thought that the woman he had longed for all these years was finally within reach. How could he maintain any sense of rationality now?


    The only sounds in the room were the rustling of clothes being tossed aside, apanied by Z’s muffled struggling. Finally, a mournful cry came from Z. Shey on the sofa, her hand clutching Kian’s forearm so tightly that her nails dug into his flesh. The excruciating pain made her eyes redden, tears rolling down her face.


    “Please… stop…” These were the only two words she managed to say. Only then did Kian finally stop what he was doing, even though he felt guilty about his actions.


    He hurried to drape Z’s clothes on her body. Then, he knelt on the floor, buried his face in herp, and kept apologizing. A mix of pain and disgust shed across Z’s eyes, but she suppressed those emotions and managed not to push Kian away.


    After a long while, Kian finally straightened his clothes and wrapped his coat around Z. “I’m sorry. I forgot about that. We’ll do this properly next time,” he murmured as he kissed her. Upon seeing how pale her face was, he felt terrible.


    Z took a deep breath, adjusted her mood, and concealed her true emotions deep within her eyes. She reached out and wrapped her arms around Kian’s waist, saying, “Kian, I can’t go back to the Warren family with you now.”


    “Why?” Kian was confused.


    With a soft sigh, Z exined, “Did you really think that Brandon would let Eileen marry into the Dawson family? He doesn’t want to fight his son, so he’s letting others do the dirty work for him.”


    Kian’s eyes widened. He couldn’t believe that Brandon had such intentions. He mmed his fist on the sofa hard and said firmly, “I don’t care! You have to be with me. He won’t dare to hurt you if he knows that you’re under the protection of the Warren family!”


    Z said, “Kian, I don’t want to put your family in a difficult spot. Besides, considering the way I am now, your parents probably wouldn’t even let us get married. If I were to apany you to go back to your family now, it would put you at risk. Your parents would be even more dissatisfied with me.”


    She released her hold on Kian’s waist and lifted her head to look up at him, her tear-filled eyes so pitiful that it almost drove Kian to despair. She continued, “I only want to be with you when our union is blessed by everyone, okay?”


    Kian nodded. “Okay, I understand. There’s no rush anyway; let’s take things slow.” He pulled Z into aforting embrace, but despite what he had said, he had no idea how to solve the issue at hand. He eventually said, “Bryan really loves Eileen. Then maybe we should help him marry her as soon as possible. That way, his parents will give up on their ns.”


    Z, whose face was hidden from his view, was infuriated by his words. Was this the only idea he coulde up with? “What about Vivian?” Z pulled away from Kian’s arms and said calmly, “Even if Eileen isn’t directly responsible for Vivian’s condition, she is still an instigator. If Vivian recovers and finds out you’ve brought Bryan and Eileen together, she’ll never forgive you.”


    Kian’s eyes were filled withplex emotions. “I don’t want to think about that anymore. I just want you!” But Z didn’t want him to think that way.


    Suppressing the disgust in her heart, Z put on an affectionate look and said softly, “I know, but we can’t just focus on our own happiness. We also have to take Vivian’s feelings into consideration. Moreover, your parents must really hate Eileen now. If you help her, they’ll definitely get angry at you.”


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