Beckett pressed his lips together. "What a pain. He''s the one in love, and we have to be his bodyguards..... This is so annoying."


    Laurel knew he had agreed.


    She smiled. "I knew it. When ites down to it, you would never abandon Joshua."


    "I''m only doing it for you," Beckett said stubbornly.


    Laurel mercilessly called his bluff. "You''re more of a drama queen than any woman I know. No wonder you''re still single."


    Beckett''s eyes widened as he stared at her, annoyed.


    "You... you''re making fun of me too?!"


    "I''ve been married, and Joshua has a girlfriend," Laurel pointed out. "You''re the only


    one who''s perpetually single. Doesn''t that tell you something?"


    Beckett was furious, but for a moment, he couldn''t find aeback. He just left, stewing in his anger.


    The doctor carefully applied medicine to Leonard''s wound.


    Leonard said little, and the doctor didn''t dare ask questions, though getting injured so severely was certainly strange.


    Ste sat in the medical room, watching the doctor treat Leonard''s wound.


    She suddenly remembered that, aside from Haynes O''Brien, the only person she had ever stabbed was Leonard.


    What was most terrifying was that each time she stabbed him, he seemedpletely indifferent, not even trying to dodge.


    Could he have some kind of weird fetish? The more it hurts, the happier he is?


    Ste couldn''t help but wonder if that first time she''d stabbed Leonard had opened up a whole new world for him.


    The thought sent a shiver down her spine.


    She had no idea how she was supposed to act around this man from now on.


    A psycho was one thing, but a smart psycho was terrifying.


    If she ever got back, she would be sure to tell Aurora to stab Leonard a few more times; he''d probably be utterly devoted to her.


    By now, Ste waspletely certain that Leonard was not a normal person.


    She was at a loss for what to do with him.


    After some time, the doctor spoke. "All done. Be sure to keep the wound from getting wet to avoid infection You also need to be careful about what you eat until it''s healed."


    The doctor, automatically assuming Ste was Leonard''s woman, directed all the instructions at her.


    After running through the precautions, the doctor quickly left.


    Ste and Leonard sat in the room, a heavy silence between them.


    After what felt like a long time, Leonard''s voice broke the quiet.


    "If I hadn''t ruined your hand, would you still have gone back to the Williams family?"


    "There''s no point in thinking about things that can''t happen," Ste said.


    "Just a hypothetical," Leonard replied.


    Considering she had just drugged him, tried to escape, and stabbed him, Ste decided it was best not to provoke him further.


    "I probably would have gone back," Ste said. "Even if I wanted to continue with my career, I would never have had any peace without. handing


    over the original shares."


    Leonard looked at her. "You''re very honest."


    Ste tried to hold it back, but she couldn''t.


    "I hate you, so I have no interest in exploiting your guilt or feelings for me. Leonard, I


    will never forgive you."


    "Fine," Leonard said. "Then never forgive me."


    Ste fell silent.


    Leonard''s dark eyes, as deep and ck as ink, rested on her.


    "Since you''re so unwilling to stay here, I can give you a chance to leave early."


    Ste''s head snapped up to look at him.


    Leonard continued, "If you can


    prepare a birthday gift for me for et


    every year from my birthantil now and celebrate one bithday with me," I''ll let you go."