?Chapter 1188:


    The bodyguards looked at each other, and then moved without a word. They lifted her to her feet and guided her toward the room.


    “Go on in.”


    “Hadley…” Eric’s voice cracked as hey t on the bed, eyes filling the moment she appeared.


    His gaze snapped to the bodyguards, sharp and angry. “Release her!”


    “Mr. Scott,” one of them began, uncertain, “your father gave strict orders. We just—”


    “Do I need to say it again? Let her go!” Eric’s voice was raw, his body trembling under the weight of his own anger. The effort left him breathless, his chest rising and falling in uneven bursts as sweat clung to his skin.


    “Sir! Please—try to stay calm! We’ll untie her right now!”


    The guards exchanged a nce, and then moved fast. One of them slipped a knife from his belt and sliced through the ropes binding Hadley’s wrists.


    The moment the restraints fell away, Hadley finally drew a full breath. She lifted her aching arms, rubbing at the soreness where they’d been bound for what felt like forever.


    “Hadley,” Eric rasped, his voice barely there as he tried to push himself upright.


    But the poison still lingered—a slow burn in his veins. His limbs, heavy and unresponsive, refused to cooperate.


    “Mr. Scott!” The nurse hurried over, catching his shoulder to steady him. “You need to stay down.”


    “Let me go! I can handle this!”


    “But…”


    “Eric, you need to listen to the nurse.”


    Out of nowhere, Hadley spoke.


    It wasn’t loud, but it made him stop struggling, his breath evening out. She kept massaging her sore arms as she took a few slow steps closer, her eyes locked on him. “For now, you can’t get up. You have to rest.”


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    “Alright,” Eric said, staring at her intently. He nodded slowly, his voice quieter now. “I’ll do what you say.”


    Eric watched her, a quiet hope in his eyes, as if waiting for some sign of approval.


    His eyes lingered on the marks along her arms. “Did they keep you like that for a while? Must’ve hurt, didn’t it?”


    “No, it wasn’t really painful,” Hadley replied, offering a gentle smile as she shook her head. “Just cut my blood cirction and my arms went numb.”


    Eric’s attempt to lift his hand toward her was feeble. His arm dropped helplessly back to his side, drained of strength.


    He couldn’t summon the energy to do what he wanted and gave up with a quiet sigh.


    His eyes lingered on her face, a soft murmur escaping his lips. “Aside from the ropes, did that old man do anything to you? Are you okay?”


    Hadley’s smile softened, her eyes shining with warmth. “Maybe I should be asking you that. Are you alright?”


    Eric paused, feeling a strange, unexinable sadness as he watched herposed face.


    She was right there, yet somehow, she felt miles away.


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