"Evadne, didn''t she know you wereing over?" Elvis lowered his voice, his breathing slightly uneven.


    "Evadne''s already fallen asleep."


    Thaddeus eyed him closely, his brows furrowed with concern. "Elvis, you look terrible. Are you feeling okay? I can call my grandfather''s personal doctor to check on you right now."


    Elvis let him in and shut the door firmly behind them. He then took a deep breath and walked over to the couch.


    In the dim light, he gritted his teeth and removed his tattered ck shirt.


    In an instant, Thaddeus'' dark eyes widened, and he sucked in a sharp breath!


    Elvis''s muscr torso was covered in horrifying wounds, some crusted over with dried blood, others still oozing fresh crimson.


    But what was even more terrifying was the palm-sized burn on his back!


    His once honey-colored skin was scorched a sickly red, withrge blisters that had swollen and burst, mingling blood with clear fluid.


    "How did this happen?!" Thaddeus'' heart clenched tight suddenly, and he hurried to support Elvis to sit down.


    "Avery sent hitmen after me and Elsie, andter set fire outside the vi, trying to burn us alive inside," Elvis felt the burning pain piercing through him, biting down on his teeth.


    He was a tough guy ustomed to living on the edge, enduring without a sound even with injuries like this.


    In fact, when he came to find Evadne, he was already at his limit. But he had barely held on till now, not wanting to worry his sister.


    "Avery, that heartless maniac!" Thaddeus growled, his eyes reddening as he picked up a cotton swab dipped in iodine to disinfect his wounds.


    Elvis turned away, catching his breath and managed a weak chuckle:


    "I''m just grateful that when Avery was scheming to win Evadne over, her heart was already yours. She didn''t fall for that beast''s tricks. Otherwise, her life would''ve been ruined."


    Thaddeus'' hands trembled as he treated the wounds, choked up with emotion. "So, in a way, I owe you, Thad." Elvis winced out of Thaddeus'' view.


    "Being chosen by Evadne is the luck of my life.”


    Thaddeus'' voice was hoarse with intense emotion, "I haven''t really done anything for Evadne. She''s wise and strong enough; she has the ability to protect herself."


    "Huh, protect herself?" Elvis smirked, his face covered in sweat, "When did she ever protect herself. Emeric shielded her when she was a child, and as she grew up, we brothers protected her. Who would choose to raise all their defenses and pretend to be strong when they could be cherished and protected?"


    At that moment, vivid scenes of Elsie fighting alongside him shed in his mind. Her skills were evidently honed through rigorous training, each move lethal-not for defense, only for killing!


    Blinking back tears, Elvis swallowed the bitter emotions that filled his throat.


    When did Elsie quietly take root in his heart?


    By the time he realized, she had already bloomed across his heart like a field of dazzling roses.


    "Thaddeus, is this what it feels like when someone upies an empty heart?"


    Thaddeus continued treating his wounds, quietly listening to Elvis''s murmurs, "Love and familial affection, there are too many differences. I''m not sure how to truly love; having disguised for too long, I''ve lost the most primitive instinct of loving someone. But like you, I want to give it my all, to love once without reservation. I want to try."


    That night, Elsie returned to the Velvet Haven with Harvey as if nothing had happened.


    For three full days, Avery didn''t show up at the Velvet Haven, didn''t summon her, nor did he assign her any new tasks.


    Perhaps it was the side effects of the medication, but she spent most of those three days in a drowsy stupor.


    The feeling of being half-asleep, not being able to distinguish reality from dreams, was indeed debilitating and addictive.


    Especially in her dreams, where she and Elvis embraced and kissed passionately, entwined in a deep connection.


    Those vivid, heart-racing scenes, contrasted sharply with the cold loneliness upon waking, ignited her deeper desires.


    She wished she could take a few more pills and fall asleep again.


    Only then could she meet him again. It wasn''t too much to ask for these dreamy encounters, was it?


    On the evening of the fourth day, Elsie managed to get up and take a shower. She changed into a clean, elegantly simple sky-blue silk dress, then stepped out of her


    room.


    In the spacious and luxurious corridor, a bodyguard holding a flowerpot approached her.


    As they drew closer, Elsie''s eyes widened, her heart leaping to her throat.


    In the bodyguard''s hands was the pot of red roses from Avery''s living room!


    "Ms. Archer," the bodyguard stopped and bowed.


    "Isn''t this pot of roses from Mr. Chambers'' room? Why is it taken out?" Elsie


    asked, trying to keep herposure, her heart pounding.


    "Oh, Harvey asked me to clean it out. He said Mr. Chambers no longer needs it."


    With that, the bodyguard moved past her pale face.


    Meanwhile, Harvey''s gloomy voice sounded from behind her:


    "Ellie, Mr. Chambers wants to see you. Come with me."