Chapter 147 Cold
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How could she sneeze right in front of the man who had just saved her, especially in a moment like this<b>? </b>
Jonathan didn’t seem to mind, thankfully.
He turned toward Zion and said, “Turn up the heat.”
“Got it, Mr. Fullbuster.”
When Jonathan looked back, he caught Anneliese hiding under the nket, her face glowing red with embarrassment. She pulled it over her head until she disappeared inside.
A faint smile touched his eyes. “Are you sick?”
Anneliese shook her head under the nket. Her voice came out muffled.
“I’m just tired. Can I get some shuteye?”
“Of course. I’ll wake you when we get to the hotel.”
His voice was steady and calm.
Anneliese let her eyes close. She thought she would never be able to sleep after everything that had just happened, not while sitting next to Jonathan.
But the moment her eyes shut, she drifted off.
Jonathan noticed her body loosen under the nket. He reached over and pulled it down, brushing away damp strands of hair that clung to her face,
He tucked them carefully behind her ear. Her cheeks were warm and flushed, so he pressed the back of his hand to her forehead.
It was too hot.
His brow tightened. “Drive faster.”
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Chapter 147 Cold
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“Yes, sir,” Zion replied. He swerved around the corner, skimming close to another
car.
Zion nced across and frowned.
“Mr. Fullbuster, I think that was Zacharias‘ car.”
He was almost sure he had seen Zacharias behind the wheel as they passed.
Jonathan didn’t lift his eyelids. He showed no reaction. He only pulled the trembling Anneliese–nket and all–into his arms.
Zacharias‘ car sped forward. His expression was darker than the storm clouds hanging over Riveraton.
His men were already out searching for Coral, who had escaped from the hospital. But Jackie had just tracked down Anneliese and confirmed she was in Riveraton.
She wouldn’te here for no reason. Zacharias quickly guessed why she was here and struck a deal with Rory.
Rage and grief twisted inside him. He knew now that Anneliese truly meant to divorce him.
She had nned this carefully, all to leave him.
That woman<i>, </i>he thought.
Once he caught her, he would make sure she never forgot the lesson.
As he neared the meeting point he had arranged with Rory, Zacharias slowed, then finally pulled his car to the side.
He lit a cigarette, the me casting sharp light over his furrowed brow and shadowed eyes.
Darkness raged within him.
<i>She </i><i>must </i><i>be </i><i>terrified</i><i>. </i><i>Good</i>. Let her. A little <i>scare </i><i>always </i><i>does </i>that woman <i>good</i>, he
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thought darkly.
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She needed to realize that only he could save her. She needed to understand how foolish it was to leave him.
He smoked three cigarettes before starting the car again.
But when he reached the rendezvous, only an overturned Audi sat waiting.
“Anne!”
Zacharias‘ face drained of color. He mmed on the brakes, leapt out, and sprinted toward the wreck.
He searched the interior. No one was inside.
No Anneliese.
Blood streaked across the shattered windshield and soaked the driver’s seat.
Rain beat down as his voice tore through the night. “Anne! Rory! Anne! Baby, I’m here, where are you?”
The storm answered with silence.
Soaked through, he stumbled back to his car. His hands shook as he dialed the police. Regret stabbed him–he should have driven faster.
What <i>happened</i><i>? </i><i>Where </i>is <i>Anneliese</i><i>? </i>
She can’t be <i>gone</i>. <i>She </i><i>can’t</i>, he thought.
The scene turns to a suite inside a hotel.
Jonathan carried Anneliese straight into the bathroom.
He filled the tub with hot water.
Her body burned with fever, yet she shook all over, her hands and feet frozen stiff.
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Chapter 147 Cold
Warmth was not returning to her.
:
The bath filled with steam. Jonathan set her down on the edge, but she immediately slumped against him, weak and limp.
He yanked his tie off and used it as a blindfold..
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With one hard pull, he ripped open her sweater cor, tearing the damp, filthy fabric off her skin.
He peeled the wet sweater away from her skin, then slid his hand down to undo her jeans. He tugged at the zipper and tried to pull them off.
The denim clung stubbornly to her hips, caught against her curves. His voice dropped, rough and low. He gave her a quick pat. “Come on, help me out here. Stand for a second, alright?”
He wrapped his arm around her waist to lift her. But just as he tried, she stirred. In her fever haze, she wrapped her arms around him instead. She pressed her burning face against his chest, her voice soft and fragile.