?Chapter 526:


    The phone quickly connected, and a stream of unfamiliar words flowed through—most likely the local Yata dialect. Taking the hint, Katelyn quietly left the room.


    She had no interest in snooping into Vincent’s business. As she walked down the hallway, her thoughts wandered back to Annie.


    How shameless could this woman be? And then there was Annie’s cousin, the royal princess. Vincent’s fiancée—what was she like? People said her health was poor, which made Annie’s role as a stand-in make more sense.


    Still, Katelyn had no intention of getting involved. The smartest thing she could do was stay as far from Vincent as possible.


    Out of nowhere, a gurney came racing toward her, surrounded by a rush of medical staff moving fast and focused.


    One of them yelled, “We need all doctors and nurses right now! If anything happens to the countess, we’ll be in big trouble!”


    Katelyn stepped aside to give them space, sneaking a look at who was lying on the gurney—it was Annie, unconscious.


    The hit hadn’tnded on the back of her head, but it had been hard enough to send her to the hospital.


    Katelyn pressed her lips together, unease washing over her. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something even worse was on the horizon.


    She stood outside, waiting for Vincent to finish his call before she headed back into the ward.


    Vincent finally put his phone down, his dark eyes locking on hers. They were filled with emotions she couldn’t fully read, but guilt was definitely there.


    After all, the mess Katelyn had been dragged into all traced back to his unresolved engagement.


    Vincent’s gaze was conflicted, his voice genuine. “I’m sorry.”


    “It’s fine.” Katelyn knew why he was apologizing and quickly brushed it off. Dwelling on it wouldn’t change anything.


    “Mr. Adams, I’m nning to book a flight and leave tomorrow. If your being in the hospital makes that difficult, I can ask the hospital to find someone else to take care of you.”


    She had already made up her mind. How much longer could she put up with this situation if she continued to stay in Yata?


    Vincent’s expression darkened, and he leaned back against the headboard, his voice rough. “I’m handling it. Just give me a few more days.”


    Katelyn shook her head slowly, determination in her eyes. “I’ve been in Yata for too long. I miss my friends back home.”


    “But what about the coboration with Selina?” Vincent started, grasping for a reason to keep her there. “After I refused to hand over the castle, my partnership with Selina ended. If she still needs my designster, we can always talk online.”


    Katelyn’s interruption was quick and firm, something she didn’t usually do.<fn52e4> Updates are released by fι?dnοvel</fn52e4>


    Staying in Yata meant always looking over her shoulder, constantly having to avoid someone like Annie, who pounced at any opportunity—vicious and unpredictable. The constant negativity was draining her, leaving her worn out and tired of fighting it.


    Vincent’s expression shifted, understanding dawning in his eyes. Thest time he’d seen this unshakable determination on Katelyn’s face was when she had walked away from a three-year rtionship, choosing her freedom over a life that didn’t fit.


    He knew her well enough to realize that once she made up her mind, there was no changing it.


    Vincent swallowed hard, feeling a strange sense of confusion that didn’t fit with the confident businessman he usually was. He was used to being fearless, but now, he found himself unsure, almost lost.


    It felt like something important, something he was supposed to hold onto for life, was slipping away, and he couldn’t figure out how to stop it. That heavy feeling of losing something he couldn’t afford to lose made his chest tighten with unease.


    “What if I asked you to stay? To be with me until I get better? Then we could go back home together?” Vincent said, for the first time letting such feelings out.


    Katelyn was caught off guard, her eyebrows lifting in surprise.


    She nced down, her mind racing, but her answer was firm. “I wouldn’t be much help here. I don’t know how to take care of someone in the hospital.”


    Katelyn’s firm refusal left Vincent momentarily stunned, unable to find the right words. He looked at her, fatigue clear on his face, before finally nodding in agreement.


    While he respected her decision, he couldn’t shake his own feelings and was determined to keep trying. His engagement had always felt like a hidden danger, but now, it was finally out in the open.


    Still, he knew he had to deal with things in Yata first. Just then, Katelyn’s phone rang sharply, breaking the heavy silence that hung between them.


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