Ronan stared at the passenger seat. It was spotless. There was no trace of blood on the leather that, just moments ago, had been soaked red.
Ronan forced himself to think rationally. He was absolutely certain that the accident had happened. It wasn't a hallucination; he hadn't created it in his mind. Why would he imagine such a horrific crash for no reason? Standing there, asking himself these questions, he realized two things: he didn't have a mental illness, and something truly supernatural was happening here that he didn't understand.
After buckling Liora's seat belt, Ronan walked around to the driver's side and began the drive toward his mansion. However, as they neared the scene of the accident, he stopped the car. He needed to be sure.
He got out and inspected the road. As he expected, there were no bloodstains on the asphalt either. However, spotting a side bag lying a few meters away, he walked over and picked it up. He returned to the car, certain that the bag belonged to Liora.
Ronan got back in and drove the rest of the way to his estate. He parked right at the front door of the mansion and let out a heavy sigh. He unbuckled his own seat belt, then leaned over to unbuckle Liora's. As he turned to open his door, a thought struck him, and he looked back at the unconscious girl.
Can someone really be unconscious for this long? Lily said she would wake up soon. What if she knows who I am and is just putting on an act to extort money from me? I should test her.
Thinking this, Ronan placed a hand on Liora's shoulder and started shaking her.
"Hey! Hey, get up! I know you're lying. I'll give you whatever you want, just get up and tell me your address. I'll drop you off at home right now. Please."
Ronan continued to shake her, but there was no response.
He took a deep breath, intending to pull his hand away. But at that moment, gravity took over. Liora's unconscious body, dead weight without her control, slumped forward and leaned heavily against Ronan. Her head came to rest gently against his chest.
Ronan's heart, shocked by the sudden, unexpected contact, began to hammer against his ribs. It wasn't out of fear, but due to a completely unfamiliar sensation washing over him. With his arms half-raised and her head resting on his heart, Ronan stared at Liora with wide eyes, forgetting to breathe.
"H-Hey! W-what are you doing?" Ronan stammered, even though he knew she was truly unconscious.
He blinked, staring straight ahead as he tried to process what this feeling was. It felt... right. He felt as though he wanted to experience this sensation every day. A rare, natural smile touched his lips. He loved the way this felt in his heart; he desired it, without even realizing it.
However, his logical mind tried to dismiss it. He told himself that he only felt this way because no one had ever leaned on his chest like this before. The thought that this feeling was specific to Liora didn't cross his mind. Instead, Ronan ignored the deeper meaning, telling himself this was likely a normal human reaction that he just hadn't experienced until now.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Ronan looked at the angel sleeping against him and gently eased her back onto the passenger seat. He got out, walked around the car, scooped Liora up in his arms, and carried her toward the mansion's entrance.
As soon as he stepped inside, his elderly maid hurried forward.
"Oh, Young Master, it's really late today. I was scared because the drivers were off," Miss Scott, the only maid in Ronan's mansion, said. Knowing Ronan was a quiet man, she didn't really expect a response.
Then she noticed his burden. "Ooh... who is this beautiful angel in the Master's arms?" she asked, smiling mischievously.
Miss Scott's eyes widened when she saw a genuine smile on Ronan's face.
"Miss Scott, hurry up and get the guest room ready. I don't know who this is, but she's staying here only for tonight. She's unconscious," Ronan said, his face quickly returning to its usual stern expression.
Miss Scott rolled her eyes but nodded. "That room is always prepared, Master. Go and put her down."
"Hmm. Bring my bag and her bag from the car to the guest room," Ronan instructed as he headed up the stairs.
The moment Liora was placed on the bed, the elderly maid arrived with the two bags.
"She'll be worried when she wakes up since she won't know where she is," Ronan said, taking off his coat and loosening his tie. "So, Miss Scott, you can sleep on the couch in here tonight. I'm going to take a shower and sleep in my room. I'm really tired."
Miss Scott stopped him just as he reached for his bag.
"Wait, wait! Does the Young Master have no heart? How can I sleep on this couch? I'm an old woman! If I get a backache, you'll be the one who goes hungry because you can't even cook for yourself. No, no, I can't do it. You sleep here. I'll go and prepare some food for you."
Miss Scott turned and left before he could argue. Aside from Michael, Miss Scott was the only person Ronan wasn't terrifying to. Ronan, who had never experienced a mother's love, received that kind of care only from her. That was why he never showed his harsh side to Miss Scott; he respected her too much.
Unable to take his frustration out on her, Ronan released it by kicking the helpless couch beside him. He glared at Liora, then went to his room to shower and change into light clothes. After eating the dinner Miss Scott had prepared, he grabbed a pillow and blanket from his room and returned to the guest room.
He threw the bedding angrily onto the couch, turned off the lights without glancing at Liora, and lay down to sleep.
• • • • •
It was two-thirty in the morning.
A slight movement on the bed indicated that Liora was slowly regaining consciousness. She rubbed her eyes groggily, but in the next moment, her eyes snapped open wide.
Oh my God! Is this heaven or hell? Liora thought, feeling the luxurious sheets in the dark.
No, no, this must be heaven. There are no beds this soft in hell. Besides, I haven't committed any sins worthy of hell, she reasoned, still lying still.
I wonder if Dad and Sophie are crying. Who would have thought I would have to leave them so soon? Liora sighed and sat up.
But as her eyes adjusted to the thick darkness, she made out the faint outline of the bed, a nightstand, and, to her shock, an air conditioner mounted on the wall. Her eyes widened even further. How on earth can an air conditioner exist in heaven?
She didn't see Ronan, who was sleeping soundly on the couch a few feet away.
Oh my God, this isn't heaven! Didn't I die in that accident? It can't be...
Panic began to flood her mind. If I'm not dead, then where exactly am I?
D-Did someone kidnap me? B-but I'm poor. What can they take from me? What if... W-what if...
Terrified by her own spiraling thoughts, Liora scrambled off the bed, ran toward the closed door, and began banging on it frantically, not even checking if it was locked.
"Is there anyone there?! Can you hear me?!! Please, I'll give you whatever you ask for! Please, please let me go..." Liora screamed.
The sudden noise startled Ronan awake. He tumbled off the narrow couch, hitting the floor hard with a yelp of pain.
Liora jumped when she heard the crash, but the darkness made it impossible to see clearly.
"W-Who's there?" she stammered, too scared to move.
How is there someone else in the room? She looked back in terror at a shadow slowly rising from the floor. When she saw the silhouette of a man with wild, messy hair approaching her, Liora screamed.
"Ghost!!"
She scrambled away and crawled straight under the bed.
Ronan was the most shocked of the two. He stood there, rubbing his bruised arm, wondering what on earth was happening.
"Oh God, save me from that ghost! Save my life and my soul from that ghost!"
Ronan realized what was happening when he heard Liora's frantic whispering and the sound of her rubbing her hands together in prayer from beneath the mattress.
"A ghost? Did you crawl under the bed thinking I was a ghost because you saw me?" Ronan rolled his eyes, speaking to the darkness under the bed frame.
"Hello! Listen. Are you coming out from under there now, or should I pull you out?" Ronan asked, bending down.
Hearing his voice, Liora's prayers only intensified in volume.
Ronan sighed heavily. He reached under the bed, groping in the dark until he grabbed the fabric of her shirt. He pulled. Since Liora was curled up, she slid out across the floor in the same sitting position she had been in under the bed.
As soon as she was in the open, Liora started screaming even louder.
Acting on instinct to silence her, Ronan grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her firmly against his chest, stroking her head.
"Shh, calm down."
Almost immediately, Liora settled down. She realized instinctively that a ghost wouldn't have this kind of warmth, this feeling of safety and solidity. She remained curled up against his broad chest, burying her face in his shirt, clutching the fabric with both hands as she breathed heavily. She closed her eyes, inhaling the wonderful, expensive scent of his cologne.
Just then, the door opened and the overhead light flicked on. Miss Scott stood in the doorway.
As soon as the room flooded with light, Miss Scott quickly averted her gaze from the scene on the floor.
"Oh, sorry, Master! I didn't know. I heard a lot of noise, so I came to check. I'll... I'll go."
Miss Scott kept her eyes turned away, bowing slightly as she backed out and closed the door.
Ronan realized how intimate their position looked.
"Oh, shit!"
He immediately pushed Liora away. She toppled backward onto the floor. Confused by the sudden shove, Liora sat up, rubbing her back and looking up at him. But as her eyes focused on his face, she scrambled to her feet, her eyes going wide.
"M-Mr. Brown? Y-you? W-what are you doing here?" Liora gasped.
Seeing England's most handsome young CEO in the flesh, standing in a disheveled state in front of her, was overwhelming. She remembered how the students at her university dreamed of just exchanging a single word with him. She stared at him without blinking, completely forgetting her predicament.
"Huh? You're asking me that? In my house?" Ronan retorted.
Liora came to her senses. A terrifying thought struck her.
"S-so, you kidnapped me?" she asked, horrified.
"What?! Why would I kidnap you?" Ronan shouted, offended.
Liora flinched. "Oh... then how am I here?" she asked, unable to piece it together.
"It's a long story. I'll tell you about it tomorrow morning. For now, you're safe here. What use would I have kidnapping a poor person like you anyway?" Ronan muttered. "Now, let's go to sleep without bothering anyone else. I have to go to work tomorrow. I'm going to my room."
Liora felt a sting of sadness at his words, especially the word "poor." But how does he know I'm poor? she wondered.
Ronan tried to turn and leave, but he was stopped by a tug on his shirt. Liora was holding the hem of his fabric, her head bowed low. Ronan looked at his shirt, then frowned at her.
"A-ah, W-well... Mr. Brown. If it's no problem... Can you s-stay here until I fall asleep?" Liora asked timidly.
"What?!"
"W-well... I'm a little scared because of what happened before," Liora admitted. She wasn't usually afraid of the dark, but the shock of waking up in a strange place had shaken her.
"You're saying this to the 'ghost' that you were terrified of just a minute ago?" Ronan asked, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Ah. I'm sorry about that, Mr. Brown. Forget it. I was just startled. Anyone would be scared seeing someone with messy hair like that in the dark," Liora said, furrowing her eyebrows in a cute display of annoyance.
From anyone else, Ronan would have taken that as an insult. But Liora said it so innocently that he was left speechless.
"A-ah, I can't. You're not a little baby. Sleep by yourself," Ronan said abruptly. He grabbed his pillow and blanket from the couch and marched out of the room.
Watching Ronan walk away, Liora raised her hand as if to slap his retreating back.
"What a damn nuisance," she muttered to herself.
Without turning off the light, she climbed back into bed and pulled the duvet over her head so no one could get in.
After a while, she drifted into her thoughts, her mind fixating on Ronan.
She remembered the moment she felt his warmth. She recalled the rush of emotions she had never experienced before, the way her heart had raced when he held her. She placed a hand over her chest. It wasn't beating fast because of her illness; it was something else. Even though she remembered Mia's cruel words from the morning, Liora couldn't deny that she liked this feeling.
A beautiful smile spread across Liora's lips, and she fell asleep shortly after.
And at this time, what of our evil CEO Ronan?
Yes, he was lying in his own bed, his hand pressed over his heart, staring up at the ceiling. Was he thinking about the mysterious, supernatural accident? No. He had completely forgotten it.
He was thinking about our little, precious Liora.
He found himself incredibly addicted to that strange feeling he had experienced when holding her, a feeling he had never, ever felt before. He wanted to experience it again. He couldn't imagine what was happening to him.
Who are you? Why did we meet so mysteriously? What are these strange feelings I have? You have changed me in such a strange way in the short time since I met you. Why wasn't I even angry at your words? What are you doing to me?
Ronan eventually drifted off to sleep, his mind swirling with unanswered questions.