Chapter 347

“Sir, you’re still bleeding. Here, let me wrap it with my scarf,” Clark said, not waiting for a response as he tied the silk scarf around Thorn’s head. The drug kicked in within a minute.

“I said I don’t need it! Are you deaf? Open the damn door. I’m leaving,” Thorn snapped.

Thorn despised these do-gooder types. They were a complete waste of his time. This was just a scratch; he didn’t need a hospital.

As he argued, a wave of drowsiness washed over him. His vision blurred, and he rubbed his temples. “I think I’m…”

“Sir, your injury is worse than you think! You can’t fall asleep,” Clark said, his voice laced with fake panic. “I’m getting you to the hospital right now. Just hang on, sir. Please, hang on! I can’t go to jail for this."

“Sir, don’t sleep. We’re almost there.”

Thorn grew sleepier and sleepier until his eyes finally closed and he slumped over, unconscious.

Clark slowed the car, beginning a long, pointless drive through the city.

Meanwhile, Hazel soaked in an ice bath, but the fire coursing through her veins refused to be quenched.

Lana paced nervously, snapping at the person on the other end of her phone.

“Do you have the antidote or not? Move it! I need it now!”

Lana ended the call and glanced anxiously at Hazel, whose exquisite form was submerged in the icy water.

The sight was starkly beautiful, and Lana reflexively swallowed before shooting a glare at Reno, who was staring intently.

“What are you looking at? Did you finish the tasks I gave you?” Lana urged.

Lana shifted, blocking Reno’s view as Reno tried to step around her.

“Get out of my way. I need to talk to the boss,” Reno insisted.

“You can tell me,” Lana shot back.

Reno planted her hands on her hips, her frustration boiling over. “Lana, I’m her assistant, too.”

Lana just gave her a flat, unimpressed look that said, ‘And?’

Fuming, Reno turned to leave and nearly collided with a guard rushing toward them.

“What’s the rush?" Reno snapped.

“Someone’s here to see the boss,” the guard replied.

Reno frowned. “Who is it this late?”

“He said his last name is Ford. A friend of the boss.”

“Julian Ford?” Reno’s mind raced. “No way. He should be in Solara. The timing is too perfect. The boss gets poisoned, and he just shows up? There’s no fucking way that’s a coincidence!

She was suspicious of anyone who appeared out of nowhere, a lesson learned after years at Hazel’s side. Still, she knew Hazel and Julian were close.

“Let him in for now,” Reno told the guard. “I’ll inform the boss.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Reno hurried back to Hazel’s side. Hazel was leaning against the edge of the tub, her eyes closed, her long lashes trembling slightly. She heard Reno approach and spoke without opening her eyes. “What is it?”

“Boss, Mr. Ford is here.”

Hazel’s eyes snapped open. “You mean Julian? How could he be here?” Then it hit her—the vase at the auction. That was him. Tell him to leave."

“What?” Reno was stunned. “Boss, you want me to send him away?”

‘Doesn’t she like him? Julian Ford is ridiculously handsome,’ Reno thought.

“Yes,” Hazel said, her gaze fixed on the plants across the room. “I’m not seeing anyone.”

“Understood,” Reno said, suppressing her questions. She relayed the message to Lana, who frowned in confusion.

“We shouldn’t try to guess the boss’s motives," Lana said with a sigh. “I’ll send him away.”

“Okay.”

When Lana told Julian that Hazel wouldn’t see him, he wasn’t surprised, but the bitter ache of disappointment was still sharp. He had expected this outcome, yet it still hurt.