Chapter 112 You Don’t Have to Protect Me Anymore
Chloe needed five stitches for her arm injury. For her, that barely counted as an injury. Back when she’d served in the special forces, getting hurt had been part of the routine.
Once the doctor finished stitching her up, she changed into a fresh set of clothes.
“You’ll stay for observation today. If everything looks good, you can go home tomorrow,” the doctor said,
handing over a prescription.
The Steele family was one of the shareholders in the hospital, so Chloe was directly put in a VIP ward.
She honestly thought this was nothing–a bullet had only grazed her arm and hadn’t even hit her. Yet, Brian treated her like a piece of fragile glass and was determined to shield her from the slightest harm.
Staring at the row of doctors, nurses, and caretakers in front of her bed, she was at a loss for words.
“Send them out,” she said. “I’m not used to having so many people around me.”
“But your wound-”
“If I feel unwell, I’ll ring for a nurse,” she said. “Besides, you’re here too.”
Brian’s expression softened. “Yeah, I’m right here.” When everyone left the room, he asked, “Do you want to eat something?”
She glanced at the fruit basket the hospital had sent. “Some apple, maybe.”
“Alright.”
Brian washed an apple, picked up a small paring knife, and sat down by her bed to peel it.
Chloe raised an eyebrow. She’d never seen him peel fruit before. The knife turned easily in his slender
fingers, curling off the skin in one smooth ribbon. Once again, she couldn’t help but think about how elegant his hands looked.
“Still fascinated by my hands?” he suddenly asked.
Startled, she glanced up, locking eyes with him.
“I’m glad you like them,” he murmured. “But I hope you’ll like the rest of me too.”
Her breath caught, and her cheeks warmed. Did he even realize how suggestive that sounded?
Soon, Brian was done peeling the apple and passed it to her. She took it with her good hand.
“By the way, how’s William?” she asked.
“He’s fine. He just needs some rest,” Brian replied.
Chloe let out a sigh of relief.
Chapter 112 You Don’t Have to Protect Me Anymore
“And also…” Brian paused. “Don’t protect me like that again.”
She stopped just as she was about to take a bite. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t want to see you hurt anymore,” he said, his eyes lingering on the bandage on her arm, his eyes full of guilt.
“But it’s my job to protect you,” Chloe said. “And this is just a scratch. I’ll be fine.”
“Scratch or not, it’s not acceptable,” he said firmly. “From now on, you’re off my security detail. I’ll inform the army myself.”
She hadn’t expected him to be so resolute.
“But what about your safety?”
“I’ll handle it,” he said. “It’ll be taken care of… soon.”
Later that night, drowsy from her medicine, Chloe drifted off to sleep. Brian watched her, gently brushing
stray strands of hair away from her cheek. His eyes were full of tenderness.
Then he turned and left the room. Outside, two rows of bodyguards stood waiting.
“Keep Ms. Quall safe,” he ordered. “If anything happens to her, you know what it means.”
“Yes, sir.”
Only then did he head toward the elevator. The warmth in his eyes vanished, replaced by cold, murderous
resolve.
t
That night, the Steele family members who were coveting Brian’s position as head of the family met their downfall. Some lost everything in a single night and fled.
In the Steele family’s main residence in Corvessia, several people who’d opposed Brian now knelt before him, begging for mercy.
“It had nothing to do with us! We knew nothing!”
“Knew nothing?” He tossed a folder at them. Inside were records of their exchanges and deals with
assassins.
“Before coming here, I dealt with the last group of killers you hired,” he said.
Back then, he’d spared them because he simply didn’t care. Whether he’d lived or died hadn’t really mattered to him at all. If someone had managed to kill him, so be it.
But now, everything was different. He couldn’t allow anyone to harm Chloe. Because of her, he’d begun to care about his own life. He wanted to live and grow old alongside her.
Chapter 112 You Don’t Have to Protect Me Anymore
The men turned pale as they stared at the evidence, realizing resisting was pointless now.
“Aren’t you going to show yourself?” Brian called toward a dark corner.
He knew the ones before him weren’t the real masterminds. The actual culprit was….
“I thought you’d let the game go on a bit longer,” Liam said, stepping out of the shadows with a chuckle. The smile on his face made Brian’s stomach turn.
“Do you hate the idea of me being the head of the family that much?” he asked. He’d long suspected that Liam wanted him dead.
“Of course. But you’re my only son, so the position is yours by right. I only meant to test you to see if you’re fit for the role,” Liam replied.
“Aren’t you worried that I’ll hand you over to the military? Our family works closely with them. If something were to happen to me, our project wouldn’t be able to move forward. Do you think they’ll spare you?”
A triumphant smile crossed Liam’s face. “I never hired anyone to kill you myself. Can you find proof linking me to the murder attempt?”
Brian pressed his lips together. Indeed, Liam was cautious, and there wasn’t any solid evidence to arrest
him.
“You never cared about these things before. Is this because of Chloe?” Liam suddenly asked. “She took a bullet for you. That’s why you’re ending the game so quickly, isn’t it?”
“What are you getting at?” Brian snapped, narrowing his eyes at him.
“If she were to get hurt worse, what would you do?” Liam flashed him a languid smile.
Brian stiffened. He lunged at Liam, his fingers tightening around the latter’s neck. “Don’t you dare!”
“You’ll find out,” Liam said, his smile only widening. There wasn’t even a trace of fear on his face as he continued, “Or you can kill me now and be done with it.”
Brian’s expression tensed, his grip around Liam’s neck growing stronger.
