Chapter 494

The phone screen flickered in the darkness before going completely black.

Theodore Ashcroft stared at the darkened screen, his knuckles turning white. He paced back and forth before finally dialing a number he rarely contacted.

The line rang for what felt like an eternity. Just as he was about to give up, a slightly hoarse female voice answered.

"Miss Roland," Theodore said, his voice tense. "Can you help me reach Mr. Valdemar?"

A brief silence followed.

"He's unreachable?" Evelyn Roland's voice sharpened with sudden alertness.

Theodore relayed the situation in detail. The breathing on the other end of the line grew noticeably heavier.

"Understood."

Evelyn threw off the covers, grabbed her car keys, and rushed out.

"Handle the meeting in my place."

The dial tone echoed in her ears.

When sunlight pierced through the gaps in the curtains, the figure on the floor finally stirred.

Sebastian Valdemar pushed himself up, his vision swimming. A sharp pain in his stomach forced a muffled groan from his lips, the metallic tang of blood blooming on his tongue.

He let out a low, humorless laugh and staggered to his feet.

The doorbell rang.

Assuming it was Olivia, he dragged his heavy limbs toward the entrance.

The electronic lock beeped as the door swung open. Sebastian's vision blurred, and he pitched forward.

Warm hands caught him.

"Evelyn?" The familiar scent of gardenias enveloped him in his haze.

Her fingers barely brushed his forehead before she recoiled. "You drank while running this high a fever?"

In the living room, half a bottle of red wine had spilled onto the carpet, the dark stain resembling dried blood.

Sebastian only smiled, his pallid face flushed with fever. "You came to see me?"

Evelyn clenched her fists, her nails biting into her palms.

"You—"

She took a deep breath, forcibly swallowing her fury.

Thud.

The man collapsed against her shoulder.

Evelyn gritted her teeth. "I must owe you from a past life."

It took every ounce of her strength to maneuver him into the car. In the rearview mirror, Sebastian lay motionless, pale as death.

The sterile scent of disinfectant stung her nostrils.

When Sebastian finally opened his eyes, his throat burned like fire.

"Water."

A glass was pressed to his lips. He drank greedily before focusing on the figure beside the bed—

Theodore Ashcroft gazed down at him with undisguised worry.