"Is he not a germaphobe?

" I mused, puzzled by his constant embraces and hand-holding., Before I could pull away or protest, the sight that greeted me inside the hospital room stopped me dead in my tracks., It wasn't Ernest., The man in the bed caught sight of me and immediately furrowed his brows, then snapped at Henrik,

"Why did you bring her here?

" Henrik, still holding my hand, led me to a couch,

"Thought we'd check in on you after the game... see how you're healing up.

" Brown's face turned a sickly shade of pale, Henrik's words clearly striking a nerve., And not just any nerve. An embarrassing one., The thought of Brown's injury made me cringe-it was honestly mortifying.,

"Instead of seeking revenge for me, you bring this woman to disgust me? What are you trying to do?

" Brown was visibly irritated.,

"Just letting you know,

" Henrik lifted our intertwined hands,

"she's with me now, hands off.

",

"Huh,

" Brown scoffed,

"So I just take the loss?

",

"Your loss has nothing to do with her. You started it, and besides... it wasn't her who hit you,

" Henrik revealed, making his purpose for bringing me here crystal clear.,

"It all started because of her,

" Brown's resentment towards me was palpable.,

"You're the one who involved her,

" Henrik shot back, silencing him., Brown pursed his lips, his blue eyes glaring at me,

"She asked for it, getting involved in Jefferson's mess.

", Everything had a cause and effect, and my only mistake was showing concern for Jefferson, which somehow dragged me into this mess., The thought crossed my mind that maybe Conrad had orchestrated my involvement, but I quickly dismissed it. If he wanted to harm me, he wouldn't have warned me or rescued me from Henrik's estate. He probably didn't know the full extent of the conspiracy surrounding Jefferson.,

"She didn't mean any harm, might have been used by others,

" Henrik defended me, catching me off guard., He suggested I was manipulated, did he know something I didn't?, When I looked at him, Brown sneered,

"Henrik, you're defending her? Don't tell me you've fallen for her?

" Henrik's smirk was telling,

"Isn't it obvious?

",

"She's nothing but trouble,

" Brown's insult was crude and unlike anything I'd been called before. Reacting instantly, I yanked my hand free and hurled a cup from the table at Brown. en FindNovel, He dodged, but the water splashed him all the same., Furious, Brown leapt up,

"You wench, how dare you...

",

"She did right by hitting you,

" Henrik cut him off,

"Brown, do you really want to taste a gag ball again?

", That threat was enough to deflate Brown, his face turning a shade of green with humiliation.,

"We're here to make it clear. Whoever messed with you, go after them. But this woman,

" Henrik pulled me close,

"you better not touch her. Show some respect when you see her

" , With that, Henrik patted my shoulder,

"Let's go, got a game to catch.

", Leaving Brown's hospital room behind, I paused, turning to Henrik., He knew I had questions,

"Ask away.

", My heart was racing, caught in a mix of nervousness, unease, and excitement. Henrik had been fiercely protective, and I still didn't quite understand why., I had asked why he was so good to me, and his response was that he simply liked me. But I knew there was more to it., And if he was protecting me just to, use me against Ernest or to threaten Jefferson, keeping me alive would suffice. Yet here he was, treating me as if I were precious to him. , asyf, Search the website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.