"Lucas... Lucas... it hurts so much... help me..." Ashley kept murmuring in a low voice.

Honestly, he had to be out of his mind to leave such an important meeting just to come here and torture himself like this.

Charles stepped out of the hospital room, not wanting to hear her calling another man's name again. If he stayed any longer, he couldn't guarantee what he might do.

"Sir, your assistant just called. Sterling Valor Group is pretty upset about you bailing on the meeting last minute. The funding plan might be called off. Also, there's a situation with Steelcore-needs your decision. Should I tell them you'll handle it tomorrow?" George asked, walking up to him.

"No need. I'll head over now," Charles said, waving it off and striding toward the elevator.

"Lucas, don't!" Ashley suddenly screamed and shot up in bed, jolted awake by a nightmare.

"Miss Carter, you're awake!" a nurse sitting nearby quickly walked over.

"Who are you? Where am I?" Ashley asked groggily, pressing her head with a confused, dazed look.

"You're in the hospital, of course. Miss Carter, your fever shot up to 41, and you passed out. It was scary. Lucky thing Mr. Blackwood put you in ice water to bring your temperature down-it's now back to around 38," the nurse explained, her cheeks turning pink as soon as she mentioned Charles.

"I passed out?" Ashley frowned, trying to remember, but her memory was fuzzy.

"Yep. You're honestly the most intense fever case I've ever seen," the nurse said, eyes sparkling like she was still starstruck. "You should've seen how worried Mr. Blackwood was about you."

"Heh," Ashley gave a polite laugh, not quite knowing how to respond.

"Miss Carter, I'm so jealous. Having someone like Mr. Blackwood look after you? It's unreal," the nurse said enviously.

This was Charles they were talking about-the man's worth billions, but even without that, just his looks alone could break the internet. His smile alone could leave half the girls in town breathless.

"You know him?" Ashley asked, raising an eyebrow at the way she was glorifying him.

"Of course!" The nurse looked like she could go on for hours. "He's the fourth-generation heir of the Blackwood Consortium. Their businesses are all over six continents-oil, tech, pharma, you name it. Ever since he took over, the group's wealth has skyrocketed. Media overseas even called him the most bold and visionary leader out there. I mean, honestly, there aren't many people who don't know who he is."

But the sad part? He didn't even glance her way once. Just thinking about it made the nurse's heart ache again.

So, that man had such an insane background? Ashley was stunned. She'd always suspected he was powerful-but this powerful? That was on another level.

Wait a second... did she just say this place was... a hospital?

"Did you say I'm in a hospital?" she asked, just now piecing it together.

"Yeah!" the nurse nodded eagerly. Oh no, she was totally falling for Charles...

Ashley's eyes widened. So, she really was in a hospital! Emotion surged through her all over again.

Staring at the unfamiliar nurse in front of her, Ashley hesitated for a moment before taking a chance. "Could I borrow your phone to make a call?"

"Sure!" The nurse agreed without a second thought and handed her the phone.

"Thanks!" Ashley clutched the phone gratefully, her fingers trembling slightly as she dialed Lucas's number.

Thank goodness she still remembered it. As she hit the call button, she silently hoped.

Lucas, please pick up...

"The number you have dialed is powered off. Please try again later," came the automated voice after a brief pause.

Why is it off? Could he be out looking for her and his phone died? Unwilling to give up, she redialed his number.

But all five attempts came back with the same cold message: the user is currently unavailable.

"Miss Carter, you don't have to call Mr. Blackwood. He'll be here soon," the nurse offered helpfully, thinking Ashley was trying to reach Charles.

"When is he coming?" Ashley tensed at that.

"Your fever's down now, and the doctor advised rest at home. After informing Mr. Blackwood, we've arranged for your discharge. He said he'd come pick you up by 6:30 at the latest," the nurse explained.

6:30 at the latest? Ashley glanced at the phone-it was already 6:15. That meant he could show up any minute now.

Idiot! Why did she end up like this? She finally made it into a hospital, and what did she do? Slept like a log! She couldn't believe she'd wasted so much time.

She wanted to smack herself.

No way-if he showed up, she wouldn't get another shot at calling Lucas!

"Can I ask what hospital this is?" She tried to sound casual, hiding her growing anxiety.

"This is Concordia Medical Center," the nurse replied, puzzled but honest.

"Thank you!" Ashley quickly opened the text message screen and began typing to Lucas: "Lucas, it's Ashley. I'm stuck in Concordia Medical Center. Come quickly..."

Just as she was about to type "Help me," the door creaked open. Startled, her hand shook, and the phone slipped from her grip, crashing on the floor.

"Miss Carter, are you feeling any discomfort right now?" asked the doctor as he walked in and looked at her with concern."Feeling much better." Ashley had thought it was Charles walking in, so when she saw it was just the doctor, she finally let out a breath.

"You're in the clear now. Just running a slight fever, so make sure you stay hydrated and get some rest. You'll be back to normal in a few days," the doctor said after wrapping up a set of checkups.

"Thanks," Ashley mumbled absentmindedly, eyes fixed on the phone being casually taken back and slipped into its owner's pocket.

As soon as the doctor left, she turned eagerly to the nurse. "Sorry, could I borrow your phone again for a sec?"

"Of course, go ahead!" the nurse said, handing it over once more.

"Thank you!" Ashley said quickly, her hands trembling as she punched in "911." Since she couldn't get ahold of Lucas, she had no time to lose. Maybe calling the police would work-someone had to pick up, right?

"Miss Carter, you really don't have to be so polite to me," the nurse said cheerfully. "Technically, this whole hospital belongs to you!"

"Mine?" Ashley stared at her, confused.

"Totally. Mr. Blackwood's family owns this hospital. Given how close you and he are... what's his is pretty much yours, right?"

"You're telling me he owns this hospital too?" Her fingers froze on the screen mid-dial.

"Yeah! Over half of everything in Impervale is either owned or somehow linked to the Blackwood group. Honestly, I'd say you must've saved the entire galaxy in your last life to land a guy like Mr. Blackwood-he's rich, powerful, and completely smitten with you."

Half the city... Ashley felt like the sky was falling.

"Aren't you making a call?" the nurse nudged, seeing her freeze up.

Was there even a point anymore? She'd barely get through before someone on the other end ratted her out to Charles.

"No, it's fine. Thanks anyway." She forced a smile and handed the phone back.

"Alright." The nurse took it back without sensing the shift in Ashley's mood.

"I'm feeling a bit hungry. Would you mind grabbing me something to eat?" Ashley asked, hoping to get her out of the room.

"Sure thing! I'll be right back." The nurse gave her a nod and walked out.

The moment she stepped out, Ashley pushed herself to the edge of the bed. But she had moved too quickly-her weak body gave out, and she collapsed hard onto the floor.

Ignoring the pain shooting through her limbs, she forced herself up, staggering straight to the door and pushing it open.

"Miss Carter, do you need something?" The two security guards at the door straightened up when they saw her come out.

"I just want to use the bathroom," she said casually, tossing out an excuse.

"There's a private restroom in your room," one of them pointed out.

Seriously? They even had the bathroom locked down? Ashley frowned. No, this might be her last shot to get away from that man. As long as she could get out of Impervale, there was still hope. She didn't believe Charles had control everywhere.

Thinking fast, she added, "Actually, I just need a bit of air. It's really stuffy inside."

"The young master said you're not allowed to leave the room," the guards replied, clearly troubled by the request.

"I'm really not feeling well. If you're that worried, you can just come with me," she said, letting out a light cough to back it up.

The two guards exchanged a look, then reluctantly nodded.

So she led the way, with both guards tailing her from about a meter away.

How the hell was she supposed to make a run for it like this? Ashley glanced at the two men behind her out of the corner of her eye. She was in terrible shape. Even if she were at full strength, she'd never outrun two guys built like linebackers.

Looking ahead, she spotted a public restroom not far away and headed straight for it.

The guards stayed outside once she entered the women's room.

Inside, Ashley scanned the place quickly. Most restrooms had a supply closet somewhere.

Bingo. In the last cubicle, tucked against the wall, she found all kinds of cleaning gear-and even a cleaner's uniform hanging on a hook.

She changed into the outfit, pulled on the mask, then pushed the mop cart out like she belonged there. Passing by the two guards outside, she kept calm and walked right through.

They didn't even flinch-didn't expect her to pull off a quick change and sneak out like this.

Turning a corner with the cart, Ashley finally ducked out of their line of sight.

No time to waste. She glanced back quickly to make sure no one was chasing, then bolted towards the elevator.

Two bodyguards stood outside the door, and after a couple of minutes with no sign of Ashley, they started to get suspicious. One of them called over a nurse to check inside, only to find her nightgown dumped on the bed.

"Sir, call for you," George handed the phone over to Charles after answering it.

"What? You actually let a living person vanish under your noses?" Charles had just gotten into the car to head to the hospital when he took the phone. The second he heard the update, his face darkened with fury.

"I'm sorry, sir," the bodyguard muttered, clearly knowing he screwed up.

"Sorry doesn't fix this," Charles snapped, then paused for a second and asked coldly, "How long has she been missing?"

"Just two or three minutes, max. We think Miss Carter slipped out in a janitor's uniform," the bodyguard answered after glancing at his watch.

"Lock down the entire hospital now! Get more men there. I want her found. No excuses!" Charles barked into the phone, then tossed it to George who was sitting in the passenger seat. "Step on it!"

"Yes, sir." The driver, Oscar, didn't dare waste a second, flooring the gas.

In the rearview mirror, George could see that Charles was anything but calm-his brows furrowed and his eyes sharp like a storm was brewing.

Looks like they've realized she's gone. Ashley had just taken the elevator down to the first floor when chaos greeted her-men in sunglasses weaving through the lobby.

Crap. The main entrance is definitely not an option.

She quickly scoped out her surroundings and ducked into an emergency stairwell nearby.

After burning up with fever for a whole day and night, her body felt like it could collapse at any second, legs jelly-like and strength barely holding. But she didn't have the luxury of stopping. She had to get out.

Stumbling along hallway after hallway, she finally spotted the service exit at the hospital's back. There were fewer guards there, and luckily, she managed to slip by and dart out.

"Hey, you there! Hold up!" a bodyguard standing a dozen meters away called out when he spotted a suspicious figure.

No way she could let them see her face. Heart pounding, Ashley picked up her pace. Her head spun dangerously, like she might pass out any second, but she kept herself moving, faking calm when she had none.

That's when she caught sight of a car parked not far ahead.

Like spotting a lifeline in a raging sea, she stumbled toward it with everything she had left in her.