After several more minutes, the doctor finally straightened and glanced toward Kiaren.
“She shouldn’t remain in this room,” he said.
“Considering how recently she’s regained consciousness, she would be better off in another bedroom where we can monitor her more closely.” Kiaren gave a small nod.
“Move her to another room.
Make sure she has everything she needs, and have the medical team monitor her continuously.” The staff immediately began preparing the room, carefully assisting Ann as she slowly got out of bed.
She was still unsteady, so one of the nurses supported her while another gathered the necessary medical equipment.
Just before she reached the door, Ann stopped and turned toward Kiaren.
“Kiaren…” He looked at her.
“What is it?” Ann hesitated, her expression becoming troubled.
“I don’t remember what happened.” Kiaren’s face became unreadable.
“You don’t remember the accident?” Ann slowly shook her head.
“No.
I remember being in the car, and then…” She frowned, struggling to retrieve the missing memories.
“Nothing.
Everything after that is just blank.” Kiaren remained silent for a moment, studying her face as though trying to determine whether there was anything she wasn’t telling him.
“Don’t force yourself to remember,” he finally said.
“Rest first.” Ann nodded quietly before allowing the medical staff to escort her from the room.
Kiaren remained where he was after the door closed behind them, his gaze lingering on the empty bed.
Only hours earlier, Ann had been lying there in a condition that had left the doctors uncertain about her recovery, yet now she was awake and walking again.
Her injuries had improved far more quickly than they should have, while the strange marks across her skin were the only obvious abnormality that remained.
And then there was the missing memory.
Kiaren slowly lowered his gaze, his thoughts becoming increasingly unsettled.
Ann was alive.
She had awakened.
But he still had no idea what had happened to her.
************ FRIDA’S POV I don’t know how long I had been sleeping, but sooner or later, I suddenly snapped my eyes open, only to be greeted by bright sunlight filtering through the drawn windows.
I immediately pushed myself upright, and it was then that I realized I was lying in a bedroom.
The room looked nothing like the dark place I remembered.
It was spacious and beautifully decorated, with soft pink furnishings, delicate decorations, and an unmistakably feminine atmosphere that made me stare around in confusion.
“Tsk…” I smirked as my eyes moved across the room.
“So much pink.” But the amusement quickly faded when another thought crossed my mind.
“Wait… wasn’t I in a cage?” I frowned and looked around again, this time more carefully.
There was no cage anywhere in sight, and I certainly wasn’t lying on the cold floor where I remembered falling asleep.
“Wasn’t I on the floor?
How did I even get here?” I muttered, running a hand roughly through my disheveled hair as I tried to piece together what had happened.
Before I could think any further, the bedroom door slowly creaked open, and a man walked inside.
He was dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit, every part of his appearance neat and composed, but there was something about his presence that immediately erased any sense of comfort the room might have offered.
His aura was overwhelming, and his piercing eyes carried a cold intensity that made me instinctively tense.
“How was your night?” he asked, remaining near the doorway as he watched me.
“My night?” I stared at him in confusion before pulling the covers higher around my neck and instinctively curling backward.
“Who are you?” He seemed genuinely surprised by my question.
“Who am I?” he repeated, and for a moment, there was almost amusement in his voice.
“You have forgotten me?
How fast.” The faint smile that had been resting on his lips disappeared, replaced by a hard expression as he crossed the room and sat down on the edge of the bed, his eyes fixed on me with an intensity that made my stomach tighten.
“If you don’t tell me who you are, how am I supposed to know, damn it?” I snapped, my patience already completely exhausted.
I had been dragged from one place to another, locked inside a cage, threatened by a man whose face I couldn’t even see, and now I had somehow woken up in a strange bedroom with another man acting as though I was supposed to recognize him.
I was tired of the bullshit.
His expression changed almost instantly.
His hand shot forward and wrapped tightly around my neck, and before I could react, I found myself completely powerless beneath his strength.
My fingers instinctively closed around his wrist, but I couldn’t loosen his grip even slightly.
All I could do was stare helplessly into his face as his eyes darkened.
“Look at this face very carefully,” he murmured, his voice low and commanding.
“You better remember it until death.
And remember one thing…” His eyes suddenly burned an intense inferno red, and the sight of them seemed to swallow every thought in my mind.
“It’s me that you love.” Something strange happened the moment our eyes met.
His gaze was hypnotizing, almost impossible to look away from, and before I could understand what was happening, my thoughts began to blur.
Him.
Him.
Him.
There was nothing else in my mind but him, as though every other person I had ever known had suddenly been erased and replaced by his face.
After several seconds, he released my neck with a simple motion and pushed me away.
I nearly stumbled off the bed from the force, my body far too weak to withstand even the smallest display of his strength.
“Come inside and clean her up as fast as you can,” he ordered as he took a few steps away from the bed.
“It’s time for breakfast.” The bedroom door opened again, and two servants hurried inside.
The moment they saw him, both of them looked pale and frightened.
“You have just ten minutes,” he added, his tone leaving no room for argument.
“Yes, My Lord,” they echoed in unison before immediately approaching me.
They took hold of my hands and began pulling me from the bed toward the bathroom.
“I can shower by myself!” I protested, trying to pull my hands free, but neither of them stopped.
Once we reached the bathroom, they quickly removed the servant’s uniform I had been wearing, and as I watched them, I realized they weren’t completely powerless despite the fear written all over their faces.
They were simply low-ranking wolves, near the bottom of the hierarchy, and whatever authority the man outside possessed was enough to terrify them into complete obedience.
I stopped struggling when I noticed how badly they were trembling.
Whatever their reasons were for obeying him, I had no desire to become the reason they lost their lives.
From the way they behaved, the possibility seemed almost certain if they failed to carry out his orders.
Within minutes, they had finished bathing me and had dressed me in a simple dress and a pair of sandals before hurriedly leading me back into the bedroom.
“We are done, My Lord,” one of them announced as they bowed their heads, both of them glancing anxiously at the time on their watches.
“Perfect.
You are dismissed.” The relief that crossed their faces was immediate.
They bowed once more before rushing out of the room as though they had just been granted permission to breathe again.
I barely had time to wonder what was happening before another man entered the bedroom, this time carrying a set of chains.
“Here they are, My Lord,” he said respectfully, lowering his head.
The man took the chains from him and approached me without another word.
A moment later, my wrists and ankles were secured, although the chains were loose enough that I could still move around without too much difficulty.
They were clearly designed to remind me that I wasn’t free rather than completely restrict my movement.
I looked down at the gleaming metal and then back at him, irritation immediately replacing my confusion.
“You’re dressed like a gentleman,” I muttered.
“Can’t you at least act like one?” He glanced at me with an expression that suggested my complaint amused him.
“Have you forgotten?” he replied as he took hold of the chains.
“You are my expensive pet.”