A few minutes later, he found himself stepping through the enormous front doors.
His heart pounded as Megan told Mariam to stop playing with her friends and come inside with them.
It was probably the first time Mariam had spared him a glance without avoiding him.
Unfortunately all the words that came out of her mouth stabbed straight through his innocent heart.
The disgust and reluctance in her voice was obvious.
Still, Jackson considered the day a success.
After all, he had managed to step inside the Doyle mansion, and that alone felt like a small victory.
On top of that, Megan had said he was welcome to visit again anytime.
That meant he would have a chance to be within Mariam’s orbit.
When he finally left the estate, he discovered someone waiting outside.
“Hey…” Adrian greeted, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
Jackson immediately recognized him—the same boy who had intended to confess to Mariam earlier that day.
Without responding, he turned and began to walk past him, clearly uninterested in conversation.
But Adrian quickly reached out and caught his hand.
“Wait—I’m sorry if I offended you in any way,” he said quickly.
Jackson stopped abruptly.
His gaze dropped to the hand holding his as though it were something dangerous, almost burning.
The intensity of his stare was enough to make Adrian let his hand go.
It made no sense to Jackson as he stared at Adrian with a questioning look on his face.
Why was this guy apologizing?
He was the one who had been beaten without reason.
“Stay away from Mariam Doyle.” He made himself clear.
“Oh?” A grin bloomed across Adrian’s face.
“So that’s what this is about. What, do you have a secret crush on her or something?”
Jackson’s expression darkened instantly.
Adrian only laughed, clearly unbothered.
“Relax. I haven’t even confessed yet and she’s already rejected me in my imagination.”
“Is that so?”
Adrian was far too comfortable for someone who had just been punched earlier, fell into step beside him as they walked.
“You seem very invested in my love life.”
Jackson looked at him as if he had lost his mind.
“The only reason I said anything is because you were planning to confess to her. Otherwise, I don’t care.”
“Right, boss.”
“Boss? Who are you calling boss?”
“You.”
“I don’t have lackeys like you following me around!” Jackson glared.
Adrian only laughed louder, completely unaffected.
“Then from today onwards I will follow you around!” Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
Jackson had no idea what this guy was thinking in his dumb head.
And strangely enough, after that bizarre exchange, the two of them ended up becoming friends.
Or, at least, as close to friendship as Jackson Walsh was capable of allowing.
***
By 11:30 p.m., Jackson had reached the villa where Mariam was being kept.
It was snowing heavily outside, so his trench coat was covered in snow.
“Master…” Lena fidgeted nervously with her fingers.
“The miss didn’t eat dinner last night. She refused breakfast as well…” As for lunch, she hadn’t even bothered to ask her.
Jackson felt a throbbing headache coming.
He already knew dealing with her would not be simple.
24 hours without food would have left her weak, possibly even unwell.
“Go and bring her down to the dining table. She will have dinner with me.”
Lena wasn’t so sure about her master’s idea.
The woman had seemed extremely stubborn.
Still, she let out a quiet sigh and said, “Alright,” before quickly heading upstairs to bring Mariam down.
A couple of minutes later, she returned downstairs, her expression pale with shock.
“Master… the miss is gone,” she said in a shaken voice.
“She has escaped.”