Chapter 17
This was the third time Kenneth had noticed Annabel’s unusual interest in Morse Group.
He paused at the study’s entrance, observing her erect posture under the desk lamp.
The pen in her hand made sharp marks on the paper. It didn’t look like she was analyzing data, but more like she was dissecting an enemy.
“Looking at Morse Group’s reports again?” Kenneth walked in with a glass of hot milk, deliberately making his footsteps more audible.
Annabel’s fingers trembled almost imperceptibly. She closed the folder in a swift motion.
“Just a routine analysis,” she said, taking the glass with a flawless smile.
“I just want to know our future competitor in advance.”
Kenneth didn’t expose her lie.
Over the past three months, she’d studied Morse Group far more than any other company. Sometimes, she would even stay up until dawn.
But whenever he asked about it, she would quickly change the subject, especially after that one–sided encounter in Baloria.
“Don’t stay up too late. There’s an early meeting tomorrow.” In the end, he just set the glass down.
Annabel nodded, but her gaze had already drifted back to the documents.
As Kenneth closed the study door, he heard the rustle of the pen on paper again, like the materialization of some obsession.
At 3:17 am, a sharp scream cut through the silence of the villa.
Kenneth shot upright in bed. His instincts as a doctor instantly made him fully awake.
The scream had come from Annabel’s room. He didn’t even stop for his slippers before rushing over.
When he flung the door open, the sight before him made his chest tighten. Annabel was curled up in the comer between the bed and the wall, her hands clutching her own neck. Her face was deathly pale.
Her pajamas, drenched with cold sweat, clung to her slender back as she trembled uncontrollably.
What terrified Kenneth most were her eyes. Her pupils were dilated, unfocused, as if staring at some terrifying scene that wasn’t there.
“Linda!” Kenneth knelt before her, not daring to touch her rashly.
“Look at me. Can you hear me?”
Annabel didn’t respond. Her breathing became increasingly rapid, and her lips started to turn blue.
She was having an acute PTSD episode.
Kenneth made a snap judgment. He gently took hold of Annabel’s wrist and felt a layer of cold, clammy sweat.
“Breathe with me.” He pressed her hand to his chest. “Feel the rhythm of my breathing, slowly and steadily…”
He deliberately slowed his breathing, letting his chest rise and fall in a steady cadence.
Beneath his palm, he could feel a rough, uneven scar on her slender wrist.
One minute, two minutes…
At last, her breathing began to match his.
Her eyes started to focus again. She yanked her hand back when she recognized who was in front of her.
“I’m fine,” she said hoarsely. She tugged her sleeve down instinctively to cover her wrist. “Sorry, I just had a nightmare.” Kenneth didn’t expose her clumsy lie.
He stood and poured her a glass of warm water, adding a few drops of calming essential oil to the diffuser as he passed.
“Drink some water first.” He handed her the glass, maintaining a safe distance.
“I’ll get you a dry towel.”
When he came back from the bathroom, Annabel had moved to the armchair by the window, She held the glass in both hands, her gaze fixed on the night outside. Moonlight outlined the curve of her profile. Her lashes cast a small shadow beneath her eyes.
Kenneth draped the towel over her shoulders and sat down across from her.
“Want to talkabout that nightmare?” he asked casually, as it discussing the weather.
Annabel’s fingers unconsciously traced the rim of the glass.
After a long silence, she suddenly said, “Do you know what it feels like to drown?” Kenneth was slightly startled.
Chapter 18
