Love Me Once More
Copyright© 2025 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 23
“Who have you been picking on?”
Out of nowhere, a voice sharp as ice cut through the air behind them. Turning sharply, they saw Liam standing at the top of the stairs, draped in an oversized white sweater that hung loosely off his broad shoulders. His tall frame and poised posture gave him the effortless elegance of a runway model, but the frosty glare etched onto his face sent shivers down everyone’s spines.
The group exchanged uneasy glances, frozen in place before a wave of anxiety washed over them. They swallowed hard, unsure how much Liam had overheard.
One brave soul stepped forward, stammering, “Mr. Drake, we weren’t bullying anyone, we were just joking around.”
“Really?” Liam’s tone was flat, his dark eyes slicing through the room like shards of glass. “Because I could’ve sworn I heard something about you tormenting Evelyn yesterday.”
So he had heard. Panic rippled through the crowd. Emma, one of the maids, sucked in a breath and spoke up. “Mr. Drake, all we did was ask Evelyn to wash some clothes. Surely that’s not bullying? Besides, she seemed perfectly fine yesterday.”
“Perfectly fine, you say?” A faint smirk tugged at the corner of Liam’s lips, sending a ripple of unease through the room. “Well then, perhaps it truly wasn’t anything worth mentioning.”
Emma glanced back at the others, bewildered. When had the Sir ever smiled like this, so warm and almost charming? And yet, when she thought about his usual disdain for Evelyn, doubt crept in. Could he actually be pleased with what happened?
Lost in thought, Emma barely registered Liam’s next words: “You should have made her use colder water.”
Emma perked up instantly. “That’s exactly what we did! When Evelyn came back, her hands were completely numb, and her face was ghostly pale. But honestly, Master, those sorts of things are nothing new to her. She deserves every bit of it!”
A flicker of icy contempt flashed in Liam’s eyes, but before anyone could react, a piercing scream echoed from outside.
Liam bolted toward the door. There, Robin knelt on the ground, clutching a hot water bottle, his hands trembling as he tried to steady himself. “Sir ... Ms. Clarke ... Her body, it’s freezing. Her breathing, it’s so faint...”
For a moment, Liam’s mind went blank. Then, snapping out of it, he rushed into the snow and scooped Evelyn into his arms. Her body was utterly lifeless, devoid of warmth. If not for the faint pulse still thumping weakly against his fingertips, she might as well have been dead.
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