Adelyn didn’t know how, but sohow, she managed to find the restroom.
The fluorescent lights felt too bright, and the marble tiles too cold.
Holding onto the sink counter, she tried to steady herself, but the restlessness inside her only grew —tightening and spreading through her veins like sothing alive.
For a brief second, she almost surrendered to it.
Her fingers moved instinctively, sliding toward the edge of her sleeve —
But the next mont, she froze.
Realization stuck her.
She gripped the fabric tightly instead, knuckles whitening as she shook her head.
"No ... no, Adelyn. You need to ... get a grip."
Her voice trembled.
She turned on the tap. Water rushed out in a steady stream. She shoved her hands beneath it, feeling the sting of cold against her overheated skin.
Then she splashed her face.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
Beads of water clung to her lashes, trailing down her cheeks. The shock forced her breathing to slow.
She inhaled ... then exhaled, focusing on the rhythm.
The pounding in her ears softened slightly.
The haze gripping her mind loosened —just enough for her thoughts to realign.
She leaned closer to the mirror.
Her reflection stared back at her —flushed cheeks, unfocused eyes, lips parted as though she had been running.
"What’s wrong with ..." she whispered.
She knew her mushroom allergy could make her feel terrible, but this ti it was different.
This wasn’t simple discomfort.
It felt like sothing inside her was being pulled —tugged by an invisible thread. And the more she resisted it, the worse her condition seed to beco.
She pressed her palm against her chest.
Her heartbeat wasn’t just fast; it felt as though responding to sothing.
Or soone ...
She closed her eyes and forced another steady breath.
When she opened them again, she stared at herself in the mirror and almost chided herself.
What kind of weird thoughts was she even having?
Who could her body possibly be responding to? A ghost?
She gave a faint, self-mocking shake of her head and drew in another breath.
The cold water had helped. The burning beneath her skin had dulled to a faint simr.
But she knew it was temporary.
She turned off the tap and grabbed a paper towel, patting her face dry.
"I need to leave," she murmured. "Leave and get back ho before this gets worse."
With that resolve, she pushed herself upright and walked toward the door.
For a few seconds after stepping outside, she felt almost normal.
Then, just after a few steps —
The sluggishness returned.
The hallway lights seed to stretch slightly at the edges. The carpet beneath her heels felt uneven, and a faint pressure began building behind her temples.
And that pull —
It was there again.
Stronger now.
Her steps slowed.
She frowned faintly.
Was she imagining it? Or were her senses truly being pulled?
Her body moved before her mind caught up.
One step.
Then another.
And before she realized it, she started walking deeper down the corridor.
She passed the elevator. She should have stepped inside and pressed the button for the lobby. Instead, before she could even decide, she had already moved past it.
She turned one corner. Then another.
She should have stopped —should have checked where she was heading —but under the effect of allergy, maybe, her senses felt dulled, unreliable.
Yet sothing else seed sharp.
Sothing guiding her.
Leading her sowhere.
Before she knew, her gaze landed on the suite door at the very end poof the floor.
"Seems like I can’t go any further," she muttered, knowing the limits of her body.
She walked closer.
Without thinking, she reached for the knob and twisted it.
Her rationality was slipping —but she still expected logic to hold.
It didn’t.
Access to a private suite shouldn’t have been that simple.
Yet the knob turned.
The door opened with a soft click.
She stared at it for a brief second.
"Since it opened," she murmured under her breath, "I won’t stand on ceremony anymore."
And without hesitation, she pushed the door wide and stepped inside.
Karl’s eye widened when he saw her walk in like that.
"She just went inside ... just like that." He pointed in her direction before turning to Jasper and Felix. "Are we not going to stop her?"
Jasper frowned and turned to Ford. "You said only she could help in Brother’s condition. What do you an?"
Ford’s brows tightened. He couldn’t explain it —not to them.
Even Felix was confused. He had seen the woman —and nothing about her triggered his mory. Turning to Ford, he asked, "You sounded so sure about her. Do you know her?"
"Ford —"
"Second Master," Ford began politely, "my words did not carry that much implication."
He then paused, eting Felix’s eyes before continuing, "When I said only she could help Sir in this situation, I ant the obvious."
"Obvious?" Felix repeated.
Ford nodded. "Sir is currently under the effect of the drug. Even though we’ve called the doctor, it might take ti for him to arrive." His gaze shifted to the suite door, now tightly shut. "In such situation, only she can help Sir recover."
"But isn’t it wrong to her? She is a woman and —"
"How could it be wrong?" Asher cut in through gritted teeth. "She walked into the room herself ... willingly."
"Asher, she is woman, not so tool." Felix frowned. His expression turned complicated as he turned to glance back in the suite’s direction.
He had noticed it clearly —when she walked in, she hadn’t been in her right state. Her walk was uneven, and she looked unfocused. There was clear sluggishness in her movents.
"I think Ford is right," Jasper interjected.
"But Jasper —"
"Felix," Jasper said calmly, "if we are wronging that woman, we will compensate her accordingly. But right now, all I care about is Brother. We can’t leave him suffer soone stupidity."
As he said that, his gaze darted sharply towards Karl.
Karl felt wronged. He wanted to protest, but when he replayed the situation in his mind, he understood Jasper’s aning —and fell silent.
Felix still wasn’t in favor of the idea, but he understood Jasper’s reasoning. After a mont, he nodded.
"Fine. We’ll compensate her tomorrow."
Ford and Asher exchanged a glance as though heaving a sigh of relief.
Karl, however, could no longer remain calm. He didn’t agree with his brothers’ decision.
Glancing at the suite door, he huffed.
"I don’t agree with this."
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