It was so quiet that even the sound of the breeze could be heard.
"Ding dong—"
Eliza's phone rang, indicating low battery.
Worried, she turned off the flashlight and hoped that she could use the dwindling power to call Graciana.
However, as soon as she dialed the number, the phone screen went black.
It ran out of battery.
All of a sudden, the surrounding darkness overwhelmed her and she couldn't catch her breath.
Eliza felt her heart drumming against her chest as anxiety struck her.
The quiet darkness was like a monster baring its fangs and engulfing her whole.
She was terrified of the darkness.
Looking at the moonlight outside the window, she called out for help desperately.
"Is anyone here? Please!"
"Please save me!"
"Is anybody here?"
She knocked on the door as hard as she could, hoping that the noise would attract the passersby's attention.
Even after her throat was sore from shouting and her hand was throbbing in pain from banging on the door, still, nobody came to help her.
In the end, Eliza leaned against the door as she wallowed in despair.
The wound on her shoulder started pulsing in pain again.
When they were on set just now, Eliza could feel Jay's fingers digging into her shoulder, causing the healing wound to rip apart once again.
Now that she had woken up, her fear of darkness was greater than the pain in her shoulder.
However, she could still feel her shoulder throbbing in excruciating pain.
She closed her eyes.
All of a sudden, memories of five years ago flashed before her eyes. That man and her dead baby flooded her mind.
"Your lips are so soft and sweet..."
"Shame on you, b*tch!"
"How shameless can you be! You literally just sold your body to another man!"
"You can't even protect your own baby. You don't deserve to live!"
"How dare you ask me for money when the baby is dead!"
Memories of the past struck at her all at once.
She froze in motion, not daring to breathe. Deep inside, she knew that she didn't deserve to be alive.
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she tugged at her hair with her fingers. Only through experiencing pain could she stop thinking about her terrible past.
However, it didn't seem to work at all.
She was trapped in the darkness for a long time.
"Bang!" Suddenly, someone kicked the door and it was forced open.
At that moment, the lights from outside filtered into the dark room.
Eliza looked up instantly.
Beau, who was dressed in a green windbreaker, stood at the entrance.
From her point of view, he looked really tall.
The lights in the corridor illuminated his figure.
As he walked toward her slowly, her heart grew fonder of him with every step.
Right at that moment, she came to a realization that he was in fact, the light of her life.
He was the blazing light who could get rid of the darkness of her heart and the nightmares that had been shrouding her with misery.
"Eliza."
He walked to her side and called out her name in a low voice.
She teared up and happiness welled up inside her.
Almost instinctively, she threw herself into his arms. "Mr. Valentine..."
She wrapped her hands around his body tightly. From her trembling body, he could see that she was beyond frightened.
Beau looked down and said, "It's okay. You're okay now."
Upon hearing his comforting words, Eliza's tears streamed down her damp cheeks.
Her tears stained his windbreaker and onto his chest. "I'm so happy that you came...!"
"I thought I was dying!"
"Don't worry, you're okay."
Beau carried her into his arms and said, "Let's go home."
"Okay."
Still trembling from head to toe, Eliza nodded and grabbed the hems of his clothes.
Beau carried her and strode out of the resting lounge.
Outside the room, the boss of Parson Media, the management, and the representatives of the set stood at two sides of the entrance as they bowed respectfully.
When Beau walked out with Eliza in his arms, everyone lowered their heads and held their breath.
Just as Beau reached the car door, the boss of Parson Media, Tom Ellis, mustered up his courage and approached him, "Mr. Valentine, this is an accident."
"Such accidents rarely happen in Parson Media..."
Beau looked up and said coldly, "Is this your way of welcoming your new boss?"
Although he sounded indifferent, his threat was implicit, yet very obvious. Tom shivered with fear upon hearing his words.
He shook his head and stuttered nervously, "I will investigate this and find the culprit."
"I'll give you one day to find out who it is."
Noah, who was standing at the side, opened the car door as Beau helped Eliza into the car gently. "If you can't find the culprit, then I'll pin this on you."
After that, he got into the car and the black Maserati sped into the night.
Tom stood there with his head dipped low. When the car disappeared from view, only then did he heaved in a deep breath and yelled, "Find the culprit now! Work overtime if you have to!"
One of the staff inched closer and said, "Do we need to investigate that woman's identity?"
Tom gave him a cold look. "You fool! How dare you pry into Mr. Valentine's business!"
The staff left upon hearing that.
However, that woman's identity was indeed interesting.
Tom smiled. Since she was one of the staff of Parson Media, he was bound to become successful in the entertainment circle!
Knowing that, Tom would do his best to investigate this accident.
The Maserati was speeding on the empty roads in the middle of the night.
In the car, Eliza had fallen asleep in Beau's arms.
She was still holding on to Beau's clothes. Her grip was so tight that it formed creases on his windbreaker.
Even though she was asleep, she was still in a state of alert.
Beau tucked the end of her hair behind her ear.
Staring at her face, Beau noticed that Eliza's facial features were very delicate. With her eyelashes flickering subtly, it seemed like she was having a dream.
"Don't touch me!"
"No, please don't..."
It seemed like she was having a nightmare. She tightened her grip on his shirt once again as she grimaced with fear.
Beau frowned and held her arm tightly.
"I think she is afraid of the dark."
After giving Eliza a mental health check, Owen reached a conclusion. "All her symptoms, which include uncontrollable jitters and nightmares, conclude her phobia of the dark."
Owen looked up at Beau and asked, "Has she experienced any form of emotional trauma in the past?"
Beau shook his head. "I don't know."
Beau had limited background information about Eliza. The only information he had about her was all given by the Lawson family.
Beau had no clue about her past at all. When Matthew asked him about Eliza's dark past, he had no idea what to say.
Beau was at a loss too when Owen asked him about her emotional trauma.
Before this, he thought that Eliza was just a simple woman with a normal background. Now, he realized that he wasn't familiar with her past at all.
For some reason, Beau felt irritated. "What on earth happened to her that left such a deep impact on her mental state?"
Owen remained silent for a while before he said, "Are you sure you want me to tell you?"
Beau glared at him. His gaze was so penetrating it almost seemed like he could kill Owen any moment now.
"You're the one who asked. Don't blame me if you don't like the answer."
Owen cleared his throat and said, "I can't say. Emotional triggers are often unpredictable."
"Your impotence stems from your inability to move on from that woman's death. As for Eliza, something bad might've happened to her in the dark, which caused her to develop a phobia for darkness."
The study was so quiet that they could even hear each other's breathing.
The air in the room turned oppressive as Beau said sternly, "I'll say this again, I am perfectly capable down there."
"I don't believe you."
As soon as Beau finished speaking, someone pushed open the door of the study.
Demarion placed his hands on his hips as he stood at the door. "If you're perfectly healthy, then why don't you give me a baby sister?"
Owen was speechless.
He really admired the little child's bravery.
Beau took out his phone slowly and dialed a number. "Hi dad, your grandson, Demarion, will be playing chess with you tomorrow for the entire day."
Demarion was taken aback.
"Daddy, that's not fair!"