"Why are you here already? How about those cars? Don't you need to send the injured passengers to the hospital?"
Instead of worrying for herself, Krishna still showed some mercy for those bastards he wanted to beat up using his own hands. It was not what the man, none other than Rowan, expected to hear from her.
"You need not be concerned about those mercenaries," said Rowan as he approached Krishna.
He thought Krishna was in great dread judging by how her hand shook earlier; however, it was quite the opposite. Instead, he saw a calm woman, different from the one he had heard over the phone.
"I've assigned some people to take care of them. Now, what's most important is you. Are you okay? We have a resident doctor here. Why do I not bring you to the clinic?" he suggested afterward, concerns present in his tone.
"No. I'm fine." Krishna shook her head, declining. After some thought, she requested, "Maybe a room to rest for tonight and…."
Krishna turned around. She walked toward Jerry, who lit a cigarette to calm his nerves after almost half an hour of struggling to keep her alive.
"Jerry…"
Jerry quickly put out the cigarettes between his fingers before he faced Krishna. He beamed to see her calm countenance. "Miss! Do you need something?"
"It's okay. I want to… I don't know how I could thank you for tonight," said Krishna with a heart of gratitude.
Jerry scratched his nape, letting out an awkward laugh. "Don't mention it, Miss Krishna. It was my honor to keep you safe. In fact, it will be a great merit on my records that I performed my job well. The hotel entrusts you in my care."
"Still, that's a lot of effort. You deserve a reward. Tell me if I can do something for you, as long as it is beyond my capability."
Jerry shook his head. "No need, Miss! Seeing you in one piece is more than enough reward…."
He explains that protecting their guests is a top priority of the hotel. Therefore, all the Crow Corporation hotel staff are skilled in many areas.
"Thank you again, Jerry." Krishna took a step forward and gave Jerry a quick embrace.
'Don't, Miss! Someone is jealous!' Jerry is supposed to be thrilled to receive such a special reward. However, he does not enjoy it when a murderous glare shoots in his direction.
He felt a chill on his back and thought being embraced by Krishna was more dangerous than fighting those mercenaries!
Indeed, Rowan was in a grave mood. He thought, 'I also exerted so much effort to aid Krishna as soon as possible. I flew the distance from the central city toward the resorts!'
'I deserve a hug too!' he protested in his heart. "Let's go inside, Krishna. The night is getting colder."
The ocean breeze was significantly colder tonight, so Rowan made a point. He approached the two people at the bottom of the steps with a dark face. Domineeringly, he placed his coat around Krishna's shoulders and put his arm afterward, dragging her away.
Krishna was too late to react. It confused her why Rowan dragged her like this all of a sudden. She could only glance at Jerry, feeling helpless when she had other things to say to him.
"By the way, Director Isagawa wants you to report to him. And… Thank you for keeping Krishna safe." Rowan halted and informed Jerry before taking more steps on the concrete stairways, shooting him a look with intent.
Even though he didn't like how Jerry received such treatment from Krishna, he must acknowledge the guy as an outstanding bodyguard, and his driving skills are not bad either.
"Understood, Mr. Graham." Jerry suppressed the teasing smile playing on his lips. As a man, he understood what was going on.
'Sir, the atmosphere is becoming even colder because of your terrible mood!' Now that the two people were giving their back to him, his lips curled with a smile, and he shook his head with amusement. 'Did Miss Krishna capture the Graham brothers' hearts?'
Rowan led Krishna to the door. He ushered her straight to the exclusive lobby of the right-wing building.
Since the resort had permanent residents, they separated the elevator lobby from the club members, who only booked a suite for a limited time.
"Good evening, Mr. Graham," greeted by the night guards at the exclusive lobby entrance.
Since most SVIP members prefer a peaceful stay, they don't want other club members to approach them without an appointment, harassing them anytime to discuss business partnerships. Or beg not to cancel their contract.
It was such a headache, and they didn't want to deal with it during their relaxing days. It was George who came up with this project. Being nagged by his family most of the time, he didn't want to be bothered by the women they sent to seduce him.
"I…" Krishna would like to object when they enter the elevator. But she could not be picky, right? Many people come to protect her. Now she must show her gratitude instead of being demanding.
"Please, have a seat. I will get you something to drink." Rowan gestured to the settee when they arrived at George's suite.
"Rowan, thank you so much for coming sooner. I…"
"You're welcome."
She was stopped before she could express her appreciation for Rowan's effort. On the other hand, the guy was careful not to display his grievance. He forced a smile and comforted her—telling her they were friends, so it was normal for him to come to the rescue.
'They mistook me as Florian's mistress. Does he not hate me like his brother, George?' Krishna was perplexed, but she didn't raise a question. She only convinced herself that Rowan was probably good to her because she was now working for Graham's company.
"Have some water." Rowan handed her a bottle of water.
"Thank you."
Rowan watched Krishna drink the content. Seeing that she emptied the bottle, the former strode behind the bar counter and poured some Chardonnay into the two crystal glasses he had prepared.
"Here… It will help to calm your nerves."
Krishna gets a whiff of the wine. She accepted the glass and swirled the content for a while before she took a sip. Although it was warm when it reached her throat, its savory taste surprised her, and she liked it.
Seeing that she enjoyed it, Rowan brought the bottle over and filled her glass after glass.
"It's good, right?"
"Hummed. I could whiff the alcohol, but it tasted sweet." Krishna was not an expert in wines but knew little about them.
"George liked it too. He could drink several bottles without getting drunk."
Admiration flashed in Krishna's eyes. It would already knock her down if it were her; thus, she has to look after herself and not get drunk in foreign places.
Isn't that what happened to her, and she had a one-night stand?
Her tolerance for alcohol is not that great, but that night she ignores the red warning flaring in her head because of her grieving heart.
As a result, she gave birth to a beautiful blue-eyed baby boy.
She may regret sleeping with a stranger, but she treats the child as a blessing from heaven, having George complete her life.
Having such a recollection, now she was missing her son badly. Just a few days that she didn't hold him, she felt like she was being tormented. Each day, it felt like a piece of her was dying.
"Ouch!" Krishna felt a sting on her finger. She subconsciously traced her fingers on the lip of the wineglass, and her skin made contact with the liquid, and the alcohol stung her.
"What's wrong?" Rowan rushed to her side and checked her hand. "You had several cuts. Where did you get it? Is there a crack in the glass?"
"I don't think so…" It confused her as well. "Could it be in the car? I was trying to grab anything to hold on."
"Maybe it's where you get these scrapes. I'll go get the medicine kit." Rowan jumped on his feet and went to the bathroom. When he returned, he was already carrying a red box. "Let me tend to it."
Before she could protest, Rowan had already grabbed her hand and cleaned the cuts on her fingers. While the guy busied himself tending to the wounds, Krishna enjoyed the wine in her hand so she could not feel the slight pain when it contacted the medicine. Not long after, the last procedure is putting the bandaid on her cuts.
"It's done!" he announced, but Krishna was in a trance. Rowan stared at Krishna's flushed cheeks and mused, 'Is she drunk?'
Krishna kept sipping on her glass; her gaze was somewhere, ignoring that Rowan was still holding her hand.
"Krishna…" Rowan called her name, but she remained in a trance. He stretched his arm and stroked her side profile.
Krishna was startled when she felt warm fingers tracing her jaw. Her eyes widened after she returned to her senses and saw that Rowan's lips were a few inches away from hers.
"Rowan? What are you doing?"
Out of the blue, someone at the door spoke with a hostile tone.