Chapter 7 He Actually Cares About You

The room was filled with the harsh, pungent smell of sulfuric acid.

Callan stood in front of Lacey, protecting her.

Most of the acid meant for them splattered on the floor, but some droplets hit his shoulder, sizzling as they corroded his clothes.

Lacey's eyes were wide with shock and fear.

"Callan!" she cried out with all her might, her voice was loud but strained, barely louder than a whisper.

Before Callan could answer, he quickly removed his jacket covered in acid. He knocked down the attacker with swift punches and then rushed to untie Lacey.

"Are you okay?" Callan asked, his face showing deep concern as he checked her for any harm. After making sure she was unharmed, he let out a relieved sigh.

Lacey shook her head; she couldn't take her eyes off the burn on Callan's shoulder.

"Your shoulder!" she exclaimed, tears involuntarily spilling from her eyes at the sight of the severe burn. She tried to look closer, but Callan moved away.

"It's nothing," he reassured her, patting her head softly and smiling. "Does it make your heart ache?"

"No," Lacey retorted, trying to sound unaffected. Nonetheless, she stayed with him, helping to clean his wound under running water before they hurried to the hospital.

At the hospital, Lacey walked back and forth outside the treatment room. Then she saw a nurse pushing Callan out.

She rushed up, worried. "How is he? What about his injuries?" Her voice trembled without her realizing.

"The injury on his shoulder isn't too bad, but we need to keep him here for two days for monitoring. He's ready to be moved to the ward now."

Lacey's anxiety finally eased.

She followed as Callan was taken to his room.

When Callan woke up, he saw Lacey next to him, looking very worried. He gave a faint smile.

"You're awake. Is your shoulder still hurting?" Lacey asked, seeing he was awake.

Callan tried to ease her worry and shook his head. "Don't worry about me. I'm okay."

Lacey gave a nod, glanced at the clock, and said, "I'll head to the bathroom and then grab some food for you."

Callan waited until Lacey left the room before he finally exhaled deeply.

The painkiller on his shoulder had just worn off, and the intense pain was hard to bear.

He had been keeping his pain hidden to avoid worrying Lacey, and now beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

Lacey, who had just come out of the bathroom, noticed Sylvia's agent moving through the hospital hall and entering the doctor's office.

Curious, she decided to follow them.

She overheard the doctor speaking in the office.

"Miss Barnes' injury doesn't need more attention or treatment. It was a minor injury from the start and it's already healed. You can check the injury report at the nurse's station downstairs if you're in doubt."

Lacey knew she'd discover something important by following them. She quickly started recording on her phone as soon as the doctor mentioned Sylvia.

As the agent prepared to head downstairs, Lacey quickly went to the nurse's station.

"Hi, could I see Sylvia Barnes' injury report, please?"

The nurse was hesitant at first, then remembered the doctor's instructions about Sylvia's agent needing the report. So, she handed it over to Lacey.

Lacey snapped a photo of the report with her phone and then handed it back to the nurse. "I have a few more things to do here. Could you keep this report for now?"

"Sure," the nurse said kindly, accepting the report back from Lacey.

With the information she needed, and knowing Callan was waiting in the ward, Lacey didn't linger. She went out to buy a few things and then returned to the ward.

"Hello, Lacey."

Callan's assistant, Adams Callahan, approached her with a greeting.

He was on his way to update Callan about some issues and was surprised to see Lacey there. They walked together to Callan's ward.

"The guy who kidnapped you has been taken care of. You're safe now," Adams reassured her with a smile.

"Thanks a lot. You've really helped me out." Lacey stopped briefly, offering a thankful smile.

But Adams said sincerely, "If you're going to thank someone, thank Mr. Owen. He noticed your situation first. He dropped everything to come find you. He really cares about you a lot."