She blinked. Nolan.
He was slumped against her, his breathing heavy.
“What happened to you? Why do you smell so strongly of alcohol?”
It was then that she noticed-he wasn’t wearing his usual school uniform, but a dark suit. And beneath the sharp scent of liquor, there was something far worse: blood.
“You’re hurt?”
She saw the blood soaking through the fabric around his abdomen and immediately panicked.
“Who did this to you? I’m calling the cops!”
“Don’t.”
He clutched her wrist and leaned harder against her.
“Just pretend I’m drunk… Someone’s following me. Get me out of here.”
Only then did she glance back and spot two men tailing them from the shadows.
“Alright.”
Though Elena was small, she had surprising strength. She supported Nolan’s weight and led him toward the main road.
Blood was still steadily seeping from his wound.
“This won’t do. You need a hospital.”
“It’s just a surface wound.”
“Don’t give me that crap. At this rate, you’ll bleed out in less than an hour!”
She fumbled for her phone and started dialing 120, but Nolan grabbed her wrist again.
“No cops.”
His eyes were sharp, bottomless. She realized-this wasn’t just some drunken scuffle.
“Okay. No hospital then. We’ll go to a hotel.”
He handed her a card.
She looked down. A VIP card to the Four Seasons Hotel.
There was no time to be surprised. She flagged a cab and helped Nolan inside.
The two men in the mirror didn’t follow. Probably didn’t want to cause a scene on the main road.
The cab was filled with the scent of alcohol.
“Miss, keep an eye on your boyfriend,” the driver said. “Make sure he doesn’t puke in my car.”
Elena glanced down at Nolan, still resting in her arms.
He hadn’t said a word-probably to hide his condition.
So she forced a laugh. “Yeah, I told him not to drink so much… but he didn’t listen.”
Nolan lay slumped against her, barely responsive.
Worried he might pass out from blood loss, Elena kept trying to talk to him during the car ride. Nolan managed a few half-hearted replies-just enough to show he was still conscious.
When they reached the hotel, she helped him toward the entrance.
“Wait…” Nolan suddenly stopped.
Elena frowned. “What is it? You need treatment, fast.”
There was a pause. Then, oddly, she noticed the tips of his ears had turned red.
“Are you running a fever?” she asked anxiously. “Or are they still following us?”
“…No.”
His reply was tight, as if something was difficult to say.
Elena had rarely seen Nolan look this awkward.
“Well? What’s going on?” she asked.
“I…” His ears turned redder. “Your ID…”
“My ID?” Then it hit her.
Right. She was still in high school.
A minor. Checking into a hotel like this… was he embarrassed?
“You’ve never… checked into a hotel with a girl before, have you?” she said, trying not to laugh.
So that’s why he was acting like this?
“Relax. I’ve got an ID.”
After cutting ties with the Delaney family, Elena had kept her ID on her at all times.
Only then did Nolan stop protesting.
Once inside, Elena took the lead. Calm, confident-like she’d done this a hundred times.
She handed over her ID, signed in, asked about delivery access.
Everything went smoothly.
“Here’s your key cards. This way, please.”
The receptionist personally escorted them to the elevator.
“Can we have food delivered by robot here?” Elena asked.
“Yes, of course.”
“Good.”
As the elevator doors closed, silence fell.
Then Nolan asked, “This isn’t your first time booking a hotel room, is it?”
Of course not.
The words almost slipped out-but then she remembered she was still supposed to be a high schooler.
“It’s my first time,” she replied.
“You seemed pretty familiar with the process.”
“I’ve seen it on TV,” she said.
But the moment the words left her mouth, she regretted it.
Who sees stuff like that on TV?
When she glanced at Nolan, his ears were even redder.
Ding.
The elevator arrived.
Not wanting to continue the awkward conversation, Elena quickly said, “Come on, let’s get that wound treated before it gets worse.”
She helped him into the suite and nearly stopped in surprise.
A presidential suite.
At his age, and he had a VIP card that booked this?
“I’ll help clean your wound.”
She guided Nolan to the couch and pressed him down gently, then immediately moved to find the medical kit.
High-end hotels like this usually had emergency supplies. Sure enough, she located a well-stocked kit without hesitation.
From the couch, Nolan watched her work.
“You’ve stayed here before?”
“No.”
“Then how’d you know where the kit was?”
Thinking fast, she replied, “I noticed it by the door when we came in.”
Nolan still seemed suspicious.
To distract him, Elena whipped out her phone and quickly ordered antiseptics, painkillers, and suture materials.
“You’ve already treated this?” she asked, examining the cut on his abdomen.
It was a knife wound-most likely from a folding blade. A temporary bandage had slowed the bleeding.
More Kickass Romance Reads
Dive into irresistible romance stories packed with possessive heroes, forbidden passion, billionaire obsession, mafia intrigue, and heart-stopping twists. One chapter is never enough—your next addiction starts here.