Chapter 75
As Owen approached Sarin, Pink quietly lowered his front paws under the bed as if to say, “When did I do that?”
Sitting in the spot where Pink had just raised his hand, Owen looked down at Sarin. Soon, a cold towel was placed over her eyes. The warmth that had been present cooled down slightly. Despite this, her heart raced painfully.
She felt his hand touching her hair. Although her vision was darkened by the towel, she could vividly sense Owen’s subtle movements.
“You don’t have to go to such lengths for Hayan.”
Since her face wasn’t visible, it was easier to speak. It was urgent enough to grab and cling, but she knew she couldn’t do that with Owen. Once her crying stopped, her rationality returned.
She didn’t want this man to see the conflicting emotions inside her. Just then, a rustling sound was heard, followed by a candy being pushed into her mouth.
“Didn’t I tell you? It’s nothing special.”
He laughed softly as he spun the end of the candy he had bitten into.
“I’ve told the child.”
Sarin sat up straight at his words, causing the towel over her eyes to fall below her chest.
“What did you say?”
The child wouldn’t understand that explanation in the first place.
“You think that’s whose bloodline?”
Owen’s lips twisted at the sight of himself treating the child as nothing but a small child. The child to whom Owen spoke had much deeper thoughts than Sarin had imagined.
“What did Hayan say?”
“Well, even if he’s scared, he’s still Nikolai’s grandson in the end.”
The conversation Owen had with the child was simple. It was about making a choice.
With a face that said not to worry, Owen pushed Sarin’s shoulders back onto the bed. The water must have been cold because his hand felt refreshingly cool. Owen’s palm covered her swollen eyelids.
“Sigh…”
A disappointed sound escaped her lips.
While she had been pondering for a long time, the man easily reached a conclusion and acted on it. His firm and resolute touch, which didn’t allow for any futile thoughts, was so mesmerizing that she wanted to entrust everything to him. Owen didn’t leave any room for hesitation or regret in his choice.
It was scary, but to Sarin, who had thought endlessly about one thing, Owen’s decisiveness was the most enviable.
“I’ve always been a thoughtful person.”
Sarin spoke with a sigh. Since she usually didn’t talk about her innermost thoughts, Owen listened attentively to her voice.
Sarin couldn’t even hear the man’s breathing. If it weren’t for the hand covering her eyes, Sarin wouldn’t even have known Owen was there.
“I made the decision to come here right away. I didn’t have many options.”
“I’m glad you decided to come to me so quickly. It’s flattering.”
Even though that wasn’t his intention, Owen heard it that way. Sarin smiled faintly.
“Why are you going to such lengths for me?”
“When you’re like that, why did you ask me to come?”
When Owen’s question came back at her, Sarin was speechless. It was a low and intimidating voice.
“You’ll get the same answer.”
Owen, who suspected that she was preoccupied with various thoughts with her small head, continued in a softer tone.
His own mind was uncertain about everything, yet he too easily concluded it was the same answer. Something was off about his mindset.
His lukewarm hand moved away briefly. Sarin reached out and gently pressed her palm against the back of his hand. She wished he would stay like this a little longer.
Owen, satisfied with her action instead of an answer, smiled contentedly.
Watching Sarin quietly sleeping, Owen eventually withdrew his arm with a hint of regret. Sarin remained still, as if she were an infant whose doll had been taken away, briefly disturbed but soon adapting to her sleep.
Covering her up to her neck with the blanket and adjusting the room’s temperature a bit warmer, Owen got up from his seat somewhat reluctantly.
“Stay here.”
At Owen’s firm words, three dogs sat on the carpet under the bed, their eyes shining. With heavy steps, Owen left the room, heading to the dressing room.
After showering, he took out a black Sleepy’s suit reminiscent of funeral attire and slicked back his hair neatly with pomade, as usual. Dressed in the suit and putting on cufflinks, Owen’s gaze shifted from the watch display to the half-opened ornamented cabinet.
When he saw her passport, a faint warmth spread across his expressionless face.
“You always do pretty things.”
Owen, who opened the cabinet widely, tapped lightly on the stiff passport. What Sarin brought out was not a passport, but a gun. After lingering his finger on her belongings, he finally closed the drawer again.
Having finished his preparations, Owen returned to the bedroom. The dogs were still sitting in the same position under Sarin’s bed. Owen picked up the gun lying between them and placed it on the table next to her bed.
His gaze shifted, and when he saw her lying diagonally with slightly parted lips, a desire he didn’t want to awaken suddenly emerged.
Without straightening his waist, which had been bent to pick up the gun, he touched the side of Sarin’s pillow with his hand. Then he deeply kissed her forehead.
“Mmm…”
At the faint moan, he imagined untying her tie and devouring Sarin just like this. He clenched his fist tightly around the hand that touched the pillow. Veins bulged on the back of his hand.
The heat rushing downwards was intense. If he continued like this, he would surely need to shower again, and he was clearly going to have to wake Sarin up and take her to the bathroom with him to spend the night.
That wouldn’t be so bad.
In fact, it was what he wanted most. No matter how many times he delved into it, the hot hole he was fucking made it impossible for his mind to think rationally.
Today was the day he would meet someone.
“Sleep well until I come back.”
He whispered affectionately. His open lips seemed to touch Sarin’s forehead.
“Mmm…”
At the sleepy response, Owen laughed silently.
With a relaxed motion, he brushed Sarin’s cheek with the back of his hand before getting up from the bed. As he had said, the dogs were waiting quietly. Owen glanced at them once and then opened and closed the bedroom door.
“Owen.”
Yuri, who always stood in the place where she used to report to him, turned his head at the sound of the door opening. Owen’s face, which had lost its expression in an instant, was as cold as if he had never whispered affectionate words. Yuri swallowed dryly at the sight. Even after a dozen years of being by Owen’s side, he still felt like a stranger.
All he understood was the relationship between Yuri and Nikolai. He wouldn’t tolerate anything more. Yuri knew that if he tried to do anything other than Nikolai’s bidding, Owen would cut him off without a second thought.
“Pavel?”
“I discharged him for now and increased the number of security guards.”
“You played your part quite well.”
Owen’s voice was chilly as he spoke. Yuri had not only acted out his part once or twice. Although Owen could have stopped it, Pavel was someone the child would have to meet someday. Considering Sarin and the child’s inability to make endless decisions, the prescription of Pavel was not surprising.
Yuri didn’t know that Pavel would act out his part even when entering the child’s hospital room.
“Now…?”
“Now we’ll be able to differentiate. Just find someone without this.”
He chuckled, tapping his finger. Now that it was finally distinguishable, Owen’s face remained inscrutable.
“You seem pleased. That’s fortunate.”
It was the only thing Yuri could say after much deliberation. As Owen took the lead, Yuri followed closely beside him. The footsteps on the marble floor were steady. Without rushing, Owen walked towards the elevator and stopped in front of it.
“Set up something easy to eat in two hours.”
As if he knew exactly when Sarin would wake up, Owen said.
“I’ll check and adjust it when she wakes up…”
“Anyway, that’s the limit. She can’t sleep without me after taking the medicine.”
There was a deep sense of satisfaction in his voice as he answered, stepping onto the open elevator door. Yuri seemed to breathe a little easier now. He made sure to firmly plant in his mind that Owen would become even more dangerous once Sarin’s story came out.
“You seem to be enjoying yourself.”
Yuri spoke as he pressed the button for Owen’s destination. Trying to change the mood somehow and considering Owen’s mood as they headed down, Yuri felt oddly grateful for Sarin’s presence, even though she couldn’t hear the silent gratitude in his heart.
The golden-colored door reflected the faces of the two people.
“I’m not sure if it’s enjoyable, but I know you’ll be racking your brains over this.”
Yuri realized his mistake, but fortunately, Owen didn’t seem to be in a bad mood. Feeling a pang of guilt, Yuri cleared his throat.
The elevator headed towards its destination. It wasn’t the usual lobby they were going to, but a suite room on the 6th floor converted from a regular room. It was a place prepared for only one person, not given to guests.
Towards that place where guests were rarely received, Owen walked confidently through the open door without hesitation.
