Guarding the Rose: The CEO's Secret Duty

"You want him?"

I turned around and met Lorcan's dark, depthless gaze. My smile grew contemptuous as I noticed the way he was gripping my arm. "What about it, Mr. Steele? He's not part of Skylark Entertainment, is he?"

There was a long silence, then Lorcan swallowed and said in a grainy voice, "I'll let you sign whoever you want in Skylark Entertainment as long as it's not Sabrina."

"Let go!" I shrugged him off, grimacing in anger. It was always "Sabrina" this and "Sabrina" that with him. I'd lose my mind if I heard her name again!

Lorcan stared at me for a heartbeat, then narrowed his eyes. In a show of compromise, he released me. "Fine."

I appraised him critically, then turned to leave. The next second, I felt the world spin and go out from under my feet. Before I knew it, I was slung over Lorcan's broad shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"What the hell are you doing, Lorcan?" Blood rushed to my face as I screamed and smacked him. In a seamless series of movements, he carried me out of the hall, tossed me into the car, and took me home.

His abode was much fancier than the home I'd lived in before my family went bankrupt. It was an overtly resplendent house, as expected from the wealthiest man in the country.

"What the hell, Lorcan?" I demanded, whirling to fix him with an angry, indignant look after he'd taken me here against my will.

However, I'd only just turned when I noticed how deathly pale Lorcan looked. I was so startled that I asked, "Hey, what's the matter with you?"

Lorcan glanced at me, beads of cold sweat forming on his brow, and said nothing. The next second, his towering figure went slack, and he collapsed.

Panic had me lurching forward to catch him, though I made a clumsy job out of it. I carried him to the couch, which later proved to be a laborious endeavor that left me breathless.

Lorcan sank into the couch, his brows knitting together as pain etched on his face.

This was the first time I'd seen him like this, and I couldn't help feeling sorry for him. My tone softened. "What's wrong with you, Lorcan?"

He couldn't speak, and his brows remained drawn. At that moment, a piercing ringing sliced through the air.

It was Lorcan's phone. He didn't respond even though it had been ringing for over ten seconds. I decided I was past asking for his permission and leaned forward to dig his phone out of his pocket.

I slid my thumb across the screen and put the call through. "Hello?"

"What the hell?" The person on the other line boasted a rather familiar, if not annoying, loud voice. "Tessa?"

My head throbbed. "Yes."

"Why do you have Lorcan's phone? Are you with him? Hold up, when did you two get so chummy? Also—"

I cut him off, "Stop. I have only one question now—does Lorcan have a medical condition or something? He's now—"

I lowered my gaze and assessed the man lying on the couch. His face was ashen, and he'd broken into a cold sweat. Whatever it was he had, it looked serious.

"Did that punk drink again?" Callum cried, "He's got gastritis!"

"Is it serious?" I asked.

"Well, yeah. During the class reunion last week, the punk downed so much alcohol while I wasn't looking and ended up in the hospital emergency room with a bleeding stomach."

I hung up, but Callum's words still echoed in my mind.

I was in the kitchen making hot tea with honey when Jonathan called. For what it was worth, Lorcan's way of living was decent by conventional standards. At least his fridge wasn't empty.

"Tess, where are you?"

I brought the honeyed tea out of the kitchen. "What's up?"

"Hurry over! I found you a decent Credean man!" It was all flashing neon lights and white noise on Jonathan's end. From the looks of it, he was at a bar.

I put the call on speaker and set my phone on the couch. Then, propping up a very weak and vulnerable Lorcan, I said to Jonathan, "Go have fun without me! I can't make it."

"Why not?" Jonathan looked scandalized. "Are you planning to use me to ward off unwanted suitors again? You know what my sweetheart will think of that! She'd be livid!"

I shot him an odd look. "You don't have a sweetheart."

Lorcan seemed to be doing better after recuperating for a few minutes. He opened his eyes lazily, held my stare, then dropped his gaze to the cup of honeyed tea in my hand. He said nothing.

"I just met her! She's super cute, and so, so beautiful—" Jonathan rambled on like a lovesick fool, only to snap out of his trance a second later. "Wait, don't change the subject, Tess! I'm serious about that Credean guy. I found you a match, and a handsome one at that!"

I handed the honeyed tea to Lorcan as he lay awake on the couch and turned to grab my phone. "Alright, fine, give me his number. I don't have time today, though…"

There was a loud crash, followed by the sound of porcelain shattering. My back stiffened as I spun to look at Lorcan.