Chapter 1332:
It didn’t take long before she reappeared, carrying a fresh bowl filled with steaming chicken soup.
Gorman reached out, ready to accept the bowl and thank her, but hesitated. His hands pulled back at the last second.
Turning away, he let out a cough and pressed his hand to his chest, sinking against the pillows as if the pain had grown sharper.
He lowered his voice, almost pleading. “Linsey, I really don’t think I can manage the soup on my own. My injuries are acting up. Would you help me?”
She gave him a look full of innocent honesty. “That’s odd, because you seemed plenty energetic when you jumped up and hugged me earlier.” A flush of embarrassment crept over his face.
Recovering quickly, he explained, “I shouldn’t have moved so suddenly. Now I’ve made my injuries worse, and I can barely lift my arms. That’s why I need help with the soup.”
Before she could offer an answer, he dropped his gaze and put on a mournful expression. “But it’s fine if you don’t want to. I’ll just manage somehow, maybe drink it straight from the bowl. It’ll be a struggle, but I’ll get by…”
Her gentle nature won out, and she couldn’t ignore how pitiful he sounded. “No, I’ll help you.”
Gorman’s face, strikingly handsome in the soft light, turned to her. His words came out with pure sincerity. “Thank you. You really are the kindest person I’ve ever met.”
His compliment brought a rush of color to her cheeks.
As she offered him the first spoonful of the soup, she decided to ask, “Gorman, can I ask you something?”
A gentle nod from Gorman signaled his openness. “Go ahead—ask anything you want. It makes no difference if it’s just one question or a hundred.”
That encouragement prompted Linsey to speak up, her curiosity getting the better of her. “When I found you near the water, you were in bad shape—blood everywhere and two gunshot wounds. What on earth happened?”
Memories tugged at Gorman, slowing his words as he replied, “Someone ambushed me on my way home. They chased me down relentlessly, and in the chaos, my only chance to escape was to dive into the sea.”
Each time he revisited that night, a wave of emotion washed over him.
Surviving such an ordeal would have been impossible without Linsey’s gentle nursing and quiet support—her kindness had brought warmth to a life long starved of it.
Yet now, the notion that Collin had taken such a remarkable woman from him sent a shadow flickering through Gorman’s eyes.
Linsey listened with rapt attention, her imagination placing her right in the middle of his terrifying ordeal. Fear flickered in her gaze. “It’s hard to believe things like that still happen. Who could go to such extremes?”
Later, Gorman dug deep for the truth behind his near-death experience. Revenge had been the motive—a ruined president whose company Gorman had once forced into bankruptcy had hired assassins to hunt him down. Just as he was about to reveal the actual story, a new scheme took hold.
He spun a convincing tale. “Collin Riley—that’s the man responsible. He’s the oldest son in the Riley family, and he’s always been my enemy. Collin’s reputation is vicious; he’s driven plenty of people to ruin. You should treat him like a walking disaster—if you ever spot him, keep your distance. Don’t speak to him and, whatever you do, never get involved. Just look at what he’s done to me.”
