Chapter 2

Isabella had slept for a while and felt extremely thirsty. She dragged her heavy body out of the tent and suddenly noticed a pair of men's athletic shoes in front of her. She looked up and saw a pair of tall legs.

When the sunlight broke through the mist, Isabella could see Sebastian's face clearly. She almost fainted on the spot.

"Mr. Landon?"

Wasn't he supposed to be mountain climbing?

Sebastian squatted in front of her and looked at her feverish, red face with a serious expression. "I have a question to ask you."

Isabella felt nervous and licked her dry lips. Her heart was beating fast. "You... you may ask."

"Did you see anyone entering my tent last night?" Sebastian asked, staring into Isabella's eyes. His overwhelming presence made Isabella's heartbeat accelerate.

Isabella's gaze shifted, and her eyelashes trembled. "N...no, I didn't see anyone."

"Why are you trembling?" Sebastian noticed her behaving strangely.

Her voice was trembling, and her body was also shaking violently.

Isabella was thin, and Sebastian was somewhat worried about her.

He had dozens of assistants in his office, each responsible for different areas. Isabella was a new intern. Sebastian remembered her because she was particularly timid. During her first interview, Isabella was so nervous that she couldn't even make eye contact with him and kept her head down the entire time.

"I...I'm cold," Isabella trembled even harder.

"Cold?" Sebastian frowned. "But aren't you running a fever? How could you be cold?"

As he spoke, he reached out and placed his icy fingers on Isabella's forehead. Quickly, he furrowed his brows. "What's going on? Your forehead is so hot."

"Mr. Landon, I'm fine..." Isabella trembled uncontrollably and felt extremely ill. She wanted to stand up, but she had no strength left in her and could only curl up weakly on the grass, feeling her consciousness slipping away.

"Isabella?" Sebastian felt that something was wrong and tried to wake her up.

At first, Isabella could respond drowsily, but then she completely lost consciousness.

Sebastian bent down and lifted Isabella up from the ground without hesitation. She looked very thin. He felt how light she was as he held her. Sebastian lowered his head to look at her and casually caught a glimpse of the hickeys on her neck. He squinted.

"Mr. Landon!" a voice broke the silence of the forest.

Vanessa had run back. Her hair was disheveled, and she was gasping for breath.

Sebastian said, "Why did you come back?"

Vanessa glanced at Isabella, who he was holding in his arms, and took a deep breath before saying, "I was worried about Isabella and want to come back to take care of her. What happened to her?"

"Her fever got really bad, and she passed out," Sebastian said as he put Isabella in the back seat of the car. "I need to take her to the hospital."

As he was about to get in the car, Vanessa urgently reached out and grabbed the door, pleading, "Mr. Landon... Can I come with you?"

Sebastian looked at her, scrutinizing her with his gaze.

Vanessa explained, "Isabella and I are colleagues, and we're both women. Let me come with you. I might be able to help."

Sebastian thought she made sense, so he agreed.

At the hospital, they filled out the admission procedures for Isabella and started her on a drip.

Vanessa went to get some water. When she came back, she saw Sebastian standing at the foot of the bed, his gaze fixed on the sleeping Isabella, lost in thought.

" Please have some water, Mr. Landon." Vanessa poured a cup of water for him.

"Thank you," Sebastian took the cup of water and casually placed it aside. "What's your name?"

Vanessa was taken aback, but then she realized that he had dozens of assistants and Jack was the only one who was usually by his side. Of course, Sebastian wouldn't know her.

"Vanessa. I'm Vanessa Field..."

"There's something I need you to confirm for me, Vanessa."

Vanessa's eyes showed a hint of disappointment, but she still maintained her smile. "Please go on."

Sebastian gave her some instructions and then left the ward.

Vanessa bit her lip and walked to the bedside, looking at the still unconscious Isabella. She had a complicated mix of emotions in her eyes. Thinking about Sebastian's instructions, she pursed her lips and slowly unbuttoned Isabella's shirt.

She slowly undid each button...

When all the buttons were undone, Vanessa saw the marks on Isabella's body and immediately covered her mouth in shock.

"Where did you go, Mr. Landon?" After Jack and his colleagues returned to the campsite, they realized Sebastian was missing and quickly called him to ask where he was.

"Isabella passed out, so I brought her to the hospital," Sebastian replied.

"Isabella, the intern?" Jack was slightly surprised, not because Sebastian had personally brought Isabella to the hospital, but because he was amazed that Sebastian could remember an intern's name.

Sebastian had dozens of assistants, but he didn't remember anyone except for Jack.

However, he remembered Isabella's name. It was quite extraordinary.

"Yes." Sebastian raised his wrist and glanced at his watch. He said, "Have fun, everyone. I'll give out the bonuses after the camping trip."

After giving a few simple instructions, he hung up the phone.

At that moment, the door to the ward opened, and Vanessa walked out.

Sebastian looked at her. "How is she?"

Vanessa calmly met his gaze. "I've examined her. There's nothing on Isabella's body. The mark on her neck that you mentioned must have been made by her boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Sebastian frowned slightly but didn't say anything more.

Vanessa said, "Do you want to go in and see her? She'll probably wake up soon."

"Not now," Sebastian's expression returned to normal. "I have something to do, so I'll leave. Remember to contact her family when she wakes up."

"Okay, Mr. Landon, don't worry."

Vanessa watched Sebastian leave before turning around and entering the ward.

Isabella had already woken up. Her eyes were open, but she still felt weak.

Vanessa walked over and sat down by the bed. "Isabella, you're awake? How do you feel? Are you feeling any better?"

Isabella nodded. "Are we at the hospital?"

"Yes." Vanessa poured her a glass of water and smiled. She said, "Mr. Landon brought you here. He even carried you."

The water in Isabella's mouth went down the wrong way, and she choked. "Mr. Landon?"

"Yeah," Vanessa teased. "Did Mr. Landon take a liking to you, Isabella? I've been with the company for over a year, and it's the first time I've seen him carry a woman."

Isabella's face turned red. "No way."

"Why not? You're good-looking, young, and in good shape. Many bosses like women like you. Isabella, if you don't have a boyfriend, maybe you should seriously consider Mr. Landon. Mr. Landon has good qualities..."

"I do have a boyfriend," Isabella interrupted her.

Vanessa stopped talking. "Really?"

Isabella bit her lip. "Yes."