Chapter 161

Maurice leaned over Eliana as soon as he finished speaking. Their close proximity and sudden mood

shift left her breathless.

“Uh, what are you doing?” Eliana struggled to move away in caution.

Maurice squinted his eyes and seductively unbuttoned his shirt with his slender fingers. In a few

seconds, his broad chest was exposed.

Seeing the hickey on his neck, Eliana froze in fear. There was a dangerous look on Maurice’s

handsome face. It seemed that he was about to pounce on his prey, and there was nothing she could

do about it.

Dirty thoughts began to fill Eliana’s mind. She wondered if Maurice was going to have sex with her at

this moment.

Stepping back instinctively, Eliana started shivering uncontrollably.

‘How could Maurice be so horny? I’m not feeling well and have a high fever. Does he still want to have

sex with me in my condition? I don’t understand. I obeyed him and took the medicine. What else does

he want me to do?’

Feeling trapped and confused, Eliana sniffed as tears streamed down her sad face.

The sight of Eliana weeping made Maurice stop dead in his tracks. His cold heart suddenly melted.

He had been merciful to her a couple of times recently, and today he decided once again to take it easy

on the poor girl.

With a barely audible sigh, Maurice straightened himself up and took the millet congee from the

bedside table. Wearing a blank expression, he handed it to Eliana.

“Are you still afraid of me now? Eat it, or I will have sex with you. I mean it.”

Eliana was really frightened this time. She hurriedly took the soup, picked up the spoon, and took a sip.

The presence of warm food in her stomach gradually relieved the discomfort caused by her hunger and

high fever.

After some thinking, Eliana finally figured it out.

It was bad for her to stop eating.

She vowed never to do such a stupid thing again!

With a nod of approval, Maurice watched her finish a whole bowl of soup.

The cream of mushroom soup warmed Eliana’s stomach and reinvigorated her entire body. Soon, her

mood began to lighten.

She returned the empty bowl to Maurice and showed no signs of wanting to leave anymore. Instead,

she lowered her head and refused to look at him again.

Maurice took the empty bowl and didn’t utter a word. He stood up and promptly left the room.

Once the door was shut, Eliana was all alone again.

In the darkness, Eliana sat on the bed with her arms tightly wrapped around her legs. She buried her

face on her knees as countless emotions surged to her heart.

Hodge was in a dire state, remaining unconscious and weak. What on earth should Eliana do to find

out the truth about her parents’ death?

And what did Hodge mean to tell her before he passed out? He wanted to tell who the criminal was, but

he failed.

Nothing seemed to make any sense. Was Maurice truly responsible for all this?

Eliana had never felt this kind of pain before. Moreover, she was helpless to do anything.

Suddenly, a familiar ringtone broke the dreary silence.

Eliana raised her head and picked up her phone. Preston’s name appeared on the screen.

“Hello, Preston.”

“Eliana, is there something wrong? Your voice sounds gloomy and weak.”

Eliana effortlessly harbored many grievances in her heart for a long time, like the strong woman she

was. But when she heard Preston’s deep voice, her eyes grew misty, and her strength disappeared.

People were always like this. When no one else cared about them, they could be tough and resilient.

But once someone showed concern for them, they would break down easily.

Unable to keep her emotions bottled up, Eliana began sobbing and told Preston what had happened.

She cried her heart out as she recounted the harrowing events, from Hodge’s car accident to being

held captive in Maurice’s room.

“You know what? That asshole locked me up and forced me to eat and drink medicine.”

The more Eliana thought about it, the angrier she became. She wished that she had bitten Maurice’s

neck a little harder.

Unbeknownst to her, Maurice was the person on the other end of the line. He smiled in amusement at

everything he had heard.

“Since you have suffered so much recently, how about I find a way to take you to safety?” Maurice

suggested in a concerned tone.

“Forget it, Preston. You can’t afford to offend Maurice. Who knows what would happen when you two

cross paths?” After a brief pause, Eliana added, “He is too terrifying. I can’t take it anymore.”

Maurice was quite surprised when he heard that Eliana was afraid of him.

“Really? Just because he forced you to eat and take medicine?” Maurice asked innocently.

For the first time, Eliana was speechless. Aside from locking her up, Maurice really wasn’t out of line.

She wanted to retort, but she couldn’t think of any valid reason.

The two fell silent for a while. Since Eliana had nothing else to complain about, Maurice spoke up. “It’s

good you are doing fine. Seeing that nothing’s wrong, I have to hang up now and tend to my business.

Have a good rest.”

“No, wait a minute,” Eliana said. She tightly clenched her phone in her hand, a slight frown forming on

her lips. “Please don’t hang up. Can you talk to me for a while? Too many bad things have happened to

me today. I don’t want to be alone.”

“Well, okay then.”

Hearing her explanation, Maurice ultimately agreed.

Leaning against the wall, Eliana curled up helplessly, thinking of what was in store for her in the future.

In the next room, Maurice continued to listen to her worries on his phone.

Fate was playing a trick on them, making them both close yet feeling so far away.

It was not until Maurice heard Eliana’s soft regular breathing that he stood up and entered her room

again.

Maurice walked to the bedside and saw that Eliana had already fallen asleep. She seemed to be

having a nightmare as she frowned with tears falling down her cheeks.

Watching the poor girl struggle in her sleep, Maurice couldn’t help but kiss the tears away from the

corners of her eyes and gently tuck her underneath the blanket. His heart ached dearly for her.

To his surprise, Eliana’s brows unfurled after the kiss, and her face finally seemed to be at peace.