"Please, don't tell Noah," she glanced up at Markus who was standing next to the wide opened window of her room.

"Jess, can I call you Jess?"

​​

When Jess nodded to Markus's question, he continued, "Noah will kill me. And Aadir and probably Dr. Sison, uhm...Miss Jung is pretty, she could be last, but the rest of the team will be killed right after the other."

Jess stared at Markus with her mouth agape. He told her all those people that Noah would kill with a straight face as though it was nothing. She couldn't understand Markus's kind of joke. She was just kidding, that's for sure. I mean - Noah won't kill anybody just because she fell asleep on the tub.

She shifted her gaze to Aadir who seemed to get paler and paler every minute he looked at her. Aadir believed that he was the one to blame for what happened to her no matter how many times she told him otherwise.

"Markus, be serious please," she sighed with frustration. "Noah doesn't have to know what happened. I mean, I can tell him what happened later on," she added when he shook his head, and his face was telling her that what she was proposing was a terrible idea.

"Jess, you fell asleep in the tub. And if Dr. Sison—bless her old soul, wasn't a workaholic and looked for you to give you more work at wee hours in the morning; we don't know what could have happened to you.

And because of the circumstances of how Aadir found you unconscious in the tub, you understand why poor Dr. Sison would be the second one in Noah's hit list after Aadir who did nothing but draw you a bath. Why—you ask? Noah is the type of guy that would blame warm water for making you drowsy that resulted in you falling asleep and almost dying."

"Markus! Stop exaggerating everything!" she snapped when she saw Aadir flinched every time Markus would say that Aadir was on Noah's hit list.

"That's where you don't understand, Miss Zimmerman. I am exaggerating things because I am number one on Noah's hit list! He will kill me and make me an example to all of his people on what would happen if his girl wasn't properly taken care of."

Jess rolled her eyes. Markus's stupid rumbling was making her tired. It seemed it was his game plan. Exasperate her into agreeing to what he wanted.

"Okay, fine! Call Noah BUT—don't tell him the story with your flair for exaggeration and dramatics, please. I don't want Noah to come here just because of what happened." she begged Markus who's now smiling after getting her to finally agree to call Noah.

Jess caught Aadir from her peripheral vision and she wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh or take pity for the man. He was visibly shaken by what happened to her, almost waking up the whole house when he found her unconscious in the tub.

She had no idea what happened but when she woke up she was already clothed and warm in bed.

Markus was already hovering over her with a doctor. How everything happened between the time she was found until she was in bed or the other things that happened in between because Markus kept on insisting to call Noah right after the doctor checked on her and declared that she was safe.

"Aadir," she called the man softly.

He almost jumped on his feet and quickly walked towards her bed, "What it is, Young Madame?"

She almost rolled her eyes, from Miss Zimmerman now she's Young Madame for Aadir. And it was because of Markus's nonsense. He threatened Aadir that he would answer with his life to Noah if something happened to her.

"I haven't thanked you yet for saving me from my stupidity," she said with a smile, in a hope that Aadir would relax and stop shivering in fear of Noah.

"It is my duty," he replied, bowing his head in regret. "It is my duty but I failed you," he said with tears in his eyes.

She looked over her shoulder at Markus who was watching them with a poker face. She widened her eyes at him, silently asking to make Aadir lift his head.

"Aadir, why don't you go to the kitchen and check if the soup for the Young Madame is ready," he said in a low tone.

Aadir, with his head, hung low on his shoulders, walked backward, and scurried out of her bedroom to do what Markus said.

When Aadir closed the door behind him, Jess turned her head to Markus and in clenched jaws said, "I like that guy. Do you really have to scare the poor guy?"

"Don't let Noah hear you say that you like Aadir or other men for that matter," he said, grinning.

"Stop joking! Ugh, you're so effing obnoxious!" She clenched the blanket that covered her lower body in frustration. "Have you contacted Noah?"

"I tried calling him, but he did not answer. I would suggest that we use your phone to call him, for him to answer."

"Then, let's not call him," she scoffed.

Markus took a step towards her, dragging the chair that was placed under the window, and sat down next to her bed. "Listen, Jess. I'm sorry for joking around with Aadir. He is a good man but I need to put him on his feet for him to do his job properly."

He raised his hand when he saw her face. "You may disagree with the method but believe me it is an effective and efficient way to keep you safe."

Jess stared at Markus's face. She had a feeling he was hiding something from her but it's difficult to have a read of his poker face.

Upon not receiving a reply, he smiled kindly. "Would you mind calling Noah now?"

Jess heaved a deep sigh and picked up her phone from her nightstand to call Noah, but Markus opened his palm in front of her, asking for her phone. A crease formed in between her eyebrows.

But she quietly handed her phone to Markus because he had this unexplainable expression that compelled her to do as he asked.