Under the Billionaire Spell

Chapter 616

Chloe initially thought about saying it wasn't necessary. She knew Connor was worn out too. Work had been

overwhelming. Lucas, who was supposed to manage Paradise Resort, had completely checked out after the

incident. Connor had shouldered a lot himself. Plus, Claire had been stirring things up lately. Besides dealing with

Lisa, she was busy pulling strings and strengthening her network in the company. Actually, at least half the folks

at Sartori Corporation were rooting for Claire to step up. Connor was feeling the heat, especially with the

upcoming annual meeting, where Jeffery might reveal who'd be the next in line.

Connor had already slipped into the changing room. He quickly swapped his clothes and cback out. Chloe

didn't say a word. They headed to Ryan Hospital together. In the ICU hallway sat Lucas. These days, he was a

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shadow of his former self-unkempt, with a scruffy beard and vacant eyes, just sitting there, lost. He didn't speak,

just waited. Who knows what was on his mind? The real kicker was that a week had gone by, and Lucas hadn't

even gone to see his child once. Chloe didn't think he seemed sad. Instead, he looked like he'd been dealt a

heavy blow, completely down and out. She had nudged him a few times to go see the child, to pull himself

together. But Lucas didn't budge. Chloe decided to let it go. Honestly, she wasn't doing much better than Lucas.

She just put on a brave face, acting like everything was normal, but she felt a void inside too.

As usual, Chloe changed into a sterile gown and entered the ICU. Connor didn't follow. "Linda, I'm here again.

Why haven't you woken up?" Chloe sat on the chair by Linda's bed, taking in her pale face, and sighed. "You

really drivenuts. You've putthrough hell before, and now you're taking a bullet for me? What's wrong

with your head?" She continued massaging Linda's legs. The doctor had advised daily massages to prevent

muscle atrophy from being bedridden for so long. "Don't think saving my life wipes the slate clean. | remember

everything, and you know | hold grudges. I'm not going to thank you."

As Chloe turned her head, she thought she saw Linda's fingers twitch. She held her breath, watching intently, but

there was no more movement. Chloe figured she must've imagined it. She sighed deeply. "Linda, | haven't been

sleeping well for days. | keep dreaming about you. | remember the first t| saw you back in high school, on

the first day. Those jerks tossed your backpack into the lake, and without a second thought, you jumped in to get

it. Everyone laughed, mocked you, but you just kept your head down, quietly retrieving your soaked backpack

from the water."

"Even then, they wouldn't let up, crowding around to get their laughs. | thought you'd be crushed. But you lifted

your head, calmly looking at each one of them. | saw tears shimmering in your eyes, but they never fell."

"Linda, | was blown away. | admired your guts. You faced everyone's sneers, so strong and unyielding. You

seemed fragile, like a wildflower by the road, easily trampled. But you'd always rise again, despite it all. At that

moment, | was moved. | decided | wanted to be your friend, to stand by you. | wanted to give you the chance to

look them in the eye, to punch their noses when they picked on you."

"Linda, you had traits | envied, even your toughness and willingness to do whatever it took." Chloe poured out

things she'd never shared before. In her heart, Linda and Cassie were her closest friends. She spoke about the

moments they shared, the rough patches they'd gone through together. She was getting tired, her heart heavy,

ready to leave. But as she stood up and glanced at Linda, she realized Linda's eyes were open. Her gaze was

locked on the ceiling, tears silently streaming down her face...