Tanya Sinclair didn’t expect Declan Pierce to care so much about this jacket, and even willing to personally come by late at night to retrieve it. Since he came to ask for it, there was naturally no reason for her not to give it. "Sure, please wait a moment." Tanya Sinclair took down Declan’s coat, carefully folded it, and placed it in a bag. Before leaving, she put on a long shirt. She hurried out of the residential complex and immediately saw Declan’s figure. A man with a refined temperament leaned casually against the car, his long legs crossed. He wore a black baseball cap, slightly lowering his head as he looked at his phone. The upper half of his face was swallowed in shadow, while the lower half was illuminated by the streetlight, creating a stark contrast of light and darkness. Just like Declan Pierce. Tanya walked towards him from a distance, and for a moment, it seemed she saw the young man from seven years ago who had stopped her at the airport. ’Tanya Sinclair, is it worth it?’ She tightened her grip on the paper bag in her hand and, for reasons unknown, called out, "Declan." The man’s fingertip paused on the phone screen but did not immediately look up. In his eyes, devoid of warmth, reflected a line of message on the screen: [It’s confirmed, the one who issued the order to blacklist Ms. Sinclair is The Lucas Family.] Declan replied with a few words and put away his phone before Tanya could get closer. He lifted his head and looked at Tanya, who approached carrying the paper bag, stepping in the dim yellow light of the streetlamp. His eyes narrowed slightly. She wore a nightgown with a cream cardigan over it. The hem of the skirt and the edges of the cardigan gently fluttered with her movements. At that moment, Declan suddenly thought of a butterfly. The butterfly stopped before him, maintaining a one-meter safe social distance, aloof yet polite. "Thank you for your coat, President Pierce. I’ve washed it clean." Great, back to being President Pierce again. Declan reached out to take it, just about to speak: "Tanya..." The person across didn’t give him a chance to speak. "Well, I’ll head back now. President Pierce, please drive safely." Tanya finished politely and turned to leave. What am I, a flood or beast? Declan watched her retreating figure without any reluctance, a chill flickering in his dark eyes. The next moment, a bothersome figure entered his peripheral vision — Julian Poole was walking out from the residential complex. Declan took a sharp breath and suddenly took a few steps forward, grabbing Tanya’s arm and making her spin halfway around. Tanya was caught off guard, raising her head in shock, her gaze entirely occupied by Declan. She slightly widened her eyes, confused, as Declan pressing forward forced her to retreat a few steps. Her back was about to hit the car door. Declan protected her slender back with one hand. His palm was unusually hot, seeping through the loose mesh of her cardigan into her skin, and Tanya paused at the heat. She immediately realized Declan might be running a fever. She frowned slightly, and as Declan withdrew his hand, she grabbed his wrist, intending to check his pulse, but she used too much force. As she pulled him, Declan’s body inclined towards her. Their distance instantly became intimate. He could smell the scent of her hair, a fresh jasmine fragrance... Declan’s eyes darkened, an inexplicable restlessness rising in his throat. Behind them, Julian Poole walked out of the complex. He had just moved in today and hadn’t prepared any daily necessities, planning to just grab something from the downstairs supermarket to get through the night, intending for the assistant to bring them tomorrow. Julian headed towards the supermarket, catching a glimpse of the tall, slender back of a man by a luxury car on the roadside, slightly lowering his head, completely blocking the woman in front of him from view. From Julian’s angle, he could only see the hem of the woman’s dress gently fluttering in the night breeze. Most likely a couple kissing. Julian, having no voyeuristic tendencies, withdrew his gaze and entered the supermarket. Declan stepped back half a step before Tanya could push him away, but still maintained a closely guarded distance. "Tanya Sinclair." he spoke, his voice low and hoarse, his dark eyes staring under the brim of his hat, "I don’t feel well." Why does he suddenly look like a poor little puppy? But she knew Declan wasn’t lying, judging from the feverish heat of his palm to her checking his pulse, he clearly had a fever. Tanya seriously suggested, "Then don’t drive. Call a driver to take you to the hospital." As soon as she spoke, Declan’s eyes turned cold, a hint of grievance apparent. "Are you ungrateful?" The inexplicably criticized Tanya: "?" Declan sneered, his tone chilling, "Remember the last time you sprained your foot at the bar? I bought the medicine for you." "..." Tanya fell silent, recalling the last time, it was indeed Declan who took care of her. She tentatively asked, "Shall I go buy you some fever medicine now? Or take you to the hospital for an IV?" That attitude is more like it. Declan flexed his neck, discreetly glancing back. Julian was at the checkout. He opened the car door and swiftly pushed Tanya into the passenger seat. Then he, the patient, got into the driver’s seat and started the car, roaring down the street in a burst of acceleration. She again silently tightened her seatbelt. Couldn’t help but take another look at Declan Pierce. Does this man seem sick at all? But the car kept heading in the wrong direction. When the car stopped, it was neither a pharmacy nor a hospital but by the river. Declan Pierce had already opened the door and got out of the car, leaving Tanya Sinclair with no choice but to follow. "Declan..." She opened her mouth to try to call him back, but the wind by the river was strong, almost choking her with her own hair. In the next second, Declan’s hat was placed on her head. His tall figure shielded her, the wind gusting past on either side of him. She stood in his shadow. A safe zone unaffected by the wind. Declan stuffed his hands into his pockets, his untended hair slightly obscuring his eyes, making his gaze deeper, like an endless night. "I am your boss," he said slowly, "If anyone bullies you in the future, just report it to me. Understand?" Tanya was slightly taken aback, thinking Declan was still referring to how she was blacklisted earlier, worried about her impacting the project’s progress and damaging interests. "Understood." She nodded seriously, "If it’s not because of my personal affairs, I will definitely report any other obstacles encountered on the project truthfully." She completely misunderstood. Declan was at a loss for words. But some words, once they reach the lips, simply can’t be spoken. He knew Tanya Sinclair too well. Over the years, she’s only given, never having a shoulder to lean on. Moreover, her marriage with Vincent Hawthorne has probably deeply hurt her. If he approached at the wrong time, she would likely retreat even further... Declan’s voice was too soft, Tanya Sinclair didn’t hear it clearly. He looked up at her, "I said, get in the car." Declan took Tanya back to the neighborhood. On the way, Tanya asked him to stop. She imitated his actions from last time when he took care of her, running to a nearby pharmacy to buy him water and anti-fever medicine that wouldn’t cause fatigue. She thoughtfully opened the water bottle cap before handing it to him. She thought, this way, she and Declan would be even. Out of the corner of his eye, Declan caught a glimpse of her bright, shiny eyes and saw right through her thoughts. His expression cooled off slightly, and he screwed the cap back on the bottle, tossing it skillfully into the trash can by the roadside. Declan watched Tanya until her figure disappeared at the entrance of her complex before driving off. Back at Phoenix Court, the lights were brightly lit from the garden to the stacked villas. Declan went straight to the master bedroom. He collapsed onto the bed, and the screen of another phone on the pillow briefly lit up. Declan picked it up, glanced at it, and opened WeChat, where his display name was [Odyssey]. The only contact in his friend list, Tanya Sinclair, sent him a message. Tanya Sinclair: [Hello, your car has been washed and refueled. Where would it be most convenient to return it to you? Here’s the rental fee for using your car during this period.] She even transferred him some money. It was the market car rental rate. Tanya Sinclair sat on her bed reading a book, occasionally glancing at her phone. Twenty minutes passed since she sent the message, yet there was no reply. She guessed that he was either busy or already asleep. Tanya yawned, preparing to rest. An incoming call from an unknown number interrupted her. Thinking it was the mysterious [Odyssey], she picked up. Follow current novels on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵※𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾※𝙣𝙚𝙩 "Hello, this is Tanya Sinclair." "..." There was a pause on the other end, then Vincent Hawthorne’s voice came through, "It’s me." Tanya’s expression turned cold, and she was about to hang up without a word. "Tanya Sinclair." Vincent quickly stopped her and asked, "I called to ask if you still want the things left at home?" All those things connected to him and the evidence of their past together she used to treasure, yet now she hadn’t taken a single item... "If you want them, I..." Tanya interrupted coldly, "Those things, whether you throw them away or burn them, it’s up to you." Vincent cut in before she could hang up, "It wasn’t me who blacklisted you! It was Rhys..." All she could hear was the busy tone after the call was disconnected. Vincent slowly exhaled a breath, and the backup phone in his hand was smashed to pieces as he threw it to the ground in frustration. Actually, Tanya heard the last ’Rhys’ he uttered, but what did that explanation matter? How Rhys Lucas treated her, hasn’t Vincent Hawthorne always tacitly consented all these years? Now that he’s likely aware of having a weakness in her hands, worrying it’ll affect his position in the company, Vincent starts to become all fussy. Tanya blocked Vincent Hawthorne’s number, turned over, and went to sleep.