[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-2603220ECDF1-650":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},650,92,"Chapter 92: Checking for Marks","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\u003Cchapter_title>\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Checking for Marks\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\u003C/chapter_title>\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\u003Ctranslation>\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Violette Ellis was so rattled that as she hurried out of the reception room, she caught her heel on the edge of the water basin Blake Pierce had left by the chair, sending it skidding across the floor with a harsh, metallic clang.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She didn't know what was wrong with her. She wasn't cold, and she wasn't necessarily nervous, but her lips wouldn't stop trembling. Even her legs, which had served her faithfully for decades, felt like they belonged to someone else.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Blake followed her out, his jaw tightening as he watched her stumble. But she was too consumed by the chaos in her own mind to care about his reaction. She scrambled down the stairs, taking the final few steps in a desperate, graceless jump.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The moment her feet hit the landing, she crashed straight into a solid, firm embrace.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Roman Griffin’s arms were wide, likely intended to steady her, but instead, she vaulted into him, burying herself in his chest. She was wearing an oversized white hoodie—a man’s fit, clearly not hers.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Roman held her for two seconds, his eyes darkening as he took in the garment. Then, he gave her back a firm, steadying pat. \"Alright, stand up straight.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Violette obeyed, her eyes tracking his features with an intensity that bordered on hunger.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"What are you looking at?\" Roman asked.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You. I missed you,\" Violette whispered.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Roman looked like he had just stepped out of a high-stakes board meeting—tailored trousers and a crisp shirt, though his bowtie was yanked loose and he was missing a cufflink. His pant legs were splattered with mud from the rain. The expensive fabric clung to his calves in the damp, unforgiving wind. He looked uncharacteristically rugged, perhaps even a little frayed at the edges.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Violette reached out and hugged him again, tighter this time.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">For some reason, Roman pushed her away after only a moment.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Violette followed his gaze upward. Blake Pierce was standing at the bend in the staircase, watching them.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The two men locked eyes across the empty space. Roman gave a curt, polite nod—the kind one offers a stranger at a gala. He didn't seem to care how Blake reacted. He simply looked back down, frowned at the ill-fitting hoodie Violette was wearing, and peeled the suit jacket off his own shoulders to drape it over her.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Now, she looked right.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He pulled her behind him, shielding her from the draft. \"It’s too cold in this stairwell.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Okay,\" Violette murmured, staying close, her hand linked firmly through the crook of his arm. She spoke quietly into his ear, filling him in on the night's events. She hadn't known Blake’s club was training here, and she certainly hadn't expected him to risk the rain to come up and offer his help.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Now that everyone was trapped on the mountain, there was no undoing it.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Roman gave a slow, calm nod. \"We should be sure to thank him properly for his help.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The statement dismantled their dynamic in a single stroke. He and Violette were on one side of the line; Blake Pierce was merely an outsider—a bystander who had performed a bit of charity work.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Blake stood on the bottom step, chin tilted up, trying to claw back some shred of authority. His face was cold. \"No need. It was the right thing to do.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Roman gave a magnanimous nod, effectively closing the conversation. He took Violette’s hand, feeling the chill in her fingertips, and began rubbing them between his palms to warm them. \"Is there anything else of yours left upstairs? We can head down now.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Violette shook her head. \"How many people can the chopper take?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">It was a small, single-rotor helicopter. Excluding the pilot, it had three seats.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Roman wasn't the type to be held back by logistical trifles, but as he said it, he glanced at Blake again. \"There's room for one more.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The look was a deliberate provocation.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Blake curled his lip. He knew Violette’s nature. Under normal circumstances, the outcome would be a toss-up, but right now, with only one seat remaining, it wouldn't be his. Tessa Turner—the intern—had a badly sprained ankle, swollen to the size of a grapefruit. Violette would prioritize her without a second thought.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Blake refused to be the one rejected. He didn't want to be the loser in a game he hadn't agreed to play. Before the silence could stretch, he stuffed his hands into his pockets and leaned carelessly against the railing. \"Perfect. You two head out. I'll go get Tessa.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">As expected, Violette didn't protest.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She looked conflicted for a heartbeat, but in reality, her choice had been made the moment the idea occurred to her. Any lingering guilt she felt vanished the second Roman added, \"Don't worry, I’ll have the pilot make a second trip if needed.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">As Blake turned to leave, he let out a dry, jagged laugh. *A master manipulator*, he thought. *A polished, high-society parasite who buys loyalty with one calculated favor after another.*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">***\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Tessa was drifting in and out of consciousness when she heard the rhythmic thumping of rotor blades. She had been terrified by the night's events, and even in her dreams, the storm wouldn't let up.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She rolled over, trying to sink back into sleep, when someone tapped her shoulder.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Tessa bolted upright. \"What? Who is it?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"We're leaving,\" said the cold-faced man who had carried her up the mountain. He stood over her, his expression unreadable. \"Need a hand up?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Oh—oh, thank you.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">As Tessa was helped to her feet, she finally glanced out the window. It was still pitch black.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"We're leaving now? The road is clear?\" she asked, bewildered. \"That fast?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Helicopter,\" Blake replied tonelessly.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Tessa nodded, still dazed. \"Oh, a helicopter.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">A second later, the reality hit her. \"Wait, holy hell! A helicopter?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The worst-case scenario had unfolded. They were stuck on a mountain with a news crew, and now they were triggering an emergency aviation rescue. She was finished. This was a massive career blunder; she’d be lucky if she didn't lose her job before the week was out. She spent the entire flight to the resort imagining her face blurred out on the evening news.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She was still spiraling when she noticed the man sitting in the front row. He was dressed with unsettling formality—shirt, trousers, and a crisp aesthetic that seemed wildly out of place at 3:00 AM.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Tessa summoned her professional mask and extended a trembling hand. \"Sir? Are you... are you with the local authorities?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Roman turned, extending his hand with a smooth, disarming grace. \"Nice to meet you. I haven't had the chance to introduce myself.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">His voice was calm and steady, the kind of tone that demanded silence just to hear it.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I'm not with the authorities,\" he said, gesturing toward Violette. \"That’s my wife. I’m her husband.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Tessa froze. Her brain tried to re-calculate everything. *If he’s the husband, then who was the guy who carried me up the hill?*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">As the engine roar grew louder and they slid on their noise-canceling headsets, Tessa leaned over to whisper, \"And the other guy? Is he... is he not coming down with us?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Violette shook her head, and Roman simply gave a small, confident hand gesture that told her not to worry. Tessa, sensing the subtext, shut her mouth tight.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">***\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">By the time they reached the county hospital for Tessa’s X-rays, it was nearly 4:00 AM. A few hours felt like a lifetime ago.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Violette didn't want to wake anyone else up back at the resort, so she followed Roman straight to his suite. As she stepped inside, she noticed him stop dead in his tracks.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Violette pulled up behind him. \"What’s wrong?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Roman turned. His gaze traveled over her, cool and methodical, sweeping up and down her body as if he were cataloging property. Violette felt a sudden, sharp spike of anxiety. She wondered if he was still simmering over Blake’s sudden appearance.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She reached for his hand, but Roman shifted out of reach.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Violette missed. She caught only air. It was the first time he’d ever pulled away like that—usually, he was all indulgence. Her chest suddenly felt hollow, like her lungs had been squeezed and then abruptly released, leaving her unable to catch her breath.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Roman,\" she said, her voice soft. \"I really didn't know he was here.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"This isn't about that,\" he said.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He lunged, pinning her against the door. He bit down on her lip, a jagged, possessive movement, and shoved his hand under the hem of her hoodie, checking the skin underneath inch by agonizing inch. Her lower back slammed into the door handle, but she didn't cry out. She just let him take what he wanted.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">When he finally slowed his pace, Violette exhaled. \"Then what is this about?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Roman didn't look up, his forehead still pressed against the crook of her neck, his breath ragged and heavy.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Next time you don't want me to worry,\" he breathed, \"you tell me the second it happens.\" He lifted his head, his eyes burning into hers. \"Violette. Don't ever forget—I can always find a way to reach you.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\u003Cnew_glossary>\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">[{\"zh\": \"县医院\", \"en\": \"county hospital\", \"type\": \"Location\"}, {\"zh\": \"度假村\", \"en\": \"the resort\", \"type\": \"Location\"}]\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\u003C/new_glossary>\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272920531]