waking

Chapter 45 

aomi trembled violently. As she opened her eyes slowly, the darkness vanished. Instead, Shawn’s creepy face filled her sight. He looked so angry as he was ready to destroy everything. 

hawn was hugging her tightly as if he was trying to merge her into himself. 

_t that moment, the darkness and pain quickly faded away, replaced by a peace Naomi had never felt before. 

Haomi had gambled on Shawn coming to rescue her–and he did. Whatever his reasons, Shawn had saved her again. 

Mr. Fischer,” Naomi whispered, her voice barely louder than a murmur, causing Shawn to frown deeply. 

Don’t talk. I’m taking you home,” Shawn said, his tone as commanding as ever, yet it made Naomi feel safe. 

avier and Victoria knelt in the yard, watching as Shawn, with Naomi trembling in his embrace, strode out of the basement. 

Chandler, handle this,” Shawn commanded. 

Yes, Mr. Fischer,” Chandler replied. 

He signaled to the bodyguards, and soon, Javier and Victoria were dragged and dumped into the basement. Painful screams followed. 

Shawn brought Naomi back to Spring Villa. 

Carrying Naomi, Shawn entered his bedroom. Soon, Oscar arrived with a female doctor. 

The doctor carefully treated Naomi’s wounds while Oscar talked with Shawn in the study. 

“You just stood up like that in front of everyone?” Oscar asked, frowning. “Does Mrs. Fischer know about this? I heard you had Naomi apply ointment to your face publicly. Are you done pretending?” 

Shawn peeled off a mask from his face and burned it with a lighter. 

His handsome face was in full view again–deep eyes, a sharp nose, and firm lips. Ilis striking features made him a real head–turner. 

“Man, Cheryl would lose it if she knew you weren’t really disfigured and your legs worked fine. Would she cry herself crazy, regretting she lost her biggest cash cow?” Oscar joked. 

Shawn glanced at Oscar and said, “If you wanna die, just say so.” 

Oscar quickly covered his mouth. 

Shawn was really upset, a mix of anger and frustration bubbling up inside him. 

Shawn’s phone buzzed with a message. He checked it and saw a disturbing photo of Javier and Victoria, battered and locked in the basement of their home. Shawn had made sure they paid heavily for hurting Naomi. 

Shawn believed if he hadn’t stepped in, Naomi would’ve been in serious trouble. 

Shawn stood up, put on a new mask, and quickly headed to the third–floor bedroom. The doctor had just finished treating Naomi. Despite the care, Naomi was shaken up, trembling, and fighting back tears. 

Standing up, the doctor said, “Mr. Fischer, I’ve treated Ms. Edwards‘ wounds, but she’s quite shaken. I suggest she sees a therapist for some counseling 

“Leave us,” Shawn said. 

“Yes, Mr. Fischer, the doctor replied, exiting the bedroom respectfully. As soon as she was gone, Naomi, curling up under the covers, began to cry and open her arms wide for Shawn. 

“Hold me…” Naomi’s voice was soft and pleading, like a wounded kitty seeking comfort in its mother’s embrace, despite the pain. 

Shawn’s heart unexpectedly skipped a beat. The feeling hit him fast and hard, leaving him stunned. 

He kept his face expressionless, slipped under the cover, and pulled Naomi close. 

“It hurts…” Naomi murmured. “It’s so dark, Fin scared‘ 

Shawn instinctively held her tighter, though carefully, because he was mindful of her injuries. “Naomi, don’t push it, he cautioned. 

142 

Chapter 45 

Naomi, now close in Shawn’s arms, didn’t speak but gently rubbed her cheek against his chest. 

A shiver ran through Shawn at her touch, igniting a fire within. He wasn’t disgusted. Instead, his body reacted unexpectedly. 

Abruptly, Shawn pushed Naomi away, disgusted by his lack of control. Naomi nearly fell off the bed, but then Shawn grabbed her back into a tight hug. 

Then, her lips felt his–forceful and intense. 

Naomi quivered, tightly held in Shawn’s grip, until exhaustion took over. Finally, Shawn released her and muttered, “Sleep.” 

“Hold me,” Naomi whispered, her eyes shut tight. “I’m scared.” 

Shawn pulled her into his arms again. This time, he just watched her drift off to sleep, all curled up against him. 

It wasn’t their first time sleeping close like that. Previously, Shawn treated Naomi more like a comforting body pillow but now, he was her safe place. 

Shawn couldn’t help but think how Naomi knew the dangers of returning to the Edwards manor yet did it anyway. Every time he figured she had a sharp mind; she’d turn around and do something foolish to prove him wrong. 

Shawn waited a bit, making sure Naomi’s shivering had stopped. Then, he silently slipped out of the bed and left the room. 

Once Shawn was gone, Naomi opened her eyes. She stared at the ceiling light for a moment, lost in thought, but soon snapped back to her usual focused self. 

Naomi grabbed her phone from the nightstand, unlocked it, and opened a secret app. In this life, she wasn’t playing a losing game. 

Before her return to the Edwards manor, she’d had Zoey bribe two new servants there. She wanted them to keep her posted on the Edwards family after she’d left. 

Now, the app was full of updates–photos, videos, and texts from those servants. 

She tapped open the first photo. It showed Javier and Victoria in a basement at the Edwards manor, badly bruised–worse off than she was. Victoria, in her sheath dress, showed off a skin canvas of wounds–no holding back by whoever went at her. 

And Javier was a mess, looking even worse than Victoria. 

After a moment’s thought, Naomi decided it was time for Victoria’s lover to step in and play hero. 

She did a quick edit of the photos before sending them off to “Mr. Garcia“. There was no way he could trace it back to her. She always covered her tracks perfectly. 

Then, Naomi dialed Zoey. “Hey, Zoey. Where’d Freddy take Rosalind after they left the Edwards manor?” 

“Ms. Edwards, they’re at the Four Seasons Hotel,” Zoey replied from the other end. “Dillon followed them. Freddy escorted Rosalind to a VIP suite on the eighteenth floor. A bulky old guy is there.” 

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