Chapter 365
Chapter 365:
Helena was caught off guard for a moment, then threw her arms around his neck and kissed him back, matching his intensity. In the wreckage, a single yellow rose bloomed quietly in a forgotten corner.
The two of them, wrapped up in each other, filled the empty ruins with a spark of life and hope, much like the blooming rose.
When they finally broke apart, both were gasping for air.
Helena didn’t want to waste any time. Breathing a little heavier, she asked, “Alden, I had no idea your ear was hurt from saving me! Why didn’t you ever tell me? Why p>
As soon as Helena returned, Alden’s headache slowly started to fade, and he didn’t even notice. His vision cleared up too, but even though he could read her lips, he stayed silent—he just wanted to hold her tighter.
This time, however, Helena pulled away from him. She stood on her tiptoes and gently kissed his ear.
At that moment, a warm, tingling sensation shot from his earlobe straight to his heart. Alden’s body stiffened for a moment. Her kiss felt like a spark, melting the numbness in his ear instantly, like ice under the sun’s warmth. In the quiet, faint sounds started to slip through. Then, as the static faded away, he heard Helena’s soft, sweet voice.
“Promise me you’ll take care of your ears from now on, okay?” Helena said gently.
Realizing he might not hear her, she made sure to speak clearly, letting him read her lips.
But now, Alden could hear her voice clearly. He smiled and closed his eyes. He waited until she finished speaking, then said, “Okay. I’ll listen to you p>
“You’d better keep your—” Helena paused, her eyes going wide. “Wait… you can hear me?” Alden nodded, still smiling.
She was so moved that she almost started crying, repeating, “That’s amazing p>
“It’s all because of you. Your kiss does more than any medicine,” Alden joked.
Helena couldn’t help but nudge his shoulder gently. “Stop being silly! Even if you’re feeling better now, you can’t let your guard down. Once we’re back, you have to see Leonino, got it p>
“Whatever you say.” Only then did Alden say, “Don’t worry about me right now—tell me what happened to you p>
F𝒾𝓇𝓈𝓉 𝓬𝗵𝒶𝓹𝓉𝓮𝓇𝓈 𝒾𝓃
He looked toward the “body” near the dirt mound. With his vision clear, he froze, realizing in shock that it was just a mannequin. He frowned and then asked, “What’s going on here p>
Helena glanced at the mannequin too, then let out a soft laugh. “I can’t believe such an obvious fake tricked you p>
Right then and there, Alden went over what had just happened in his mind.
Though his head throbbed and his sight was hazy, he should have been able to make out the mannequin’s rigid shape—it was clearly lifeless.
Still, when it came to Helena, Alden—usually as cool as a cucumber—ended up rattled with worry.
One glance at his eyes, wild like a man who’d stared down the abyss, and Helena instantly grasped the truth he hadn’t spoken. She didn’t want him stuck in that flash of fear, so she shifted gears quickly and gave him an answer. “The thug Eleanino hired to watch over me? I paid him off. Right from the start, the person he pushed toward the ledge was a dummy. The whole thing was just a setup to fool Eleanino p>