Chapter 186

As Nolan walked back to the hospital, a faint hint of cruelty lingered around him.

The sharp intensity of his presence made the bodyguards at the end of the hallway straighten instinctively, though their eyes kept flicking toward the ward.

Nolan suddenly stopped.

Had something happened to Eleanor?

The thought alone made his blood run cold.

He didn't allow himself to linger on it. With a sharp movement, he pushed open the ward door.

The room was calm.

Eleanor was awake, leaning slightly against the headboard,while Hilda was sitting beside her, gently feeding her soup. Hearing the door, Eleanor turned her head. Her eyes met Nolan's, and she noticed the worried look on his face.

Her delicate brows lifted in curiosity. "What happened?"

At the sound of her voice, Nolan's tension eased, and he drew in a steadying breath.

"Nothing," he replied smoothly, though his gaze lingered on Hilda with polite detachment. "Mrs.Benton, when did you get here?"

Hilda was one of the few people he allowed near Eleanor.

He trusted her because she genuinely cared.

Startled by his earlier intensity, Hilda took a deep breath and composed herself.

She set the soup bowl down and offered a gentle smile. "I just got here a little while ago," she said softly. "Seeing Eleanor safe is a relief." With a meaningful glance at Eleanor, Hilda added,"You two talk. I'll take my leave."

After Hilda quietly left, the room fell back into silence,leaving just Eleanor and Nolan.

After a pause, Eleanor's curiosity won out. "Who did it?"

She had caught bits of his earlier conversation while half-asleep, and from what she had heard, he had already gone to handle it.

Nolan pulled up a chair beside her bed, his expression serious. "It was Emma."

Eleanor's brows creased slightly.

Emma, the pampered fool of the Todd family, was good for nothing except picking on others. Could she really be behind something so sinister?

She replayed the events in her mind. The anonymous warning about Myah fainting, followed by the speeding truck aimed directly at her. Everything pointed to a carefully designed trap meant to end her life.

"Emma? Really?" Eleanor's tone was doubtful.

"I don't believe it either," Nolan admitted, his tone sharpening. "There's definitely someone pulling the strings behind her."

His gaze softened as he looked at her pale,tired face. "I've already sent people to investigate thoroughly.You just rest.

Leave everything else to me."

Eleanor nodded, choosing not to overextend herself.

This was a danger she could trust him to handle.

He adjusted the blanket around her shoulders before leaving the ward.

Outside, the bodyguards stood stiffly at attention.

The warmth in Nolan's face vanished as he turned serious again. He called over one of his most trusted men and held out two strands of hair he had collected."Take these to my private doctor," he instructed quietly. "Run a DNA test. Discreetly. No one else can know. Just you and me."

With so many outsiders coming into Elepdon lately,Nolan couldn't be certain which hospital staff might be compromised.

Any DNA test had to be completely reliable.

He silently hoped the results would give him the clarity he needed.

The bodyguard, understanding the gravity of the order , nodded without hesitation. "Yes, sir."