Chapter 869: Chapter 868
"Boss Rose, we should swing by our safe house first. I’ll have someone dress your wounds there."
"No need, just hit the hotel. I’ve got a first aid kit on me." Rosemary was prepared; she always carried an emergency medical kit whenever she went out.
"Okay, then let me at least stop the bleeding for now." Horace fished through the car and found some gauze, efficiently wrapping it around Rosemary’s bleeding arm to stop the flow.
They were often on assignments, so the car was usually stocked with medical supplies. But this time,they were down to nothing but bandages—the medicine had all been used up.
"Just bear with me, we’ll have you patched up in no time." After applying several layers of gauze,Horace make sure it was fastened securely. Throughout the process, Rosemary remained silent and
stoic, though her complexion was noticeably pale and weary.
"Boss." Horace couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy seeing her like this—and it was well past 2:00a.m..
Rosemary must be exhausted, and likely famished.
"Hand over your jacket."
When Rosemary said this, Horace assumed she was chilly and quickly took his off, helping her put it on with care.
But a moment later, something dawned on him, and he exclaimed in shock, "Boss Rose, are you covering up your wound so that Romeo won’t see it and worry."
Rosemary gave him a look that said: "If you’ve figured it out, why ask?"
Horace zipped his lips, swallowing hard, and at the same time, he couldn’t believe that—Boss had changed.
She actually showed a vulnerability now!
Pulling up at the hotel entrance, Rosemary gave her orders, "Take some trusted guys and head back to the states. From now on, you’re my right-hand man. I’ll head back with Romeo tonight or tomorrow.
Head over to Jack’s and wait for me."
Horace considered asking if he could join them on their private jet, but then thought better of it—he didn’t want to be the third wheel.
"Boss Rose, make sure you get that wound seen to as soon as you’re up there. Don’t wait." he urged instead.
"Sure." Rosemary confirmed and headed into the hotel.
Horace stayed until he saw her step into the elevator before driving off.
With Romeo upstairs, Rose would be in safe hands.
Reassured, he could feel a weight lift from his shoulders.
Upon reaching her floor, Rosemary found the presidential suite’s door slightly open. Inside was chaos—a clear aftermath of turmoil, as if a storm had passed through.
The hotel manager and several executives were awkwardly gathered near the sofa, incessantly bowing to Romeo and apologizing, "We’re terribly sorry, Mr. McMillian. This incident was a lapse in our security.Please accept our deepest apologies."
Noticing Rosemary, Romeo dismissed them and rushed to her side, "Are you hurt?"
She gave a slight shake of her head and questioned, "What happened?"
"Some thugs forced their way in here," Romeo replied in a low voice.
Seeing her paleness, he quickly fetched her a glass of water and urged her to drink, his eyes filled with displeasure as he glanced at the inept hotel staff. "Why are you still there?" he growled.
The staff bowed again, expressing their gratitude for Romeo’s understanding, then hastened to straighten up the furniture.
But it was clear—the coffee table split into pieces, the windows and doors damaged, and bloodstains on both the bed and carpet.
This suite was beyond staying in.
"The suite next door is all set. The door is open, and I’ll arrange some late-night delicacies to be delivered."
Before the manager could finish his words, Romeo shot him a stern glance that immediately cut him off. Knowing to exit swiftly, the man bowed out.
An attempt on Romeo’s life in their hotel.
If the word got out, how would the hotel ever attract the high society?
With such a security failure, who among the elite would trust a stay there?
The thing was, the head honcho of the hotel had been practically drooling to ink a deal with Romeo.
But after this security failure, that possibility was sinking fast. And to top it off, they might even need to make amends personally.
The hotel manager knew better not to speak further, mindful not to provoke more criticism. Exiting, he hurried off to devise damage control plans and compensation strategies with the other executives.
"How’s your hand?" Rosemary asked once the room was theirs. "Did it hurt?"
Romeo played it cool, "Nope, nothing."
"I saw it when you were handling the water earlier. Where are you hurt? Show me." Rosemary retrieved her backpack, which was packed with all sorts of first-aid supplies.
"You are quite the medic, aren’t you? Can’t get anything past you." Romeo pushed up his sleeve to expose a crudely bandaged forearm.
"That’s some rough wrapping," Rosemary teased. "Couldn’t put in a little more effort?"
Romeo had used some powder the manager had given him to stop the bleeding, then carelessly bandaged his arm, hoping Rosemary wouldn’t notice in case of a sudden return. But she had.
Unwrapping his hastily done bondage, Rosemary spotted that it was a knife wound—thankfully, it was a shallow flesh wound.
"Were there many? Any tough ones?" she probed as she started her treatment.
Someone of Romeo’s caliber wasn’t easy to injure.
"Just hired guns. They had numbers on their side."
"They were after me?" Rosemary inferred.
"Mmm." Romeo’s gaze lingered on her, wondering what enemies she had made recently.
When the intruders had slipped in under the cover of darkness, they likely hadn’t expected to find Romeo there. They had hesitated at first, as if they looked to avoid an extra fight.
But Romeo wasn’t about to let them off the hook. After a scuffle, they were badly injured.
He purposely allowed their escape, with his people to tail them. He intended to track them, revealing who they were, and who had sent them.
"We’ll get to the bottom of this soon," Romeo hinted, then moved in closer unexpectedly.
Rosemary mistook it for an attempt at a kiss and focused on her work instead, pulling back slightly.
"Knock it off."
"Why do you smell like blood? And why are you wearing Horace’s jacket?" Romeo asked, sniffing closer. Indeed, there was a scent of blood.
"It’s chilly out, so I’ve borrowed his jacket," Rosemary maintained her composure as she concluded her task and stood up. "All done. Get some rest. I’m going to contact my people to arrange our trip back."
"You’re injured?" Romeo instantly stepped in front of her. "Let me have a look."
"I’m fine."
"I noticed when you were applying the medicine. Your left hand isn’t as dexterous as the right one. Is your left injured?" Romeo’s tone was filled with worries.
Rosemary tried to downplay it, but Romeo wouldn’t have it and insisted on seeing for himself.
Finally, he slipped off her jacket and discovered her left arm was also wrapped in a makeshift bandage, even more slipshod than his.
Her clothes were drenched in blood that had clearly been seeping for some time.
"So you are injured."
Her wound was more serious than his.
"Looks like we’re even," Rosemary remarked earnestly. "You kept secrets, I kept secrets."
"Even? Nonsense, girl. I’m not here to score points. What were you up to tonight? You weren’t the one hunting those guys, were you?"
He recalled a phone call with Derrick, where he’d heard that his girl had gotten the upper hand and was tailgating the assailants’ car.