Chapter 4
Ryan promised me he'd get some sleep, but no matter what we tried, all sorts of methods and even some herbal remedies, he just couldn't fall asleep.
It was the middle of the night again when I heard what sounded like glass shattering in his room. I rushed over right away.
"Ryan, what's going on?" I called out.
"Don't come in," he said.
The door wasn't locked, so I burst in and saw him about to hurt himself with a piece of broken glass.
"What are you doing?" I lunged forward and grabbed his hand. "Let go of it!"
I was losing my mind. I only looked away for a second, and he almost tried to end it right in front of me.
He looked kind of aggrieved, carefully wrapped up the shards with tape, and chucked them in the trash.
"I just couldn't sleep... I didn't want you to get upset," Ryan muttered.
The live comments started buzzing again.
[Wow, he's so well-behaved! Maybe he's been pressured to be perfect his whole life, and that's why he's so stressed out?]
[I get it. This is what happens to kids who grow up under family pressure. Even the way he was about his art before, you can tell it's left some emotional scars.]
Honestly, I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him.
I mussed up his fluffy hair and said softly, "It's okay if you can't sleep, but you can't hurt yourself anymore, alright?"
I handed him a red marker and told him, "If you ever feel like you need to, use this instead of anything sharp."
The next morning, Ryan came downstairs wearing nothing but his pajama pants, his chiseled muscles streaked with red marker. He looked like a living Greek God.
I almost had a nosebleed.
Seriously, I needed to pull myself together.
Catching feelings for a client is the ultimate taboo in this business.
I tried to hide out on the patio, fussing with the plants, but Ryan made a point to come over and show his arm to me.
"Yana, the 'knife' you gave me doesn't hurt at all," he said.
Hearing him call my name with that gorgeous face was just unfair.
My heart was pounding out of control, but the chat was practically fuming.
[Why is this hag still around? How are we supposed to get anywhere in the story?]
[I seriously can't stand watching her interact with Ryan anymore. She's so fake and manipulative.]
[I'm about to call the cops! Ryan belongs to me! Get out of here, hag.]
*****
As summer rolled in, thunderstorms started rumbling through the nights.
Worried the windows might not be shut tight, I went downstairs to check, only to find Ryan standing barefoot in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows.
"What are you looking at?" I asked.
I walked over to stand beside him.
"Just watching the lightning," Ryan replied, a small smile tugging at his lips. "I really love thunderstorms."
"Feel like stepping out into the rain for a bit?" I teased.
"Are you trying to get me electrocuted?" he shot back, his eyes crinkling with laughter.
"Wait, you're actually afraid of dying?" I joked.
"I'm just scared I won't get to see you again," Ryan admitted quietly.
I fell silent, unable to meet his gaze.
"Are you even legal?" I blurted out.
"Just turned 22. I'm ready to get married anytime," Ryan replied with a cheeky grin.
"You're crazy..." I muttered.
The live comments started rolling in again.
[LOL, is she scared of getting arrested or what?]
[Am I seeing things, or is this hag still hanging around? Ryan and Sunny still haven't made any progress, have they?]
[I doubt the person above can even read. It's obvious Ryan's into Yana now, okay?]
"Yana, are you really going to leave?" Ryan suddenly asked, snapping me out of my daze.
"Of course. Once you're all better, I'll head out," I replied.
He let out a sigh. "You're impossible to figure out."
"What's wrong?" I asked, totally confused.
Ryan looked at me, a little hesitant. "Yana, do you actually want me to get better soon, or would you rather I never recover?"
"Of course I want you to get better soon," I replied.
I tried to brush him off with a joke. "I've got a whole football field full of dogs waiting for me to go back and feed them."
He stared at me, his face a mix of emotions. After a moment, he just said, "I get it," and obediently headed back to his room to sleep.
Miraculously, Ryan actually slept through the night. And for the first time, he didn't wake up until noon.
The thunderstorm outside just kept raging, so I figured I'd just reheat some leftovers for lunch. No way the food delivery was showing up in this weather.
But then, Sunny arrived. Mary had actually made a special trip to go pick her up herself.
"That's great! Ever since I stayed with Ryan for a few days, he's finally been able to sleep," Sunny said, sounding genuinely cheerful.
"But Mary, this nanny is really shady. She's always flirting with Ryan," Sunny said accusingly.
"I've heard women like her are totally shameless and gross. Maybe we should check if she's done anything sketchy?" Sunny added.
Mary sat down on the couch and gave the bodyguard a meaningful glance.
"Let's inspect her first," Mary said coldly.
Before I could get a word out, the bodyguard clamped his hand tightly over my mouth. "Behave. You can scream all you want later," he said.
He forced me down against the table, a cruel grin on his face as he started unbuttoning my collar.
"Get your damn hands off her!" Suddenly, Ryan's furious voice thundered from behind us.