CHAPTER 39: CHAPTER 39: MEETING HIM UNDER THE LIGHTS

Looking at Vincent Rhodes sitting in a wheelchair, his head drooping and appearing weak and barely alive.

She didn’t know where he was injured, but judging by the amount of blood on the ground, it was definitely not a light injury.

Shannon Quinn turned around, went inside, picked up her phone intending to call for emergency help, but then she thought of Vincent Rhodes’ identity. Could he show up in a big hospital?

Afraid her good intentions might end badly, Shannon Quinn made a conservative decision, calling Simon Rhodes, who said he would bring doctors over immediately.

Shannon Quinn stood frozen in the living room, unsure of what to do. Seeing the blood still dripping onto the ground, she feared that by the time Simon Rhodes arrived, Vincent Rhodes might have already lost too much blood.

"Vincent Rhodes?" She walked over, tentatively calling out, but he seemed unconscious and did not respond.

Shannon Quinn cleared the sofa, pushed the wheelchair over to the side, and laboriously supported his body to let him lie on the sofa.

Blood stained Shannon Quinn’s hands, and as she looked down at her bloodied hands, they trembled slightly beyond her control.

Such scenes she had only seen in TV dramas; encountering it firsthand, how could she not be scared?

Looking at the position where the blood seemed to be seeping through on his left side abdomen, Shannon Quinn tightened her lips, swallowed hard, and with her trembling hands reached over to lift his black robe, revealing that the shirt underneath was so stained with blood it couldn’t be discerned.

The smell of blood made Shannon Quinn feel nauseous, yet she endured the discomfort and carefully lifted the blood-soaked clothing.

Seeing the horribly mangled wound on his abdomen, she gasped sharply, standing there completely uncertain of what to do.

Looking down at his hand that had fallen off the edge of the sofa, usually covered in gloves, today uncovered.

She had always suspected that perhaps he had suffered some childhood accident, like a fire, leaving him severely burned, thus wrapping himself up so tightly. But now she saw that, although his hand had blood on it, it showed no apparent scars.

She placed his hand beside him, and when she touched the back of his hand, its icy coldness startled Shannon Quinn, who then shakily reached over to check his breathing.

Thankfully, he was still breathing; maybe his hands were cold from being in the rain.

Shannon Quinn stood up and found the gauze she had bought before but never used.

Not being a medical personnel, she didn’t know what the best course of action was at this moment.

All she could do was to wrap the gauze around his wound, partially serving a bleeding-stopping purpose.

Having done what she could, she called again to check on Simon Rhodes’ progress, who said he was almost there.

Shannon Quinn looked down at the man before her, sizing him up, noticing something peculiar.

The way his hair was drenched suggested he came soaked from the rain, and while the clothes underneath were wet, the outer robe was dry...

Unable to fathom the reason, Shannon Quinn couldn’t calm down enough to analyze.

Her gaze fell on the skull-like mask, with silence all around but the sound of rain outside.

Her slender, blood-stained hand reached slowly toward the mask...

Fingers touched the mask, and Shannon Quinn’s heart trembled along with it.

"Ding Dong."

The sudden doorbell startled Shannon Quinn, who hurriedly withdrew her hand, guiltily glanced at Vincent Rhodes, and rushed to open the front door.

Simon Rhodes had brought two doctors over, and upon seeing Vincent Rhodes lying on the sofa, they went straight over with medical kits for emergency rescue without a word.

"What’s going on?"

Shannon Quinn shook her head with a dazed look: "I... I don’t know, he was like this when he came back."

Seeing that Shannon Quinn might have been frightened too, Simon Rhodes glanced at Vincent Rhodes lying lifelessly on the sofa, seemingly devoid of any life signs, and furrowed his brows, taking a deep breath, said to Shannon Quinn: "You should go back to your room for now. I’ll call you when it’s done."

After getting the nod from Shannon Quinn, who still lacked her own thoughts, she returned to her room in a daze.

Listening outside and sensing no abnormalities, the situation seemed within control.

A little calmer now, Shannon Quinn looked down at herself covered in blood, took clean clothes from the wardrobe, and went to the bathroom for a quick wash.

Night deepened as the rain grew heavier, voices could be heard outside, but their words were not clear.

Shannon Quinn sat blankly at the bedside, her mind filled with chaotic thoughts.

If he had truly died earlier, should she be glad?

Yet throughout the process, she realized she had felt some heartache for him and was afraid of anything happening to him.

Seeing the wound on his body, even though it wasn’t on her, she seemed able to feel the pain.

Who exactly is he? A mobster? An ordinary person wouldn’t sustain such injuries.

"Knock Knock" came the light knocking, "Have you slept, Shannon?"

Shannon Quinn wasn’t in the mood to sleep; hearing Simon Rhodes knock, she ran to open the door in a rush: "...How is he?"

"He’s awake."

With these four words, Shannon Quinn felt the heavy stone lift from her heart.

"In the coming days, I’ll need you to look after him; I’ll bring people over tomorrow to change his dressing."

"...Alright, thank you, big brother."

"I’ll be off then. It’s late, and you should rest early too. If anything happens, call me."

Seeing Simon Rhodes and the two doctors off, Shannon Quinn locked the front door, walked over to the sofa, looking at the man lying there.

For the first time.

Meeting him under the light for the first time.

The bloody clothes had disappeared, replaced with a clean set of men’s pajamas from unknown origins.

Apart from the mask on his face, he didn’t look much different from ordinary people.

Lying flat on the sofa, it was apparent his height was quite tall, with his exposed hands and feet having normal skin, contrary to the rumored dreadful skin conditions.

"Are you planning to let a patient sleep on the sofa?"

His voice suddenly came, probably weakened, sounding huskier than usual.

Shannon Quinn hesitated, knowing there was a vacant room, unused and filled with odds and ends, thus said: "...I’ll go tidy up first."

Unable to see his expression and gaze under the mask, and receiving no reply, Shannon Quinn paused for two seconds before hurriedly turning, busying herself with clearing the room.

Concerned about upcoming extended interaction with Vincent Rhodes, worry crept in.

Firstly, it was due to unfamiliarity, secondly, because of her pregnancy...