So, this had all been a setup from the very beginning—a carefully planned trap.

Lucas couldn’t contain his fury any longer. He stepped in and delivered a clean left hook to Julian’s jaw, then knocked him to the ground in one swift, seamless move. Every move was clean and precise.

“What are you doing here?” Lucas’ voice was low, burning with restrained rage. His entire presence was terrifying, like someone who had just clawed his way out of hell. Just moments ago, seeing Aurora awake had filled him with pure joy, an overwhelming sense of relief. But that joy hadn’t lasted long because the second he saw Julian in the room, it shattered.

Lucas’ chest heaved up and down, the fury in him barely held back.

Aurora, seeing this, tried to sit up with effort, clearly worried. Lucas noticed immediately and rushed over, gently helping her lean against him. As he felt the warmth of her body, he still couldn’t quite believe it. Was this real? Had the person he loved most truly woken up?

Aurora noticed the subtle tremble in his arms. Even so, he clung to her tightly, refusing to let go. Her eyes grew misty. She hadn’t realized how deeply she’d affected Lucas during this time. Before, she never really felt it. But now, she couldn’t help but wonder–was this really the same Lucas? The one she remembered had always treated her well, but never this emotionally, never with such raw vulnerability. She was stunned by what she saw.

Still, given the current situation, Aurora knew it wasn’t the time for lingering closeness. She quickly decided–they needed to separate and deal with what was happening. Otherwise, who knew what kind of excuse Julian would try to come up with next.

Aurora gently said, “Alright, Lucas, let go of me. People are watching.” The commotion Lucas had caused was loud enough that plenty of people had taken notice. Even the foreign doctor came rushing in. When he saw Aurora awake, his face filled with astonishment. “My goodness, this is a medical miracle. How did this lady wake up?”

At that, Tessa finally shut her gaping mouth. Aurora was awake–this scene was turning increasingly unfavorable for her. And with Julian still present, things looked even worse. Combined with the earlier call from Grace, it wouldn’t take much for Lucas to put the pieces together, as long as he wasn’t a complete fool. Now, Tessa’s heart was practically pounding in her throat. Julian, that useless idiot. All he had to do was administer the injection. Why did it take him so long? And how did he get caught in the act? Completely useless. Couldn’t he have moved faster or finished the job before anyone noticed? Why linger like a fool? The thought made Tessa rub her temples in frustration.

But Lucas still refused to let go of Aurora, his arms tightening even more around her. Seeing this, Aurora gave a small cough. “Alright, Lucas, I can barely breathe. Let go of me, please. Let’s deal with all of this first. We’ve got more important things to handle.” She gave him a subtle look toward the room. There were still so many people inside. Being held like that the whole time was starting to make her feel embarrassed, as if the entire room was watching them like a live show.