To Love a Shadow, To Be the Sun novel Chapter 173

Elara turned toward the sound and saw it was just a passing waitress.

"Excuse me, could you take me back to the main hall?"

Her head was spinning, but she still had enough sense to know that being in a crowded place meant safety. As long as she was in plain sight, nothing could happen to her.

"Of course, just follow me," the waitress replied.

While Elara's attention was elsewhere, the waitress quickly snapped two photos of her, sending them off to her employer before deliberately slowing her pace so Elara could keep up.

After a while, they stopped in front of an elevator.

Elara remembered the reception area and the auction hall were on the same floor—there was no reason to take an elevator.

Realizing something was wrong, she turned to leave.

But the waitress grabbed her by the arm and yanked her toward the elevator.

"Don't be scared. Just get some rest upstairs, and everything will be fine tomorrow."

"Who told you to do this?" Elara demanded.

The woman didn't answer. Elara, feeling weak and powerless, could only watch as the elevator doors slid shut, her heart pounding with dread.

She'd been so careful, and still ended up walking right into someone's trap…

Around the corner, Ryan tried to shake off Jason's grip as he watched the elevator ascend.

"Elara's in danger—let me go!"

"What danger?" Jason scoffed. "She's not even in the room you thought she'd be in. If someone tricked you, they'll probably try the same thing with Brian, lure him upstairs to ‘catch her in the act.' Her husband will find her soon enough. What could happen?"

Jason's words made Ryan pause.

"But she's still recovering from a serious injury, and now someone's drugged her. Who would go so far to hurt her?" Ryan shot back.

Seeing that Ryan was no longer trying to chase after the elevator, Jason finally let go and took a steadying breath, narrowing his eyes.

"You're awfully worried about her. What exactly is your relationship?"

Ryan's eyes hardened.

"Whatever my relationship with her is, it's the same as yours. Don't act all high and mighty. You wanted me to be her lawyer, gave me all those noble-sounding reasons, but it's always been about you."

Through the haze, Elara recognized him. Without a second thought, she struggled to break free from the waitress and pitched herself toward Zane.

In her panic, she managed to call out in a sweet, breathless voice, "Honey, you're finally here!"

Even Zane, who'd seen his share of wild situations, was caught off guard.

The waitress, assuming this really was Elara's husband, panicked and let go, slipping out the side of the elevator.

Quincy Shelton, Zane's assistant, saw the woman trying to escape and rushed after her.

"Your husband will take care of you first!" Quincy called back, his voice pitched high as he dashed off.

Zane, snapping out of his daze, stepped into the elevator and caught Elara as she started to collapse.

Her face was flushed, and seeing her in such a state, he simply scooped her up into his arms.

"Did you eat something bad?" he asked, pressing the button for a different floor.

He glanced at the panel—just as he suspected, the waitress had been trying to take her up to the ninth floor.