Aiden frowned. “Chase you? Why?” “Because you’re the one who likes me. I never said I liked you back.” I had already made up my mind. Aiden had bullied me so many times before—now it was finally my turn to push back. Hmph. Call it karma. “I’ve never chased anyone before,” Aiden muttered, still looking a little lost. I gave him a look of disbelief. “Never? That can’t be right. Didn’t you date someone before?” “She confessed to me first. I happened to like her a little, so we just started dating.” That answer made me perk up. I couldn’t help laughing smugly. “Oh? So I’m the first girl Mr. Aiden’s ever liked on his own. Wow, what an honor.” “So?” “So…” I stretched the word with a smile. “I hereby give you permission to pursue me.” Aiden still looked completely at a loss, his expression blank. In the end, under the pressure of my stare, he reluctantly accepted reality. “Alright. Got it.” Watching his conflicted face, I flopped back onto the bed, laughing out loud. “Aiden, I never thought I’d see the day your face showed something other than cold indifference or disdain. You actually look… frustrated.” Suddenly, Aiden leaned in and grabbed my chin, his expression reverting to his usual aloofness. “Say that again.” I glared at him. “I said it. What are you gonna do about it?” If he tried to kiss me, I’d bite him. I meant it. But Aiden just held my chin, unmoving. I could feel his emotions shifting beneath the surface. Finally, he let go, straightened up, and said, “I’m heading back to the office. I’ve got a meeting. You rest up.” “Got it.” So… he chickened out? Watching his retreating back, I wasn’t sure what to make of him. Still, I’d given him the chance. Whether he could win me over—that was up to him now. After he left, I called Jackson. “You there?” “Raelynn? What’s wrong? Are you in trouble?” “Is Bluewater Corporation’s hospital called Ronghua Hospital?” Jackson sounded confused. “Yeah. Raelynn, are you feeling sick? Why are you asking about hospitals all of a sudden?” “I want to transfer a girl’s mother to our hospital. I need your help contacting the director.” Jackson didn’t press for details. “Got it. I’ll handle it right away.” After hanging up, I opened my laptop and hacked into the hospital’s security network, slipping into their intranet to search for Ruby’s mother’s records. I planned to quietly transfer everything over. But after searching for a while, I couldn’t find anything on her. What the hell…? A sinking feeling settled in my gut. Could it be…? No. I was probably just overthinking. I exited the intranet and headed down to the hospital’s information department to find the records manually—but just as I reached the door, Andrix stepped in front of me. “Raelynn. Where are you going?” “Just out for a walk.” I stretched my arms, trying to look casual. “A walk… that just so happens to end at the information department?” Andrix narrowed his eyes, clearly suspicious, though he didn’t press further. “Really, it’s nothing. If there’s nothing else, I’m going to head back and sleep.” I forced a smile and turned to leave. “Don’t be in such a hurry,” he said, grabbing my wrist. “I’m your boyfriend now, remember? Isn’t it normal for us to spend time together?” Clearly, Andrix had no intention of letting me go.The moment he touched me, I felt that familiar, uncomfortable jolt deep in my chest. I tried pulling away, but his grip was tight. “Andrix, you know I don’t like you. You know why I agreed to be with you,” I said coldly, locking eyes with him. “I know.” He leaned in close, his breath brushing my ear. “That’s why I’m working on making you fall for me.” Then his voice turned even lower, even colder. “Raelynn, don’t test my patience. You have no idea what I might do if you push me too far.” I frowned. Something felt off. “Why are you so… obsessive? Andrix, what happened to you? Why are you like this?” He stared at me, then suddenly chuckled. “Ever think maybe I’ve always been this way?” I froze. What the hell did that mean? Eclipse Pack was one of the most prestigious clans in all of Arkadia. Their successor training was top-tier. How could they have raised someone like Andrix—so dark, so twisted? “Alright, enough of that,” he said, brushing it off. “You bailed on me last time I asked you out. Don’t think you’re getting out of it again.” He grabbed my hand, clearly planning to drag me out with him. But just then, his phone rang. He frowned, picked up, and I caught part of the conversation. There was a patient in critical condition. Emergency surgery was needed immediately. “Well, guess I have to cancel again.” He hung up, sighing with fake regret. I let out a silent breath of relief. “Then you’d better go. If something happens because you’re late, it won’t be good,” I said, smiling and waving him off. “Don’t get too excited. It’s a small surgery—should only take two hours.” Once he was gone, another doctor happened to enter the information department. The door was left ajar. Now was my chance. With Andrix busy in surgery, I had enough time to dig through the files.But where would her records be?