“Mr. Abel, are you alright?” Luca asked worriedly.

“I’m fine,” Abel managed to muster. “Just a little tired after showering…”

“Get some rest after dinner, Mr. Abel. You don’t look too good…” Luca said.

“Sure,” Abel said before turning to his butler. “Please serve the food now.” The butler and waiters quickly organized themselves, serving and presenting the dishes neatly in front of Abel before quietly leaving the room.

“Guys, don’t worry about me,” Abel told Luca and Janie. “Go out to a restaurant for your dinner.”

“Ms. Eastwood and I will stay here with you, Mr. Abel,” Luca was adamant.

“How can I eat comfortably with you two staring at me like that?” Abel chuckled. “I’m fine, really. Go and have a meal before picking Sam up.”

Luca and Janie exchanged looks. They were still worried about Abel, but they knew better than to disobey his instructions. Finally, they decided to leave Abel in search of some dinner.

Abel stared at the tantalizing array of food in front of him, but he could not stomach it at all. He was certain he was going to throw up again if he tried consuming anything. He stood up weakly and carried two platefuls of food into the restroom before flushing it down the toilet bowl and returning to his bedroom.

After having a quick dinner, Luca and Janie returned to find the remaining dishes on the table. Luca was relieved, thinking that Abel had at least eaten half the food. He thought that Abel’s appetite had improved since they were close to finding Emma now. Luca peeked into Abel’s bedroom and found him resting on the bed with his eyes closed. He put a finger to his lips to warn Janie and closed the door quietly.

Around ten at night, Luca started driving toward the airport. It was still more than three hours before Sam’s flight landed, but Luca was feeling restless since Abel had reminded him about Sam just now. He waited at the airport lobby until Sam’s flight finally arrived at 1:40am. Not too long after, Sam appeared from the gates carrying a bag pack as she made her way toward Luca.

“Luca!” Sam waved at him from afar.

Luca stretched his arms wide open like he was inviting Sam in for a hug, but he quickly put his arms back down at his sides, as if he thought better of it. Sam too resisted the urge to rush over to Luca and instead just gave him a toothy smile as she took her time walking over to him.

“Hey, Luca,” Sam greeted as soon as she finally reached him.

“Hey,” Luca said while offering to carry Sam’s bag pack. Without turning to look at Sam, Luca grabbed onto Sam’s arm gently as he led her toward the carpark. Sam felt her cheeks heat up as she felt the contact from Luca, but it was thankfully too dark for anyone to notice her blushing profusely.

By the time the both of them returned to the hotel, Abel was up and waiting for Sam in the living room of his suite. He had not eaten anything but seemed to feel slightly better after having a short nap. His pale complexion only made him seem more severe.

“Hello, Mr. Ryker,” Sam greeted politely. She felt a tinge of guilt keeping her real identity a secret in front of Abel Ryker.

“Have a seat,” Abel nodded.

“I’m fine standing here,” Sam said softly as she remained standing.

“I have something to ask you,” Abel said flatly. “It’s better if you have a seat.”

Having no other choice, Sam took a seat on the sofa opposite Abel.

“You’re Emma’s bodyguard?” Abel asked, staring intently at Sam.

“Mhm,” Sam flattened her lips and made a sound.

“You must be pretty good at fighting and protecting then,” Abel continued.

“Ms. Emmeline never really needed my protection services, so I’m more of a personal assistant who buys her coffee,” Sam explained.

“Emma’s pretty good at fighting herself,” Abel smiled at the thought. “She’s not one to bring a bodyguard everywhere she goes.”

“But Ms. Emmeline would be fine right now if only I was with her that day…” Sam’s eyes welled up with tears as she spoke. “I should’ve been the one… I would have taken a bullet for her!”