Chapter 117: The Beckoning

Dorian’s gaze locked onto the bracelet. Before Catherine realized what he intended, his hand lifted toward her wrist, as if to touch it, to remove it, as if he had the right.

And something inside her snapped.

A sharp, instinctive surge of strength rose from somewhere deep in her chest. “Don’t—”

Her hands shoved him away, hard, before she could think.

Dorian stumbled back two full steps, caught completely off guard. His heel nearly caught on the edge of the polished floor before he managed to steady himself.

For a moment, even he looked shocked.

Catherine had already stepped back. Her other hand flew to her wrist, covering the bracelet protectively. Guarding it.

Her breathing turned shallow.

The bracelet had already opened once when Dorian touched it in the past.

And now… Her fingers curled tighter around it.

Was she protecting herself? Her autonomy?

Or was she protecting the bracelet itself? The very thing that had chained her fate. The symbol of every wound she carried from her past life.

She didn’t know anymore.

Dorian straightened slowly, disbelief flashing across his face. “Katrina…”

He took a cautious step forward, as if approaching something fragile.

Catherine was still staring at her wrist.

The alexandrite gem caught the morning light streaming through the hospital windows, its color shifting between violet and green. The gold band glowed warmly against her skin.

Beautiful and cruel at the same time.

A promise… and a prison.

And yet, she didn’t want him touching it.

“Katrina…” Dorian reached toward her again.

Catherine blinked. The world rushed back. Her eyes flicked around the corridor. Security guards had already shifted their stance. Every single one of them had their hands resting on their weapons now, ready and waiting.

Because she was Catherine Elizabeth Preston, the precious daughter of the Preston family. And the Preston family protected their own.

This hospital itself stood on Preston land. Every guard here knew exactly what it meant if anything happened to her under their watch.

It would be unforgivable.

Dorian, however, seemed blind to the tension building around him. His focus shifted past her. And froze.

Maximilian was walking toward them, tall and silent. His gaze was dangerously calm. Alexander followed just a few steps behind.

Dorian’s eyes narrowed. He lifted a finger and pointed at Maximilian before looking back at Catherine.

“He’s with you?”

The question came out strained. Then his gaze dropped again, to the bracelet. His expression twisted with something close to panic.

He stepped closer. Too close.

“You’re trapped, aren’t you?” His voice sharpened. “You’re trapped with him!”

His hand lunged toward her wrist again.

“Enough, Dorian!” Catherine’s voice cut through the corridor like a whip.

“Leave.”

The moment the words left her mouth… Metal clicked. Every security guard drew their weapons and aimed.

“Step back, sir,” one of them said calmly, though the tension in his shoulders betrayed how quickly things could escalate. “You’re trespassing. We’re asking you to remove yourself from the premises.”

Dorian finally seemed to notice them, the guns, and the circle of guards closing around him. But he didn’t step back.

Instead, he scoffed. “This is a hospital.”

“It’s a private hospital,” the guard replied evenly. “And you’re standing on private property. We have every right to escort you off the premises.”

The security guard holstered his gun, but only to reach for the handcuffs at his belt.

Around him, the other guards shifted closer.

Their weapons were still trained on Dorian, waiting, just in case he decided to resist.

Dorian didn’t answer the guards. He didn’t even look at them. His eyes were fixed on someone behind Catherine.

A chill ran down her spine. She turned.

Maximilian stood a few steps away, his posture calm, almost relaxed. But the gun in his hand was aimed directly at Dorian, steady and unwavering.

Catherine’s breath caught for a moment.

“Dorian,” she said quickly, stepping forward before the situation could fracture any further. No one here was in a good position.

Not him.

Not Maximilian.

Not her family.

“You’re in a lose-lose situation right now.”

Her voice was calm, but firm.

“This is our hospital. Our land. We have an entire security division here. An artillery.” She gestured lightly to the armed guards surrounding him. “It’s better if you leave.”

Then her voice softened just a little. “Think of your grandfather.”

At the mention of the old man, Dorian’s head snapped toward her. Despite the guns pointed at him and despite the tension crackling in the air… His gaze softened.

“Katerina…” he said quietly.

For a moment, the hostility drained from his face. Then he extended his hand toward her.

“Come with me.” His voice dropped, almost pleading. “Let’s leave together.”

Catherine didn’t hesitate.

“No.” The word came out sharp and immediate. “This is where I want to be.”

Her chin lifted slightly.

In her previous life, she had been forced to leave her home, and forced to abandon everything she loved.

Not this time. No one would drag her away again.

“Sir, step back!” one of the guards barked, their final warning.

Dorian finally looked around, at the circle of weapons aimed at him, the guards tightening their formation, and at the reality of the situation.

Even he understood the odds. He exhaled slowly. “I see.”

Then his eyes returned to Catherine. Something strange flickered in them. Something intense and possessive.

“I’ll come back for you, my queen.”

And with that… He turned and walked away. The tension in the corridor snapped like a severed wire.

Catherine let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Her shoulders sagged slightly. Behind her, Maximilian lowered his gun and flicked the safety back on. Then he stepped closer and gently patted her back.

A quiet gesture.

Steadying.

But before the moment could settle… Footsteps stopped. Dorian had paused at the end of the corridor.

Every guard instantly stiffened again, fingers tightening around their weapons.

Dorian slowly turned back. His hand lifted. For a moment, it looked like he might surrender.

Instead… He pointed directly at Maximilian.

His voice rang through the corridor. “You will not win this time, Maximilian.”

His expression darkened.

“Prepare to face hell for what you did to her.”

Then he turned again, and this time… He left.

Catherine turned and walked toward the elevator. Maximilian and Alexander followed quietly behind her. Neither of them spoke. But Catherine barely noticed them. Her mind was somewhere else entirely.

Dorian’s voice kept echoing in her head.

How did you get this bracelet?

He had recognized it. Not just the bracelet itself, but the curse tied to it. Her fingers slowly curled around the gold band at her wrist. The alexandrite stone shimmered faintly in the morning light.

Dorian knew about the curse… The thought made her stomach tighten.

Did he… put it on the bracelet?

But that didn’t make sense either. If Dorian had cursed it… Then how had the bracelet bound her to Maximilian?

Her steps slowed as the elevator doors slid open. And then another memory stabbed through her thoughts.

What you did to her…

Dorian’s words, accusing Maximilian. Her chest tightened.

What did he mean by that?

What did Maximilian supposedly do?

Or… what did Dorian believe he had done?

The questions churned in her mind like a storm she couldn’t quiet. The elevator opened to the ICU floor. Catherine stepped out just as someone rushed toward her.

“Cathy!” Miranda grabbed her arm, slightly breathless.

“Dad is looking for you.”

Catherine’s heart nearly stopped. All the thoughts about Dorian vanished instantly.

“Daddy?”

Panic surged through her chest. He was already worried about the Calhoun mess. He didn’t have to know about Dorian too. Without another word, she hurried toward the ICU room. She pushed the door open and rushed inside.

Her father lay in the hospital bed, pale but awake, the steady rhythm of the machines humming beside him.

The moment she saw him conscious, her chest loosened.

“Daddy,” she breathed, walking quickly to his bedside.

She reached for his hand.

“I’m here.”

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