Chapter 123

• A faint sense of déjà vu washed over me as my eyes fluttered open. The rhythmic drip of liquid through a plastic tube caught my attention, instantly transporting me back to the sterile confines of Monteforte Investment Bank’s medical center. The feeling was oddly familiar, yet this time, something was different.
• The bed beneath me felt the same, but as I turned my head, I was greeted by a striking view: a vast window framing the warm hues of a sunset over a lush forest. Turning the other way, I found Kenzo slumped beside the bed, his head resting near my right hand, which he held tightly, almost possessively. His sleeping face was peaceful, a stark contrast to the tension that had gripped us earlier.
• As I stared at him, fragments of my fight with Steele began to flood back, sharp and vivid. My mind fixated on the memory of my mangled shoulder, and instinctively, I glanced down to inspect the damage. My left collarbone and upper arm were swathed in thick bandages, the faint smell of herbal ointment seeping through the layers. I gingerly tried to move my arm, bracing for pain that never came.