Three days passed quickly, and the day of the grand opening for London University's new Management Building finally arrived. The state-of-the-art facility had been constructed specifically for the newly admitted students of the Faculty of Management, boasting top-tier modern amenities.
Liora, alongside her fellow classmates from the department, was completely swept up in the chaotic preparations. For the past few hours, she had been pushing herself to the absolute limit, working like a madgirl to get everything ready. Her peers were quietly taken aback by her sudden, hyper-focused burst of energy, but because everyone was buried under their own heavy workloads, no one paid it any serious mind.
With only fifteen minutes left before the ceremony was scheduled to begin, the transformation of the campus grounds was complete. A massive, beautifully decorated stage had been erected in the center of the expansive outdoor field. Rows of pristine chairs were arranged on the platform for the invited VIP guests, lecturers, and distinguished professors. In front of the stage, a sea of over five hundred chairs stretched across the grass to accommodate the student body. Branching out from the field's main entrance all the way to the stage was a striking red carpet, laid out in two parallel paths to welcome the arriving dignitaries.
Within minutes, the students began taking their seats, a buzz of anticipation rippling through the crowd as they waited for the special guest of honor to arrive.
"Hey, do you know who the special guest is today?" Liora overheard a student nearby ask.
"No idea. They kept it completely secret on the flyers, didn't they? I guess we'll find out soon." another replied.
As the minutes ticked down, a familiar, blinding pain shot through Liora's head, forcing her to squeeze her eyes shut tightly. But a second later, her eyes snapped wide open as a strange, overwhelming rush of energy surged through her veins. She knew this feeling. Her body was reacting to a specific presence, she was expecting someone.
Right on cue, a wave of frantic screams erupted from the student section.
"Oh my god! Am I dreaming?! Look over there, isn't that Ronan?!"
A massive group of girls and several boys leaped out of their chairs, completely abandoning their seats to rush toward the edge of the red carpet where the VIP guests were making their entrance.
"He's the special guest?! I can't believe this! Since when does a man like him ever show up to a campus event like this?"
"Are you kidding? This is a historical first!"
"Wow... he is breathtakingly handsome."
"I want him so bad..."
"He looks a little tired, though. I wonder if he's even eating properly lately? But god, he still looks flawless."
Liora quickly stood up from her chair, craneing her neck to see over the crowd, but her view was completely obstructed. Ronan's personal security detail had immediately linked hands, forming a rigid human wall to clear a path toward the stage and shield the billionaire from the screaming students desperately trying to press closer.
Warm, happy tears welled up in Liora's eyes. After days of aching separation and endless worrying, she was finally going to see Ronan again. But the relief was short-lived.
Ronan's Perspective
Three days ago, when my former professor from London University's Faculty of Management personally reached out and invited me to the opening ceremony of their new building, the very first image that flashed across my mind was Liora.
Under normal circumstances, I would turn down these superficial public appearances without a second thought. But this time, I accepted the invitation instantly, driven by the desperate hope that I might catch a glimpse of Liora again. I had to admit it to myself, the girl had already changed me completely. I was finally letting my heart rule my actions, doing exactly what it wanted.
The moment I stepped onto the university grounds, that familiar, unexplainable cosmic energy rippled through my chest, confirming that Liora was somewhere in the crowd. It had been weeks since our paths had crossed, weeks since that unforgettable kiss. Even though a part of me was anxious about how she would react to an embrace I hadn't even planned that night, the sheer excitement of seeing her eclipsed my doubts. Just thinking about her caused the crushing weight of my corporate stress to ease. I knew she felt the connection too; I could understand it implicitly.
But as I looked out at the venue, my heart sank. Good god, there are too many people, I thought, realizing how incredibly difficult it would be to find the exact pair of eyes I was searching for in a crowd of this magnitude.
I stepped onto the stage, my gaze scanning the sea of students while the security guards struggled to calm the frantic audience. I searched desperately for a familiar, blonde-haired girl among the crowd.
But she was nowhere to be found. Letting out a heavy, disappointed sigh, I reluctantly sat down in the designated VIP chair that had been prepared for me.
But then, the world stopped.
Third Person's POV
The moment Ronan settled into his seat, a violent psychic premonition shattered his consciousness. His brow furrowed in sudden agony and his eyes widened in horror as a vivid, terrifying sequence played out in his mind like a cinematic horror movie. He saw a sinister group of men ambushing Liora, forcing her unconscious, defenseless body into a pitch-black room.
Realizing with absolute certainty that Liora was in immediate, mortal danger, Ronan bolted out of his chair. He turned on his heel, abandoning the stage and sprinting toward the backstage exit.
A campus security guard immediately stepped into his path, extending a hand to stop him. "Sir, please, you can't leave. The ceremony is about to commence." the guard said, keeping his tone as polite as humanly possible. He was well-aware of the billionaire's volatile reputation and desperately wanted to avoid angering him.
But no mortal stood a chance of stopping Ronan when his entire soul was consumed by a singular, frantic directive: Save Liora.
Ronan glared down at the man, his eyes flashing a dangerous, predatory red. The guard recoiled, a wave of pure terror washing over his face.
"Get out of my way before you lose your job." Ronan hissed, his voice dripping with venom.
"S-Sorry, sir!" the guard stammered, instantly stepping aside. The remaining university officials on stage watched the interaction in utter confusion as Ronan vanished into the wings.
Having successfully evaded the prying eyes of the crowd, Ronan navigated the backstage area and burst out into the secondary campus grounds. The entire sector was completely deserted, as every student and faculty member was gathered at the main field.
Spotting a solitary maintenance worker walking down a path, Ronan intercepted him.
"Excuse me," Ronan demanded, fighting to keep his voice steady. "Is there an area on this campus with isolated, abandoned rooms?"
The worker blinked, looking Ronan up and down in confusion. "Yes, sir... there's an old building that was abandoned years ago, right through those trees."
Maniacingly controlling his supernatural urge to sprint, Ronan walked briskly in the direction the worker pointed, fully aware that the man was still watching him from behind. But the moment he rounded the corner and broke line of sight, Ronan unleashed his extraordinary speed.
He materialized inside the old, decaying three-story structure. Moving like a blur, he searched every corridor and ripped open every single door, but there was no sign of the boy.
"Shit!!" Ronan roared, his fist colliding with a concrete wall on the third floor, leaving a visible crater in the plaster.
Frantic, he rushed to the dusty window and scanned the landscape behind the building. His eyes locked onto a small, weathered shed tucked away in an overgrown, heavily wooded area. A sudden realization struck him, and he propelled himself toward the shed at a breakneck pace.
As he ran, a suffocating, alien fear gripped his heart. What if I'm already too late?
His chest heaved, his heart hammering against his ribs as he neared the structure. But before he could even reach the door, he was met with a spectacle he never could have anticipated.
With a deafening BANG, both wooden doors of the shed violently shattered outward, splintering into pieces. Three large men were propelled through the air, crashing brutally onto the dirt path directly in front of Ronan. He froze, his eyes widening as he stared at the three attackers writhing, groaning, and clutching their fractured bodies on the ground.
Realizing Liora must be inside, Ronan stepped over the groaning men, his heart in his throat as he crossed the threshold into the ruined shed. The sight inside left him utterly paralyzed.
Liora was sitting in the center of the room. Her eyes had transformed into a brilliant, ethereal shade of blue, glowing so intensely that Ronan found it physically painful to look directly into them. On her forehead, the sharp diamond crest pulsed with a luminous, otherworldly light. The oppressive darkness of the shed cast deep, dramatic shadows across Liora's face, making her delicate features look dangerously severe and menacing.
Slowly rising to her feet, Liora began walking through the shattered doorway, her glowing gaze fixed entirely on the three groaning men outside.
Ronan swallowed hard, taking a slow, calculated breath. He didn't dare look away. Forcing himself to step forward, he raised both hands in a peaceful, defensive gesture, though his entire body was trembling with a rare sense of fear.
"L-Liora? I-It's me. It's Mr. Brown." Ronan breathed, his voice cracking.
Liora paused, turning her glowing, unreadable gaze directly onto him. Ronan gulped awkwardly, his throat completely dry.
Cautiously closing the distance between them, Ronan reached out and brushed his fingers against Liora's hand. He instantly pulled his arm back in sheer shock. Liora's skin was unnaturally, inexplicably freezing, he felt exactly like a solid block of ice. Standing beside the younger girl felt like standing next to an open glacier.
Steeling his resolve and ignoring the biting cold seeping into his own skin, Ronan threw his arms around Liora, pulling the freezing girl tightly against his own radiating warmth.
"Calm down, hmm... just calm down. I'm right here, okay? You're safe. Don't be scared. Shh..." Ronan whispered frantically into her ear, desperately rubbing her back. He fought back the hot tears prickling his eyes, completely terrified by the girl's sub-zero temperature.
But what happened next caused his panic to double.
As Ronan's warmth enveloped her, the brilliant blue light faded from Liora's eyes and the diamond mark vanished from her skin. Her features softened back to normal, and her body went completely limp, collapsing unconsciously into Ronan's arms. Yet, her skin remained terrifyingly cold.
Ronan sank to the dirt floor, cradling Liora's lifeless body against his lap.
"L-Liora? No, no, no... Open your eyes. Please, don't close your eyes on me..." Ronan pleaded, his voice breaking as he gently patted the girl's pale cheeks. His panic escalated when he pressed his fingers to Liora's pulse; her heartbeat was dangerously faint and highly irregular.
"Y-You're going to be fine. No... I won't let anything happen to you while I'm here. You can't l-leave me. Please..." Ronan sobbed, squeezing the girl against his chest as tears streamed down his face.
With a shaking hand, he snatched his smartphone from his pocket and speed-dialed his personal driver.
"Bring the car to the back gate of the university. Right now!!" Ronan roared into the receiver before slamming it shut.
He looked down at Liora's frozen, pale face through a blur of tears, pressing a tender, desperate kiss against her cold forehead. "Nothing is going to happen to you. I promise."
Lifting Liora carefully into his arms, Ronan navigated away from the scene and ran toward the secluded back gate of the campus. He consciously decided to bypass the hospital entirely; there was no logical way he could explain Liora's supernatural medical state to a doctor without drawing dangerous attention.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The sleek black sedan tore up to the curb, and Ronan immediately opened the door, gently laying Liora across the spacious back seat. The driver sat frozen in the front seat, staring in utter bewilderment from his boss to the unconscious, pale girl.
"S-Sir? Who is this? And why are you-"
"What did I just command you to do?!" Ronan screamed, his voice shaking the interior of the car. "Drive to the mansion as fast as humanly possible!!"
The driver slammed his foot on the gas, the tires screeching as they sped away. Throughout the frantic ride, Ronan never stopped moving. He continuously stroked Liora's blonde hair, pressing desperate kisses to her forehead and whispering frantic words of comfort into the quiet car. Watching the display through the rearview mirror, the driver was entirely spellbound, unable to comprehend this profound, deeply vulnerable transformation in his usually ruthless master.
Ronan rapidly dialed Lily's number over and over, but the line went straight to voicemail.
"Shit! Shit! Shit!!" Ronan slammed his fist against the leather door handle.
Because he had abruptly abandoned the high-profile university ceremony, his phone was buzzing relentlessly with incoming calls from furious organizers and PR managers. He ignored every single one of them, his entire existence narrowed down to the girl in his arms.
The moment the car screeched to a halt in the mansion's courtyard, Ronan threw the door open. He scooped Liora into his arms and bolted into the house at an impossible, supernatural speed. He flew right past old Miss Scott, completely ignoring the look of profound shock on her face as he raced up the grand staircase and laid Liora down on his massive bed.
He tried calling Lily several more times, but each attempt was met with silence. In a fit of absolute, helpless rage, Ronan aggressively gripped his own hair and let out a raw scream.
Desperate, he began tearing through the mansion, sprinting from room to room to gather every single heavy blanket, duvet, and linen sheet he could find, piling them high over Liora's body in a frantic bid to trap any semblance of heat. Miss Scott stood frozen in the doorway, entirely paralyzed by the chaotic scene unfolding before her.
"For God's sake, Ronan, will you tell me what on earth is happening here?!" Miss Scott finally demanded, her voice laced with deep concern. "What happened to young Liora?!"
"Please, Miss Scott, you have to help me!" Ronan begged, completely discarding his pride as he turned to her with pleading eyes. "Do something... anything! Please, make her body warm. She's freezing to death!"
Miss Scott's eyes widened. She rushed over to the bedside and placed her hand against Liora's forehead, only to instantly recoil with a sharp gasp. The sheer, glacial cold radiating from the girl was physically unbearable for a normal human being.
"T-Take these blankets off her immediately, Ronan," Miss Scott ordered, her voice turning sharp and authoritative. "Strip off her clothes, sir. And you need to take off your clothes, quickly!"
Ronan stared at her, his expression twisting in disbelief as if she had entirely lost her mind.
"What?! Are you insane?! If I do that, she'll freeze to death! I am trying to warm her up, not make her colder! And why the hell would I take off my own clothes?! What is wrong with you, Miss Scott-"
"Ronan!!!" Miss Scott's powerful scream instantly cut him off, echoing through the master bedroom.
"Have you completely forgotten what the two of you are to each other?!" she thundered, her eyes blazing with an ancient intensity. "If you want to save Liora's life without wasting time on stupid questions, strip your clothes off right now just like I told you! You are the only person in this world who can pull her back from this brink. The two of you must have direct, skin-to-skin contact! Now do as I say!"
Ronan stood entirely stunned by her outburst. His eyes went wide as he stared at the elderly woman in sheer shock. "H-How do you even know about-"
"Do it right now!!" Miss Scott interrupted fiercely.
Recognizing the absolute gravity in her voice, Ronan stopped arguing. His hands flew to his designer suit jacket, tearing it off as Miss Scott issued her final instructions.
"Keep her as close to your body as possible. Do not leave her side until her temperature completely stabilizes. Understood? I will leave the room to give you both privacy."
With that, Miss Scott stepped out into the corridor, quietly clicking the heavy door shut behind her.
Ronan quickly stripped down until he was wearing nothing but his boxers. Turning back to the bed, he systematically dragged the mountain of heavy blankets off Liora's body.
"I am so incredibly sorry for doing this... but I don't have any other choice." Ronan swallowed hard, his voice a gravelly whisper.
With trembling fingers, he carefully removed Liora's clothing, leaving her only in her underwears. Sliding into the massive bed beside her, Ronan pulled Liorak's limp body directly against his bare chest. The moment their skin met, a violent wave of absolute, biting cold shot through Ronan's torso, making him gasp.
He tightly pulled a single, heavy duvet over both of them, locking them together in an intimate embrace.
For the next hour, Ronan fought a grueling battle against the frost encasing the girl. He continuously rubbed Liora's pale face, her arms, and her legs with his hands, repeatedly blowing his own warm breath against the girl's skin, constantly monitoring her temperature. By the time sixty minutes had passed, Ronan was completely exhausted, his muscles aching from the strain.
But finally, a wave of relief washed over him as he felt a natural, human warmth slowly bleeding back into Liora's skin. Her temperature was finally back to normal.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Suddenly, the bedroom door flew open with a loud thud, and Lily stormed into the room, her voice firing off like a rapid-fire rap.
"Ah, Ronan! What the hell happened to you?! Look, I am so incredibly sorry, I was trapped in an intense surgical operation, so I completely missed your frantic calls! The second I stepped out of the OR, Miss Scott called my personal line and practically ordered me to fly over to the mansion immediately! How are you feeling now- Oh, whoa. Who on earth is this?!"
Lily stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes bulging as she instinctively marched over and pulled back the edge of the duvet to inspect her patient. She froze, completely stunned to see Liora curled up flush against Ronan's bare chest like a fragile baby.
A massive, teasing smirk slowly spread across Lily's face. "Oh... so this is your girlfriend, right? This is that gorgeous 'angel girl' who's always passing out on you!"
Ronan aggressively rolled his eyes, glaring murder at his friend.
"Oh, man, I think I completely interrupted a private moment here." Lily chuckled, adjusting hier glasses. "Miss Scott must have given me the wrong impression. You two just go right back to what you were doing, I'll just head out-"
"Lily! Will you please shut the hell up for a single second?!" Ronan snapped, keeping his arms securely wrapped around Liora, refusing to let her drift away. "Just sit down. Her body temperature dropped to sub-zero. She felt like a corpse."
Hearing the shift in Ronan's tone, Lily's playful demeanor instantly vanished. She sat down on the edge of the mattress, unpacking the specialized medical instruments she had brought along in her briefcase.
"Will Your Majesty graciously allow me to examine your angel for a brief moment?" Lily asked, playfully bowing her head.
Ronan shot her a protective glare but slowly loosened his grip, shifting back slightly to give the doctor room to work.
"I brought my emergency kit just in case it was a severe crisis." Lily murmured, her expression turning entirely professional as she adjusted her stethoscope. Ronan watched with a hawk-like intensity, his patience wearing thin the second Lily pressed the cold metal disc onto Liora's bare, milky-white chest.
"What is taking so long? That's more than enough checking." Ronan growled, his jaw tightening.
Lily paused, glancing up at the billionaire before slowly breaking into a knowing wink. "Oh, wow. Look who's getting insanely jealous."
Ronan rolled his eyes for the thousandth time that day, quickly looking away toward the window as he unconsciously licked his lips to hide his burning cheeks.
"Hmm..." Lily murmured, finishing her assessment and pulling the stethoscope away. "Her heartbeat has regulated, and her temperature is perfectly normal. There's absolutely nothing clinically wrong with her right now. Honestly, your best bet is to just keep holding her exactly like you are right now. There's no telling when her consciousness will return."
As Lily began packed her gear back into her medical bag, her brow furrowed in genuine curiosity. "But seriously, Ronan... what is really going on between you two? In my entire medical career, I have never witnessed a living human being's temperature drop to that level of absolute, deathly cold for no biological reason. It defies science. And how on earth did your body heat manage to warm her back up so quickly?"
"It's a very long story." Ronan replied flatly, his eyes returning to Liora's sleeping face.
"Brilliant. I happen to love long stories." Lily said, leaning back eagerly.
"Well, not today, Doctor Lily." Ronan countered, his voice hard. "I think it's best if you take your leave now. Send me the bill, I'll have my accountant pay you later."
Lily let out a dramatic gasp, throwing her hands up. "Hey! I don't want your money. Standing in the way of true love is bad for my karma. I won't get any romance in my own life if I disrupt a beautiful love story like this!"
"Lily!!" Ronan warned, his voice dropping an octave.
"Okay, okay! I'm leaving! Enjoy your night!!" Lily laughed, quickly heading for the exit and clicking the door shut behind her.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Left alone in the absolute quiet of the master suite, Ronan let out a long, heavy sigh. He turned his attention entirely to the sleeping girl beside him.
Looking at Liora's half-naked, flawless milky-white body resting so peacefully against his own, Ronan felt his mind spinning. A profound, intense wave of affection gripped his chest. He realized, with absolute certainty, that he wanted this. He wished with every fiber of his being that this could be the exact sight he woke up to every single morning for the rest of his life.
Reaching out with a gentle hand, Ronan softly brushed away the stray locks of blonde hair that had fallen across Liora's face. He leaned down, pressing a lingering, profoundly loving kiss onto the girl's forehead.
Pulling Liora's fragile frame tightly back against his bare chest, Ronan pulled the heavy duvet securely over both of them. He closed his eyes, a deep sigh of utter relief escaping his lips as a breathtaking, beautiful smile illuminated his face.
I want to live in this exact moment forever. Ronan thought to himself, completely at peace as he drifted into the quiet night.