Chapter 272
Without wasting another second explaining herself to Thomas, Suzy rushed downstairs and pounded on Liam’s door. She arrived so abruptly that when Liam looked through the peephole, he visibly froze. The moment he recognized her, he threw the lock and pulled the door open.
"Suzy? What happened?" he asked immediately.
Suzy lifted her head, her face deathly pale and her eyes red and swollen from exhaustion. She stared at him for a long, heavy moment before speaking in a hoarse whisper. "I need your help."
The sight of her stopped Liam cold. This was the first time he had ever seen her look so fragile—so worn down and utterly exhausted.
The sight twisted painfully at his heart, feeling as though someone had reached into his chest and squeezed.
"Tell me what you need," he said softly. "If I can help, I will."
A flicker of gratitude appeared in Suzy’s eyes. "Derek is sick," she said, her voice trembling. "I’ve tried everything I can think of, but nothing is working. I remember you mentioning that one of the people downstairs is a doctor..."
She didn’t even have to finish the sentence; Liam already understood.
Derek was sick. How had that happened?
A familiar face surfaced in Liam’s mind—that handsome, irritatingly perfect man who always seemed to hover around Suzy. Even now, Liam could remember Derek’s subtly provocative attitude toward him.
Knowing that Derek’s illness had reduced Suzy to this broken state left a bitter taste in his mouth, yet seeing her suffer hurt far more.
"Wait here," he said, cutting off his own thoughts. "I’ll grab my coat and take you downstairs. They should still be home."
Emotion welled in Suzy’s chest. "Thank you."
Liam shook his head. "What are you thanking me for? You don’t need to be so formal with me." The words slipped out before he could stop them; after all, she had once said the exact same thing to him.
Without waiting for a reply, he hurried back inside. A moment later he returned wearing a heavy winter coat and locked the door behind him, moving as quickly as possible to avoid making her wait a second longer.
As they headed toward the stairwell, he glanced around. "Did you come down alone?"
Suzy nodded. Thomas had wanted to accompany her, but she had refused. Derek needed supervision far more than she needed company, and finding help was something she and Liam could handle on their own—too many people might only complicate things.
True to his nature, Thomas hadn’t argued; he had quietly accepted her decision and stayed behind with Leonard to watch over Derek.
Liam didn’t press further, leading her quickly down the stairs. Time mattered. If Aaron and the others had gone out searching for supplies, they might miss them entirely.
They descended the steps at a near run, reaching the floor where the four men lived within minutes. Liam knocked firmly on the door. Fortunately, their luck held, and the sound of approaching footsteps echoed from inside.
"It’s me," Liam called out.
The door opened almost immediately as the person inside recognized his voice. A young man appeared, his posture visibly relaxing when he saw Liam, though his eyes quickly shifted to Suzy with a trace of curiosity. After a brief glance, he returned his attention to Liam.
"What brings you here?"
It was Elijah, the younger of the twin brothers. Because he already knew Liam, most of his caution had vanished.
"I’m looking for your brother," Liam said without preamble. "I need a favor. Is he home?"
Elijah’s gaze flickered toward Suzy again. Noticing the look, Liam explained, "She’s a friend from upstairs. Someone in her family is sick, and we’d like your brother to take a look."
Understanding dawned immediately. "I see," Elijah nodded. "Wait here. I’ll go ask him."
With that, he closed the door and disappeared deeper into the apartment.
Left behind in the cold stairwell, the wait felt endless. Seeing the anxiety written all over Suzy’s face, Liam spoke gently.
"It’ll be alright. They’re good people, and I’m sure they’ll help." More importantly, they owed him a favor, and Liam was confident the brothers would not refuse a reasonable request.
His reassurance eased some of the tension knotting Suzy’s chest. "Thank you, Liam."
He offered her a small smile and lightly patted her shoulder. "Try not to worry." Silence settled between them once more before Liam broke it again, the question nagging at him since she arrived. "How did Derek get sick so suddenly?"
Derek had always looked healthy enough—strong, fit, and according to Suzy, he had barely left the apartment. How had he ended up like this?
Suzy sighed heavily. "I don’t know. He was completely fine at first, then he started feeling sleepy all the time. None of us thought much of it until yesterday, when he suddenly developed a high fever."
Her voice tightened with renewed panic. "I gave him fever medicine, but it didn’t help at all. The fever just keeps getting worse. I honestly don’t know what else to do."
Liam understood her fear and helplessness, and seeing her worry so deeply made his chest ache. Yet, an uncomfortable bitterness still lingered beneath his sympathy. After all, she was suffering like this for another man.
But that same devotion only reinforced what he already knew about her: she was loyal, kind, and cared deeply for the people she loved.
The realization made it impossible to resent her. Suddenly, a ridiculous thought surfaced in his mind: If I were the one lying sick in bed, would she worry about me like this?
Before he could dwell on the thought, the door swung open. Elijah emerged, but this time he wasn’t alone. Standing beside him were Bill and Aaron. The three men crowded near the doorway, studying the waiting pair.
Suzy’s attention locked onto Bill, the doctor, the moment he appeared. She immediately noticed the small medical bag clutched in his hand, packed with supplies. Bill, who had met her briefly before, let his eyes sweep over her before nodding to Liam.
"Let’s go." Clearly, his brother had already explained the urgency.
"Thank you," Liam said sincerely.
Bill gave a short nod but said nothing else as he stepped into the hallway. Elijah remained inside the apartment, but Aaron followed closely behind the doctor.
Noticing their slight surprise, Bill explained calmly, "He’s coming with me. Is that alright?"
Liam glanced at Suzy, who immediately nodded. "That’s fine."
The doctor’s caution made sense; bringing an extra person for security was hardly unreasonable in times like these. At this point, Suzy didn’t care about anything except getting help for Derek as quickly as possible.
Under her anxious urging, the group quickened their pace and headed up to the twentieth floor. But when they finally stepped through the entryway, a sudden chill greeted them.
The moment the cold air hit her, Suzy understood––Leonard and Thomas had already prepared the staging ground; the moment she had left to seek help, they had shut down every heating source in the apartment to hide their resources.