Chapter 149: Chapter 149: A Gift She Would Not Open

Chapter 149: A Gift She Would Not Open

Elias had already explained himself clearly.

It was not that he disliked Yvonne Quinn. It was only that his affection for her was not the kind that existed between a man and a woman. What he felt, according to the innocent, harmless version of himself he had offered Mira, was closer to admiration. Respect. A clean kind of worship from a grateful young patient toward a brilliant doctor.

After the first shock passed, Mira looked at him differently.

So she was not the only person in the world who could resist Dr. Quinn’s charm.

They were practically kindred spirits.

Once that thought settled in, Mira opened up completely. The last of her reserve vanished, and she and Elias talked as if they had been waiting years to meet each other. The conversation warmed quickly, turning almost startlingly lively in the quiet room full of gifts.

At some point, a figure appeared at the doorway.

A voice beautiful enough to make the ear surrender sounded from outside.

"Mira. Come here for a moment."

Mira and Elias both turned sharply.

All Elias caught was a flash of white. The clean edge of a doctor’s coat. On Yvonne Quinn, even that brief glimpse seemed to leave a trace in the air before she turned and walked away.

Mira drew her gaze back, then looked at Elias with an apologetic smile. "Sorry. Dr. Quinn called me."

Elias rose slowly from his crouch, graceful and understanding. He smiled as he shook his head. "It’s okay. You should go, Mira. Dr. Quinn probably needs your help with something."

Mira nodded and started toward the door.

Elias naturally followed her out.

With so many gifts in the room, no normal person would stay there alone. If something went missing later, even a harmless person could end up under suspicion.

Once they stepped out, Mira gently pulled the door shut behind them. Then she said to Elias, "Thank you for today. Really. I’ll take you out to eat when I have time."

"Sure," Elias said at once, his face bright with enthusiasm.

After that, Mira left for Yvonne’s office.

Elias remained where he was, his eyes narrowing slightly as he watched her go.

She was standing outside just now, wasn’t she?

System Theta answered with certainty.

[Of course. She was outside the door listening to your conversation with Mira Perry.]

Then why wouldn’t she even meet me?

For once, Elias was genuinely confused.

The Yvonne Quinn from the original plot was not this kind of person. When it came to perversion, she had never exactly lacked initiative.

That was why Elias had deliberately built a positive image for himself. Simple, sunny, warm, lively. Most important, afraid of pain.

For any sadist, he should have been the kind of target they wanted to lock in a private room and torment until he broke.

Such a perfect piece of prey, and yet Yvonne Quinn, the hunter, had somehow held herself back.

Did she think the timing was wrong? Was she still waiting? Or was she simply not interested in him at all?

Elias raised a hand and scratched at his hair, his face settling into a troubled expression that fit the persona he had shown Yvonne perfectly. What came out of his mouth, however, had nothing to do with that innocent mask.

"She has picky taste. I’ve practically stripped myself down and laid myself in front of her, and she still managed not to ruin me."

System Theta fell silent.

Host, this is a hospital. Please have some restraint.

Standing there and thinking in circles would not give him an answer, so Elias could only leave.

Meanwhile, in Yvonne Quinn’s office, a tall figure sat behind the desk.

Her elbows rested on the polished surface, her pale chin settled over her interlaced fingers. In her mind, she replayed every word from earlier.

Everything Elias and Mira had said.

She remembered every sentence.

She had not seen what happened inside the room, but with her memory and her understanding of Elias, the image of a young man with a radiant smile slowly took shape in her mind.

Then, as if the final line had been drawn, he came alive.

He spoke to Mira with bright animation, his expression vivid, his voice sweet and clear each time he called to her with that easy affection.

The place where Mira should have been crouching changed inside Yvonne’s mind.

Yvonne herself appeared there instead.

She looked down from above at the young man in glasses. His energy and warmth seemed almost contagious, even in an imagined room.

Her long legs bent slightly as she crouched too, bringing herself level with the Elias her mind had created.

He looked back at her. The slight curve of his eyes and brows matched exactly the impression he had left on her.

He was beautiful in the way of something that seemed to have stepped out of one of her dreams. Every expression, every smile, every small movement touched something inside her and pulled at the desire she could barely control.

The desire to break him completely.

"Mira, here."

His lips parted, and he spoke the words he had said not long ago.

In the next instant, the image in Yvonne’s mind changed.

The clothes on Elias vanished without warning. In their place, the ribbons used to wrap and tie gift boxes appeared around his body, winding around him again and again. They bound him tightly. Smooth skin was gradually covered, yet the restraint only made him more tempting.

His pure expression carried a trace of confusion, as if he had no idea he had become the gift placed before her.

Yvonne moved.

She reached out gently and caught the ribbon tied in a loose bow. Then she pulled.

The ribbon fell away without a sound.

What appeared before her was not a beautiful, untouched body.

The ribbons seemed to have been his skin. As they dropped, it was as if someone had peeled him open. Fresh red flesh and the hidden structures beneath were exposed fully to the air.

At the sight, a faint spark of fanaticism surfaced in Yvonne’s eyes.

Among all those countless gift boxes, this was the finest gift to her.

Just then, the office door opened.

Mira walked in. "Dr. Quinn, you called me?"

The image in Yvonne’s mind shattered.

Her awareness returned to the real office, to Mira standing in front of her. Yvonne released a soft breath.

She had thought something wicked again.

Once again.

That kind and clean child had no idea what sort of monster he admired. He had no idea that everything he did brought him one step closer to the abyss.

Yvonne showed none of it.

She was a psychiatrist. How could she possibly let such a flaw appear on her face?

Unfortunately, a doctor could not heal herself. That was why she had gradually fallen to this point.

She spoke softly. "How is the gift sorting going?"

"It’s almost done," Mira said.

Thanks to Elias.

Yvonne nodded slightly and smiled faintly. "You worked hard."

"It wasn’t hard. It’s part of my job." Mira remembered something. "Oh, right. Do you remember Elias Kane?"

Yvonne’s expression did not change. "What about him?"

"He asked me to give you something."

As she spoke, Mira took out the woven bracelet.

Yvonne looked at the object resting in Mira’s palm.

A gift?

This gift was indeed exactly to her taste. If she wanted to, she could take it apart easily.

Thread by thread.

A moment later, Yvonne said calmly, "Throw it away."

To her, it was not only a gift.

It was Pandora’s box.

She could not open it like this.

Mira grew anxious. "But..."

"Throw it away."

Yvonne’s tone remained gentle, but those two words were closer to an order than a request.

Mira’s body stiffened.

The plea that had reached her lips stopped there. She could not force out another word.

It was only after she left Yvonne’s office without quite realizing how she had done it that she finally came back to herself and let out a long breath.

Elias, don’t blame me for not helping you.

It was Dr. Quinn’s order.

Mira truly did not dare disobey.