Chapter 17 This was the third time William noticed Maxine's unusual attention to the Merrow Group. He stood at the study door, watching her slender back go stiff under the desk lamp. The pen in her hand scratched sharp lines on the paper. That didn't look like analyzing data, it was more like... Dissected the enemy. "Looking at the Merrow Group report again?" William walked in with a mug of hot milk, making his footsteps a little louder on purpose. Maxine's fingers trembled just a little, and she quickly closed the folder. "Just a routine analysis." She took the milk, a perfect smile on her lips. "Getting to know the future competition in advance." William didn't call out her lie. Even though over the past three months, she looked into the Merrow Group way more often than any other company, sometimes even staying up past midnight. But whenever he tried to ask, she quickly changed the subject. Especially after that one-sided meeting in Paris. "Don't stay up too late." He just put down the cup in his hand in the end, "There's an early meeting to- morrow." Maxine nodded, but her eyes had already drifted back to that stack of files. When William closed the study door, he heard the pen scratching on the paper again, like some kind of obsession taking shape. At 3:17 a.m., a sharp scream broke the silence of the villa. William jumped out of bed, and his doctor's instincts made him instantly alert. The sound came from Maxine's bedroom. He rushed over without even having time to put on his slippers. He pushed the door open, and what he saw made his heart clench hard. Maxine curled up in the corner between the bed and the wall, gripping her own neck tightly with both 0.0 %. 06:34 hands, her face as pale as paper. Her pajamas were soaked with cold sweat, sticking to her thin back, and she was shaking like a leaf in the wind. What freaked William out the most was her eyes-her pupils were dilated, her gaze was unfocused, like she was seeing some terrifying scene that wasn't actually there. "Maxine!" William knelt on one knee in front of her, not daring to touch her. "Look at me, can you hear me?" There was no response. Maxine's breathing got faster and her lips started turning blue. Acute PTSD attack. William made a quick decision. He gently held Maxine's wrist and felt a patch of cold, sticky sweat. "Breathe with me," he put her hand on his chest, "feel my breathing, take it slow..." William deliberately slowed his breathing, and his chest rose and fell steadily. He could feel a ring of uneven scars on the slender wrist under his palm. One minute, two minutes... Maxine's breathing finally started to sync with his. Her pupils refocused, and when she saw who was in front of her, she suddenly pulled her hand back. "I'm fine," she said hoarsely, pulling down her pajama sleeve over her wrist out of habit, "Sorry, I just had a nightmare." William didn't call out this lame lie. He got up to pour a glass of warm water and added a few drops of calming essential oil to the diffuser nearby. "Drink some water first." He handed it to her, deliberately keeping a safe distance. "I'll go get you a dry towel." When he came back from the bathroom, Maxine had already moved to the single armchair by the win- dow, holding a cup in both hands, her eyes on the night outside. The moonlight outlined her profile, and her eyelashes cast a small shadow under her eyes. William gently put the towel on her shoulders and sat down in the armchair across from her. "Do you want to talk about that nightmare?" He asked really casually, like he was just talking about the weather tomorrow, 44.7 %. 06:34 Maxine's fingers absentmindedly rubbed the side of her cup. After a long silence, she suddenly said, "Do you know what it feels like to drown?" William paused for a moment. 95.3 %. 06:34 Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!