chapter29

Connor nodded slightly. Even in a hospital bed, he gave off that icy, untouchable vibe of someone who belonged to a world of privilege.

"One day. That's all you've got."

"Yes, sir."

Aiden couldn't help but be amazed. Since when did their boss ever sound this urgent? He was pulling out all the stops just to find that mysterious girl who had saved him. Well, thank god she showed up yesterday and acted so quickly, or nobody knew where their boss would be right now.

Aiden risked a glance at Connor's face. What he saw nearly made his heart stop.

No way.

Was he seeing things?

Their forever aloof boss... was actually smiling at his screen?

It was just a small twitch at the corner of his mouth, but it was definitely a smile. There was no mistaking it.

That was honestly scary.

Connor's eyes stayed glued to the screen. All he could see was a delicate, pale hand moving through piles of herbs, but his gaze was intense, almost like a hunter who had just found something rare and precious.

Lydia's updates were all over the place. Sometimes she posted every few days, sometimes she disappeared for weeks. Most of her videos were shot up in the mountains-harvesting herbs, sorting dried plants, or giving quick tips on how to take care of your health. Every clip got at least a million likes. She never showed her face, not even once.

He scrolled through the comments, totally hooked. Some people begged her to do a face reveal, while others asked for help with their own health issues. There were so many comments he could barely keep up.

He found the one where Chief Lydia had replied herself, confirming her safety. He wanted to like it, but a login screen popped up.

He barely used social media and hardly had any apps on his phone, but it's not like he didn't know about this platform. He actually knew its CEO pretty well.

If he wanted to join Lydia's fan club, he had no choice but to sign up. He kept his username simple-just 'CNR'.

Just as he was about to dive in and start liking posts, he could feel someone staring at him.

He looked up with a frown and met Aiden's gaze. "Why are you still here?"

Aiden snapped to attention. "I'll get back to work right away, sir."

As Aiden turned to leave, Connor, the notorious workaholic, reminded him, "Forget about work for now. Find her first."

Aiden froze for a second, then nodded. "... Yes, sir."

Once Aiden left, Connor finally let himself relax. He turned up the volume and listened to the girl's voice. There was something about it clear, calm, soothing. He thought it might just put him to sleep.

After Lydia replied in the comments to confirm she was okay, the whole section went wild again.

[Is it really you? Why not post a video so we can see for ourselves?]

[Yeah, what if it's just someone from your team?]

[I trust Chief Lydia. She's only got one admin. There's no team.]

[But what if it's the admin posting? We want to see Chief Lydia for real!]

[Yeah, show us you're okay, Chief Lydia!]

Connor watched the comments pour in and decided to leave one of his own: Show us you're safe, Chief Lydia.

As soon as he posted it, people started liking it. In just two minutes, he had over a thousand likes, with everyone chiming in that they wouldn't believe she was fine until they saw her in person.

Of course, it didn't take long for a troll to show up.

[C. Lambert]: She's just a scammer. Missing? Fell off a cliff? I bet she's just trying to

run away after stealing enough money. Look at you all, panicking like fools. She's tricked every last one of you and you don't even know it.

The comment section blew up, with most people fighting back, a few staying neutral, but hardly anyone siding with the troll.