Chapter 1359
Maja felt the firm grip on her shoulder and the coppery scent of blood filled her nostrils.
In such a high-stakes environment, her brain was too overloaded to process much else. Phelps had
taken a bullet for her, and almost by instinct, she was inclined to trust him.
With her rationality squeezed to the fringes, she noticed Phelps fidgeting with a ring on his finger.
The movement was swift, yet it seemed to flip a switch in her mind.
She felt like her consciousness was being steered by someone else''s hand, blindly following him.
Phelps led her through the water, and after what felt like an eternal five hundred meters, they reached
the shore.
Only then did he turn to look at Maja quietly.
"Remember this feeling," he said.
"What feeling?" Maja''s heart was racing as she looked up at him, confused.
With a gentle touch, Phelps brushed away the damp strands of hair from her ear.
Maja frowned, unable to calm her racing heart.
"Dr. Herrington, is your shoulder okay?" she asked.
"It''s fine. Let''s head back," he said simply.
"Okay," she replied, following him with uneven steps. One moment she was worried about his injury,
the next she was thinking of Ian.
But love felt like sand slipping through her fingers—the tighter she clenched, the quicker it seemed to
vanish.
She wanted to resist that feeling, but Phelps''s voice broke through her thoughts. "Maja,e here."
Her mind felt split in two, but she immediately moved towards him.
What she didn''t know was that Phelps had been hypnotizing her for days.
Maja was a woman of strong will, not easily swayed by hypnosis alone, so he had used a drug as an
auxiliary.
Since entering the vi, every breath she took wasced with the drug, except for the others who had
an antidote—everyone but her.
Even in sleep, she felt exhausted, her rationality teetering on the edge as her resistance waned.
Phelps was a master hypnotist, and with the aid of the rare drug, it wasn''t difficult to manipte Maja.
Still, he was cautious, repeatedly testing and reinforcing his suggestions with gestures.
The ident had been part of his n too.
He had intentionally leaked conflicting information to Judith, knowing her temperament wouldpel
her to persuade Dn into action.
And Dn, ustomed to favoring his sister, would abandon all principles for Judith''s tears.
All this was within Phelps''s calctions—a trial for Maja.
As Maja approached him, she was oblivious to her altered state.
Phelps was pleased; the trial''s sess exceeded his expectations.
A smile crept across his face as his fingers gently reached for her chin.
Psychologically, this was known as the ''foot-in-the-door'' technique—if someone agrees to a small
request, they''re more likely toply with arger er.
Now, his finger touched Maja''s chin, yet she stared back without recognizing the intrusion.
After a pause, Phelps withdrew his hand and hooked one of her fingers.
This time, she reacted, not by pulling away, but by questioning.
"Dr. Herrington, what are you doing?"
Phelps, unustomed to such intimacy, let go of her hand.
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"Come with me."
"But I need to find Ian."
Ian''s name was deeply etched in her mind.
"I''m taking you to Ian. After tonight, the Sanders family will surely react. Let''sy low and see how
things unfold with them."
Maja nodded and stayed by his side, concerned about his wound.
"Shouldn''t we get your gunshot wound looked at first?"
"It''s rare for you to show concern for me," he said with a smile, patting her head.
"Be good, listen to me, okay? I won''t hurt you."
Maja frowned subconsciously, wanting to object, but what was there to argue about?
From the beginning, Phelps indeed hadn''t harmed her; in fact, he had saved her.
"Mhm."
Seeing her nod, Phelps''s satisfaction was evident on his face.