MIDNIGHT Bride The CEO's TEMPTATION

"The police are so efficient this time," Savannah sighed with relief.

Dylan shook his head.

"It wasn't really the police. An hour ago, someone drove past the police station and pushed the three men out of the car. They were beaten and tied up. It seems that they had been taught a lesson before they were handed over to the police."

Who did that? Greta wondered.

Someone saved her and then sent her to the hospital, beat those men half to death, and left them to the police... Why didn't that guy show up?

Could it be the young man who warned Martha to apologize to her?

If these two people were one and the same person, who was he, and why was he protecting her behind her back?

George looked at Dylan questioningly and asked, "Who saved Greta's life?"

"I checked the monitoring of the hospital and the police station," Dylan said, "according to the man who sent Greta to the hospital, a stranger had given him money and asked him to do that. And the car passed the police station avoiding the monitoring, so we can't see its numbers. Obviously, the guy doesn't want to be known."

George was silent for a long time.

"It should be a friend of the Sterling family," Savannah speculated, "otherwise that guy would not have taken the effort to help. Anyway, that's over. Greta has just woken up and is still a little weak. Let her have a good rest."

George and Dylan nodded and said nothing more.

The Sterling family, with its position in LA, had many enemies and more friends.

It was not surprising that people who had been indebted to the Sterling family gave a hand when they learned that Greta had been kidnapped.

***

Outside the hospital, a military Land Rover stood quietly, surrounded by a few plain-clothes guards who were keeping a wary eye on the surroundings and protecting those inside the car.

In the wide back seat, an elderly man of about fifty and a young man sat side by side, looking at the hospital gate in the distance.

The older man, with a grave and military bearing, was General Stewart, the head of the Stewart family. The shoulders of the general's uniform were piped with signs of his rank.

Stewart withdrew his gaze and looked at the young man beside him.

"Are you sure you're not going to see her?" His eyes softened.

The young man had the features of the older man, but his eyes were deeper and assured. Though he was only in his twenties, he seemed to have been through a lot.

"Well. Forget it." His eyes narrowed at Stewart's words.

"It would be a great pity. You finally met again, and you've done so much for her without her knowing anything about it... Why? Why don't you meet her?" Stewart asked, confused.

The young man sighed and said, "She's now living a good life. She's reared in a fine family and has a bright future. Others wouldn't know her bad old days. As time goes by, she will gradually forget those terrible experiences. And my presence only serves to remind her of her painful experience. She'd better not see me."

After a pause, he murmured with a wry smile, "I must protect her."

Stewart shook his head disapprovingly.

"You still think of yourself as her bodyguard? Brent, remember, she's no longer your master, and you are not her bodyguard. You are Brent Stewart, my son, the young master of the Stewart family. You're equal."

Brent replied with silence. There was a sad look in his eyes, with mingled yearning and helplessness.

Yes. The young man was Brent.

And General Stewart was Brent's father.

Abandoned on the street of Italy as a child, Brent grew up in an orphanage. He was picked by Barzini and became Greta's bodyguard after being trained rigorously. He had thought of himself as a parentless orphan, and he never expected he was the son of a big family in the US.

Two years ago, Brent was thrown into the sea by Barzini's men but was secretly rescued by plain-clothes guards of his family and was sent back to LA overnight.

While recovering in the hospital, he met Stewart and learned his story.

He was not a helpless orphan who had been abandoned in a foreign country.

He had a family. He was the son of a General.

Stewart had ruled over the peacekeeping force when he was young. At that time, the whole of Europe was embroiled in war. Stewart was sent in to quell the riots. Soon after, his baby son, who hadn't had a name yet, was stolen by revenge.

The baby was abandoned in a disordered train station.

Luckily, Brent was picked up by a good man and was sent to the local orphanage.

Stewart had been frantically searching for his son ever since he disappeared, but he found nothing. Finally, he gave up hope and believed that his son had been killed by a rebel group.

It was only in recent years that his son was found in Italy, working as a bodyguard for Barzini's adopted daughter in one of the biggest Mafia gangs.

The Mafia, one of the rebel groups, had always been at odds with the Stewart family.

Stewart wanted his son back, but he was afraid that Barzini would discover Brent's origin and that he would be in danger.

Even if he could take Brent away by force, Barzini was sure to investigate it when his important subordinate suddenly disappeared.

If Barzini knew that Brent was the son of the General of peacekeeping troops, he must start in chase of Brent and would not let Brent live in peace.

So Stewart sent plain-clothes guards to watch Brent in the dark to protect him and wait for a chance to get him out of the gang.

They didn't expect to see Barzini's men throw Brent into the sea, which was a good opportunity. They got him out of the sea in time.

From then on, a member of the Mafia died in the sea, and Stewart got his son back.

After returning to LA, Brent became Brent Stewart.

He resumed his identity and studied at UCLA for two years. Then he went to stay with his father, who had been garrisoned at a military post.

They returned to LA this time only to attend a banquet held by the head of the Sterling family, Stewart's old friend, George. It was said that his granddaughter was admitted to UCLA with distinction. George was so happy that he invited many friends and business cooperators, and of course, the Stewarts were invited.

Brent didn't want to return at first. Anyway, he had met Dylan in Italy when he was working for the Mafia. It would be embarrassing if Dylan saw him and recognized him.