She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 449

"It's not just about her," Lucian countered. "Do you know why Forrest is so desperately searching for new mineral veins? He wants to break the foreign monopolies and manufacture our own microchips so we're no longer controlled by anyone else. Everything he's doing is for the country. Why shouldn't I protect him?"

After he said that, no one dared try to talk him out of the risk anymore.

By the time everything was settled, it was late into the night.

The blizzard outside the tent seemed to have picked up, whipping against the canvas with violent snaps.

Lucian rubbed his aching temples. As he walked past Loyce's tent, he noticed a faint light still glowing inside. He frowned slightly, lifted the flap, and walked into the small space.

The portable heater was humming quietly, but the temperature inside the tent was still freezing. Every breath puffed into white mist.

Loyce wasn't asleep. She was sitting up on the cot, reading a tablet by the light of a small portable lamp. She was meticulously scrolling through the preliminary mine data transmitted by Forrest's team earlier, so focused she didn't even notice Lucian walk in.

"Why aren't you asleep yet?" Lucian's voice carried a trace of exhausted hoarseness. "Tomorrow is going to be physically grueling. You need to save your energy."

Loyce finally looked up, her face looking a bit pale under the light. "I'm looking at the data. Some things don't seem right. The radioactive elements are spreading rapidly due to the weather. I think..."

Before she could finish, Lucian had already stepped up to her cot. He casually reached out, pulled the tablet from her hands, and as he took the pen and paper she was using for notes, he accidentally brushed against her hand.

The icy sensation radiating from her fingertips caused the man's brows to immediately furrow.

"Why are you so cold?" his tone dropped.

Loyce explained, "The temperature is low, it's normal."

His other hand swiftly slipped under the blankets and grabbed her ankle—sure enough, it was just as freezing.

His broad chest pressed firmly against her back. Even through the layers of blankets, the masculine, scorching body heat transferred over continuously, driving the chill from her bones.

"I'm not going to try anything," his lips brushed against her ear, his tone gentle. "Relax."

Loyce stayed stiff for a moment, but eventually, his gentlemanly embrace and warm body heat caused her to slowly relax.

"You finalized the plan?" she asked softly, trying to distract herself, though the tips of her ears felt like they were heating up from his breath.

Smart as she was, she had guessed it.

"Mhm. I'll tell you the details tomorrow," Lucian rested his chin lightly against the top of her head, his voice very low. "Go to sleep. I'm exhausted too."

With him there, Loyce somehow genuinely felt a wave of sleepiness wash over her. She let go of her desire to keep analyzing the mine. Lying on her side in his embrace, listening to the howling wind outside, her eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Just as she was drifting off, she mumbled a sleepy complaint, "Lucian, are you so paranoid you brought your gun to bed? It's poking me."