"President Jin, with all due respect, please be gentle with the lady," John said kindly with a smile.
Nathan glanced at John as he said coldly, "Don't tell me what to do. Better shut up if I am not asking for
your opinion."
"Women must be loved and should not be mistreated." As Nathan's private doctor, John was ten years
older than him. Four years ago, Nathan had nearly died when he was racing cars on the top of the
mountain. John had saved him from the life-threatening incident.
"Mind your own business. Will you?" Nathan shot him a warning look laced with irritation. Nathan saw
that Mandy frowned painfully in her sleep. He felt pity for her.
"How ungrateful you are! I saved you, and now I saved your wife. How could you talk to me like that?"
John replied with mixed emotions. There was a hint of sadness in his tone. Whether John was feigning
it or not, no one could tell.
"Who said she was my wife?" Nathan asked without delight. He glimpsed at Mandy, who was lying on
the bed. In his eyes, she was no one special–more like his property or perhaps a toy.
Deep inside, Nathan kept reminding himself that he shouldn't fall in love with Mandy. But every time he
looked at her or heard her voice, she would get his attention. As if Mandy had some sort of enchanting
aura that effortlessly attracted his senses.
"Really?" John gave him a skeptical look. "Isn't she?" John looked at Mandy for a while and swept his
eyes around, wondering if there were any other women somewhere. "I haven't seen any other woman
sleeping here in all these years." As an observant person, John could tell that Mandy was living with
Nathan when he saw her in her pajamas.
Nathan curtailed his comments by asking, "Are you done?" "You may leave now," he added without
waiting for John's answer. His anger had been roused, and his face turned red at the thought that his
secret was revealed.
Of course, John was a smart guy. He quickly packed up his medical kit, and before he left, he patted
Nathan on the shoulder and reminded him, "Take good care of her. Remove the saline drip bottle as
soon as it is finished, or she will die."
Mandy had a nightmare during her sleep. She dreamed that her parents had been framed, and all of
them were in jail. She was bullied and humiliated. So she screamed loudly for help, but no one came to
save her. The feeling of helplessness was vivid, even in her dream.
Nathan took the towel away. The previously cold towel had been warmed by Mandy's body
temperature. He frowned, turned around, and said to Lillian, "Bring another towel."
"Yes, sir." Lillian took the towel and quickly disappeared to the bathroom.
Mandy's eyebrows met and her forehead creased. She did not know how long she had been asleep.
Subconsciously, she seemed to hear Nathan calling her name gently.
Nathan had been by her side since she fell asleep. He didn't leave her, even after the saline drip had
been finished. He just stayed still and didn't go anywhere.
"Water!" Mandy gasped. "Water... I want water," she said in a hoarse voice as she opened her dry lips.
Hearing her stammering voice, Nathan slightly unfurled his frowning forehead. He moved as he held
her in his arms. Then he picked up the water glass from the nightstand and placed it at Mandy's lips.
Mandy gulped the water up to the last drop. The coldness of the water stimulated her senses. She felt
much more sober after a good sleep.
She opened her eyes slowly. It was like a bolt from the blue when she saw Nathan's handsome face up
close. So close to her that she could almost see the pores of his skin.
"Why are you here?" she asked, feeling jolted. Mandy's voice was evident with surprise. She
remembered vaguely that every time she woke up, Nathan had already gone.
"You have a fever," Nathan said curtly. He didn't bother explaining to her.
"What?" Mandy's face expressed her boggled mind. "How could I have a fever?" she asked with an
unconvincing gesture. A bright smile appeared on Mandy's ethereal face, and her white teeth shone
brightly. Nathan couldn't help but feel better upon seeing her warm smile.
Mandy was aware that she hadn't had a fever for a long time. Whenever her health was not in good
condition, she would catch a cold due to her weakened immune system brought on by her tonsillitis.
But this time, it seemed to be different.
"How would I know?" Nathan retorted, feigning ignorance. "You are the doctor. You should know
better," he added in his defense. Nathan felt guilty, knowing the reason why she got a fever.
Last night, the air-conditioner had been turned on in the room. Nathan kept turning on the bed for the
whole night. The two of them had changed their position from time to time, and their whole bodies were
almost uncovered. With Mandy's weak body being directly exposed to the cold air she had, inevitably
caught a cold and eventually fever.
"I'm a cardiologist, not a general practitioner," she stated with pride and as a matter of fact. She was
physically weak, but she won't easily give up a petty fight with Nathan.
"Do you want to sleep or not?" Nathan asked to change the topic, not wanting to accept his defeat.
"Get some more sleep," he commanded. With his bossy tone, Nathan ordered Mandy to have a good
rest.
Mandy smiled and waved her hands. She wanted to get up and go to work. "Nah, it's time to get up.
What time is it?" She was indeed confused and thought it was still early.
"Five o'clock," Nathan answered without expression. His eyes were teasing, calmly waiting for a fault in
her reaction.
Assuming it was five o'clock in the morning, Mandy sighed as a sign of relief. "Then I'll have some
more rest."
"It is five o'clock in the afternoon, not in the morning," Nathan emphasized. His thin lips were raised,
and his dark eyes were deep. He gave her a piercing look.
"What!" Mandy exclaimed. "It is five o'clock in the afternoon?!" Her eyes widened like saucers in
disbelief.
She gasped for air in despair for being absent from work. Harry wouldn't miss this opportunity to
ridicule her. She felt miserable and frustrated.
"You... Why didn't you wake me up?" she asked furiously while wiping her tears. Her tears, like pearls
from a broken thread, cascaded over her flawless cheeks.
Nathan didn't feel sorry for her as he watched her cry. In fact, he was glad as he found it so cute to see
her crying like a child.
"I did, but you didn't wake up as you were sleeping like a log. What else could I do?" Nathan said as he
tried to reason with her. He moved closer to her and tried to comfort her.
"Then what should I do now? My salary will be deducted for my absence today. Also, I will no longer
qualify for the full attendance award at the end of the month." Mandy's mind was pre-occupied with
negative thoughts. She could imagine that lovely dollar sign with wings as it flew away and waved
goodbye to her.
"How much do you make with your salary?" Nathan asked blankly as if he could read her mind. "And
who said you didn't go to work for no reason?" he added. He narrowed his dark eyes with an
unreadable expression settling on his calm face.
"Because I was absent without asking for a day's leave beforehand!" Mandy said angrily. She felt that
everything had been planned by Nathan on purpose.
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