Chapter 7
“I’ll prove it to you right now.” Saying so, Gwendolyn dragged a medical chest from beneath the bed and flipped it open.
Nine slender needles glinting with a metallic sheen lay in perfect array. She selected a long needle. With a swift motion, she inserted it into a specific spot on his leg.
Tilting her head, she watched Howard’s face intently. “Feel anything?”
A tingling sensation, like ants marching, spread through his numb legs. Howard, his dark eyes. briefly betraying his pain, turned his head away, his expression stoic, his brow furrowed.
Gwendolyn knew that grimace all too well. It meant pain. She pushed the needle a fraction deeper, her voice soft and soothing, “Feeling something is good. I haven’t treated any celebrities, nor do I have a medical license, but I’m certain I can heal your leg.”
“With daily acupuncture to disperse the blood clots, supplemented with herbal concoctions and massage therapy, you could be back on your feet in a month, maybe six at most.”
A flicker of emotion crossed Howard’s usually restrained face, the harshness fading away.
“What do you want?” he asked. There were no free lunches, especially not for a businessman
like him.
Gwendolyn hesitated, slightly embarrassed. “My grandma has been taken to Bayridge City by the Sawyer family. They want your big venture with Summit Corp, so that Vivien can marry your cousin.”
Even a country girl like her had heard of Summit Corp, a multinational conglomerate dwarfing the Chadwick Group’s dominance in Bayridge City.
That project was a hot commodity.
Gwendolyn watched him anxiously, feeling guilty for Howard’s misfortune.
He stood to lose not only resources but also to hand over his fiancée,
Howard’s laugh was bitter.
At the sight of his reaction, Gwendolyn said with a downcast tone, “Sorry, I asked too much.”
She bent down, removed the needle, packed up the medical chest, and left the room.
Howard’s gaze followed her retreating figure, his eyes darkening. He reached for the phone on the nightstand and dialed a number.
“Nathan, it’s me.”
The man on the other end sounded shocked, “Howard, you’re awake! I thought we’d be visiting
your grave next year.”
Howard was direct, “Prepare the files on the Summit Corp and Chadwick Group collaboration
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for me and tweak them a little.”
“Sure,” Nathan replied, his voice becoming serious, “Just a heads–up, your car accident wasn’t simple, but there’s no trace of evidence. I can’t replace anything.”
Howard was icy. “No need to look into it, I know who’s behind it.”
“It’s Bainbridge’s doing, isn’t it?” Nathan cursed. “That lowlife is always playing dirty! Are you planning to give the files to him? If that’s the case, I’ll need to pull some extra tricks.”
Howard cut him off, “Mind your business and replace someone for me.”
“Who?”
“Gwendolyn…”
“Oh, your wife,” Nathan quickly responded.
Howard didn’t correct the label and continued, “Look into her background and see if she’s connected to Bainbridge.”
After hearing that, Nathan sped up his breathing. “Are you saying she’s been sent by Bainbridge? Aren’t you in danger then? Should I replace a bodyguard for 24–hour protection?”
Howard ended the call abruptly, cutting off Nathan’s endless complaints.
His gaze dropped, his profile shifting in the dim light. He thought of his defiant and radiant bride, his long fingers tracing the edge of the bed.
What were the odds that right as his legs were crippled, the Sawyer family would send a bride who claimed she could heal him? She spun a web of lies to trade for his precious project.
He never believed in free lunches, let alone in coincidences.
Especially with her pretty looks….
Downstairs in the living room.
Gwendolyn descended the stairs in her bright wedding dress, only to be greeted by Roselind who insisted, “I got some of my daughter’s clothes for you, get changed. I’ll take you shopping for some new outfits and jewelry.”
“There’s really no need, I…”
Roselind would hear none of it, ushering Gwendolyn into the clothes and then into the car to head to the bustling malls of Bayridge City.
As soon as they hit the stores. Roselind went on a spree.
“Get all of these, and this one too! Wrap them up for me. Gwendolyn, you’ll look wonderful in them.”
“It’s too extravagant…”
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