Filed To Story: Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family
“Wait,” Sean interjected suddenly.
Mirabella paused, only to hear him say, “Switch glasses.”
Was he insinuating she might poison him?
Mirabella switched her wine glass with his and downed the contents in one swift gulp, “40 million – my final offer, hoping you’ll sell me Els Island.”
To Mirabella, Els Island was a haven of herbs; to Steward, a wasteland of weeds; to Sean, one of many forgotten islets until now.
Sean watched her with an amused smile, the wine untouched in his hand, “Give me one good reason why I should sell it to you,” his voice was as light as the breeze.
“You’re injured. Last night, I intentionally hit where it hurts. Did you see a doctor for that wound? Did they tell you it’s serious – that you need surgery?”
Sean’s gaze landed on her – she had guessed right. Steward was taken aback. Did this girl have medical knowledge? How could she possibly know what the doctor said?
“Did the doc tell you that it’s bad? That if you keep putting it off, you’ll get symptoms like excruciating pain, dizziness, shortness of breath, to the point where you can’t even walk?”
Sean’s eyes narrowed, and with a cold chuckle, he sipped his wine, “This is why I must sell to you?”
It was too flimsy a reason.
“I can perform the surgery for you. What your doctors won’t dare, I will.”
“Who says my doctors won’t dare?” Sean raised an eyebrow, a mocking glint in his deep-set eyes.
“If they could, you’d have had it by now. Clearly, they lack the skills, and the risk is too high,” Mirabella stated bluntly.Even Steward was stunned. Had this girl researched Sean’s condition beforehand? But those doctors would never have the nerve to disclose Sean’s medical issues. How did she know? And where did she get the courage to offer Sean surgery?
Sean, however, seemed unfazed as he asked, “Aren’t you a bit too arrogant, girl, to question the competence of world-renowned doctors?”
He found her audacity somewhat familiar. She spoke with utter confidence in her medical abilities, as if fully believing in her own expertise.
“Countless people have begged our boss for surgery and she’s declined them all. To offer you this for free, you should consider it a win.” Horace blurted out, unable to contain himself, “If it weren’t for the fact that you’ve got this island, our boss would care less about whether you’d die or not.”
“Watch your tone,” Steward always thought Horace, like this girl, was too impudent.
“Did you cough up blood last night?” Mirabella suddenly asked.
Sean’s gaze fixed on the young woman before him, shocked that once again she was spot-on. Did she really understand medicine?
Last night, she had known Sam was beyond saving and didn’t bother intervening. Now, she was confident about his symptoms.
Upon hearing the words, Steward glanced at Sean, surprised. Sean had coughed up blood? How had he not known?
Sean’s lips curled into a half-smile, “I don’t trust your medical skills.”Just who was this girl that appeared out of nowhere?
“You don’t have to sell the island to me today.” Mirabella said with a smile, “Tonight at midnight, you’ll cough up blood again. At two in the morning, you’ll feel breathless, and by three, it’ll worsen. You’ll call your world-class doctors. Then you’ll know if I’m telling the truth.”
Before Horace could process her words, Mirabella announced, “Let’s go.”
Horace was dumbfounded. They were leaving just like that? As he rose to follow his boss, a voice from the couch stopped them, “Did I say you could leave?”
Steward and his men blocked their exit.
“Sean, you might want to consider if this deal is worth it. I said I could save you, and I’m a hundred percent certain. If all symptoms align with my prediction tonight, maybe you’ll think about cooperating with me.”
“And if you’re wrong?”
“You can catch me then.” Mirabella coolly replied, adding, “Since you know what we look like. In this country, is there anyone you can’t catch?”
Sean chuckled as he realized that the girl wasn’t just gutsy and clever but also somewhat formidable in her own right.
“I know my own body pretty well.”
Even though he had been hit last night, it wasn’t serious enough to cause such severe symptoms.
Since the girl had described the timing and symptoms so clearly, he was curious to see if things would unfold as she had predicted tonight.
“Excuse us,” Mirabella said as she and Horace left with an air of dignity.
“Sean.”
Steward was about to question his boss’s decision to let them walk away so freely when he noticed Sean’s smile. Didn’t Sean seriously believe that girl’s words?
“Sean, did you really cough up blood last night?” Steward asked with genuine concern.
“It’s nothing.”
Sean shooed the tiger cub away to play and slowly stood up to head upstairs.
His answer shocked Steward. So, he really did cough up blood? And the girl predicted it? Was she really that miraculous? How could she possibly know with such certainty?
Thinking it over, it seemed that the two of them were the only ones who could show up at the place unscathed and leave just as peacefully.
As Horace followed Mirabella out of the house, the usually playful hounds all sat down neatly, wagging their tails and watching them leave. Their behavior couldn’t have been more obedient.Horace could hardly believe it, and even as they left the villa’s front yard, he looked back a few times in disbelief.
The furry little creatures were still sitting quietly, showing no signs of chasing after them.
“Boss, those dogs didn’t chase us, and neither did the people. You’re incredible,” Henry’s admiration for her grew. To leave from Sean’s clutches unscathed and to make those little guys so well-behaved.
“Oh right, boss, how did you know Sean coughed up blood last night?”
“I was the one who hit him; how could I not know?”
Mirabella had struck with considerable force the night before, and with Sean already injured, it was only natural for him to cough up blood.
“Forget about them, I think you’re amazing.” Henry glanced back again, lowering his voice to whisper, “So, boss, are the symptoms you mentioned really going to happen tonight?”
“They will.”
Mirabella’s confident reply left Horace even more puzzled, “Sean’s really that badly hurt? It sounds pretty grim.”
“He’s hurt, but not so bad that surgery is immediately necessary.”
They could even wait another month or two if they had to.
“But you managed to convince him to have the surgery in the next couple of days and sell you the island,” Henry found his boss to be quite extraordinary.
“I slipped something into his drink earlier, so tonight, at the times I mentioned, the drug will take effect.”He would experience the symptoms she described: breathlessness, choking, coughing up blood, and so on.
“You did what?!” Henry’s eyes bulged, and he quickly looked back to make sure no one was following before whispering, “Boss, you actually drugged their leader right in front of them? You’re so bold. But if those doctors find out tonight.”
“What of it? Without the antidote, they’ll have to come to us.”
Her drug wasn’t toxic and wouldn’t endanger lives; it would just make one suffer a bit. Without this move, neither of them would be able to leave tonight unharmed. She could tell that Steward had been itching to catch her more than once.
“But Sean is no pushover. If he finds out we played him like this, even after the surgery, we’re not going to escape so easily.”
“When the time comes, I’ll find a way out.”
Henry hadn’t realized his boss had an escape plan all figured out, and his admiration for her deepened.
“No one in the world could save him from his injury.”
Had it been possible, he wouldn’t have held on till now. She performed surgery on him a day early, sparing him another day of agony. In doing so, she did him a huge favor.
Horace ushered Mirabella onto the speedboat, then whisked them away over the water. Once docked, he drove Mirabella back to her hotel.
Upon reaching her presidential suite, Mirabella checked in with Romeo to assure him she was safe, then caught up on some work, took a shower, and climbed into bed.
At midnight, Sean felt an unbearable heaviness in his chest. While reviewing documents, he suddenly coughed up blood.
“Sean.”
Steward glanced at the clock, shocked that the young lady’s prediction had come true – it was indeed midnight, and there was indeed blood.
“It’s nothing,” Sean dismissed it as a mere coincidence, wiping his mouth before returning to his paperwork.
A servant immediately stepped forward to clean the floor. After a few more minutes, Sean tossed the documents back to Steward, “What is this rubbish plan? Have it redone.”
“Yes, sir.”
Steward wanted to suggest calling a doctor, but hearing Sean dismiss him with a “You can go now,” he could only bow and leave as Sean went to bathe, even though he still felt worried.Once Steward reached the front yard, the hounds started barking at him incessantly.
“You little things, always barking at me. Quiet when those two came by, are only Sean and those two your master?” He remembered feeding them often.
Some of the hounds kept barking, which annoyed Steward, “Ungrateful little beasts.” He wondered what trick they used to win over the dogs on their first try.
“Still barking?” He feigned a threat, and they quieted down.
Looking up at the light in Sean’s room, Steward couldn’t shake the worry. What if the girl was right?
She’d been accurate about several things. Better safe than sorry.