Chapter 42
After all, he’d already warned Rafael.
Inside the sterile room, Gordon lay quietly on the hospital bed, his eyes closed. His long, thick lashes curved gracefully, like a delicate fan casting a faint shadow over his pale cheeks.
This wasn’t the first time Caitlin had seen him, so she knew he was strikingly handsome. Still, even up close, his features were flawless-skin smooth as porcelain, not a single visible pore, a strong nose, sharp cheekbones, every detail as if sculpted by an artist. He looked like he’d stepped straight out of a magazine: the kind of man who made people look twice.
Caitlin leaned forward onto the edge of the bed, flipped open the medical kit, and pulled out a velvet pouch. Inside were slender golden needles.
Under the bright surgical lamp, the needles glinted coldly.
The technique she was about to use-Golden Needle Channel Activation-had been passed down for over three thousand years.
One needle for yin, one for yang.
Traditional medicine was rooted in the balance of opposites; if you mastered its secrets, you could work miracles-bring flesh back to bone, restore life to the dying.
In her previous life, Caitlin had earned her international reputation with this very skill.
She picked up a golden needle in each hand and began.
Her movements were quick and precise, barely pausing between placements. From a distance, there was a certain grace to her work-her hands moved so swiftly that they blurred, almost like a martial artist performing an intricate routine.
It was mesmerizing.
Anyone witnessing the scene would have been astounded, recognizing at once the legendary, long-lost art of Golden Needle Channel Activation.
When the needles touched flesh, hope bloomed.
Gordon, meanwhile, drifted in a fog. Everything was shrouded in mist-he couldn’t see, he couldn’t think, his mind felt heavy and sluggish.
Then, suddenly, a shaft of sunlight broke through the haze, illuminating the path ahead.
His thoughts, once muddled, began to clear. He felt a sense of direction, a goal. It was like the fresh breeze of early spring-bracing, new, full of promise.
He caught a faint, pleasant fragrance on the air. It was subtle and natural, nothing like the cloying scent of artificial perfumes; instead, it was cool and sweet, reminiscent of bamboo after a snowfall-crisp, with just a trace of honey.
It calmed him.
Half an hour later, nearly every major pressure point on Gordon’s body was bristling with golden needles.
Caitlin reached into the kit again and took out a small white pill, gently slipping it into his mouth.
It tasted faintly of white peach-delicate, not bitter. As he swallowed, his heartbeat gradually steadied and his breathing slowed. The needles, once gleaming gold, began to turn black-a sure sign the treatment was working.
Thin wisps of white vapor curled up from his skin. Sweat beaded on his forehead.
His eyelids fluttered. Slowly, Gordon opened his eyes. Through the haze, he glimpsed a face in profile-smooth as marble, hands soft and graceful. She was impossibly beautiful, almost unreal.
He tried to hold onto the image, but quickly slipped back into unconsciousness, unsure if what he’d seen was real or just a dream.
Time ticked by.
No one knew how long it had been.
When Zane returned to the door of the sterile room, it was still closed tight.
He checked his watch. Three hours had passed.
Normally, even a C-section took only half that time. All Caitlin was doing was acupuncture, yet she’d been in there for three hours.
It didn’t take a genius to figure out Gordon’s condition must be dire—and Caitlin, afraid to take responsibility, was hiding inside instead of coming out.
With that thought, Zane strode over to the waiting family. “Mr. Cumming, Mrs. Cumming, it’s been three hours and there’s still no word from inside! That can’t be
a good sign. If you want to save Master Ninth, you need to kick that door down and drag Caitlin out right now, before it’s too late p>
Justice glanced at his own watch, sweat breaking out on his forehead. “Alaina, maybe we should listen to Dr. Cartwright p>
Maybe if they stopped Caitlin now, there was still a chance to save his brother-in- law.
But if they waited any longer p>
He didn’t even want to think about it.
“No!” Skyler stepped squarely in front of the door. “Miss Kensington was clear- nobody is to disturb her while she’s performing acupuncture p>
Alaina nodded. “Skyler’s right. What if she’s at the most critical moment and you barge in? If the treatment fails because of that, who’s going to take responsibility p>
As soon as she said it, Zane knew Alaina was a lost cause.
He let out a long sigh. “Very well, Mrs. Cumming. I hope you’ll remember this
choice. I have another meeting to attend, so I’ll leave you to it p>
Bang!
Just then, the door to the sterile room swung open.
A slender figure stepped out.
Everyone looked up at once.
Three hours had passed. Caitlin’s eyes were tired, her face pale-gone was any trace of triumph.
By rights, if the procedure had succeeded-especially after Zane’s earlier taunts -she should have been elated.
But seeing her expression, Zane immediately assumed she’d failed. He narrowed
his eyes, a flicker of satisfaction crossing his face.
Serves her right, he thought.
Justice’s heart skipped a beat, all color draining from his cheeks.
Could it be… Had they lost Gordon?
Alaina rushed over, voice trembling. “Miss Kensington, my-my brother… How is
he p>