"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.
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