Dr. Nathaniel Bart looked at Steve standing in the corner of Leander's bedroom with his hands folded. Katerina was nervously fiddling with a black shirt. It should be Leander's shirt. Both of them looked confused and worried.
His attention turned towards Leander who was silent except when he ordered him to treat a drowned woman first before treating him. And that woman is currently sleeping naked on his bed.
HIS BED!!!
This guy never allows anyone in his room. This is the first time he is inside his bedroom in the twenty-odd years he has known him. And yet, that woman was permitted there with no qualms.
Did spring finally arrive in his life? At 33?
With a sigh, he attended Leander. His black shirt was still wet. The wound on his shoulder was deep and his shirt was sticking to it. A torn piece of his shirt was inside the wound. He carefully removed the shirt and the torn piece.
It should have hurt a lot but Leander did not even flinch.
But that's Leander.
Leander's eyes were focused on the woman on his bed.
That... never was Leander.
All his care was for his grandfather and by extension his family. He never cared for someone else.
"That looks… terrible!" Nathaniel clicked his tongue. "You, better than anyone, know not to pull out a stuck knife! And you did a messy job with…"
He paused seeing Katerina shaking her head. It appeared as if he is stepping into dangerous territory. As someone who works for the mafia, he knew not to talk about their business.
Without speaking one more word, Dr. Bart started to clean up the wound and stitched it. He then gave the instructions to treat his wound to Katerina.
"I'll leave then. Call me if there is an emergency," he said to Leander.
"What about her?"
Leander's deep voice stopped Nathaniel from turning his back on him.
Okay…that woman appears to be very important.
"She is not waking up. When will she wake up?" Leander added.
He is impatient! That makes him more dangerous.
"She has a concussion and is highly likely to contract pneumonia. That river is not good, you know, the chemicals from the factories that…" he cleared his throat.
The factories owned by the Kastello family have government permits to let their wastes into the river. No number of protests from environmentalists has changed the hearts of those involved. People die in that river and because of the river all the time.
Leander knows that.
"Generally," Nathaniel continued. "I would advise keeping her under observation in a hospital. She hit her head pretty hard. She needs an MRI so badly," Nathaniel said.
That woman won't survive in this condition for long. She was in the water for a long time. And she has a concussion. He wouldn't know how good her brain functions are after not breathing for more than ten minutes unless she wakes up. Also, he wouldn't know if there is swelling or bleeding in her brain unless he takes an MRI.
He didn't think Leander would bother with all that for a woman on his bed.
Leander's eyes were still on the sleeping woman.
"When is she waking up?" Leander asked.
This time, there was a slight tremble in his voice. It could be that he was worried, or it could be the acoustics of the room.
But the way he looks at her…
Nathaniel couldn't believe that the Lion is asking about the health of another living being. And that too, not in a I-want-to-see-how-long-that-person-would-live kind of way.
Is that care I hear in his voice? Am I going mad?
Nathaniel was astonished. His eyes met with Leander's. Leander stared at him for a few seconds. And in that few moments of looking into the eyes of the Lion, Nathaniel thought he is going to pay the ferrymen that day.
Leander touched his bandaged shoulder and softly patted it.
"Steve, prepare accommodation for the doctor. He will stay here until she is healed…"
"My daughter's recital!" Nathaniel spoke in a hurry. "I have to…" his voice trailed off as Leander's laser-sharp eyes landed on him. He gulped and took a step back unconsciously.
Surely, he wants to attend the recital. But he also wants to walk his daughter down the aisle after two decades. He wants to live long enough to see his grandkids.
He can miss the recital today. He can break his daughter's little heart for one day to spare her the heartbreak of growing up without a father.
Leander's tense eyebrows relaxed, and he scratched his eyebrow. "And Steve, buy whatever equipment the doctor will need. I always wanted to have a hospital in my villa."
A hospital?
Nathaniel blinked. He looked at Steve and he was as perplexed as him.
Is he seriously going to buy an MRI machine for this woman?
Nathaniel's eyes ended up on the woman on the bed.
"Yes, boss!" Steve said coming out of his shock.
Leander didn't bother to look at them and waved his hand. They all escaped out of the room.
"Who is she?" Nathaniel grabbed Steve's shoulder.
"No idea," Steve said. Shrugging his hand off, he walked to the front.
"How does he know her?"
Steve did not answer Nathaniel. His boss makes everyone believe that he wants to protect her. Although he did not understand why or if that was his true intention, Steve was not willing to talk about that woman.
"Oh…" Nathaniel's green eyes lit up. "Is she one who… the news…Hahaha!" Nathaniel laughed. "I thought he never wanted the throne… Oh, how wrong was~"
"Enough!" Steve grabbed Nathaniel's collar and pushed him to the wall.
Nathaniel tried to get out of Steve's grip, but he could not. Steve was stronger. He pinned him to the wall.
Nathaniel's eyes ended up on Katarina. She was standing there without doing anything. He stopped struggling.
Steve spoke in a low voice in Nathaniel's ear. "That woman you mention… she escaped, killing one of our good men. Our men are searching for her all through the city. Run your mouth again, I will have to stitch up your lips. Except, my stitches won't be as clean as yours, doctor!"
He threw Nathaniel and his head hit on the wall. Nathaniel cleared his throat and fixed his shirt.
"Be careful!" Steve pushed him and left sparing a glance at Katarina.
"Leander does not want to be the next head, Nathan. You of all should know that. What you said now can be interpreted as you insinuating that Leander arranged for that woman to hurt his brother. You do not want to make him mad," Katerina whispered and gently rubbed his head.
"Oh, don't be fooled by him," Nathaniel pushed her hand away. "Why can't he be the next head? What's wrong if he wants more power?"
"Power?" Katerina placed her hand softly on his cheek. "I often wonder if he wants to be here at all…"
"Ma, you don't know who he is," Nathaniel scoffed. "Why wouldn't he want this life of luxury? Look at this all…handed to him on a golden platter… Just because he is a Kastello!"
"And do you know him well?" Katerina asked and Nathaniel shook his head.
"No, ma, but that makes him more dangerous… Ma…" He held his mother by her shoulders. "Remember, I am your son. Not him. Don't trust him too much."
Katarina leaned on the wall and watched Nathaniel walking in long strides. She looked around to confirm that no one heard what they spoke about.