Chapter 4

"Hurry up and save him, Dr. Sutton!" Christine shouted anxiously.

Joshua was drenched in cold sweat. His mind was completely blank. He had no idea how to treat Eli.

"T-There's nothing I can do," he said in despair.

He knew that after today, the stellar reputation he'd built up over the course of his life would be completely ruined.

Just then, Damian abruptly spoke up, "Stick one needle on the top of his head and another on the midline of his chest, between his nipples. Do it quickly!"

"Shut up! Stop causing trouble at a time like this!" Christine shrieked in fury.

However, Joshua tensed up. Since Damian could accurately predict Eli's symptoms, perhaps he did know how to treat him.

There was no time to think. Gritting his teeth, Joshua quickly pulled out two silver needles and followed Damian's instructions. At that point, trusting Damian was his only option. He could only hope Damian wasn't talking nonsense.

A miracle happened. Eli immediately stopped coughing up blood. His breathing became smoother, and color returned to his face. After a few coughs, he opened his eyes, feeling more comfortable than he had in days.

Overjoyed, David and Christine repeatedly thanked Joshua.

"Thank you so much, Dr. Sutton!"

But Joshua simply waved them off, looking visibly shaken and somewhat dazed.

"You saved my life again, Dr. Sutton," Eli said gratefully.

That brought Joshua back to his senses. Turning red, he let out a rueful laugh. "I didn't save you, Mr. Spencer Senior. It was this young man here."

Joshua looked at Damian with a mix of shame as well as shock.

"Oh?" Startled, Eli looked at Damian in confusion. He'd fallen unconscious earlier, so he didn't know what had happened.

Damian gave a modest smile and said, "Dr. Sutton used acupuncture to save you, Mr. Spencer Senior. All I did was watch from the side to offer some advice."

Joshua froze.

He had expected Damian to take all the credit, humiliate him, and make today's incident known to all, stepping on him to rise to fame. Damian could've benefited greatly from doing so. But instead, Damian didn't claim any credit and even helped preserve his dignity.

Joshua felt both grateful and ashamed. He also felt a sense of deep respect for Damian.

"No, not at all. If you hadn't guided me, I might have caused a serious disaster today. I don't dare take the credit," Joshua said quickly.

Smiling, Damian said, "Actually, this wasn't your fault. Your treatment was fine. You just didn't realize Mr. Spencer Senior has been plagued with malevolent energy. Your treatment forced the malevolent energy out, but it had nowhere to go, so it gathered in his heart and worsened his condition."

David scoffed in derision. "This is getting more and more ridiculous. You're even bringing up such superstitious nonsense."

However, Joshua was stunned. "Are you a part of Mystic Healers? May I know who your mentor is?"

Shaking his head, Damian said, "I'm not from Mystic Healers. I just know a thing or two about this."

He didn't mention the fact that he was skilled in all schools of medicine.

Meanwhile, Eli's brows were furrowed in shock. "Damian, did I really get possessed by malevolent energy?"

Something like that sounded far too absurd. He would've dismissed it with a laugh if it'd come from someone else. However, he had to believe Damian, who was the mentee of someone he knew as a sage.

"You were, Mr. Spencer Senior, but don't worry. The malevolent energy has been removed from you," Damian said as he pointed at the needles stuck to Eli.

Everyone looked over and gasped. "The needles… Why are they black?"

The needles were now covered in a strange black mist that looked eerily disturbing.

Smiling, Damian asked Joshua, "Mind if I keep these, Dr. Sutton? You're not equipped to deal with the malevolent energy on them."

Joshua nodded quickly. "Of course. Go right ahead."

Damian swiftly pulled out the nine darkened needles and asked Martha to bring a cloth to wrap them up.

"Mr. Spencer Senior, have you been anywhere lately with a lot of dark energy?" Damian asked Eli.

After giving it some thought, Eli said, "I don't think so. I'm at home most of the time and rarely go out."

Damian nodded without saying anything else, but his eyes flickered with suspicion. It seemed unusual for Eli to be plagued with malevolent energy.

They continued chatting for a while. After confirming that Eli was no longer in any danger, Joshua got up to leave—though he insisted that he wasn't comfortable accepting the one million dollars in treatment fees.

Before leaving, he said to Damian, "When you have a moment to spare, Damian, feel free to drop by my clinic, Sutton Clinic, for a visit. You're always welcome!"

"I will." Damian nodded with a smile.

After seeing Joshua off, Eli was also exhausted after his ordeal. The staff helped him wash up, and he went to sleep.

Only then did Christine finally look at Damian and ask curiously, "Are you proficient in medicine?"

"I learned a few things," Damian replied with a grin.

Christine's expression turned cold. "Don't think learning a few things makes you some kind of expert. You simply made a lucky guess today. That's why things didn't go wrong. You won't be so lucky next time, you know. Do you understand?"

Damian chuckled and said, "Got it, darling. It's getting late. Shall we head back to our room?"

Her cheeks flushed instantly. She gritted her teeth and snapped, "Don't push it!"

"Oh? Shall I sleep with Mr. Spencer Senior instead?" he murmured.

It was just as well. He wanted to look into the matter of Eli getting plagued with malevolent energy.

"Why, you!" Christine clenched her jaw in fury.

To think that he was threatening her! Eli might get another heart attack if he found out she refused to let Damian enter her room.

A grim-faced David spoke up, "Listen carefully, punk. There's no way you're going to end up with Christine. You're not worthy of my daughter, so you'd better not get any ideas. Otherwise, even if Dad is protecting you, I still won't let you off the hook. Do you understand me?"

"Certainly, Dad," Damian replied with a chuckle.

David's blood pressure skyrocketed when Damian addressed him as "Dad".

"Remember. Don't get any ideas about Christine at all. Here in Cloudcove, it's not that hard for us to make someone disappear. You'd better watch your back," David threatened before marching back to his room in a huff.

Louisa sighed, looking rather hesitant as she glanced between Christine and Damian.

"You two should get some rest," she said before going after David.

Christine scoffed in frustration, but there was nothing she could do. She headed to her room, and Damian quickly tagged along.

As soon as Damian entered the room, he was hit with a lovely fragrance that made him almost dizzy with delight.

Was this what a woman's room was like? It was so much better than that rundown place he shared with Alden back at the village.

Still scowling, Christine threw the additional set of bedding over to Damian and said, "Don't think I'll agree to be with you just because Grandpa said so. I'm taking the bed. You can sleep on the floor."

"Sure."

Damian wasn't angry at all. He happily spread out the bedding on the floor. Then, he took his shoes off and lay down with a look of satisfaction.

"This is so comfortable. What a soft blanket this is. It's so much more comfortable than sleeping on the floor back at the village."

"What a country bumpkin!" Christine growled under her breath.

Still furious, she got in bed with her back toward Damian. However, she was extremely nervous. It was her first time sharing a room with a man. Would he get up in the middle of the night and try something with her?

Feeling all tensed up, she couldn't sleep at all.