The Walkers no longer held any grudges against Marcus.


    After strolling in the garden with Marcus for a while, Natalie urged him to head to work.


    "Get to work, Marcus! Once you wrap things up, we''ll head to Amberton."


    Marcus went silent for a second. "What are you going to do today, then?" he asked.


    "There''s something I have to take care of." Natalie took a deep breath. "Connie told me earlier there was something important she wanted to tell me. Since I got drunk that day, I didn''t manage to ask her about it. So I''m heading back to my room to call her."


    A hint of displeasure flickered across Marcus'' face. They had only just made things official and hadn''t even spent much time together, yet his girlfriend was already urging him to leave.


    Natalie cast him a re. She said in a cold voice, "Be reasonable, Marcus. A man should focus on his career, not just love."


    The love-struck man was left speechless. He just wanted some time with his girlfriend. Was that so wrong?


    "Quick, go now." Natalie lifted her chin, speaking in a firm,manding tone. She had no intention of letting a rtionship take over her life.


    Marcus was silent. Then, he extended both arms. "Give me a hug, then I''ll leave."


    "You''re a full-grown man, so why are you so clingy?" Natalie walked over, barely hugging him. "I''ve made it official and worn your ring. Shouldn''t that be enough?"


    Marcus took a deep breath, caressing Natalie''s hair.


    "Sorry, I''ll head back now then."


    "Alright, go on!" Natalie gestured with her hand. "I''ll walk you to your car."


    Marcus nced around, then lowered his head and ced a kiss on Natalie''s forehead. "I''ll pick you up for dinner after work."


    "No." Natalie rejected him without any hesitation. "I''m not sure how long my work will take. Just go straight home after you''re done. You should spend more time with Grandpa Charles."


    "Well, okay then..." Marcus sighed and gave in. "Just call or text me when you''re done."


    "Sure."


    Natalie nodded. "Now hurry to work! I''ll have to take care of my own stuff once you leave."


    Marcus pouted, seeing Natalie so eager to send him away. ording to what he had read online, wasn''t this supposed to be the stage where couples couldn''t get enough of each other?


    So why did he feel like the clingy one, while she just wanted him gone?


    Was work really more important than spending time together?


    Natalie had no clue what was going on in Marcus'' head. She hurried him along, practically shoving him into the car. The moment he got in, Noah was already standing behind Natalie.


    "You''re taking Noah with you, no arguments."


    Marcus rolled down the window. His eyes were soft as he gazed at Natalie. "Call me when you''re done."


    "Got it. Be safe, okay? Make sure the driver doesn''t go too fast."


    Marcus murmured a reply. "Then... I''ll get going now."


    "Okay, bye!" Natalie said as she waved him off.


    Left with no choice, Marcus told the driver to go.


    As the car drove off, Noah stood behind Natalie, silently marveling at how his


    boss had turned into a hopeless romantic.


    His boss, who once dismissed love as trivial, was nowpletely under its spell.


    He had to admit-Natalie''s charm was something else.


    Natalie turned around and walked into the house. "Do whatever you need to, Noah."


    Noah replied politely, "Yes, Ms. Walker."


    Natalie went up to the fifth floor, going back to her room. She took out her tablet and made a video call to Connie.


    Connie answered almost immediately. "Ms. Walker, you left with Mr. Holden so suddenly this morning. What happened?"


    "Get to the point," Natalie said tly. "You said a special patient was looking for me. What was that about?"


    "Oh, right."


    Seeing Natalie''s cold demeanor and serious expression, Connie dropped the gossip right away. "I''ll send their details to your email now. You''ll know after you go through them."


    "Okay."


    "Ms. Walker, I haven''t replied to this patient yet, so if you want to reject them after you''ve gone through their details, let me know."


    Natalie hummed a reply. "Is that all?"


    "So..."


    Connie couldn''t resist her curiosity. "Are you and Mr. Holden official now, Ms. Walker? I saw you bothst night. He was holding you, and you had your arms around his neck, all cozy and very close!"


    Natalie ended the video call instantly.


    Connie, on the other end, whined, "Ms. Walker..."


    After hanging up, Natalie logged into her alternate email ount. Connie''stest email was right there.


    She tapped into the email and started reading through it carefully.


    This patient''s skin was so pale that it was almost translucent, and their hair was pure white.


    The patient wore a mask, but those eyes—Natalie found them familiar at first nce. It was as if she had seen them somewhere before.


    The photos attached were full-body shots, showing the patient sitting, standing, and lying down. They were taken from nearly every possible angle without missing a single detail.


    The patient was wearing a sleeveless dress that barely grazed her thighs. Her delicate, almost skeletal frame made the sight all the more haunting.


    One particr photo was a close-up of the patient''s wrist. Her skin was so unnaturally pale that Natalie could make out something writhing beneath the veins, shifting ever so slightly.


    Along with the patient''s photos, the


    attached records documented her


    years of seeking treatment. Her illness began not long after


    ol


    childbirth. She might seem normal


    outwardly, but episodes of


    unbearable pain would leave her


    writhing helplessly.


    Moreover, on the 15th or 30th of every month, she would grow fangs, and a


    grotesque face would surface over her own, making her look like a twisted version


    of a vampire.


    Once those two days had passed,


    she''d return to her usual state again. Yet, the pain remained, worsening with each passing day. Herplexion grew so pale that, eventually, her skin became almost


    translucent.


    Despite countless medical consultations, full-body scans, and repeated blood tests, every result came back normal.


    With standard medical tests yielding no answers, the patient sought out experts of obscure and rare conditions, but not a single doctor could pinpoint the cause.


    After exhausting every other option, she reached out to Connie via email, cing what little hope she had left in this final attempt.


    Just as Natalie finished reading through the whole email, Connie called.


    "Ms. Walker, you''ve gone through the email, right?"


    Connie asked carefully, "What do you think? Should we ept the case?"


    Natalie''s fingers drummed softly against the table as she zoomed in on the patient''s photo, her gaze


    lingering on the patient''s eyes.


    the other end, Connie stayed silent as she waited. She didn''t dare to rush Natalie.


    A heavy silence settled over the moment.