Mr. Burton nced at Rachel''s hand with a mocking smirk. "Well, you''d better rush to the hospital, or else that wound might just heal itself before you get there," he quipped sarcastically.


    Marvin chimed in, "Ms. Pearce, it''s just a scrape, really. Does it hurt that much? When I bump into things, I don''t even shed a tear. You''re acting like you''re not even as tough as a five-year-old!"


    Rachel put on a dramatic show, acting as if she were about to faint, though she wasn''t backing down verbally.


    "Little one, my body isn''t like everyone else''s... Last week, I identally cut my finger and bled a lot. Haynie was so worried I might have some serious aftereffects that he insisted I get checked at the hospital.


    Haynie knows my current situation is unique. If I get injured, I bleed like there''s no tomorrow. He even had blood packs prepared just in case..."


    "When I got to the hospital, they were dealing with an emergency, and the blood that was meant for me went to someone with a more severe bleeding issue."


    "When Haynie found out, he was furious. What if I couldn''t stop bleeding? He ended up having all the staff involved in that decision fired."


    "He''s just overly anxious. It was just a small cut, no need for a transfusion, really."


    Rachel was sharing all this to let Ste know just how much Haynes fussed over her. She was also hinting that if anything happened to her, Haynes wouldn''t take it lightly.


    Ste looked at Rachel with a smile. "Ms. Pearce, don''t worry. I''ll just call Haynes and have hime pick you up."


    Rachel was taken aback, surprised that Ste wasn''t angry but was instead offering to call Haynes.


    "Ms. Cameron, really, it''s no big deal. Just a little scratch, no need to bother him..."


    Ignoring Rachel''s protests, Ste picked up her phone and dialed Haynes.


    Seeing this, a cold glint shed in Rachel''s eyes. So, she thought, this was just an excuse to talk to Haynes.


    But Haynes would never take her call.


    Yet, before she could finish that thought, the call connected.


    "Ste, what''s up?" Haynes asked, his voice surprisingly devoid of its usual


    coldness, perhaps due to something Ste had said earlier.


    Ste replied, "Ms. Pearce cut her hand while picking out some herbs. You should


    probably take her to get it checked out."


    Haynes'' tone darkened, "Is it serious?"


    Ste nced at Rachel''s hand. "You''ll know once you''re here."


    Before Haynes could respond, his secretary, Lacey, could be heard in the


    background. "Mr. O''Brien, the meeting is ready for you."


    Acknowledging Lacey, Haynes told Ste, "I''ve got a meeting starting, can''t leave right now. If it''s not too bad, have Mr. Burton patch her up."


    Ste insisted, "Ms. Pearce''s condition is so delicate, we wouldn''t dare treat it ourselves. If it gets infected, we can''t take the me. Her health is too precious; you should take her to the hospital."


    Haynes was silent for a moment. "Send me a photo, let me see how serious it is."


    "Photos and videos just won''t do her condition justice. She was practically in tears from the pain. You really shoulde see for yourself."


    Ste paused, "Of course, if you choose not to, and she passes out from blood loss or something worse happens, we won''t be held responsible."