The days that followed felt eerily calm, the kind of hush that settle after a tempest.
Jasmine Kingston''s iron will now reigned over the streets of Vanceiver.
Under her genius leadership, the city rose to unprecedented heights, surpassing anything it had witnessed before..
Alfred Kingston held sway over the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles.
Even Kelly had carved out her domain in the rugged territory of Vermont.
Though her im was recent andrgely untested, the backing from both Vancouver and L.A. was enough to keep any potential challengers at bay.
Guided by the Kingston family''s teachings, Kelly''s skills blossomed with startling speed, like a flower flourishing under a midday sun.
During that time, Alex had transformed a decrepit building at the edge of a slum into a humble clinic-and a refuge from the world
He kept his true identity concealed, operating the clinic for a mere two or three hours each day to provide free treatment to those who had nowhere else to go, particrly the homeless.
His remaining hours were devoted to refining his mental and physical abilities, training for inevitable conflicts that lurked on the horizon.
Day after day slipped by in rtive peace.
Then the sudden crack of gunfire shattered the quiet on a nearby street.
Alex only heaved a tired sigh. Gang shootouts weremonce in that forsaken corner of the city, part of the grim daily
routine.
Inside the dimly lit clinic, he poured himself one ss of wine after another, as though trying to drown the turmoil churning
within him.
His face offered no clear emotion, but frustration raged in his gut like a caged beast.
He still had not avenged his mother''s death.
He felt stuck. Without a rare herb, he was unable to advance his abilities.
Kingswell was already searching high and low for it, but the item was so scarce that luck seemed the only way to find it.
"Doctor! Doctor!" As the burn of the wine still lingered in his throat, frantic knocking rattled the clinic door.
He opened it, blinking away his haze, to find two young women standing on his doorstep.
One of them wore pristine white, exuding an almost angelic warmth, a sense of mercy made flesh.
To his astonishment, it was Be Kane.
The other was d in a sleek ck bodysuit. She stood with a fierce, unapologetic energy, though a crimson stain spread at her rib cage-a bullet wound-and blood seeped through her clothes.
Her face had turned pale, teetering on the edge of copse.
"Excuse me, is the doctor here? My friend is badly hurt and needs help right away!" Be pleaded, her voice shaking with
concern.
She fell silent in shock when she realized she was speaking to Alex
?
4
Something about their connection was undeniably strange.
"I''m the doctor,e in," Alex said calmly.
Gunshot wounds were hardly out of the ordinary In this neighborhood.
"Thank you so much! Scarlett, let''s get inside," Be urged, turning to her wounded friend.
"Wait a minute! Be, he reeks of wine. He''s young and drunk. And this small clinic. I don''t trust him," Scarlett growled through clenched teeth.
"You''ve lost too much blood. If you don''t get treated now, you could die," Be insisted, worry etched on her face.
Se drunk doctor touch me, I might die even faster. Just give me a painkiller,”
"I can hold on until ambnce arrives. If llet
Scarlett shot back, grimacing.
Her wound was severe enough that even a skilled physician would be challenged,
let alone a doctor who reeked of booze in small
corner of slum area.
"You die in fifteen minutes without proper treatment," Alex stated coolly.
"That''s none of your concern, I won''t get scammed." Scarlett snapped.
"Believe it or not, it does matter to me if you die right here because then I have to deal with the police and all the paperwork."
"If you refuse treatment, get out so I don''t have to handle the mess," Alex replied, waving them off.
"You-!" Scarlett tensed, rage flickering in her eyes as she considered hitting him.
But Alex, remaining unppable, kicked Scarlett just hard enough to send her stumbling back outside, coughing up more blood in the process.
"You..." Scarlett rasped from the ground. "Is This how a doctor treat...!"
Alex ignored her and mmed the door shut.
"Wait, please! Alex, I''m so sorry on Scarlett''s behalf. Don''t hold her behavior against her. I promise I''ll pay you for your kindness," Be urged, forcing the door open again.
"Be, why are you begging him? Even if I''m dying, I''m not letting that man treat me," Scarlett hissed defiantly.
Be''s eyes turned red with anger. "Fine. If you don''t bodyguard who''s bent on getting herself killed."
want treatment, hand in your resignation first. I refuse to keep a
Alex watched Be, noticing how different she seemed from their previous encounter.
There was a kindness in her that felt both new and genuine.
"Miss," Scarlett protested.
“Be, this woman seems to have a screw loose. If you do end up firing her, make
sure you never again hire someone so dim-witted," Alex remarked.
"You bastard!" Scarlett snarled, doubling over. She tried to stand and argue, but her anger or her blood loss got the better of her.
She copsed in a faint.
"Scarlett!" Be eximed, rushing to lift her, though shecked the strength. She looked at Alex in desperation.
"Please help her. I''m begging you. I have the money to repay you. Whatever you want-just save her,"
He exhaled and nodded.
"This is a clinic, after all, and you dide looking for help. Of course I''ll treat her."
He grabbed Scarlett by the cor, hefted her like a sack of grain, and unceremoniously tossed her onto the bed.
Without missing a beat, he retrieved a scalpel, sliced open the fabric around her bullet wound, extracted the bullet with swift precision, then stitched and dressed the area to stem the bleeding
While Alex worked, Be watched him intently, her pulse racing.
Gathering some courage, she dabbed at the sweat forming on his forehead with a piece of tissue.
"You''re sweating a lot," she whispered.
“Thanks,” he replied, not looking up from his procedure.
A few minutester, Alex set the scalpel aside and began cleaning up. "Alright, she''s out of danger. I''ll write down a prescription. A few days of rest and she''ll be back on her feet," he said, rummaging for some basic medication, fully expecting them to dismiss it for something pricier.
"Thank you so much," Be murmured gratefully.
Alex frowned. "Be Kane, what brings you to a ce like this?"
Be''s cheeks warmed, though she couldn''t quite admit she had been searching
for him.
"I..I wanted to do some good. Help people in these slums."
"In Vancouver?" Alex asked.
Be coughed awkwardly. "This district is between Vermont and Vancouver. I just
felt the urge toe. But then some rivals of my father ambushed us."
"You-" Alex began, but Be''s attention snapped to Scarlett, who was slowly
"Scarlett, you''re awake. How do you feel?" Be asked, relieved to see her conscious again.
“Be? Where am I?" Scarlett mumbled, eyes darting around.
"Alex treated you. He''s a remarkable doctor. Just a few stitches and you already stopped bleeding," Be said with excitement.
"I didn''t ask for his help," Scarlett muttered, ring at the bandages. "Scarlett! He saved your life out of kindness. You could at least be thankful,” Be admonished her. Deep down, she fumed that her new bodyguard was insulting the man who''d saved her.
"Be, you''re far too trusting. You never know what goes on in someone''s head.
He could have healed me with some hidden agenda," Scarlett said, rolling her
eyes.
"You''re mistaken. I believe he''s a good person," Be insisted.
Alex looked at Be, and he couldn''t associate her with the monster who kept violent people around her.
This Be seemed like someone else entirely-kind and polite? What had drastically changed this woman, Alex wondered.
Scarlett opened her mouth to argue, but themotion outside cut her short. Heavy footsteps and rough voices resonated through the walls.
"Boss, they''re cornered in here. They must be hiding inside. I''ll teach them to run
from me. Boys, surround the clinic. Burn it if you must. Don''t let so much as a bug slip through."
The doors were kicked in with brutal force.