Alex looked at Be and let out a weary sigh.
He picked up a small ss bottle with a single pill inside and held out to her.
"If something happens to you," he said quietly, "use this pill. But ark my words do need help...and maybe I''m the only one who can provide it."
this is just a temporary measure. You really
Be''s heart fluttered, her breath caught in her throat, and before he could think twice, the words just tumbled out:
"I believe in you."
Alex blinked, stunned. "...What?"
Be''s eyes widened. "I-I mean-yes! I... I have a heart condition, she stammered, her cheeks turning a soft pink, like the sky before sunrise.
"And I think... only you can fix it."
There was a long, awkward pause.
Then, trying to recover, she waved her hands a little too fast.
"N-not like that! I mean... not the mushy, love-struck kind of heart thing..."
She looked away, biting her bottom lip, her voice dropping to a whisper.
"I mean the real kind. The one that''s actually broken."
"A real, serious heart disease."
"Yes, that''s what I''m talking about," Alex said. His tone was serious, but there was
a gentle note underneath..
Alex turned away and started to walk off, apparently finished with the conversation.
But Be wasn''t ready to let him go.
She reached out on impulse and caught the edge of his coat, her fingers clutching the fabric like it was thest thread tying them together.
Alex stopped, then slowly turned back around. His face was unreadable, calm as ever, but his eyes flickered with something- something unsure.
"Yes?" he asked, voice low.
Be looked down, hershes trembling. "Uhm... aboutst time...
Her throat tightened, and it took effort to speak.
"I''m... not usually like that. I mean, I used to be this shy, proper girl. I always followed the rules. I never... acted out. But when I found out my life might be short-because of this heart condition-I think something inside me just... snapped."
Sheughed nervously, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
"So I started doing things I normally wouldn''t. I thought maybe if I lived louder, I wouldn''t feel so afraid."
Alex didn''t smile. He just listened.
Be took a deep breath, her voice steadier now.
"So... thank you. For snapping me out of it. For being the only one who stop me."
She looked up at him, her eyes shining. "I promise I won''t spiral again. I want to be better. I want to be... someone good."
There was a beat of silence
Then Alex stepped closer, and with a gentleness that made her chest ache, he reached out and ced his hand on her head. His fingers lingered, warm and grounding.
"I believe in you," he said quietly.
And the words struck her deeper than anything else ever had. Her heart felt like it was waking up-beating faster, brighter-like his voice had poured sunlight into her chest..
Alex left not long after, but Be stood there frozen in ce, her fingers still tingling, her face warm.
It wasn''t until ten minutes had passed that she finally moved, her thoughts still spinning, her heart still racing like it had just learned how to fall in love.
Momentster, Be stormed into her father''s study, flinging the door open. "Father, I want to be treated by Alex! Just hand him the Heaven Root, all right?"
"Hmph! That young man has no idea what he''s talking about!" Jericho scoffed, his voice dripping with disdain.
"But Father, I believe in him," Be insisted.
Jericho stood up sharply. "He''s the man who pped you, then stirred up
everyone else to p you, too. How can you ce your faith in him?"
Be bit her lip, knowing she could not break through his stubborn way of thinking.
In desperation, she rushed to find her mother.
3
Soon enough, Lidia Kane stepped forward. "Jericho, I heard there''s a man named Alex who can treat Be. Is that true?" "He''s a nobody," Jericho replied with a dismissive wave. "Maybe he can fight, but a doctor? That rascal has no worth to us."
"Be said Alex warned her about a heart attacking in a week and gave her this bottle with a pill as an emergency measure. What do you think?" Lidia asked.
“Hah! Nonsense. Throw it away," Jericho replied coldly.
"We have the finest doctors in Vermont for Be. We don''t need that man. He''s overconfident, nothing more. Does he think I''m a fool just because he can best me in a fight?"
Three days went by in peaceful quiet.
Alex went about his days opening the clinic. asionally, Josephine came around to lend him a hand.
Then, around four days after his confrontation with Jericho Kane, the tide began to turn.
That day started off unremarkably, with Jericho poring over business matters in his study, when a servant burst in, eyes wide and voice trembling.
"Sire quick! It''s Miss Be! She suddenly fainted!"
"What? How did this happen?" Jericho shot to his feet, face darkening with dread.
"I-I don''t know!" the maid stammered. "She was walking in the garden, then just copsed. We''ve already moved her to her room." Her voice shook with panic.
Jericho didn''t wait to hear more. He bolted from his study and rushed straight to Be''s room. The sight that met him there chilled his blood.
Bey unmoving, her face pale as a ghost. Jericho ced a trembling hand over her heart and found it all but still.
"This is bad," Jericho muttered, grimas death. He reached for Be''s pulse and felt it flicker faintly, her breaths shallow. She
looked as though she might slip away within the day.
He wasted no time, pouring his internal energy into Be in a desperate attempt
to keep her heartbeat from fallingpletely. Soon, het heart started beating once more but slowed to a dangers crawl.
"Be!" Lidia cried out in rm, throwing herself beside her daughter.
"Lidia, hurry!" Jericho snapped. "Call Dr. Joane! Tell her to get here right away!" Lidia grabbed the phone instantly. After a terse conversation, she turned back to him, face pale.
"Dr. Joane is on her way, but she says it''ll take about an hour for her to arrive."
"An hour?" Jericho seethed. "That will be toote! Try every other doctor in Vermont. I want them all here in five minutes!" "Alright!" Lidia hurried out, making frantic phone calls.
Within those five minutes, the butler arrived with a group of doctors in tow-some leading departments, some professors, others recognized experts in their fields. 1 One by one, they filed into the room, each of them solemn.
"Whoever saves my daughter will be richly rewarded by the Kane family!" Jericho dered, his voice echoing with raw desperation.
"Rest assured, Mr. Kane," one of the doctors said, eyes gleaming with ambition. "We will do our utmost."
They all knew what healing Be Kane could mean: wealth, reputation, and the powerful friendship of the Kane family. Their drive to help her soared.
However, as they examined Be, their expressions turned grim.
One by one, they realized her condition was unlike anything they had seen. It was
a hereditary heart disease with wildly irregr rhythms that defied thetest
technology and all known medical knowledge.
For a moment, not one of them dared to act.
"Doctors," Jericho barked, "there are so many of you here. Don''t tell me there''s nothing you can do!"
They exchanged uneasy nces. "Well..." The muttered word hung in the air.
"A bunch of useless fools!" Jericho thundered, his face contorted with anger. Though a part of him had doubted they could help Be, the reality still cut him to the core.
"Uncle Jericho!" Scarlett cried out, her tone urgent. "Be''s condition is getting worse!"
They all turned to look. Be, motionless on the bed of green silk, seemed to be growing colder by the second.
Her breaths were so faint it was as if she hovered on the brink between this life and the next. 1
"Oh no!" Jericho''s eyes narrowed with fear. "My channeling can only do so much... It can''t cure her."
His voice quivered with helplessness. None of them could deny it: Be''s life hung
by a thread.