?Chapter 1528:


    Jewell found himself momentarily speechless. Only William would be reckless enough to shower immediately after suffering a serious injury. William apparently feared neither pain nor infection.


    “Alright, I understand. I am on my way.”


    His voice had shifted back into professionalposure as he instructed Ste to wait for him at the vi. Rustling sounds came through the speaker — fabric shifting, drawers opening. Ste recognized he was getting dressed and tactfully stayed silent.


    “I am leaving now. Should be there in twenty minutes. If anything urgent happens before I arrive, call me immediately.”


    Ste blinked at the phone. Even if there was an emergency, how would she know? She did not dare set foot in William’s study right now. But she agreed anyway. “Okay. Thank you, Dr. Vance.”


    After ending the call, she handed the phone back to Tasha, her palms slick with nervous sweat. “Dr. Vance is on his way.”


    Tasha caught the worry Ste could not quite conceal and sighed inwardly. “Ms. Russell, you should return to your room. Make sure Mr. Briggs does not discover you came to me. I will let Dr. Vance in when he arrives.”


    Ste shot Tasha a grateful look and slipped quietly back to her room.


    Twenty minutester, the doorbell chimed softly downstairs. Ste could not make out what Jewell and Tasha said to each other, but she had no intention of leaving her room. Now that Jewell had arrived, William would be fine. Better for her to stay out of sight.


    Soon, she heard Jewell’s light knock on the study door, followed by muffled conversation — and then silence descended over the vi once more.


    Inside the study, Jewell crossed to William’s desk. The sharp, metallic smell of blood reached him immediately, and his frown deepened as he took in the scene: William still seated behind his desk, eyes fixed on theputer screen. A wave of helpless frustration washed over him.


    William’s face had taken on an unhealthy pallor, but his posture remained rigid and perfect. Apart from the color draining from his skin, he appearedpletely unbothered.


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    Jewell set his medical kit down with a thud, his tone brooking no argument. “Let me look at that wound.”


    William’s head snapped up, surprise flickering across his features. “Why are you here?” His voice emerged rough and tired, betraying the toll the injury had taken.


    Jewell did not bother answering. He moved behind William, and his gazended on the blood-soaked fabric clinging to William’s lower left back. The blood had begun to coagte and darken, but the wound beneath remainedpletely untreated.


    Remembering Ste’s words — that William had refused to let her near him — Jewell felt a mixture of anger and bitter amusement. “William, if you do not want that wound healing to your shirt, you had better take it off now.”


    Tension crept into William’s voice. “Who told you I was injured?” He had not intended to tell anyone. If Ste had not walked in and seen it earlier, he would have kept it entirely to himself.


    Jewell nced at him and pulled alcohol and gauze from his kit. “Ste called me,” he said evenly.


    William wentpletely still, staring at Jewell in shock. He had never expected it to be Ste. “She…” He hesitated. “How did she call you? Her phone cannot make outgoing calls.”


    “You will have to ask her yourself.”


    Jewell had already snapped on medical gloves. When William made no move to remove his shirt, Jewell carefully worked scissors through the blood-soaked fabric at his waist. When the cloth fell away to reveal the wound beneath, his frown deepened into something closer to a scowl. The gash ran deep enough to expose muscle, the edges ragged and uneven.


    “A knife wound? Who attacked you at this hour — street thugs?” Though thest part was meant as a joke, William’s expression did not shift in the slightest.


    His mind had filled entirely with thoughts of Ste.


    He had assumed that, given her temperament, she would retreat to her room after he pushed her away — embarrassed, hurt, and done with him. He had never imagined she would call Jewell anyway.


    William had no idea how to process such direct, uplicated concern. Had she truly been worried enough to call in the middle of the night? The realization felt absurd, impossible even — yet he could not shake it from his mind.


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