The sun was blazing overhead. No wonder—it was already 1:05 p.m.
Ateera was at the hospital.
She hadn't properly seen Arash's condition for about a week, and now she was worried, afraid that her younger brother's condition might get worse.
So, summoning all her courage, she asked the head butler for permission to leave.
Fortunately, the head butler granted it without question. He didn't even ask much and only gave her a time by which she had to return.
She was grateful for that. After everything that had happened to her lately, her thoughts had been a complete mess. Maybe seeing her brother would help lift her spirits again.
When she reached Arash's hospital room, Ateera immediately opened the door, unable to contain her impatience.
“Arash.”
The ten-year-old boy turned when he heard someone call his name.
“Big Sister.” With a cheerful voice, the boy climbed down from his hospital bed and walked over to Ateera.
He wrapped his arms around his sister and hugged her tightly.
“Hey, Arash, are you allowed to get out of bed like that?” Ateera asked.
“That’s because I missed you so much, Big Sister. I thought that because you hadn’t come in such a long time, you were tired of me and didn’t want to see me anymore,” he said, lowering his head.
“Hey, what are you saying?” Ateera asked as she cupped her brother’s downcast face. “There’s no way I’d leave you. Why would you think that?”
“Because I’m sick,” Arash replied.
Ateera fell silent. She couldn’t deny that. But she still believed that one day her brother would recover, and she wanted him to believe it too.
“Arash, listen to me,” Ateera said. “I haven’t been able to visit you lately because I’ve been busy working, and I’m doing it to pay for your treatment.”
“And I’ll never leave you, because we only have each other in this world. You’re all I have, Arash. And I know you’ll get better. You believe that too, right? Because I know you would never leave me.”
Arash nodded, bringing a smile to Ateera’s lips.
The woman hugged Arash again, pouring all her love into her little brother.
“Ateera, you’re here.”
The voice broke the touching moment between brother and sister.
“Oh, Doctor Sean,” Ateera said, rising to her feet.
“Can we talk after I check Arash’s condition?” Sean asked.
“Yes, of course,” Ateera replied.
Sean smiled, then turned his attention to Arash. “Arash, how about we check on you first?”
“Okay, Doctor.”
“Good boy,” Sean praised him.
About twenty minutes later, after Arash’s examination was complete, Ateera and Sean sat together in the hospital garden.
Ateera kept her head lowered while Sean stared ahead.
“Doctor,” Ateera said, starting the conversation. “I want to thank you for taking such good care of Arash this past week.”
“It’s my job. Arash is my patient.”
Ateera shook her head. “Even so, there’s no doctor as kind as you. You take care of Arash like he’s your own little brother.”
“I’m not that kind, Ateera. The proof is that I still haven’t found a heart donor for Arash, even though I’m still doing everything I can.”
“I know you won’t give up so easily. And I believe in you, Doctor.”
Sean was stunned by what Ateera had just said. Then he smiled, touched by how deeply she trusted him—and because of that, he didn’t want to disappoint her.
“Oh, right. I heard you found a job,” he said.
“That’s right. I work as a servant at the Orville mansion.”
“The Orville mansion? You mean the Orvilles, that famous conglomerate family?”
“Yes, that’s right. You know them, Doctor?”
“Of course. Who doesn’t know the Orville family? They’re billionaires with businesses in all kinds of industries.”
“Does that mean you also know the young master of that family?”
Sean fell silent for a moment after hearing Ateera’s question.
“Yes, I know him. Why? Are you interested in him?”
“Ah, n-no. I’m actually afraid of him. It’s just that the young master is so mysterious. He’s also very cold, with a sharp, terrifying gaze. I’m really only curious, Doctor, because I’m afraid of making a mistake while working in his home,” Ateera replied.
“Then all right. I’ll tell you what I know about the Orville heir...”
Valiant Thanos Orville, the sole heir of the Orville family. He was known for his cold, untouchable nature and air of mystery.
He didn’t hesitate to break the hand of anyone who dared touch him, whether intentionally or not.
Because of his status as a conglomerate heir, Valiant was engaged to Victoria Hilton, a woman from an equally prominent family.
However, many people said their engagement had come about because of love, not merely the benefits it brought to both families.
They were even called the couple of the century because they always looked perfect together whenever they attended events.
But behind Valiant Thanos Orville’s seemingly perfect life, bad news suddenly began to spread. Rumors claimed that Valiant had been afflicted with a strange disease with no cure.
According to the rumors, it wasn’t an ordinary illness but a curse—the karmic punishment for the past sins of an Orville ancestor who had been a nobleman.
The ancestor was said to have abused the people under his rule for the sake of wealth and status.
“A strange disease?” Ateera asked, her brow furrowing after hearing Sean’s story about Valiant.
“Yes, but it’s only a rumor, and no one can prove whether it’s true. Besides, the young master of the Orville family is perfectly fine even now, isn’t he?”
Ateera didn’t answer. Instead, she lowered her head, remembering what she had seen that night.
Valiant’s strange movements. He had looked to be in terrible pain, his face flushed red as if something were burning him from within.
So what I saw that night wasn’t because he was drunk. It was because of the strange disease the young master has, she thought.
Meanwhile, at the Orville mansion, in Valiant’s study, the man sat on a sofa, coldly staring at a middle-aged man seated across from him.
“Your medicine has stopped working, Doctor James,” he said.
“Yes, sir?”
“My symptoms didn’t stop even after I took it! They didn’t stop at all, even after I touched myself!”
“What are you saying, sir? That’s impossible,” James replied.
“So you think I’m lying?”
“N-no, of course not. It’s just that I’ve studied the disease as thoroughly as possible. A mistake like this should be impossible.”
“That means you doubt what I’m telling you, Doctor James.”
“No, Young Master... Or perhaps the severity of the disease has increased. You said the symptoms didn’t ease even after you touched yourself.”
“Yes, perhaps that’s it,” Valiant replied.
“Then all right. I’ll study a new medicine for you.”
“No need.”
“Yes?”
“Because I think I’ve already found the most effective medicine for my illness.”
“What do you mean, sir? Did you perhaps consult another doctor?”
“No,” he replied, slowly shaking his head and leaving James bewildered.
“More than that, Doctor James—is it normal for someone to have such a wonderfully fragrant body scent, as well as sweet saliva? A scent so intoxicating it makes you lose your senses.”
“Young Master, please forgive me, but what exactly are you trying to ask?” Doctor James said, still confused by the direction of Valiant’s questions.
“My medicine,” he answered casually. “The medicine that can ease my illness with just one drop of her sweet saliva.” He continued with a smirk on his lips.