novelxo Chapter 44
Chapter 44
After Athena heard what Cedric said, her mind raced back to that moment in the hotel when Newman suddenly lost it and pinned her against the wall.
It was pitch black at the time, and all Athena could feel was his scorching heat. The guy was like a beast taking over, claiming every inch of her with an overwhelming presence that hit her like a tidal wave just irresistible!
She remembered Newman being in top physical shape, so could his past serious injury be the reason he was now relying on Scorpion to get the energy for doing that thing?
A wave of nausea hit her as she thought about it. Then she thought of the little heir of the Bradshaw family, the one Newman said was suffering from a cold disease.
So she asked the person on the phone, “If people absolutely have to give Scorpion to a kid with a cold disease, how do they do it safely?”
The night deepened, and Cedric’s voice took on a lazy, deep tone, “Well, you’d need an adult to take Scorpion first, heat up their blood, and then mix it into the medicine for treating the kid’s condition before they take it.”
As he said this, something clicked for Cedric, and he asked Athena for confirmation. “This bodyguard, has he always had a wound on his chest?”
Athena nodded, “Yeah, it’s like he’s always had this injury. A tiny kick and it just splits open, looking fresh as anything.”
Cedric then said, “Sounds like he’s probably the mediator for kids‘ medicine.”
A cool laugh came through the phone, and Cedric’s tone was laced with a mix of disdain and irony. “Which high–and–mighty family is so cruel to use a young and strong man as a drug intermediary? Does he know that taking Scorpion like this over the years is going to cut his life.
short?”
Athena didn’t respond, her brows slightly furrowed. Tasting the bitterness in her mouth, she asked Cedric, “What about the wound on his chest that never heals? How should that be
handled?”
Cedric couldn’t just dish out a prescription. He told Athena to look up the formula in a book and prepare the medicine for Newman herself.
After his blood cooled a bit, she was to apply a blood–stopping ointment to his cracked chest. Athena gently covered his injuries with gauze, thinking to herself that as long as Newman didn’t kick the bucket right next to her, she wasn’t going to worry about his fever.
“Athena, I’ve never seen you treat any guy this well in the past five years.”
Cedric was guiding her through the bandaging process over a video call. With a sigh from Cedric, Athena retorted, “That’s just because you’re hardly ever around to see me take care of the old man!” By “old man“, she meant their father Timothy.
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“I’ll be nice to Leonard now that he’s back too,” Athena added, feeling like she was trying too hard to cover something up.
Cedric then probed, “Thinking of rekindling things with Leonard?”
Athena’s cheeks puffed slightly, “Five years ago, I let him down.
Cedric raised an eyebrow but decided not to delve into the Leonard topic. Instead, he brought up something else. “There’s been talk that Newman from Everglade City has been searching for me.”
Athena’s heart skipped a beat, and she heard Cedric continue. “Newman’s ruthless in getting what he wants, and now he’s in Stardale City. To avoid dragging you into any trouble with me. let’s keep our contact minimal for a while.”
Athena agreed, and their call ended. Now Athena had another worry – there was no birth control pills in the villa! And she had let Linda leave early, so she had to get them herself.
She whipped out her phone and put in an order for delivery, using a number that wasn’t hers, of course. Wouldn’t want any snoops tracing it back to her.
After ordering a box of birth control pills, she put Newman’s number down and wrote “Beast Newman” for the recipient.
While Newman was still out cold, Athena swiped his phone from his pants pocket. Heading upstairs, she hit the shower to wash off the stickiness.
Looking down at the bruises on her sides, she bit her lip, her eyes devoid of light.
“The Dempsey sisters, one drugs me, the other delivers the cure; huh, the Dempsey family sure know how to play a trick!”
The man’s nasty voice echoed in her ears. Athena felt like kicking the wall but stopped as a cramp shot up her thigh, leaving her grimacing and leaning on the wall for support.
Wrapped in a quick–dry towel, she stepped out of the bathroom, changed, and was about to blow–dry her hair when Newman’s phone screen lit up.
Was the delivery here already? She grabbed the phone, nervously telling the person on the other end. “Just leave the package with the guard, I’ll pick it up in a bit.”
Silence on the line, no response. Athena paused and glanced at the phone screen which clearly read “Yolanda“.
Then the voice came through, “This is Newman’s phone, who is this?!”
Athena felt a bit awkward, “Ms. Abbott, no offense, I’m just a friend of Newman’s.”
Even though she hadn’t kept tabs on Newman’s life in Everglade City, she had heard that since his divorce, he hadn’t remarried.
Athena knew that Newman had made a promise to Cornelia, swearing that Yolanda would never marry into the Bradshaw family. This was probably why Yolanda, without any official
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title, had been living with the Bradshaw family for five years
Athena’s ears perked up again as Yolanda’s voice came through, “May I ask, Miss, what’s your last name? As far as I know, Newman doesn’t have many female friends.”
It was the first time Athena heard Yolanda’s voice, which was sweet and gentle, but it carried a clear tone of anger and hostility.
Just then, another call beeped in on her cell, and Athena said, “I’ve got to take a call from the delivery guy.”
Yolanda pressed on. “What medicine did you buy for Newman? If Newman needs meds, his people would get them! Miss, I’m Newman’s wife–to–be! Give the phone back to him now!”
Yolanda’s voice became more aggressive. Could she blame her for being on edge? After all, Newman’s phone had ended up in the hands of a strange woman in the middle of the night.
Athena’s face remained expressionless, her tone icy and detached, “Ms. Abbott, if you keep wasting my time, it could cost a life. I’m hanging up now.”
With that, Athena ended the call. Then, she picked up the other call, and it was indeed from the delivery guy.
She instructed the guy to leave the medicine with the security guard, wrapped herself up well, and went out to pick it up.
Back in the villa, she quickly poured herself a glass of warm water to take the medicine. Meanwhile, Yolanda called Kent.