Chapter 230

Chapter 230

A steady rapping at the door interrupted the stillness of the evening.

Brian furrowed his brow in annoyance.

Bagot was just outside. He should have known that Brian was in no mood for visitors.

Yet, the persistent knock didn’t cease. It fell silent for a moment, only to resume with more determination.

Minutes later, Brian wrenched the door open with a rising temper to find Benjamin standing at the door with an inscrutable expression.

Benjamin’s eyes roamed over Brian’s scantily clad form, lingering suggestively on some part.

“If you don’t have a damn good reason for this, I’ll rip your head off!” Brian growled through clenched teeth.

A shiver ran down Benjamin’s spine. He knew Brian could make good on that threat and then

some more.

“The doctor I called for is here,” Benjamin said with a resigned tilt of his mouth, his voice low. “Get dressed and come out, will you?”

Brian tidied himself up and emerged to find that the ‘doctor‘ was an old man, which did little to improve his mood.

“He’s a reputable family physician, steeped in generations of practice,” Benjamin added quickly, sensing his nephew’s irritation.

Brian read the unspoken message in Benjamin’s eyes. He wished he could keep Natalie as close as his belt, but she wouldn’t have it.

Natalie hurried into her clothes and attempted to tame her tousled hair. She looked a bit embarrassed when she joined them.

“This is Mr. Sanford, a respected professor from my medical school days,” Benjamin introduced, nodding toward the older man. “Please take a seat.”

After exchanging pleasantries, Natalie sat across from Sanford. Brian’s intense gaze, however, fixated on Sanford’s hand as it reached out toward Natalie.

Feeling Brian’s eyes boring into him, Sanford’s back broke out in a cold sweat. He cautiously pulled a tissue from a box nearby and handed it to Natalie, motioning for her to place it beneath her wrist.

Natalie glanced back at Brian, her expression disbelief and exasperation.

“It’s the 21st century, not the Dark Ages,” her look seemed to say.

“Use it,” Brian said flatly.

11:26

Chapter 230

Natalie reluctantly placed the tissue under her wrist and extended her arm to Sanford,

Sanford lightly touched Natalie’s pulse with his fingertips. After half a minute, his expression grew more solemn. “Switch arms, please.”

Natalie did as told, offering her other wrist to the doctor.

A minute later, Sanford withdrew his hand and pondered for a few seconds before speaking. “Have you had complications with childbirth before?”

Benjamin hadn’t mentioned anything to Sanford. He’d only asked him to come and diagnose the issue.

Listening to the question, Brian realized Sanford must know his stuff. His expression hardened as he waited for Natalie’s response.

“Yes,” she nodded.

“Do you often experience intense pain from your abdomen, worse than menstrual cramps, even radiating to your lower back?”

“Yes.”

“It’s not severe, but you’ll need a few treatment sessions,” Sanford concluded after a moment.

Natalie looked puzzled.

“What’s the actual problem?” Brian interjected with a frown.

“It’s lingering effects from the difficult delivery, compounded by a severe strain of the abdominal muscles and ligaments. And you didn’t rest well afterward, did you? Instead, you jumped back into high–intensity activities,” Sanford addressed Natalie directly.

Indeed, Natalie had barely finished her postpartum recovery when she started working for the Truth Group.