NovelUpdateChapter 108 Everyone had gathered together again. Apart from Lyndon, who kept his distance, the whole group was buzzing with excitement.
After all, Victoria's return was something to celebrate.
Late that night, the shrill ring of the phone shattered the silence, startling Victoria awake.
It was the landline-an internal call.
She picked up quickly.
"Ma'am, please chome. Sir's running a high fever." Xenia's voice was laced with panic.
Victoria had assumed it was something urgent, but it turned out McNeil was ill.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtUnfazed, she replied, "Just give him something to bring the fever down. If he's still unwell tomorrow, call a doctor then." Messages from friends kept streaming across her laptop screen. The lively conversation was the perfect distraction, and Victoria didn't want to leave it behind.
"But ma'am, it's serious," Xenia insisted. "He got whipped by the old man at the estate-his back's covered in blood. The doctor's already been, dressed the wounds, but when I checked on him just now, the bleeding hadn't stopped, and his fever's getting worse." Xenia hesitated, then added, "He keeps calling your name. Ma'am, for Miss Gwyneth's sake, please come. If something happens to him, Miss Gwyneth will be left without a father." Something about those final words tugged at Victoria's heart. Suddenly, she lost all interest in chatting. Even as the group chat continued buzzing with messages, Victoria disappeared from the conversation.
People kept tagging her, but eventually, her profile icon turned gray.
It was late. The icy wind outside cut right through to the bone.
Hearing the commotion, Haley hurried after her, pressing a thick coat into Victoria's hands.
"It's freezing out there. Please wear this, miss." Victoria murmured her thanks, pulled on the coat, and slipped into the car.
When she arrived at the villa, Xenia was waiting anxiously at the door.
"Ma'am, thank goodness you're here. Please, go see him." Xenia was nearly frantic. Victoria hurried upstairs. In the dim bedroom, McNeil lay facedown on the bed, motionless.
Maybe it was the lighting, or maybe just the cold, but a chill crept over Victoria as she approached.
Bandages wrapped McNeil's back, with angry red stains seeping through-but thankfully, the bleeding seemed to be slowing.
His face and body, however, were burning with fever.
Victoria reached out to check his forehead and quickly drew her hand back.
She asked Xenia to bring cool water, then soaked a towel and began sponging McNeil's skin, trying to bring his temperature down. She also brought over sfever medicine.
But his fever was so high that he couldn't even swallow the pills.
Watching helplessly, Xenia suggested, "Ma'am, maybe you could give him the medicine...mouth to mouth? He's much too weak to take it on his own." Victoria hesitated, her expression freezing for a moment. Sensing her discomfort, Xenia quickly excused herself, closing the door to give them privacy.
McNeil's eyes remained closed, his breathing shallow.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmAfter a moment's uncertainty, Victoria took the medicine and placed it in her mouth.
The instant her lips brushed McNeil's, a flood of images him and another woman flashed through her mind.
A wave of nausea hit her so hard she almost spat the medicine out.
But the man in front of her was teetering on the edge of life and death. With no other choice, Victoria forced herself to swallow her disgust and pressed her mouth to his, transferring the medicine.
McNeil was so far gone she had to repeat the process three times before he finally swallowed it all.
By the end, a fine sheen of sweat covered her forehead.
She tried to get up, but suddenly McNeil's arm shot out strong despite his illness, and pulled her down beside him. Caught off guard, Victoria tumbled onto the bed, her face so close to his that their cheeks touched.
She must have been losing her mind, because she could have have sworn heard him murmur her name: "Victoria." she
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