23
“It’s the yellow snake grass they have used in the drug. It will temporarily paralyze the vocal cords, but it usually doesn’t last long, and she should be able to talk before too long.”
Henry nodded, and only then did he let Brian send the doctor out.
After they had all left, he walked over to the bed and looked at the woman lying on it.
Zoe was now much quieter, lying silently under the quilt, motionless, as if she was asleep.
Only the small face of her, still flushed with a thin layer of scarlet, had somehow revealed her pain and endurance.
Henry looked at her for a while, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he just turned around and
walked away.
A few seconds later, the sound of water clattering came from the bathroom.
Zoe opened her eyes in a daze and felt a strong, tall shadow looming towards her.
“Let’s go have some cold water for a while, huh?”
She looked at him and nodded.
Henry picked her up from the bed with both of his hands and walked towards the bathroom.
The wide bathtub was already well filled with water, and Henry put her in. The cold water caused her to shiver, and she couldn’t help but hold her arms tight.
“Can you sit still by yourself?”
Zoe nodded, wanting to say yes, but right after the man let go of her, her body went limp and she plunged straight into the water involuntarily.
A soft sigh of helplessness rang out overhead.
The next second, she was scooped up from under the water, and she coughed a few times in pain and spat out a mouthful of water.
Just as she was about to open her eyes, a towel came up and in a not-so-gentle motion, he wiped the water off her face. And then there was the sound of water splashing.
He also sat in the tub.
He sat right behind her, letting her lean against him, with his arms wrapping around her.
Zoe’s back instantly stiffened, only to feel as if her back was leaning against a wall of volcanic rock, which was hot.
The strong hormone of the man filled her nostrils, and the fever that had just been pushed
down in her body was stirred up again.
She couldn’t help but struggle and try to leave him, but a cold voice with a hint of displeasure came from behind her, “Don’t you move again!”Exclusive © material by Nô(/v)elDrama.Org.
His face darkened. He was not in good mood being rejected by her. If he was not afraid that she might slide into the water and drown herself, he would not sit in.
She should know, it was not just her who was suffering in such position.
She seemed to have thought of this, and her face changed. After making sure he wouldn’t do anything, she sat meekly still.
There was silence all around, and the two were quietly soaking in the water. Because of the heat of their bodies, the originally cold water didn’t seem so cold anymore.
Thinking of the Gil who had just drugged her, she found the whole thing peculiar.
Originally, she thought that the Gil family, no matter how filthy they were, were just biased and wanted her to give up voluntarily so that they could make it easy for Shawn and Annie.
And she also didn’t want to have anything to do with Steven either, so it did not matter much to her if Steven was really with Annie.
But to her surprise, they were even more cold-hearted and ruthless than she thought.
Just for the two to be engaged without being criticized and gossiped about, they actually accused her of having an affair with Dennis!
That’s not it. They even drugged her and tried to send her to that scum’s bed!
Those were her father and her grandmother!
If she hadn’t grown up in the Gil family, if
she hadn’t gotten along with this family fairly well for the first eighteen years, she really would have wondered if she was the Gil family’s own child or not!
Raging anger mixed with untold sorrow surged through her chest.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
She didn’t how long it took, but finally the fever had faded away and her senses also seemed to be coming back.
She opened her eyes and felt as if her throat was no longer as tight as it was before, so she tried to speak, “Henry, I am fine.”
Though it was more like she was just muttering, she finally could speak.
She couldn’t help letting out a sigh in relief.
Henry didn’t say anything, but got up and then picked her up from the bathtub.
Her body was completely soaked, and her drenched dress now clung to her body tightly, outlining her delicate and sexy curves.
Zoe blushed and pushed away his hand that was trying to wipe off the water for her. She snatched the towel away and said in a hurry, “I can do it myself.”
Henry looked at her and didn’t say anything. Seeing her head lowered in a shy and embarrassed manner, he suddenly laughed.
“Ok, now that you are fine, shouldn’t you repay me? Maybe you can help me wipe off the water.”
Zoe was stunned and looked up at him in surprise. Archie stayed in the water with her, and naturally all of his body was soaked through.
His white shirt clung tightly to his chest, and it was easy to see the powerful abdominal muscles underneath. The liens were beautiful and sexy, but not at all bulging. It was simply perfect.
A flush burned her face all the way down to her neck as she fidgeted.
“But … I … I just…”
As if the oppressive aura of this man had tied her tongue somehow, she became so nervous.
She had been quite eloquent but now she just could not say a word.
He smiled and suddenly held her hand.
She took a frightened step back and pressed her body against the wall.
The next second, she felt an extremely strong oppressive feeling approaching, the man’s handsome and perfect face zoomed closer to her eyes. The corners of his mouth were clearly hooked with an evil smile, but there was not a trace of laughter under his eyes.
He released her and braced one hand against the wall. And then he reached the other hand to cup her chin and lifted it up slightly.
“I told you. I would give you three days to think about it, and now that three days are up, isn’t it time for you to keep your promise?”
Zoe froze for a moment.
She looked into his dark and clam eyes, which was like glaciers that would not melt even for a thousand years. It was a great contrast to his gentle and refined appearance.
She looked at him like something was ramming inside her, so fierce that it was about to jump out of her throat any moment.
Actually, when she thought carefully about it, the man’s offer didn’t do her any harm.
It was not clear why he married her, but it was
a fact that she needed a husband and a marriage.
The reason why she would attend today’s banquet was because Ciara threatened her with what her mother had left behind.
As long as those things had been held in Ciara’s hands, she would never be able to escape her control.
And now, if she got married, and her husband was Henry, whom the Gil family couldn’t afford to mess with, everything would change.
Moreover, although she could not really understand Henry, at least from what she had observed so far, he had no malice towards her.
She had already been hurt once and didn’t feel she could fall in love with another man again in this lifetime as carefree as she had before.
So, what difference did it make who she married?
Her nervousness eased a little at the thought.
When she looked up again, there was a hint of complication in her eyes.
“Henry, are you sure you want to marry me?”
The man raised his eyebrows, “You don’t think I’ve shown enough good faith?”
Zoe pursed her lips, struggled in her heart and then nodded heavily.
“Alright, then I agree.”