2026-07-13 22:56:47At that moment, the instant Nathan's hand made direct contact with Vivienne's bare chest, the sensation that swept through her body was overwhelming.
Extraordinary.
Beyond anything she could have imagined.
Just a moment ago — literally seconds ago — she had been in severe pain. Unbearable, excruciating pain that had made every breath feel like her lungs were being stabbed with frozen knives. She had been consumed by cold so intense it felt like her blood was turning to ice in her veins, like her heart was struggling to beat through the frozen sludge her circulation had become.
She had been dying.
She had known she was dying.
But now?
Now it was as if all of that had simply... vanished.
The cold was gone.
Completely.
Utterly.
Like it had never existed at all.
And in its place was warmth.
Not just warmth.
*Heat.*
Glorious, penetrating, life-giving heat that spread from the point where Nathan's palm pressed against her chest and radiated outward through her entire body in waves that made her want to weep with relief.
It was as if she was submerged in a hot spring.
That was the only comparison her mind could make.
Like she was lying completely naked in a natural hot spring, the kind found in remote mountain valleys where the water was heated by volcanic activity deep beneath the earth. The kind of heat that sank into your bones and muscles and made every tension in your body simply melt away.
Except this was better.
Because this warmth was not just external.
It was internal.
It was flowing through her bloodstream, her nervous system, her organs, her very cells. It was reaching places that no hot spring could ever touch. It was healing things that should not have been healable.
Her body felt warm.
So warm.
So intriguing.
So seductive in the way it made her feel utterly safe and utterly alive at the same time.
She could not even comprehend it.
It was so satisfying that she did not even think about what she was doing next.
Her hand — the one that was not pressed against Nathan's leg — moved of its own accord.
She reached up and pressed Nathan's hand even harder into her chest, holding it there with surprising strength for someone who had been on the verge of death moments before.
And then her other hand moved too.
Without thinking, without considering how it would look or what it would mean, Vivienne wrapped her arm around Nathan's waist and held him tight.
Embraced him.
Pulled him closer.
Like he was a lifeline and she was drowning and she needed to hold on or she would be swept away by the current.
Claire watched this happen in real time, and her jaw dropped open.
Then it snapped shut so hard her teeth clicked together audibly.
Her hands clenched into fists at her sides.
Her entire body went rigid.
And she could feel her molars grinding together as she stared at the scene unfolding in front of her with a mixture of disbelief, fury, and something that might have been horror.
She could not believe what she was seeing.
She could not believe her boss — Vivienne Sterling, heiress to one of the most powerful families in the city, a woman who carried herself with dignity and poise and grace in every situation — was actually flirting with a commoner.
Not just any commoner.
A scammer.
A con artist.
A bastard who did not even know what he was doing.
Vivienne was pressing his hand into her chest.
Vivienne was embracing him.
Vivienne was holding him like... like...
Claire could not even finish the thought.
It was too absurd.
Too wrong.
Too much chaos for her mind to process.
And yet it was happening right in front of her eyes.
Claire opened her mouth to say something — to shout, to intervene, to pull Vivienne away from this fraud who was clearly taking advantage of her vulnerable state.
But then she stopped.
Because as much as she hated to admit it, as much as every fiber of her being rebelled against the idea...
Whatever Nathan was doing seemed to be working.
Vivienne's breathing had stabilized completely.
The frost on her skin had melted away entirely, leaving only faint traces of moisture where the crystals had been.
Her face, which had been pale and drawn with pain just minutes ago, now had color returning to it.
Her body, which had been trembling violently, was now still and relaxed.
She looked... peaceful.
Like she was not dying anymore, she was actually being healed.
Claire's jaw remained clenched, but she did not speak.
Instead, she turned sharply to the security guards and began giving silent orders with hand signals.
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Chapter 27
At that moment, Vivienne stood there, utterly surprised.Utterly shocked.She could barely comprehend what had just happened — what *he* had just done.This stranger.This man she barely knew, he had literally healed her.Completely.In less than an hour, he had accomplished what teams of world-class doctors had failed to do over the course of two years.But there was something else beneath the shock and gratitude.Something deeper, something she could not quite name.It was a feeling of warmth.Not physical warmth, though that was part of it.But a different kind of warmth — emotional, spiritual, something that made her feel like she was standing in a very special place. A place she had never been before. A place she never wanted to leave.She wanted to stay in this moment.She wanted to hold onto this feeling of safety and healing and rightness.But reality was crashing back in around her.The pavement beneath her feet.The cold afternoon air.The bodyguards standing frozen in awkwa
Chapter 26
He had no other choice then, did he?Nathan's muscles tensed slightly, preparing to execute the techniques his body somehow knew — preparing to use what his fragmented memories called the Iron Fist style, a brutal and efficient combat system designed for exactly this kind of close-quarters situation.The bodyguard with the knife raised it slightly, adjusting his grip, preparing to make the cut.Two paces away now.Then one.Nathan's fist clenched.His spiritual energy began to flow, gathering in his arms and legs, preparing for the explosive burst of speed and strength he would need to—"What the hell do you think you are doing?!"The voice cut through the tension like a thunderclap.It was not loud.It was not a shout.But it carried absolute authority — the kind of authority that made everyone freeze in place instinctively, including the bodyguard with the knife raised just inches from Nathan's face.Everyone's heads snapped toward the source of the voice.Vivienne Sterling was stan
Chapter 25
At that moment, two of the strongest-looking security guards stepped forward in response to Claire's command.They moved with purpose, their expressions cold and professional, their hands reaching for the tactical knives they kept holstered at their belts.The blades came out with a soft metallic whisper that somehow seemed louder than it should have been in the tense silence.Sharp.Gleaming.Designed to cut through meat and bone with terrifying efficiency.They started walking toward Nathan with deliberate, measured steps, closing the distance between them with the kind of calm confidence that came from years of training and experience in doing exactly this kind of work.Claire watched them approach Nathan, and for the first time since this entire nightmare had begun, she felt a flicker of satisfaction.She knew that if she actually did this — if she actually followed through with cutting out Nathan's tongue right here and now — then at least she would not be severely punished when
Chapter 24
If it could be fixed.So there was no point in arguing with Nathan right now.No point in wasting breath on accusations and threats.She just needed to wait.Claire's jaw remained clenched, but she forced herself to speak in a more controlled tone."Well," she said slowly, her eyes locked on Nathan's face, "I am going to give you some minutes. Some minutes to see what is actually going to happen."The unspoken threat hung in the air between them: *And if she dies, you die with her.*Nathan nodded slightly, acknowledging the threat without seeming particularly concerned about it.And that calm acceptance — that complete lack of fear or defensiveness — only made Claire angrier.But she said nothing more.She turned away from Nathan and moved closer to where Vivienne was still bent forward on the pavement, her body trembling, her breathing labored.Claire knelt beside her employer, one hand hovering near Vivienne's shoulder but not quite touching, unsure whether contact would help or mak
Chapter 23
At that moment, upon seeing what was happening — upon seeing Vivienne bent forward in agony, vomiting up that thick, whitish substance that looked like corrupted pus — the secretary's face transformed into something beyond fury.It was certainty.Cold, absolute certainty that she had been right all along."I knew it," Claire said, her voice low and venomous. "I knew it. I knew that you were just a quack. I knew that nothing good was going to come from you."She took a step closer to where the bodyguards were holding Nathan, her eyes blazing with barely controlled rage."I blindly allowed you to do this," she continued, her voice rising slightly. "Yes, I blindly allowed you to touch the young miss when I knew — I *knew* — that nothing good was going to come from you. How could I have made such a mistake? How could I have been so stupid?"Her hands clenched into fists at her sides, her entire body trembling with fury and self-recrimination.Nathan looked at her calmly, despite being hel
Chapter 22
Vivienne was still lurching forward, her body rigid, her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles had gone white. Her face was twisted in an expression of pain — not the same unbearable, all-consuming agony she had been experiencing before, but something sharp and intense nonetheless.Like her body was fighting.Like whatever Nathan had done had triggered some kind of internal war, and her system was violently purging everything that did not belong.She looked like she was in pain.Terrible pain.Maybe even worse pain than before.Claire's mind went blank for a moment.Then it filled with fury."What the hell have you done to her?!" Claire's voice exploded across the space, sharp and accusing. "What the hell have you done to her?!"She took a step toward Nathan, her entire body trembling with rage."She has never vomited before!" Claire continued, her voice rising with each word. "Never! Not once! Ever since those doctors started treating her, she has never vomited before! What the hell
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