The Sovereign's Fury

Chapter 3

“He probably just read some medical blogs and made a lucky guess,” Monica muttered, trying to shield her pride.

Sarah didn't pull her gaze away from Leo. There was something about his calm posture that made her want to believe him, even if it defied logic.

Just then, the heavy doors groaned open. An older man with graying hair and a sharp, expensive suit walked in, followed by two junior assistants carrying leather medical bags.

“Not another one,” Monica groaned under her breath, her face twisting with irritation.

“And who are you supposed to be?” Sarah asked, her voice steady and rhythmic, like a rehearsed piece of music.

“Doctor Sterling, I presume?” the man said, bowing slightly. “I am Doctor Harrison, Chairman of the Continental Medical Board and the most decorated physician in the province. I received an urgent message about Governor Sterling’s condition and came as fast as I could.”

Monica’s eyes went wide. She looked like she had just seen a celebrity. “Doctor Harrison? The one who treated the Royal Family last year?”

A smug smile touched the doctor’s lips. “The very same

“Thank goodness,” Monica sighed, her face lighting up. “I knew if we waited, a real expert would show up to save my father.” She shot a nasty look at Leo. “Not like this swindler here, claiming he can do the impossible.”

Doctor Harrison turned his eyes toward Leo, scanning him from his messy hair down to his worn-out shoes. He quickly looked away, as if looking at Leo for too long would hurt his reputation.

“I doubt this boy could even prescribe an aspirin correctly,” Harrison noted. “The Governor’s state is beyond critical. Based on my years of elite practice, we cannot waste another second on distractions.”

Despite the doctor’s authority, Sarah still looked hesitant. She glanced at Leo, then back at the dying man on the bed.

“Miss Sarah, we must begin the procedure on the Governor immediately,” Doctor Miller urged, leaning in to whisper in her ear. “I know he’s a good-looking young man, but you can’t let a handsome face cloud your judgment. 

Your father’s life is on the line here. You can't leave his safety in the hands of a stranger who is just taking wild shots in the dark.”

Dr. Miller rolled his eyes at Leo, looking at him like he was a stray dog in a five-star restaurant.

“Fine,” Sarah finally whispered, her voice trembling. “Start the operation.”

“I won’t have you letting those filthy hands near my father,” Monica hissed at Leo as the medical team began to move.

Leo felt a surge of frustration. He started to walk toward the exit. He had signed the divorce papers, he had been insulted, and now he was being treated like a criminal. But as he reached the door, a flash of his past stopped him—the face of the patient who had died in his hands, and the promise he had made to himself. He couldn't just walk away.

Doctor Harrison approached the bed and checked the Governor’s pulse.

“Is he going to make it?” Sarah asked, her eyes red with worry.

“Yes,” Harrison said, but his voice lacked conviction.

Up close, the doctor realized the toxin was stranger than anything he’d seen in textbooks. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He knew if the Governor died under his care, his career was over. He had to look like he was in control.

“Prepare the silver needles,” Harrison commanded. “We need to perform an Ancient Qi-Block acupuncture.”

Leo’s eyes sharpened. He was surprised the old doctor even knew the name of the technique. But as Harrison reached for the first point—a spot just below the chest—Leo saw his hand trembling. The man was about to miss the mark.

“You’re going to kill him if you hit that vein,” Leo muttered, but no one listened.

He watched as Harrison placed the needle. Immediately, the Governor’s chest began to heave unnaturally. The heart monitor began to beep at a terrifying speed.

Leo saw a stray needle that had fallen onto the floor during the rush. He moved with a speed no one in the room could track. In the blink of an eye, he snatched the needle and flicked it. It buried itself in the Governor's underarm, hidden from view, exactly where the Qi needed to be diverted.

“Hey!” Harrison started to bark, sensing Leo had moved, but a sudden, sharp cough from the bed cut him off.

“Father?” Monica and Sarah rushed to the bedside.

The Governor’s eyes fluttered open. He looked around the room, a cloud of confusion on his face. “What… where am I?”

“You collapsed at the summit, Dad. You had us so scared,” Monica cried, clutching his hand.

“But thanks to Doctor Harrison, you’re back,” Sarah said, tears of relief streaming down her face.

The Governor looked at Doctor Harrison and managed a weak smile. “Thank you, Doctor. I won’t forget this. You will be rewarded beyond your dreams.”

“It was my duty, sir,” Harrison replied quickly, wiping sweat from his brow. He didn't dare look at Leo, even though he knew that last-second recovery hadn't been his doing.

Monica turned to Leo with a deadly sneer. “Well. Too bad for the bum who thought we’d be planning a funeral without his help. Looks like the 'expert' was just a fraud.”

Leo felt his hands clench into tight fists. The sound of his knuckles cracking was audible in the quiet room, but he forced himself to stay calm. He knew that arguing now would only bring more guards.

“I was only trying to help,” Leo said under his breath, turning to leave.

“And who is that young man?” the Governor asked, trying to sit up.

As he shifted his weight, the needle Leo had hidden in his underarm popped loose and fell to the floor.

Suddenly, a violent surge of energy ripped through the Governor’s spine. He let out a strangled cry, his body arching off the bed. White foam began to spill from his mouth as he crashed back onto the pillows.

Doctor Harrison’s face went white. He had never seen a reaction this violent. Shivers of pure terror ran down his spine.

Sarah stood frozen, the shock stripping the words from her throat.

“What’s happening? Why is he shaking like that?” Monica screamed at the top of her lungs.

“I’m—I’m fixing it!” Harrison yelled, grabbing a needle and trying to find the point Leo had hit earlier. But the Qi had already shifted. He jabbed the needle in, but it did nothing. The monitor flatlined into a long, terrifying drone.

“Why isn't it working?!” the doctor screamed in his head.

Panic took over. Harrison knew he was finished if he didn't do something. He turned toward Leo with a look of pure desperation.

“No doctor wants to see a life end,” Harrison swallowed hard, his pride completely gone. “You… you did something before. You know what this is. Help him!”

Monica looked back and forth, her mind racing. “You’re not going to let this swindler touch him now, are you?”

“Would you rather start planning the funeral?” Leo asked coldly.

“Miss Monica,” Harrison pleaded. “We have no choice. There is only one man in the world known for curing this—Doctor Harrison’s own master, the Great Sage Herrison.”

Hearing his master's name sent a jolt through Leo’s veins.

“But even if we could fly him here,” the doctor continued, “Herrison is under the total control of the Almighty Lord Vane. We couldn't even get close enough to wash that man's shoes, let alone ask for a favor.”

Leo’s eyes widened. These people talked about his father like he was a god, yet he had treated the man like a simple, overbearing businessman. How powerful is the old man really? Leo wondered, but kept his mouth shut.

Monica backed away, tears flooding her eyes. She truly believed her father was dead.

Leo didn't wait. He and Doctor Harrison moved to the bedside. The black toxin was visible now, moving like a snake toward the Governor's heart.

Leo’s hands moved like lightning. He placed three needles in a perfect triangle around the heart, cutting off the flow. The Governor stopped shaking instantly. His eyes snapped open.

“Who are you?” were the first words out of the Governor’s mouth.

The room went silent. Everyone looked up, their faces masked with pure shock. The man they thought was dead was staring directly at the "janitor."

“Father?” Monica and Sarah gasped, falling into the greatest shock of their lives.