Chapter 147

Chapter 147:

Though Aiden found her words absurd, he hesitated briefly, weighing his options before replying curtly, “I’ll do it myself.” Standing upright, he loomed over Janice, his height casting a shadow that made her suddenly aware of how much taller he truly was. Janice couldn’t help but notice how well-proportioned his physique was.

He had concealed his physical advantages well under the guise of disability—a fact that, if known, would have surely drawn the attention of many.

Realizing she was privy to Aiden’s secret gave Janice a peculiar sense of excitement.

“Cut out the mischief, Janice.” Aiden chided her, catching on to her speculative silence. “And turn around.”

With a soft murmur of protest, Janice turned around, complying with his firm directive.

“Done.”

As Aiden’s voice reached her ears, Janice spun around to find him resettling into his chair, now clad in shorts. Upon noticing his exposed thighs, her face took on a grave expression. The skin was inflamed and angry, marked by patches of red and swollen tissue, some areas even showing signs of blistering. Most would have succumbed to tears at such agony. Yet, Aiden bore the pain with an astonishing stoicism, even taunting Bart as if unaffected by his own suffering.

“You really are tough,” Janice noted, her voice tinged with a mix of awe and concern.

Unruffled, Aiden replied, “If I weren’t tough, the tougher ones would take me down without a shred of mercy.”

Her eyes widened, admiration mingling with surprise as she absorbed his words. For years, Aiden had masqueraded as a cripple, skillfully navigating the treacherous waters around Bart and trying to figure out those hidden in the dark. This act of endurance was no small feat. It was something beyond the capacity of an ordinary person.

In that instant, a surge of deep sympathy swept through Janice. Beneath his shrewd, resilient exterior lay a fragile, tender side.

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“You’re lucky to have me here,” she said, her voice carrying a hint of protective warmth.

Caught off guard, Aiden looked at Janice with confusion. “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean, I have a knack for handling burns,” Janice replied, her voice light, a small chuckle escaping her as she pulled out a first-aid kit.

True to her word, Janice’s adeptness was unmistakable. Whether it was cleansing the wounds, applying ointments, or wrapping them with bandages, she moved with the precision and grace of a seasoned professional.

A professional doctor, perhaps?

This thought made Aiden pause, a flicker of surprise crossing his features as he regarded Janice with a newfound curiosity. “Were you a doctor before?”

Janice shook her head, her tone nonchalant. “I wouldn’t want to be a doctor, not with the hectic schedule and the endless stream of patients. It’s too much for me. I just picked up a few things about medicine along the way.”

At her words, Aiden’s expression fell slightly. He couldn’t pinpoint why, but the realization that Janice wasn’t a doctor somehow left him feeling unexpectedly deflated.

At that moment, a knock sounded at the door.

“I’ll get it,” Janice said, quickly draping a blanket over Aiden’s legs before moving to answer it.

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