The bright light of the morning sun cut through the glass windows of the grand bedroom. Inside, the quiet room was filled with tension.

True to his hidden script, Damian Boren had spent the entire night right there. He had slept soundly on the plush standard bed across the room, while Jannah rested on the specialized medical bed positioned near the center. The moment the morning light hit the room, Damian was already on his feet, working with quiet, deliberate speed. He had already administered the antidote into her system. Jannah was awake now, but her fragile frame remained incredibly weak, her pale skin looking almost translucent against the white sheets.

But of course, according to the plan Damian was running in his mind, he had absolutely no intention of curing her instantly. He had to drag this treatment out as slowly as possible, using every single medical checkup to get closer to her, to show his care, and to make Jannah gradually fall for his charms.

With gentle, practiced movements, Damian carefully changed the plaster cast on her fractured right hand. He then moved closer to her torso, unwrapping the old gauze and wrapping her broken ribs with a fresh, clean white bandage. His hands were soft and steady, his eyes holding a deep focus.

When Jannah opened her heavy eyelids and found the handsome doctor standing directly over her body, her dark eyes widened in surprise. She tried to shift her weight against the pillows, her voice a weak whisper.

"Doctor Damian... what are you doing here?"

Damian offered her a warm, incredibly calm smile, his voice dropping into a soft, soothing tone to ease her mind. "Don’t get surprised at all, Jannah. Rest your body. I am here as your personal doctor to oversee every single phase of your recovery and treatment. You are safe with me."

Jannah lay back down, her mind racing with a hundred different questions. She closed her eyes for a brief second, her thoughts instantly turning to the ruthless master of the house. She began wondering intensely how a proud, territorial alpha like Dorrent had even allowed a rival doctor to enter his estate in the first place, let alone sleep in the same room with her. It didn’t fit Dorrent’s manic, possessive psychology at all.

Before she could think deeper, Damian gently checked her pulse, his fingers warm against her wrist. "How are you feeling this morning, Jannah?"

Jannah looked up at his calm face, a small, genuine wave of gratitude washing over her features. "I feel much better than yesterday, Doctor Damian. The burning pain in my chest is mostly gone, all thanks to your treatment."

She paused, her brow furrowing into a thin line of confusion as she recalled her sudden, terrifying change the night before. "But... can I ask you something? What had been wrong with my body last night? I was recovering so well the day before yesterday, and then suddenly I couldn’t even breathe."

Damian let out a slow, serious sigh, adjusting the blanket over her lap. "It turned out that the bullet you were hit with was coated with a very dangerous, slow-acting chemical poison. That is why it took so much time to manifest and attack your internal system. It hid inside your blood until last night, but you don’t need to worry anymore. With the antidote I am giving you, you will soon recover completely."

Jannah nodded slowly, but as she looked at Damian’s steady gaze, another memory from that wild night in the slums crashed into her mind. Her cheeks warmed slightly, and she decided to finally ask the question that had been burning in her throat.

"Doctor Damian... why that night at my home, when the luxury car arrived and I desperately asked you to pretend to be kissing me... why did you actually do it so seriously?" Jannah asked, her dark eyes searching his face. "You didn’t just pretend. You really held my neck and kissed me for real."

Damian’s movements froze for a split second. He lowered his gaze, his handsome face turning serious as he looked directly into her eyes with sincerity that made her heart skip a beat.

"Given such a precious chance by such a beautiful lady like you, Jannah... I was completely unable to control my own desires," Damian confessed softly, his voice dropping into a deeply apologetic murmur. "My instincts took over, and I deepened the kiss because I wanted to. I am truly, deeply sorry about crossing that boundary with you."

Jannah stared at him, completely stunned. She could see the absolute seriousness in his eyes and how sincere he was being right now. It was completely mind-boggling to her. Despite running a major charity clinic in the dangerous slums and being a powerful Alpha himself, the man standing in front of her was genuinely apologizing for a simple, requested kiss.

He was so entirely different from Dorrent. Dorrent was a ruthless maniac who always mishandled her body everywhere, grabbing her waist and forcing himself into her space unapologetically. They were two different people from two different worlds. Dorrent was nothing but a brute; even after he had broken her virginity, he had remained completely arrogant and unapologetic.

I hate him. I hope his whole empire burns to the ground, Jannah cursed Dorrent’s name inwardly with a bitter, burning rage.

Turning her attention back to the kind doctor, a soft, teasing smile broke across her pale lips. "There is no need to apologize at all, Doctor Damian. To be completely honest with you... the kiss had been very good."

The exact second those words left her mouth, Jannah’s eyes widened in utter disbelief. Right before her eyes, a deep, unmistakable crimson blush crept up Damian’s neck and flooded his cheeks. The powerful, fearless doctor was actually blushing like a schoolboy. She couldn’t believe her eyes—the brilliant, sophisticated physician was this easy to tease and fluster. A small, genuine laugh bubbled in her throat, the weight of her fear lifting for the first time all morning.

Feeling a sharp, sudden pressure in her bladder, Jannah weakly attempted to sit up and shift her legs off the side of the medical bed to head toward the bathroom.

Seeing her struggle, Damian instantly moved closer, his strong arms extending out to gently catch her waist and lift her weak frame to help her stand up safely.

But before his fingers could even brush the fabric of her gown, the bedroom doors were kicked open, slamming against the wall with a booming, terrifying crash.

Dorrent Grefo stepped into the room like a massive, black shadow, his silver eyes completely swamped with a dangerous, murderous fire as he glared at Damian’s extended hands. His voice boomed through the suite like thunder, stopping everyone dead in their tracks.

"Back the hell off from her right now, Boren! I will do it myself!"