Chapter 288 Coming for Her
"I ain't going anywhere until you take this medicine."
Nathaniel cracked his eyes open. Aurelia shoved the medicine to his lips, finally getting him to swallow the fever reducer.
She brought over some water to help him rinse his mouth, but before she could, he was out cold again, his hand gripping hers like a lifeline, scared she'd vanish while he slept.
He was burning up, itching all over, and his stomach felt like it was on fire. Even then, he was worried she'd leave.
Aurelia let out a deep sigh and gently sat by the bed.
About half an hour later, Zack and Dr. Carter came back with more meds. Zack knocked softly on the door.
Aurelia shot them a look, and they tiptoed in.
Dr. Carter said, "Mrs. Heilbronn, this one's for external use. Put it on three times a day. If the rash doesn't clear up in three days, we'll need to switch meds."
Aurelia stared at the ointment for a while.
"Should I put it on him now?" she asked, thinking, 'But he just fell asleep.'
As she spoke, Nathaniel scratched his neck, breaking the skin in a few spots, but he was out cold and kept sleeping.
Dr. Carter sighed, "Mrs. Heilbronn, you need to put the medicine on him. If those scratches get infected, it'll be a bigger mess."
Aurelia got the seriousness of it. But why did it have to be her?
They weren't exactly on close terms right now!
"Dr. Carter, just call me Aurelia. Zack, you do it," she said.
Dr. Carter looked surprised and glanced at the sleeping Nathaniel, not daring to say anything.
Zack quickly weighed his options. If he put the ointment on Nathaniel, he'd have to take off his shirt, maybe even his pants. If Nathaniel found out tomorrow, would he still be alive?
But if he disobeyed Aurelia, he might not survive either.
After thinking it over, he took the ointment.
Aurelia left the bedroom.
Summer nights were short, and dawn was just over an hour away. She curled up on the sofa, scrolling through her phone, exhausted.
She wasn't sleepy. With Nathaniel in Zack's care, she couldn't help but open his Facebook.
His latest posts were all about showing off his new car.
Aurelia suddenly remembered this was the account that had added her before. She thought it was a client, but it turned out he'd been lurking in her friend list all along.
She clearly remembered his old profile picture was pure black, now it was pure white. He saw everything in black and white, no room for gray.
Zack finished applying the ointment to Nathaniel and brought out a blanket.
"Mrs. Heilbronn, do you want to rest in another bedroom?" he asked.
Before he could finish, they heard the sound of vomiting from the room.
They rushed in to find Nathaniel hunched over the toilet, throwing up the noodles he had eaten that night.
He looked completely drained, his face pale, eyes moist, none of his usual tough-guy vibe.
Dr. Carter stood by, supporting him, worried he might pass out.
Zack handed him a glass of water, "Mr. Heilbronn, rinse your mouth."
Nathaniel leaned against the wall, took a breath, and started vomiting again. This time it was just stomach acid. Even though he had nothing left to throw up, he kept retching.
Aurelia, having gone through morning sickness, could imagine how awful he felt.
"Dr. Carter, why is he still vomiting?" she asked.
"It's good he's getting it out. For now, don't let him eat anything. Luckily, his fever's down a lot. Let him rest and see how he is tomorrow. If there's no improvement, we'll need to take him to the hospital for a thorough check-up."
Aurelia thought about all those online stories of people dying from allergies, and a wave of worry hit her.
Nathaniel, now as weak as a kitten, was helped back to bed by Dr. Carter and Zack. He was out like a light almost immediately.
Aurelia had planned to say goodbye at dawn and leave, but news of Nathaniel's illness spread like wildfire. Just as the sun was coming up, someone knocked on the door.
Zack opened it and was shocked to see who was standing there.
"Mr. Marcus Heilbronn, good morning!"
"How's Nathaniel doing now?"
Aurelia's scalp tingled at the sound of that voice.
Why was he here?
She felt like Marcus was here for her. His relationship with Nathaniel was just surface-level; no way he'd visit this early otherwise.
From Zack's reaction, it was clear Marcus and Nathaniel were fierce rivals at the company.
Marcus saw Aurelia and kept his cool, showing no reaction.
"Aurelia, you're here too?"
She nodded, not really wanting to engage.
She had to give it to him; after ripping off his mask yesterday, he could still act all calm today. As Nathaniel had said, Marcus was not someone to mess with.
Aurelia grabbed her phone from the table, "You should stay with Mr. Nathaniel Heilbronn. I have stuff to do today, so I'm heading out."
Hearing she was leaving, Zack pulled out the car keys, "Mrs. Heilbronn, I'll drive you."
"No need, I'll call a cab. You stay here and make sure nothing happens to him. Also, I'm back to handle some personal stuff, pretty busy lately."
She subtly hinted she didn't plan to visit again. Zack, quick on the uptake, got the message and felt sorry for Nathaniel.
Zack didn't dare leave, especially with Marcus around. He knew Marcus wasn't here out of kindness. The two had been at each other's throats for a while. Marcus was probably here to watch the drama unfold.
Zack scratched his head, "Mrs. Heilbronn, sorry for the trouble."
Aurelia left Nathaniel's house in a hurry. Even after getting downstairs, she kept looking back, only relaxing when she saw Marcus hadn't followed her.
Marcus washed his hands and walked briskly to the master bedroom.
By now, Nathaniel had finished vomiting and was feeling a bit better. His fever had gone down, and he was in a deep sleep.
Even asleep, it was clear he was seriously ill, looking really rough.
Marcus stood at the door, adjusting his glasses, his emotions hidden behind the lenses.
"Dr. Carter, how's Nathaniel?"
"Mr. Heilbronn's allergic reaction was pretty severe. He went through a lot. After a rough night, he's finally sleeping soundly. He should feel better when he wakes up."
Marcus left the master bedroom, leaving a single instruction, "Take good care of Nathaniel."
"We will."
He said nothing more and left Nathaniel's house.
Aurelia got into a cab and received a message from Ulysses.
[Aurelia, Chelsea has already secured the support of the shareholders of Norman's company.. Today, she officially takes the position of General Manager at Thompson Enterprises. When are you going to make your move? Don't wait until she's firmly in place; it'll be harder to deal with then.]
Aurelia had been worried Chelsea wouldn't be able to handle those people. Now that she had, it was better. Chelsea thought everything she had was just a dream.
Whether it was the position of Mrs. Heilbronn or Norman's company, none of it should belong to her.
She would strike Chelsea down at her most triumphant moment, knocking her back into the mud.
Chelsea had survived until now because she had been relatively well-behaved and knew how to hide. Also, she had Brenda's heart in her body.
Otherwise, even if she had fled to the ends of the earth, Joe would have dragged her back.
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