Urban Romance

"Are you done?" All of a sudden, a low voice edged with anger broke the silence.

Heather looked up and met Micah's scrutinizing gaze. In an instant, it felt as if the temperature around them had plunged below freezing. Her lashes trembled.

Heather immediately straightened up, withdrew her hand, and explained calmly, "I live next door. Your dog was asking me for help, so I came to save you."

"Do you need to squeeze my chest to save me?" Micah's magnetic voice was heavy with doubt.

Her face flushed crimson, and she was still scrambling for an explanation when Sunny pounced on her back again. 

Heather yelped as she lost her balance and crashed into Micah even harder than before. Her chest collided solidly with his.

She hissed from the pain and looked up. Their eyes met; their lips were inches apart, and their breaths mingled. Flustered, she tried to push herself up, only to press her 

Heather scoffed. "So, this is the reason you're skipping Grandma's birthday banquet?"

"Heather Lovegood!" His handsome face hardened as soon as he heard that.

"Was he mad because I called him out? In that case, stay mad!" she mused.

Heather hung up on him without the slightest hesitation. Devon's expression darkened as he stared at his phone.

"Can we go to that restaurant, Devon?" Esme clung to his back, deliberately pressing her softness against him to entice him.

In reality, nothing had actually happened when she had schemed to climb into Devon's bed while he was unconscious. Devon didn't know that, though. He thought it was his fault and believed he had gotten her pregnant.

Later, he constantly worried about her health and never touched her again. 

Esme was well aware that Heather still had a small place in Devon's heart. So, unless she uprooted Heather completely, she would ne

Eurus broke into a sinister smile. "That's poison! The medicine keeps him perpetually ill. He'll be sick for life. Also, the formula is so advanced that even if Carolyn were still alive, she wouldn't have been able to easily determine the cause." 

Bella was perplexed. "Since when did your medical skills become that impressive?"

"You don't know half of it," Eurus snorted.

In truth, he was all bluff and no substance. The secret formula had been given to him years ago by a mysterious stranger.

"What are you two whispering about?" Heather found the two of them pressed up against the wall as soon as she opened the door.

"Oh, nothing. We were just chatting," Eurus lied through his teeth. "By the way, do you still remember the Nine-Turn Needle Technique your mother taught you, Heather?"

"The Nine-Turn Needle Technique?" Heather blinked, realizing that he was fishing for information.

Ever since her parents had passed away, Eurus had seized all of their manuscripts and pored over them every day for ways to get rich, even though he couldn't understand a thing. Heather had often wondered how, despite both being Boreas' sons, Eurus had turned out to be such a failure. 

He hadn't inherited even a shred of Boreas' talent. He had asked her about secret formulas several times over the years, and she had always brushed him off. 

In her previous life, she hadn't cared to inherit Carolyn's legacy and had let Eurus run wild. Looking back on it now, she had been utterly foolish. 

Heather couldn't believe she had placed the future of the Caldwell family's apothecaries in Eurus and Devon's hands. In the end, she had lost her life and taken her parents' hard work with her.

In this life, she wouldn't make the same mistakes. She would reclaim her parents' hard work and her grandfather's apothecaries. 

Heather spread her hands and adopted a helpless look. "You took all of the medical books that my mother left behind. How am I supposed to know anything about the Nine-Turn Needle Technique?"

Eurus didn't believe her. "That can't be. Didn't your mother teach you medicine when you were young?"

Heather lied with a straight face. "But it's been so many years. I've been so busy preparing for university and getting married that I've forgotten most of it. Why don't you let me check the study? Perhaps the technique is written in classical language, and you missed it."

"Those… Those are our family's possessions. You're married now." Eurus hesitated.

"Don't worry. I'll look through them in front of you. I won't take a single book with me."

"Alright then." Eurus relaxed and led her to the study.

As soon as she went inside, Heather pored through the ancient medical texts Carolyn had left behind, one after another, focusing on the ones she hadn't read carefully when she was younger. And just like that, the sun set. 

"I couldn't find the Nine-Turn Needle Technique in these books. Did you remember it wrong?" Heather yawned and casually tossed the book back into Eurus' arms.

"I…" Eurus was at a loss. If Micah hadn't brought it up, he wouldn't have known such a thing even existed.

"I'll help you look again when I'm free. I'll be going now." Before he could respond, she hurried out of the study.

Eurus exchanged a look with Bella. "That little bitch isn't up to something, is she?"

"So what if she is? Her brother's still in our hands!"

Eurus had no idea that Heather had a photographic memory. After reading a book once, she could remember it for the rest of the day. However, she'd forget the details the following day.

As soon as she left the study, she hailed a taxi. "Drive me to Hillside Villa."

Esther had helped her rent a lakeside townhouse the night before. Esther had said the air there was fresh and good for recovery. Most importantly, it wasn't owned by the Harlans and had excellent security.

The moment she arrived at the villa, she didn't even unpack. The first thing she did was find a stack of papers and a pen and write down the ancient text she had read at the Caldwell residence. 

By the time she finished transcribing everything, she stretched lightly. Heather only noticed that the sky beyond the balcony was awash with sunset hues when she looked up. The sunset blanketed the lake, its surface shimmering, as a line of white egrets took flight in the distance. 

The scene was peaceful and beautiful. How long had it been since she last took the time to enjoy a view like this?

There was a piano at the side of the balcony. Heather recalled how Carolyn used to play with her when she was young. Before she knew it, she was seated at the piano. Her fingers touched the keys, and a gentle canon flowed into the dusk.

Micah lay in a rocking chair on the neighboring balcony, gazing out at the lake where the sky and water merged into one. His brows were tightly drawn. 

His grandfather's last words echoed in his mind. "Go to Metrovale and find the miracle doctor's descendant. Your illness can still be cured!"

The descendant was nowhere to be found. Would he end up like his father? His emotions churned, and the aggression he had been suppressing began to surge again. 

Sunny seemed to sense the change in him. The golden retriever lay at his feet and whined. 

Micah picked up his phone to call John. Just then, gentle piano music drifted over, like a small stream trickling through a mountain ravine. It seeped into his heart and slowly calmed him. 

He lowered his phone and extended his hand to Sunny. The golden retriever immediately caught on and hopped into his arms. 

Little by little, the tension left his body. His deep, dark eyes slowly closed, and he fell into a deep sleep.

When the piece ended, Heather let out a long breath. The frustration and anger she had been bottling up all this time seemed to have faded quite a bit.

"Mom always said music could heal, just like medicine. Looks like she was right." Heather rose from her seat and walked to the semi-open balcony to admire the evening sky.

Just then, she heard a whine and turned to look. A golden retriever was lying on the neighboring balcony, waving its front paws at her. Its fur was sleek and glossy. It appeared to be a well-groomed, handsome golden retriever.

It looked at her with its droopy, innocent eyes, instantly melting her heart. 

"Hey there, what's your name?" 

The balconies were less than two feet apart. Heather couldn't help but stroke the dog's head. "Why did your owner leave you home alone?"

All of a sudden, the golden retriever started wagging its tail anxiously and kept turning its head toward the inside of the villa. Then, it started barking.

"What are you trying to tell me? Are you hungry?" Heather didn't understand what it wanted.

Yet the dog became increasingly anxious, emitting low whines toward the inside, as if asking for help.

Heather leaned forward to look inside, yet all she could see was a pair of long legs extending from a lounge chair. "Hello?" she called out, but no one answered. Was the dog asking for help on its owner's behalf?

The golden retriever's cries grew increasingly desperate, but the person inside showed no sign of waking. To hell with it. Heather had to save them. Gritting her teeth, she climbed onto the balcony.

Since the balconies were less than two feet apart, with her heart in her throat, she jumped across. This time, she finally saw the villa's owner. 

The man's sharp brows were knitted together. He seemed as though he was in pain. The veins on his neck bulged, as if he were struggling in a nightmare.

"Micah?"

There was no time to waste. Heather immediately stepped forward and checked his pulse. It was chaotic, and she could sense the energy inside his body surging wildly, albeit slightly better than the day before.

So, she immediately began treating him with acupuncture. After a while, the disorder inside him settled, and the creases between his brows slowly relaxed.

"All done." Heather let out a breath of relief. Her hands trembled from exhaustion as she slowly removed the needles. 

The golden retriever assumed she was about to leave, so it abruptly started jumping. The 110-pound dog leaped onto her back. Caught off guard, she lost her balance and fell straight into Micah's arms.

Heather tried to push herself up, but her hand accidentally pressed against his firm chest. His firm muscles startled her, and she hurriedly withdrew her hand, only to grab his toned arm. The soft, loose fabric bunched under her fingers, outlining the firm contours of muscle underneath.

"Are you done?" All of a sudden, a low voice edged with anger broke the silence.

Heather looked up and met Micah's scrutinizing gaze. In an instant, it felt as if the temperature around them had plunged below freezing. Her lashes trembled.

Heather immediately straightened up, withdrew her hand, and explained calmly, "I live next door. Your dog was asking me for help, so I came to save you."

"Do you need to squeeze my chest to save me?" Micah's magnetic voice was heavy with doubt.

Her face flushed crimson, and she was still scrambling for an explanation when Sunny pounced on her back again. 

Heather yelped as she lost her balance and crashed into Micah even harder than before. Her chest collided solidly with his.

She hissed from the pain and looked up. Their eyes met; their lips were inches apart, and their breaths mingled. Flustered, she tried to push herself up, only to press her hand against his firm chest once more. "As you can see…" 

Micah responded, "... Sorry about that."


Chapter 9