Betrayed, Then Back For Blood

The loudest complaints came from a sharp dressed middle–aged man who clearly had some pull in the Wade family. As soon as he spoke up, the others followed his lead, trying to shove past Brandon at the door to get inside.

Briar might’ve looked absorbed in her phone game, but she was fully aware of the noise outside.

The noise was getting on her nerves. She paused the game, glanced at Griffin, and noticed his face had more color now. The acupuncture was doing its job.

Even the military doctors who had doubted her at first had gone quiet. They didn’t want to get caught in the middle of anything.

Everyone knew Griffin’s body was worn out, and his age didn’t help either. The best most people could do was keep him alive a little longer.

Briar saw how the crowd was reacting and muttered to Ashton, “It’s too noisy. He needs peace.”

Ashton wasn’t known for his patience to begin with, and the only reason he hadn’t exploded already was because he was worried about his grandfather. He didn’t know much about medicine, but after dealing with Griffin’s condition for so long, even he could tell the treatment was working,

So when Briar said the word, he gave Brandon a nod. Brandon didn’t waste a second–he cleared the room and pushed everyone back out into the courtyard. Finally, things went quiet again.

An hour would go by quickly, but Briar had no interest in awkwardly staring at the others. She kept her head down, focusing on her game instead.

The cheerful game music and occasional gunshots helped Briar relax. She leaned into the chair, totally chill.

Ashton couldn’t take his eyes off her. In all his years, he’d never met anyone–especially not a teenage girl–who acted this calm and unbothered in front of him. It made him even more curious about who she really was.

Briar could feel his intense stare, but she didn’t say anything.

She always kept her work and personal stuff separate. Sure, she’d shown up partly because Ashton was easy on the eyes, but now that she knew Griffin had once been close with Tristan, she had to take it seriously.

After all, Tristan barely called anyone a friend. Briar knew she had to do her best to help, or Tristan would never let her hear the end of it.

game and walked over to Griffin. She checked his pulse, looked at

she said. “He should wake up in about half

even better than she’d expected. At this rate, Griffin might wake

much, but his expression changed. His eyes lit

been waiting, listening in. When they heard what Briar said, they started laughing

of it.

couldn’t wait for the moment Ashton tossed her out. They were convinced she’d made a fool

It was the first time they’d just stood by and done nothing while Griffin was in a

hour later, the people waiting outside couldn’t hold

“Ashton, it’s been thir and he’s still out cold. What now? Are you finally ready to admit this girl is a fraud and let us have her

had the moral high ground, but after being kicked out by Brandon earlier, she didn’t actually dare lay a finger on

utes,

Chapter 5

tensed up. All eyes

Briar didn’t even flinch. She tapped her phone one last time, finishing her stood up,

closest to the bed. They immediately turned to Griffin, and sure enough,

stiff and unfocused, but he was

over, leaned in, and said softly, “Grandpa,

faint

into

had done what the top military

let out a breath of relief.

there and said casually, “No big deal. But just because he’s awake doesn’t mean he’s in the clear. The pill will only last about a month. Without regular acupuncture, he’ll