NovelOnlineChapter 614: The Nerve
Nnenna didn’t even need to glance at it to know it was his phone number. So he’s actually serious? What a weird
guy, she thought, blinking at him.
"Okay, ladies and gentlemen, this concludes the treatment," Darius announced, standing with theatrical flair. But
not before flashing one last smile at the nanny by the door, and then letting his gTitan 205
To be honest, Yolanda felt she ought to call lan and tell him to quit messing around-this was his job, and he
needed to stick to an actor's basic principles. If he wanted any future in showbiz, he had to handle all that came
with it.
If he was planning to survive in the entertainment world, he'd just have to put up with it.
But why, of all people, did it have to be Joelle?
Simone was still saying something, but Yolanda tuned her out completely-her mind was elsewhere.
After hanging up, she got in her car. She’d planned to drop by Starlight, since the people blocking the entrance
had finally cleared out. She'd already called the crew to fix the shattered glass doors.
Right at that moment, her phone lit up with a call from Charles.
Charles’s voice cthrough: “Aunt Simone’s putting together a hiking trip. Want to cblow off some
steam?”
lan had mentioned in passing that he'd probably show up too.
Simone would definitely invite a whole crew, and with things at Starlight finally calming down, Yolanda figured
she might as well join the fun.
“Countin,” Yolanda replied easily.
She hadn't expected so many people-turns out, this wasn’t just any old hike. There was a full-blown resort at the
top, and getting there meant a three-hour trek from the foot of the mountain, starting at 2 in the morning. If you
made it to the summit in time, you'd catch the sunrise.
Yolanda did a quick walk-through at Starlight. As night settled in, her phone lit up with a message from lan.
[You joining the hike?]
Then Leo reached out with a text of his own.
[Hey, you hiking or not? Just asking-no big deal.]
Yolanda ignored Leo and shot back a quick reply to lan: [Yeah, I'm in.]
She enjoyed a hot shower, then, at one in the morning, jumped into Charles’s car and headed out to the base of
the mountain.
When they got there, the whole area was brightly lit, and a crew of staff were already hanging around. They'd
take the cable car up ahead of everyone to get breakfast ready at the top.
This mountain was privately owned. Normally, anyone could hike it, but when they closed the place off, it was
strictly VIPs only.
Yolanda stepped out in black athletic gear, backpack slung over her shoulders, only to spot Joelle sporting
matching black gear and the sbackpack vibe.
Joelle was Oscar's guest, and besides him, there were a few other famous directors in attendance, Simone
included.
The rest of the crew were young elites who lived for this kind of thrill-mountain climbing was basically the
hottest trend in their circle.
Charles, rarely seen in athletic gear, cast a glance at lan, who was standing next to Simone. He couldn't help but
frown, a slight crease forming between his brows.
lan wasn’t looking at anyone, his mask covering most of his face, with only his indifferent eyes showing. He
seemed completely silent and kept to himself.
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Just as everyone was about to head out, Xavier and Quinn Cooper showed up, their voices ringing across the
crowd.
Wow, so everyone's going hiking and nobody bothered to call us? Lucky we got here before you left!” Xavier
joked loudly.
Xavier yanked Leo over, remembering how his little brother had blurted to the Lawson family yesterday that he
might be into someone. The whole family was hyped, demanding Xavier dig out this secret crush. With Leo
suddenly way too keen on this hike, Xavier figured the girl he liked had to be among tonight's crew.
He swept his eyes over the eight or nine women gathered there-first Yolanda was off the list, then Simone, both
ruled out because, con, they were on a totally different level, practically family.
After that, his gaze started sizing up the remaining six, lingering a bit longer as he tried to sniff out any clues.
Quentin showed up too-his eyes locked on Joelle from the very moment he arrived. It was old news that he used
to have a crush on her; nobody even bothers to keep it under wraps anymore.
“These love triangles are just the sold story-boring,’ Yolanda thought, totally uninterested. She fell in step
behind Simone, ready to get this hike going.
There were five trails leading up the mountain, and with so many people here, everyone just broke off into little
squads with their usual crew, planning to stick together for the climb.
Yolanda wasn't really familiar with most of these folks, so she hung by Simone’s side, seriously picking her brain
about the film business.
Charles was about to head over to Yolanda when Quentin called out, “Joelle, is your wrist still giving you
trouble?”
Charles glanced in their direction, remembering that Joelle had only just been snatched by that lunatic Andrew
yesterday. ‘And now she’s here climbing a mountain... She must've cfor me,’ he thought.
He frowned, staying put.
Sure enough, Joelle approached him, careful to keep a respectful distance. “Charles, which trail are you taking
-left or right?”
Charles glimpsed Yolanda and Simone taking the middle trail, and a flicker of irritation showed in his eyes- he
hated being left out, even if he'd never admit it.
still, he hid it perfectly, keeping his expression smooth and unreadable.
Quentin sidled up to Joelle, whispering, “Joelle, let's take the right trail-it's way easier.”
Joelle ignored him, her eyes fixed on Charles, clearly waiting for his answer.
Charles headed straight for the middle trail, and Joelle tried to catch up, but she tripped hard-hadn’t even
started climbing and her ankle was already swollen from the fall.
Quentin rushed over, his voice full of concern. “I'll take you to the hospital.”
Joelle took a deep breath and said seriously, “Quentin, I've rejected you more times than | can count. Don’t put
With that, she limped to her feet, didn’t even look at Charles, and made her way back to her own car.
Quentin hurried up after her. “You don’t even have a manager with you-who’s gonna get you to the hospital?”
Leo watched the whole thing, then elbowed Charles. “You not gonna help her out? Looks like her ankle’s in pretty
bad shape.”
7
A
Xavier was right there, catching Leo’s comment. His eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“Wait, seriously?’ Xavier wondered. ‘Is Leo into Joelle too?"
“He's been keeping tabs on her from the start. Now with Charles here, maybe he’s too shy to offer a ride
himself? Xavier guessed, more confused than ever.
‘Has he had his eye on her this whole time, just waiting for a moment to do something?‘ he thought, picking up
the tension.
Xavier's mood soured. “There are already more than enough guys chasing after Joelle, and Leo-man, he’s no
Casanova. With that many rivals, he doesn’t stand much chance,’
Charles wasn’t planning to help out, but after Leo nudged him and saw Joelle still shutting Quentin down, he
finally gave in and walked over.
“Letdrive you,” he said.
Joelle gave him a grateful-even slightly guilty-look. “Won't you miss out on the hike because of me?”
“Hospital's just a half-hour from here. I'll drop you off and get back before anyone even notices.” Charles replied.
“Thanks, Charles. | really appreciate it,” Joelle said.
9:35 Sat Oct 25
Chapter 203
Quentin's face fell, all the light gone from his eyes.
156 vouchers
Navier was turning it over in his mind: Wait, isn’t Charles basically with Yolanda now? As long as that’s still a
thing, Leo actually stands a chance.
Navier nudged Leo. “Aren’t you going with them?”
Leo squinted, then swung open Charles's car door and pushed his older brother inside.
“Bro. I'm counting on you-don’t let Ms. Monroe get mistreated,” Leo said.
It finally clicked for Navier-Leo was trying to avoid letting Charles know he liked Joelle too, so he was keeping his
feelings on the down-low, and letting Xavier be the one to look after her.
Man, when did this kid get so low-key? Navier thought, a little taken aback.
Xavier shot him a look that said, ‘Don’t worry, I've got your back.
Leo just curled his lips in a smirk, thinking, ‘Yeah, whatever, dumbass.
He turned and headed for the trails, and with the car already gone, Xavier didn’t even realize he'd picked the
middle path.
aze linger shamelessly on Nnenna.
"Where are you going?" Carl shot up from his seat. "What do you mean the treatment’s over?" His brows
furrowed, confused.
"It means exactly what | said, it’s over," Darius replied in that matter of fact tone that made people want to
strangle him. "She’s not depressed. In fact, she’s taken this whole thing like it's a vacation trip to the tropics. Her
mental health’s fine. Honestly, you would see that too if you weren't looking at her through your big brother’
lenses."
Carl froze, jaw tightening.
"You were right," Darius added smoothly, eyes glinting. "There really is a conflict of interest in you treating her,
but not because she’s going to break apart. No, it's because you need to work on being objective when it comes
to family."
The words landed like a dart.
Satisfied, he adjusted his cuffs and headed for the door. "I expect my payment in my account before | get to the
airport," he called over his shoulder. "Oh, and | have a feeling this session benefitted more than just one person.
So don’t be stingy with the bonus."
The nerve.
"You're not going anywhere," Arthur's voice cut through the air, cold and commanding.
Darius didn’t even break stride. He kept walking, only to bump into two hefty men blocking the doorway.
"Mr. Darius," one of them said firmly, "his highness isn't done speaking with you."
With polite but very firm hands, they ushered him right back into the dining hall.
Darius sighed tically, dragging his feet like a prisoner being hauled back to his cell. "And this, gentlemen,
is exactly why | don’t visit," he muttered. "One best friend is a smiling poison, the other is an iceberg armed with
knives..." He trailed off, eyes narrowing slightly before he added in a quieter voice, "And once upon a time, there
was the mountain, unshakable, immovable, crushing everything in his path. Somto."
The room fell still for a beat. Even Darius’s mocking tone softened as he bowed his head slightly. "May his soul
rest in peace," he said, genuine for once. The weight of the loss pressed against them all for a fleeting moment.
Then, as if flipping a switch, his smile returned. "So," he asked lightly, glancing at Arthur, "what exactly do you
want?"
Arthur didn’t even look at him as he picked up another dish and served himself calmly. "I want you to do what
you were brought here for. Otherwise, | see no reason for you to continue practicing your profession at all."
The threat hung in the air like a blade.
"Carl?" Darius called out quickly, looking for backup.
But Carl only shrugged, casually spearing a piece of food with his fork. "Don’t look at me. | agree with him."
Darius let out another long sigh, muttering something under his breath about being bullied by icebergs and
traitors.
"How many times do | have to tell you guys?" Darius finally snapped, frustration slipping through his usual
smooth tone. "She's fine. There's no denial, no repression, none of those textbook emotions you expect from a
‘normal’ patient."
"We don't think so," Arthur replied flatly, not even bothering to look at him.
Darius rolled his eyes so hard it was a miracle they didn’t get stuck. "Fine," he grumbled, throwing up his hands
in mock surrender. "She might not need my help accepting the paralysis, but she does have a trace of
unresolved trauma from what happened to Somto. Barely noticeable, which means she’s healed a lot. Still, |
guess | can stick around and make sure it’s a hundred percent. Happy now?"
Arthur didn’t answer. Not even a twitch.
Darius clicked his tongue. "Cold as ever." He turned toward Nnenna, gesturing tically like a knight offering
to escort a princess. "Con, Nnenna. Let's go."
Nnenna nodded politely, wiping her mouth with a napkin before tapping the controls on her chair to follow him.
"Oh, and Darius."
Arthur's voice stopped him in his tracks.
Darius groaned loudly, head tipping back. "What now?"
"| expect you to dust off those books on doctor patient boundaries before her next session," Arthur said calmly,
returning to his food without sparing him a glance.
Darius muttered something under his breath, rolling his eyes as Nnenna'’s lips twitched in amusement. Together,
the two of them left the hall, followed by the two hefty guards.
The moment the doors shut, the atmosphere shifted. Only Carl, Arthur, the housekeeper, and Nanny remained.
Arthur turned his cold gaze on Carl, his words laced with ice. "You just had to hire that flirt, didn’t you?"
Carl leaned back in his chair, meeting his stare without flinching. "Well, we wanted the next best person, didn’t
we?"
He didn’t wait for a reply. Carl stood smoothly and walked out, leaving Arthur behind with his icy aura spreading
through the room like a storm about to break.
Upstairs, Nnenna wheeled straight towards her room with Darius trailing behind.
"Am | even allowed in there?" he asked, glancing around the hall as they approached. "I don’t think brother
dearest would approve."
"Well, brother dearest already turned my room into the fortress of medicine," Nnenna said dryly, amused. "So
what better place for a session than here? Plus, this is just the outer part of my room. | thought | would show you
where to cwhen you're done dusting off those books on doctor patient confidentiality."
"Oh, that," Darius laughed it off, as if he hadn't been worried a moment ago. "Well, lately | don’t exactly like
using clinical settings for my sessions. They just... kind of cto me. Even in the most inconvenient places....
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