A Replacement Bride

After replying with an affirmative hum, Joaquin hung up the call and checked out his inbox,

in which he found a new email. When he viewed its content, he was shocked, whereupon

he deleted it. After a few moments of silence, he called Ben back and said, "Please

continue the investigation with this matter." Joaquin responded with a cold and

intimidating voice, even more so than the time he told Ben to investigate the truth behind

the accident in which Beatrice was caught earlier.

"Mr. Levisay…" Ben sounded hesitant.

"I don't believe she'd order a hit on Beatrice just because she was jealous of her. I'm not

going to buy that story because I know what kind of person Katherine is. She will never do

anything like that. Keep investigating the matter! Leave no stone unturned!" Joaquin

interrupted Ben's words and went ahead to make his point heard before hanging up the

call.

Staring at his own phone in silence for a while, Ben proceeded to make another phone

call.

In the meantime, Joaquin continued to stand on the balcony for a while more as he tried to

reach for his cigarette in his pocket, but when he couldn't find anything at all, he recalled

that he had already quit smoking a long time ago. Therefore, he rubbed the fabric inside

his pocket with his fingers before he returned to the ward with a cold look on his face.

Seeing Beatrice still in her sleep, Joaquin was sure she wouldn't wake up anytime soon

because he thought the sedation would last for at least two hours. Thus, he left the

hospital and made his way to Soulin International.

In less than ten minutes after Joaquin left, Beatrice opened her eyes and came to her

senses. Due to the compact space within the ward, she was able to overhear Joaquin's

tele-conversation from the balcony. Therefore, she knew everything about the

conversation Joaquin was having with Ben. "What's so good about Katherine? What has

she done to deserve your trust so much?" Beatrice was seen with hatred written all over

her face, her eyes turning red as they were filled with rage. Frustrated, she thumped her

lap, only to realize her legs felt nothing. Her face quickly changed as she pressed the bell

next to her nightstand to call for help.

In less than 5 minutes, the doctor and the nurse hurriedly arrived, only to be stunned

when they saw Beatrice awake. However, Beatrice ignored their reaction and questioned

them coldly. "What happened to my legs? Why can't I feel anything at all?" Deep down,

she couldn't believe her legs would be numb because she was the one who faked the car

accident. Nonetheless, she couldn't explain why she couldn't feel her legs at all since the

moment she woke up.

"Miss Muller, your legs are currently in a paraplegic condition because the nervous system

within them has sustained serious damage in the accident you were caught in, but since

Mr. Levisay hasn't signed the consent form to approve the surgical amputation, we haven't

proceeded with any further surgical treatment." The doctor adjusted the glasses on his

nasal bridge, honestly answering Beatrice's question.

Beatrice was shocked upon hearing what the doctor said, staring at the latter in disbelief.

"What did you just say? Come again!"

"You heard me, Miss Muller. No matter how many times you want me to repeat it, I'm still

going to say the same thing. So, I'd advise you to remain calm because agitation will only

take a toll on your health at the moment. For now, I hope you're going to accept our

suggestion and let us treat you. Furthermore, there are many types of prosthetics that are

well developed in the international market these days. Therefore, your paraplegic

condition isn't going to bother you in your life at all…"

As the doctor was still going on about his point, Beatrice was too disturbed to continue

listening to any of those words because all she had in her mind was the harsh truth about

her paraplegia. How come I'm paralyzed?! That accident was a fake one that I planned to

set Katherine up! At the thought of that, Beatrice's vision suddenly became more and

more blurry before she eventually passed out.

When he arrived at Soulin International, Joaquin went straight to Katherine's doorstep and

rang the doorbell. Not long after that, Katherine answered the door and was seen in a

white casual outfit with two hair buns on her head. When she saw Joaquin at her doorstep,

she was stunned. "To what do I owe you the pleasure? Is there something I can help you

with?"

"I have a patient, who is suffering from necrosis in her leg, here. Can you save her?"

Joaquin hesitated in silence, but when Beatrice's look flashed across his mind, he decided

it was necessary for him to speak up.

Katherine, who had turned around and made her way toward the house, heard the man's

words and knitted her eyebrows. "Necrosis? Was it caused by a traffic accident? I think I

can save the patient, but I need to know who I'm going to be treating."

"Beatrice," Joaquin answered while following behind the lady.

"I'm sorry. No can do." Katherine rolled her eyes upward, seeing no reason for her to

rescue Beatrice due to their restrained relationship.

"Just name a price." With a nonchalant look on his face, Joaquin tried to do his best to

change the lady's mind.

Nevertheless, Katherine only looked back at the man like he was a clown. "Do I look like

I'm in desperate need of money? I'm not interested in saving her."

"Katherine…"

"Enough. We're talking about necrosis here. There is nothing I can do about it. What do

you think I am? God? I can't treat all illnesses." Katherine raised her hand and interrupted

Joaquin's words.

Staring at the lady's indifferent face, he decided to keep quiet and stopped persuading

Katherine.

"There is still a chance she can live if she has her leg amputated as soon as possible.

However, time is not on her side; if this drags on, she may even lose her life. Furthermore,

she can still carry on with her life with prosthetics." Katherine noticed Joaquin's dismay

and offered him her word of advice out of kindness. After that, she left Joaquin to it and

went on to attend to her business.