Chapter 7: Hazel Ferdinando

Holden Duffus squeezed through the crowd and studied the man lying on the ground. He looked to be under fifty, with close-cropped hair and a square, heavyset face. His clothes were immaculate, the kind that didn't come cheap. Add in the daughter's unmistakably refined air and the top-tier luxury car she'd arrived in, a Blood-Sweat Steed, and anyone with half a brain could tell these two were no ordinary people. No wonder so many had gathered to watch, yet not a single person dared step forward, not even to help lift him. If something went wrong, an average person could sell everything they owned and still not afford the compensation. As if she'd seen through the crowd's hesitation, the woman choked back her grief and cried, "Whoever wakes my father up, I'll pay one million! No, ten million as a reward! And I'll grant one condition on top of that. Any condition. As long as I, Hazel Ferdinando, and the Ferdinando family can do it, I'll do it!" "What? She's Hazel Ferdinando?" "Midcoast's Ferdinando family? That's a top-tier clan, strong enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with Showyer Group!" "Any condition? I heard Hazel Ferdinando is still single. If someone asked to marry her, would she agree? The Ferdinando family only has one daughter. Marry her and you practically get the whole Ferdinando Group!" "That's insane. Is there a doctor here or not? Hurry up and take a look. What if you can wake him?" While the crowd buzzed, Holden's brows drew together. Not because of the money. Before he even touched the man, the Supreme Mystery Scripture had already opened on its own. High blood pressure. Acquired heart disease. Neuropathic headaches. Past blunt-force trauma to the lower back, leaving a hidden injury. Cyanide present in the body, highly toxic. Vitality continuously draining. Estimated time until death: two minutes. "Poison?" Holden stared at the middle-aged man's bluish-purple complexion and hesitated. So far, he only knew the mysterious scripture inside him could treat external injuries. As for detoxifying… he had no confidence. Yet the countdown on the page made his stomach knot. The ambulance would take at least fifteen minutes to arrive. Then there was the ride to the hospital. Half an hour, minimum. There wasn't enough time. If he found out later that he could have saved this man but chose to stand aside because he was afraid… could he really live with that? "I'll try. If I can't save him, that's not on me." He clenched his jaw and stepped forward, but a slender hand shot out from behind and yanked him back. Holden turned, confused, then froze when he saw who it was. "Juliana Letherdale? Why are you here?" Of course Juliana wasn't about to admit she'd come because she was worried he'd get tossed out by Showyer Group's security again. She glanced at him warily. "What are you trying to do?" Holden blinked. "See if I can help." "Help?" Juliana's voice rose. "Help how? Are you a doctor?" When he didn't answer fast enough, her face tightened with anger. "Have you lost your mind? Do you even know what you're capable of? Look around. Who here isn't tempted by what she offered? And did anyone step forward? No. But you want to charge in because you think you can snag a windfall. You think that kind of money is free?" "That's the Ferdinando family! If you get in close and Gunner Ferdinando suddenly…" She swallowed hard, eyes flashing. "How do you explain that? How many lives do you have to pay with?" Her words stung, but Holden could tell she was trying to protect him. He smiled faintly and, without thinking, lifted a hand and gently ruffled her hair. "Enough. I don't have time to explain. I'll tell you later." Juliana went rigid. "…He… he actually patted my head? Is this guy insane?" While she stood there stunned, Holden pried her fingers off and strode out of the crowd. He faced Hazel Ferdinando, whose expression had collapsed into despair. "Miss Ferdinando," he said, keeping his voice steady, "your father's condition is terrible. He won't last until the ambulance gets here. If you don't mind, I want to try. But I can't promise I'll succeed. I don't know if you…" He hadn't even finished when Juliana snapped out of it and grabbed his hand again, jerking him back to her side. She forced an apologetic smile at Hazel. "I'm so sorry, Miss Ferdinando. My brother-in-law isn't a doctor. He means well, but he can't help you. Please, just wait for the ambulance and take your father to the hospital for a full checkup." The hope Hazel had just seized onto died in an instant. Her pretty face turned cold. She glared at Holden, fury trembling under her grief. "Sir, if you came here thinking you can take advantage of my family, leave immediately. Otherwise, the Ferdinando family's anger is more than you can bear." "Yes, yes, we're sorry, we're sorry." Juliana nodded repeatedly, then shot Holden a vicious look. "What are you standing there for? Come home with me. Right now." The crowd immediately started pointing and whispering. "Where'd this idiot come from? Trying to die? If you're not a doctor, why are you butting in?" "Exactly. Hazel Ferdinando offered that much, so Gunner Ferdinando clearly isn't just fainting. Ten million and a favor from the Ferdinando family. You think you can just take that?" "Right. If you step in and his condition worsens at that moment… ten lives wouldn't be enough to pay. Otherwise everyone would've rushed in already. Why would it be his turn?" The chatter poured into Holden's ears like sludge. He swept the crowd with a cold glance, then wrenched his hand free from Juliana's grip. Before she could explode again, he spoke sharply. "Miss Ferdinando. Your father has high blood pressure, acquired heart disease, and neuropathic headaches. Also, when he was younger, he suffered a blunt-force hit to his lower back. It left an internal injury, so whenever there's thunder and heavy rain, the pain becomes unbearable. Am I wrong?" Hazel's head snapped up. Her eyes widened. "How do you know that?" The first few could be uncovered with enough digging. But the back injury… only she and her mother knew the truth. Even if someone knew her father sometimes suffered severe back pain, they wouldn't know it came from blunt-force trauma. Holden didn't answer that. His gaze hardened. "I'll say it one last time. Your father is in critical condition. The reason he collapsed is cyanide poisoning. If he doesn't receive emergency treatment within one minute, he will die. And I need to be clear. I don't have absolute confidence I can save him. I can only try." He lifted his chin slightly. "You have ten seconds to decide. After that, you'll only be able to watch your father die." Was this man telling the truth? The woman beside him had just said he wasn't a doctor. Then how could he identify her father's symptoms at a glance? Should she believe him? But if he was right… what if her father really couldn't hold on until the ambulance arrived? Holden's expression never wavered, and that was what finally shattered Hazel's composure. Panic clawed up her throat. The Ferdinando Group wasn't as glamorous as outsiders imagined. Enemies pressed from the outside, and inside the company, power struggles were vicious. Without Gunner Ferdinando holding everything down, it would have collapsed long ago. If Holden was right and her father had been poisoned, it might even be tied to those internal battles. And if her father died, forget taking over the group with her mother. They might not even survive. Hazel's eyes grew more frantic by the second. "Holden Duffus! Enough!" Juliana finally erupted. She seized his wrist and dragged him toward the edge of the crowd. "Right now. You're coming home with me!" Seeing Hazel still wavering, Holden shook his head and finally stopped pushing. "Wait!" Hazel's fear won out. She stumbled forward, voice shaking. "Wait… you… can you really wake my dad up?" Holden paused and slowly shook his head. "I already told you. I'm not completely sure. I can only do everything I can." "You're insane," Juliana hissed, her face pale. "Do you even understand you could get yourself killed?" The situation was slipping out of her control, and she was starting to panic too. But Holden and Hazel acted as if she didn't exist. After one more second of hesitation, Hazel bit down hard. "Fine. Please help me. Save my dad. Don't worry. If you wake him up, everything I promised counts!" With her agreement, Holden didn't waste another heartbeat. He nodded, stepped in, and pressed his right palm to Gunner Ferdinando's chest. He closed his eyes. The Supreme Mystery Scripture opened automatically. Insufficient spiritual power. Activating backup plan! Insufficient spiritual power? What did that mean? He didn't have time to think. Time was running out. In his mind, the scripture flipped again, and a human body diagram appeared. Holden stared, stunned. The diagram was covered in Silver Needle placements, packed so densely it made his scalp prickle. Beneath it ran rows upon rows of instructions. Holden nearly toppled over. Less than a minute remained. Even if he tried to learn on the spot, would he make it in time? And where was he supposed to find Silver Needles here? As if the scripture had read his thoughts, the page turned again. Conditions unmet. Activating emergency plan! There was an emergency plan too? Holden's heart jolted. He scanned the instructions at a glance, then tore open Gunner Ferdinando's shirt. He found several points on the abdomen marked by the scripture, spread his fingers, and pressed both hands down hard. One second. Two. Three. "Vmmm!" A warm current, perceptible only to Holden, surged from his fingertips into Gunner Ferdinando's body. Holden pulled back at once, paused for a breath, then repeated the same sequence. After three rounds- "Blargh!" Gunner Ferdinando suddenly vomited a large mass of half-digested food. Holden immediately turned his head to the side so he wouldn't choke on what was still coming up. "He… he's awake? He actually woke him up!" "Holy hell, ten million! Who is this guy? That luck is unreal!" "Ten million is nothing. If he really asks to marry Hazel Ferdinando, that's the real jackpot!" "Get real. She was desperate and blurted it out. You're taking it seriously? You think the Ferdinando family's daughter is that easy to marry? Keep dreaming." "Dad?" Hazel stared at Gunner Ferdinando as his eyes slowly opened. Her face lit up, tears spilling as she grabbed his hand. "Dad, you're awake! Thank god, you're awake!" Holden lifted a hand, cutting through her joy with a grim look. "Don't celebrate yet. The toxin is only suppressed for the moment. If he doesn't get proper treatment within an hour, then there's truly nothing that can save him." Hazel's heart lurched right back into her throat. At that moment, the wail of an ambulance finally rose in the distance. The crowd began to part. Hazel bit her lower lip, turned, and hurried to the Blood-Sweat Steed. She snatched up her purse, pulled out a checkbook, and scribbled a long string of numbers with swift strokes. After signing her name, she tore it off and thrust it into Holden's hand. "No matter what, you woke my father up. I keep my word. Take this money first. As for the remaining condition, I'll owe it to you for now. Once my dad gets better, whatever you want, you can ask." She shoved something else into his palm. "And take this too. Call me." She held Holden's gaze for a long moment, then turned and climbed into the ambulance with the paramedics.