Chapter 168: Are You Dead?

Chapter 168: Chapter 168: Are You Dead?

The police and an ambulance arrived almost simultaneously. The scene was quickly brought under control, the assailant was subdued by officers on site, and paramedics immediately began emergency treatment on the victim who had collapsed.

"President Hawthorne, we owe you a great deal for this. I can’t imagine what would have happened otherwise..."

Before the manager could finish speaking, Liam Hawthorne swayed and collapsed backward.

The manager’s expression changed dramatically. He rushed to crouch and support him, but his fingertips touched something warm and sticky. Looking down, he saw the dark suit was already soaked through with blood.

"Doctor! Over here, quick! Our President Hawthorne has been stabbed in the stomach!"

Vesper Grayson and her two friends had just walked down when they heard the manager’s frantic cry.

The on-site doctor hurried over with a first-aid kit. After a quick examination of Liam Hawthorne’s wound, his face grew grim.

"The wound is deep. We have to stop the bleeding now, or he’ll go into shock from blood loss!"

The doctor immediately began applying pressure and trying to bandage the wound, but it was too deep. Blood continued to seep out, impossible to stanch. The nearest hospital was at least a twenty-minute drive, and at this rate of blood loss, he’d never make it there alive.

Vesper Grayson stared at the spreading bloodstain, her brow furrowed tightly. She took an involuntary step forward.

"What are you doing?" Shiloh Sloan quickly grabbed her, keeping her voice low. "There are professional doctors here. We shouldn’t get involved."

Bella Thorne was already pale with fright and wringing her hands. "Sister Vesper, let’s just get out of here. This is terrifying."

Vesper Grayson gently freed her hand. "If I don’t intervene," she said grimly, "he won’t make it to the hospital."

She walked straight up to the doctor and said grimly, "He’s bleeding from a branch of the inferior epigastric artery. If you don’t stop it effectively, his life is in immediate danger. Does anyone have acupuncture needles?"

The doctor, already agitated, grew even more impatient. "You think I don’t know that? The problem is I can’t stop the bleeding!"

With that, she gestured for the others to lift Liam Hawthorne onto the stretcher for the ambulance.

"The nearest hospital is twenty minutes away, and that’s without traffic. In his condition, he’ll bleed out before he ever gets there. I can’t stop the bleeding completely, but I can slow it down to buy time for the surgeons."

"Are you a doctor?"

"I know a few things."

"’Know a few things?’ What does an amateur like you know? Get out of the way! Can you bear the responsibility if you delay his treatment?"

Vesper Grayson’s gaze turned cold. "And if he dies on the way to the hospital," she retorted sharply, "can *you* bear that responsibility?"

"We will have done everything we could! The rest is up to fate!"

"Pathetic," Vesper Grayson said, her voice like ice. "He’s a member of the Hawthorne family. If he dies because you delayed his treatment, do you really think ’we did everything we could’ will absolve you of responsibility?"

The doctor’s face went deathly pale. She was speechless.

’Everyone in Northolme knows about the Hawthorne family. If this man was really one of them and died en route, they would all be held accountable.’

Vesper Grayson had no desire to waste more time arguing with her.

Her tone was sharp. "Give me the needles."

"The needles are right here."

Seeing this, another doctor nearby quickly rummaged through the first-aid kit, pulled out an acupuncture set, and handed it over. He quietly pulled the female doctor aside and whispered a warning.

"If something happens to a member of the Hawthorne family, ten of your lives wouldn’t be enough to pay the price. Let her try. If it goes wrong, the blame won’t fall on us."

"Open his shirt," Vesper Grayson instructed the manager as she sterilized a needle.

The manager, not daring to delay, hastily unbuttoned his jacket. His white shirt was mostly soaked in red, a shocking sight to behold.

Vesper Grayson’s needles moved in a flash, piercing the Qihai, Guanyuan, and Zhongwan acupoints. She then added a needle to both the Xuehai and Yinbai points. The acupuncture worked to stabilize his qi and blood and constrict the vessels, forcibly stemming the torrential bleeding. The flow of blood slowed to a visible crawl.

The onlookers were dumbfounded. This wasn’t ’knowing a few things’; her technique was nothing short of masterful.

"Get him to the hospital. Now."

...

Meanwhile, news of Liam Hawthorne’s injury had reached Jared Hawthorne.

"President Hawthorne, Liam Hawthorne was at Jubilee Valley for an inspection today when he got caught in a sudden violent assault and hostage situation. He was stabbed in the abdomen during the rescue and has been rushed to Northolme General Hospital."

Jared Hawthorne’s hand, mid-signature, paused. He looked up, his tone flat. "He got involved himself?"

"Yes. Video from the scene is already going viral. A lot of people are praising him for stepping up." Maxim Chandler handed him a tablet. "The comments are overwhelmingly positive."

Jared Hawthorne glanced at it dispassionately. "Send someone to the hospital. See if he’s dead yet."

"The doctors said he’d damaged a branch of the inferior epigastric artery. The bleeding was catastrophic. By all rights, he shouldn’t have made it to the hospital..." Maxim Chandler paused, his voice dropping instinctively. "But he got lucky. Mrs. Hawthorne happened to be there. She performed acupuncture to stop the bleeding, which was the only reason he held on long enough to be saved."

A cryptic smile played on Jared Hawthorne’s lips. His tone was chilling. "You’re right. He certainly is lucky. It wasn’t his day to die, it seems."

Maxim Chandler was speechless.

’President Hawthorne was giving off a seriously sinister vibe.’

’Still, it was understandable. His own wife had set aside their history to save her ex-boyfriend. Any man would find that unsettling.’

’But it was a life, after all. And besides, the man was Jared Hawthorne’s own cousin.’

"President Hawthorne, should I still send someone to check on him?"

Jared Hawthorne set down his pen, casually lit a cigarette, and took a slow drag. His voice was devoid of emotion.

"If he’s not going to die, what’s the point of visiting?"

Maxim Chandler thought to himself, ’I should have kept my mouth shut.’

"And her?" Jared Hawthorne suddenly asked.

"After she administered the treatment, Mrs. Hawthorne left with her friends."

Only then did the tension in Jared Hawthorne’s brow ease slightly. "Anything else?" he asked coolly.

"N-no, that’s all."

Once Maxim Chandler had left the office, Jared Hawthorne picked up his phone and made a call.

...

Shiloh Sloan, for her part, was still brooding over the incident.

"Vesper, why did you have to save that scumbag? Did you forget how badly he hurt you?"

"The two things are separate," Vesper Grayson said calmly. "He was injured trying to save someone. Since I was there, I couldn’t just stand by and watch him die."

To her, a patient was a patient, regardless of identity.

"You’re just too soft-hearted, which is why people always take advantage of you. It was his lucky day, running into you." Shiloh Sloan suddenly stopped, as if she’d just remembered something. "You mentioned he’s part of the Hawthorne family. What’s that about?"

’She distinctly remembered Vesper Grayson saying Luke Lockwood was an orphan. How did he suddenly become a Hawthorne? Just how much piping-hot tea had she missed?’

Vesper Grayson explained calmly, "He’s the son of Elias’s second uncle. They just found him a few days ago and he was officially welcomed back into the family. He goes by Liam Hawthorne now."

"Holy shit..." Shiloh Sloan was stunned speechless on the spot.

’Her ex-boyfriend had turned into her husband’s cousin overnight. Could this plot get any more cliché? How awkward were family gatherings going to be now?’

This unexpected interruption didn’t ruin the rest of the trio’s fun.

The three of them stayed out until sunset, and only after finishing dinner did they say their goodbyes and go their separate ways.

When she got home, Vesper Grayson was bending over to change her shoes in the foyer when she looked up and saw a tall figure sitting on the living room sofa.

Her eyes instantly lit up. She quickly shuffled over in her slippers, her voice gentle. "How are you home so early?"

Jared Hawthorne wrapped a long arm around her waist, pulling her straight into his lap. His deep, dark eyes fixed on her face as he asked coolly, "Did Mrs. Hawthorne enjoy her day out?"