An Understated Dominance - Chapter 59
Two days later, Dahlia woke up at the Peaceful Medical Center.
The first thing she noticed was the simple room around her, which had a table, two chairs, and a hospital bed. Everything felt a bit familiar, as if she had been there before.
“Hey, you’re awake!” Dustin said, appearing in the doorway. He held a bowl of chicken soup in one hand. Although the soup didn’t look very exciting, it looked delicious to Dahlia after not eating for two days. Her stomach growled at the sight of it.
“Did you save me?” she asked, trying to ease the awkwardness.
“You were hurt and unconscious on the roadside, so I helped you,” he replied simply.
“Helped me?” she echoed, raising her eyebrows. Then she quickly asked, “How long was I out? What’s happening with the Spanners? Are my parents okay?”
His head spun from her rapid-fire questions. “You were unconscious for two days and two nights. Your family is safe. But the Spanner house caught fire,” he answered calmly.
Dahlia felt a wave of relief wash over her when she heard her family was okay. But then she was surprised. “Caught fire? What happened?”
“I don’t know all the details, but I heard there was a gas leak. About 20 to 30 people inside the Spanner house were burned alive,” he said.
“A gas leak? Do you think it was just a coincidence?” she asked, confused.
“The wicked get what they deserve. The Spanners have done many bad things and always tried to hurt others. Seeing them fall like this, I think it’s a fitting end,” he said.
“That was just karma catching up with them,” Dustin said.
She nodded, feeling relieved inside. With the Spanner household gone, she thought she wouldn’t have to worry about being their target anymore.
“Alright, stop overthinking. Have some soup first,” he said, handing her a bowl of chicken soup.
“Thanks,” she replied. She was hungry, so she happily started eating the soup and finished the entire bowl quickly.
Still feeling hungry after her meal, she considered licking the bowl.
“I’ll get you another bowl,” Dustin said, noticing her expression. He served her another bowl of chicken soup.
Without saying a word, she devoured the second bowl just as quickly.
As she enjoyed the soup, a warm feeling spread through her stomach, making her feel content in a way she couldn’t quite explain. Even though the two bowls didn’t seem like much, he had cooked them himself because he knew they helped with recovery.
“Still hungry?” he asked.
At that moment, she couldn’t help but let out a small burp. Realizing it might seem rude, she quickly tried to swallow the air back down.
“I guess you’ve had enough then. Make sure to get plenty of rest, and I’ll come back later,” he said.
Before he could leave, she called out, “Wait! I need to tell you something!”
“What is it?” he asked, stopping and turning back to her.
“It’s about Chris. I’m sorry for blaming you,” she said quietly.
After a moment of hesitation, she took a deep breath and continued, “That guy wasn’t a good person to begin with. I can’t believe he…”
He managed to trick us out of a lot of money with his smooth words. “If only we had listened to your advice from the start,” she sighed.
“What’s going on with you today? Did the great Ms. Nicholson just apologize?” he joked.
“What do you mean? Do I seem unreasonable to you?” she shot back, clearly upset.
“I’m just kidding! So what if I got accused again? It’s not the first time, so let’s forget about it,” he shrugged.
“Why does it sound so wrong when you say it?” she replied, frowning.
“Alright, let’s just move on. Now, take off your clothes…” he said casually.
“Huh?” Her face changed immediately, and she instinctively covered her chest with her arms. “What are you planning to do?” she exclaimed.
“Calm down! You have injuries, so I’m just helping you change your bandages,” he said, holding up a bottle of ointment.
“You want to change my bandages for me?” she repeated.
Suddenly remembering something, she asked, “Were you the one who changed my bandages for the past two days?”
“Who else would do it?” he replied.
“Then, I… You’ve seen everything?!” she gasped, her eyes wide.
“So what if I’ve seen everything? It’s not like it’s new to me, so why worry?” he said casually.
“Get out of here right now!” she yelled, her face hot with embarrassment and anger.
She couldn’t believe his nerve. How dare he touch her without asking?
How rude!
“Think about what I said,” he urged gently. “Even though your injuries have healed, the scars remain. If you don’t take care of them now, they might be permanent later.”
She bit her lip, feeling torn inside.
“Fine! If you don’t care about this, then I won’t help you anymore. Just don’t regret it when you see all those scars in the future!” He crossed his arms and turned to leave.
“Wait!” she called out, finally realizing he was right. As a woman, she cared about her appearance. The thought of being covered in scars was worse than anything else!
“Changed your mind?” he asked, turning back with a smirk.
“Help me change my bandages, but you have to do it blindfolded!” she commanded, tossing a piece of clothing at him in frustration. But when she saw what she had thrown, her heart dropped.
It was her underwear!
“You really have strange tastes. I won’t use this as a blindfold,” he said, tossing the underwear back to her.
“Shut up!” she stammered, her face turning bright red.
Her cheeks looked like ripe peaches glistening in the morning sun. He almost reached out to touch her.
“Okay, I’ll just put ointment on your back, and you can do the front yourself,” he finally agreed, not wanting her to storm out.
“Hmph!” She pouted, but after a moment of hesitation, she nodded.
Her injuries needed care, and it was time to take action.
She couldn’t take care of the scars on her back by herself. She needed help.
“I’ve finished putting the ointment on your back,” he said, his voice cold. He paused for a moment before continuing, “Now, let’s move on to your butt—”