She Took The House The Car And My Heart

LeftWith Walls, Wheels, and Wounds 272

Chapter 272 His Central Nervous System Took A...

When Jacob finally addressed Lawrence, his voice carried a biting chill. "You can refuse. No one's twisting your

arm."

Lawrence clenched his jaw, a wave of frustration crashing over him, but he kept it under control

He had half a mind to hurl the paper and pen right at Jacob's smug face and shout, "I refuse."

But deep down, he knew that giving in to that impulse would spell disaster for Kristian, and everything he'd done

to lock his deal with him in would unravel in seconds.

He couldn't let that happen.

"Can we bring it down a bit?" Lawrence asked, trying to sound more agreeable than he felt. “Say... half a billion?*

Without hesitation, Jacob yanked the paper from his grasp and strolled lazily toward the door, his posture

dripping with dismissal.

"I'll sign," Lawrence muttered at last, feeling utterly backed into a corner.

"Ten seconds left," Jacob said, handing the paper back to him, his tone clipped and disinterested, eyes barely

awake. "Or it's off the table."

Lawrence choked down his irritation.

Someday, he swore to himself, he'd make sure this smug bastard paid for every last thing he'd taken.

With resentment simmering under the surface, Lawrence gripped the paper tightly, his gaze fixed on it for what

felt like an eternity.

"Can't we shave off a little more?" he asked again, though the hope in his voice was fading.

"Three seconds," Jacob replied coolly.

Lawrence had no words. He hadn't felt this tangled up in conflicting emotions in a long time.

With heavy reluctance, he signed his name, his mind already set on reclaiming every cent from Kristian.

He handed the paper over and said, "Don't worry. I'll stick to my end of the deal." Jacob gave the page a quick

glance and replied with a cutting, "I don't trust you."

Lawrence was left speechless once more.

Damn it. They really couldn't see eye to eye.

"The person you need to save is inside," Lawrence said, regaining his focus. "The situation's urgent. Follow me."

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“Hold on," Jacob replied, his tone utterly unbothered.

Lawrence frowned.

Now what?

Without offering an explanation, Jacob waved the document toward the exit.

Lawrence followed his line of sight, curious to see who could possibly warrant that kind of attention, and spotted

Freya stepping out from the driver's seat, her expression unreadable.

"Freya?" Lawrence turned to Jacob, eyebrows raised. "Why'd you bring her?"

Jacob didn't so much as blink, his silence laden with indifference.

Freya gave the paper in his hand a quick glance, then looked at Lawrence's now- controlled expression. "He

signed it?"

"Yes," Jacob replied, passing her the document. "Keep it safe."

Freya accepted it, gave it a cursory inspection, then tucked it away.

The whole exchange left Lawrence scratching his head. He looked back at Jacob

and asked, "Are you two a thing now?"

Jacob didn't answer.

He simply walked inside, cutting to the point. "Where is the patient?"

"Are you and Freya in love?" Lawrence asked again.

Jacob's tone remained detached, his demeanor businesslike. "Am | treating the person or not?"

That shut Lawrence up.

He swallowed hard, glancing between Jacob and Freya before finally saying, "This way."

Jacob disinfected his hands and changed into surgical gear.

Lawrence led him into the operating room.

The door slid shut behind them, sealing them off completely.

Freya tucked the contract away and sat quietly in the corridor, waiting.

She didn't bother asking Lawrence how Kristian was doing. If things weren't dire,

he wouldn't have forked over

that kind of money just to bring Jacob here.

Only someone on the brink would warrant Jacob's involvement.

While she waited, Lawrence cover and sat beside her.

Neither of them said a word.

After a long silence, he finally turned and asked, "What's your relationship with Jacob?"

"We're friends," Freya answered calmly.

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< Chapter 272 His Central Nervous System Took A Serious

"Is he your boyfriend?"

"No."

through

"Then why'd he bring you here?" Lawrence's chest tightened, though he kept his

face neutral, as if they were chatting about the weather

At this hour, a man and woman alone who would buy the just friends

Especially when that man was Jacob, known for keeping everyone at arm's

length. If she weren't important to him, there's no way they'd be together this late.

That could only mean that when K reached out to Jacob, he had already been with Freya

Freya looked puzzled by the sudden interrogation.

Lawrence, however, misread her silence. A faint smile curved his lips, and he kept his tone gentle "Ms. Briggs.

you sure move on fast. Barely two months since the divorce, and you've already found someone you fancy?"

"What do you mean, someone | fancy?" Freya asked, her mind still anchored to the operating room

Lawrence didn't push further, though something flickered in his eyes.

If it weren't for the voice of reason-and a few painful lessons-he might've said something he'd regret.

Tdragged on.

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An hour passed. Then two. Still, the operating room door stayed shut.

Freya started to worry that Kristian's condition was worse than she'd thought.

Again, neither of them spoke. Each lost in their own thoughts.

At four in the morning, the door finally opened, and Jacob stepped out. Freya sprang to her feet, while Lawrence

merely cast a glance in his direction. "How is he?" Freya asked.

"Not good. The bullet's out, and the bleeding's stopped," Jacob answered plainly. "But his central nervous system

took a serious hit. Whether he wakes up in the next forty-eight hours will tell us a lot."

"How could it get this bad?" Freya's heart sank.

"He probably had a previous high fever before this one," Jacob explained without softening the blow. "The first

fever never fully subsided. Add that to severe blood loss and a gunshot wound-it's a miracle he's alive at all."

If that bullet had landed even slightly off, Kristian might've died on the spot.

Freya stood frozen.

Jacob went on, "Even if he wakes up, he could have trouble speaking, sensory

damage, or partial paralysis. His nervous system took a hit.”

The words felt like lead in Freya's chest.

She didn't know what she'd do if those possibilities becreality.

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< Chapter 272 His Central Nervous System Took A Sensus Hit

"We'll monitor him for now," Jacob said calmly. "Maybe he'll get lucky."

Kristian was moved to the ICU.

To give him the best shot at recovery, Jacob advised against any visits.

Freya stood outside his room, staring through the observation window at the machines surrounding him, her

chest tight with unspoken emotion.

He had taken that bullet for her, hadn't he?

The more she thought about it, the heavier her limbs felt, her legs weighted down

as if they no longer belonged

to her.

"It's better if you don't look," Jacob said, now in clean clothes. "The hospital staff

will keep an eye on him. You need to rest. If anything goes wrong, you'll be the one who has to notify his family."