167 She Is Back
Now, it was busy in the Wilson Manor.
Maids came in and out of Isabellaâs bedroom.
Doctor Morris walked out.
âWhatâs wrong with Isabella?â Charlie asked with concern.
âShe fainted because of hypoglycemia. Moreover, she has a high fever and light pneumonia,â the doctor said.
He took off the stethoscope and continued, âI prescribed her some medicine. Coupled with the drip, she will be recovered soon.â
âOh, thatâs good,â Charlie said with relief.
âWhy does she suddenly get sick?â he asked with worry.
âMaybe she was slimming and happened to catch a cold. She seems to eat less before her performance,â Joseph lied.
.....
âThen you have to persuade her. Health is the most important thing,â Charlie reminded.
âOkay, I see,â Joseph answered.
After a while, he persuaded, âYou can go back and have a rest. I will take care of the rest.â
Charlie nodded and left. After talking with the doctor for a while, he felt relieved a lot as he was sure that Isabella was fine. He asked the maid to take care of Isabella. Then, he returned to his bedroom to rest.
He had not slept in the past two days and one night.
Now that Isabella has returned safely, he can finally have a good rest.
The clouds gathered at midnight and then it began to thunder.
All of a sudden, a scream rang out in the Wilson Manor. It was Isabella who was screaming.
As Josephâs bedroom was next to Isabellaâs, he was woken up.
He opened the door and walked out to check. He saw the maids walking in and out of Isabellaâs bedroom, and he scratched his head and sighed. âWhat happened?â he asked.
âMiss Isabella seems to be scared by the thunder. She went into the cupboard alone and cried. We tried to persuade her but she refused to come out,â a maid said.
âWhat?â Joseph asked in disbelief.
He rubbed his eyes and asked, âIs she done with the drip?â
âYes, itâs finished an hour ago,â the maid answered.
âAlright, then you can leave,â Joseph ordered.
The maid left and Joseph walked into Isabellaâs bedroom.
He didnât need to look for her because he could hear her miserable crying in the cupboard.
He closed the door of the bedroom and went to open the cupboard.
However, the door of the cupboard remained motionless.
âAre you a child? Why are you afraid of thunder? Do you know that itâs scary to hear your miserable crying at the midnight?â Joseph asked.
However, Isabella didnât answer him. After a sigh, he opened the door with force. Isabella rolled out with clothes wrapping around her.
She kept crying.
Joseph bent over and pulled off the clothes covering her head. Seeing that she covered her ears with her hands and closed her eyes, he forcefully pulled her hand away.
âOpen your eyes!â he said.
âNo!â Isabella refused.
âIsabella!â Joseph said seriously.
âIf you donât open your eyes, I wonât give you any food to eat! Youâll be starving the whole day!â he added.
Isabella opened her eyes, but when she saw Joseph, she covered her mouth and did not dare to make a sound.
Her eyes were full of tears.
She was afraid of him.
When she was in the Smithâs, she would be thrown into the cellar if she made too much noise and woke others up. She did not know what treatment she would receive here.
This was a reflex.
âAlas, you are a little fool,â Joseph said.
He then sighed and patted her head. âAre you afraid of thunder?â he asked.
Isabella said nothing but shook her head repeatedly.
âDid you have a nightmare?â Joseph asked again.
Isabellaâs tears began to stream down. âT-they donât want me anymore. They said that raising me was a waste of their food. They wanted me to die,â she sobbed.
âWho are they?â Joseph narrowed his eyes and asked, âThe Smiths? You look dejected after you came back. What happened there?â
Isabella trembled and didnât utter a word. She just kept crying. She seemed to be scared and hesitant.
Joseph sighed.
He didnât ask her anymore. âItâs just a nightmare, isnât it? You are timid,â he said with disdain.
Isabella bit her lips hard in horror, and her whole body curled up.
Joseph looked at her and stroked her disheveled hair. Then, he bent over and picked her up. After placing her on the bed, he comforted, âAlright, donât cry. Now that they donât want you, you can stay here, and I will take care of you from now on. Is it okay?â
Upon hearing that, Isabella stopped crying and looked at him blankly.
Joseph climbed onto the bed and lay down beside her, yawning. âDonât be afraid of the thunder or the nightmare. I will be here to accompany you,â he said.
Then, he touched her forehead. âFortunately, the temperature has dropped. Have a good sleep,â he said.
Isabella stopped crying, but her body still trembled in the quilt.
Joseph opened his eyes and turned to look at her tearful eyes. âYou donât look cool at all. You are always fearless, arenât you?â
He turned around and pulled her into his arms. He then gently pecked on her forehead.
Isabella did not dare to move.
Then, Joseph continued, âWhen I was born, somebody told my grandfather that I was a one favored by the god. Well, although that person was just a swindler, my grandfather was very happy because of his words, so he held a party to celebrate my birth.â
Josephâs gentle kisses seemed to have magic. Isabella calmed down gradually.
Joseph continued, âIt is said that I have something to protect me. Demons and ghosts are afraid of me. Now that I am here, you can have a rest at ease.â
âOkay,â she answered, but her voice was hoarse.
âArenât you going to thank me?â Joseph asked.
âThank you,â Isabella said.
Joseph didnât expect Isabella would thank him without hesitation. He was stunned for a moment. He then smiled mischievously. Under her gaze, he kissed her lips. âI donât need your thanks. We are even as long as you kiss me. You are sick now, so I wonât make things difficult for you. A kiss is enough,â he said.
Unexpectedly, Isabella took the initiative to peck on his lips.
While Joseph was stunned, Isabella said, âDeal.â
Joseph looked at Isabella in surprise. âWhatâs wrong?â Isabella asked.
Joseph didnât answer her. Instead, he held the back of Isabellaâs head and kissed her deeply. After that, he said, âThis is the real kiss.â
Isabella was stunned.
That was the real Joseph she knew.
He was as shrewd and arbitrary as he used to be.
Then, under her gaze, Joseph hugged her and kissed her passionately.
In the beginning, Isabella was willing to kiss Joseph, but she didnât expect to receive such an intense kiss. She had always been afraid of Joseph when he wanted to kiss her, but today, for some reason, she didnât want to dodge.
Probably it was because he saved her today. Now, she wasnât resistant to his kiss at all.