Chapter 246
Chapter 246:
When Austin stumbled back into his room, the stabbing pain in his stomach had grown unbearable.
He leaned heavily against the doorframe, catching his breath before dragging himself to the bedside table to snatch up a bottle of medicine.
He swallowed a few pills with a gulp of water, but the familiar fire in his gut refused to subside.
In an instant, memories of his last gastric bleed came rushing back—hours of fever, drifting in and out of consciousness, and eventually being discovered by Brinley.
He couldn’t risk her finding out again.
Clenching his jaw, Austin steadied himself and fished his phone out of his pocket.
He dialed Miguel’s number, forcing his voice to remain steady even as the pain made it tremble. “Tell the butler to bring a couple of staff back to Hillcrest Villa now p>
“Mr. Moore, are you sick again?” Miguel’s voice was taut with worry. “I’ll call a doctor right away p>
“Don’t bother,” Austin cut in sharply. “Keep it quiet, and make sure my wife doesn’t hear about it. Have the butler prepare breakfast before five tomorrow morning. And let my wife know that I made it p>
Miguel hesitated but didn’t dare press further. “Understood. I’ll handle it p>
Ending the call, Austin grabbed his car keys and headed out. The villa’s silence pressed down on him, making every echo of his breathing sound louder than it should.
𝘗𝘋𝗙ѕ 𝗈𝗇
Another sharp wave of pain twisted his stomach. He swallowed a groan and quickened his pace until he was outside.
The black Maybach shot down the deserted road, Austin’s knuckles white around the steering wheel.
Only when the familiar outline of the private hospital came into view did he allow his taut nerves to ease a fraction.
Inside, the harsh white lights of the emergency room stabbed at his eyes. The doctor examined him, his expression growing grim. “Mr. Moore, this is acute gastric bleeding. Have you been skipping meals again? Burning the midnight oil p>
Austin closed his eyes, unwilling to answer.
The truth was plain enough—he had been running himself ragged these past few days, barely finding time to drink water, all to reclaim Brinley’s lost partners.
“You need to be admitted for observation,” the doctor said firmly. “We’ll begin an infusion to stop the bleeding p>
As the needle slid into his arm, Austin pulled out his phone and sent a quick message to the butler.
Only after receiving confirmation that the staff had reached the villa did he allow himself to slip his phone back into his pocket.
By the time Brinley stirred, sunlight was already spilling through the cracks in the curtains.
She freshened up, dressed, and padded downstairs.