Chapter 7 Malnourished

That was the only word she managed to utter before blacking out. The man paused in his tracks, and his face fell, darkness radiating from him. As a shadow enveloped the man, his cold aura threatened to swallow everything. Even the air itself seemed to freeze in place. Michael snorted while his cold gaze landed on the lady who had fainted. This damned girl. How dare she insult me in the ancestral hall? Does she have a death wish? And did she just call me a ghost? He hunkered down beside her, scrutinizing her face with eyes devoid of warmth. All the color was drained from it, and even her lips were white. Am I really that scary? He frowned and smacked her face. “Wake up,” he said coldly. “Hey!” He smacked her face again, but she still wouldn't wake up, not even when her face had reddened from the smacking. Michael's heart skipped a beat. “You're going to stay here forever if you don't wake up.” But not even his threat managed to make her wake up. For some reason, he was annoyed to see her looking so lifeless. When he checked for her breathing and noticed a weak airflow across his finger, his frown subsided a little. “You had the guts to cheat and even insult Mr. Bennett, but now you pass out from fright?” Michael chided with a solemn expression. Even so, he went out of his way to pick up Charlotte. “Open the door.” Hearing his imperious voice, the guards exchanged glances. Once they confirmed that it was Michael, they quickly opened the door. “Mr—” Before they could even finish, something flashed past them, and Michael was already gone. “Was that Mr. Bennett?” “Yeah, I'm sure it was. I squinted, and it was him.” “Whoa, he had a woman in his arms.” “Yeah. Unbelievable.” “But that woman's the one Mrs. Bennett punished.” “What should we do then?” the tall, lanky guard asked his colleague. “Report this to Mrs. Bennett,” the fatty suggested. “Well, you go then.” The fatty was at a loss for words. Ignoring them, Michael strode to the main residence. Eleanor and Edda were shocked when they saw him holding a woman in his arms. “Michael... What is this?” Michael never had any woman before. Eleanor, Edda, and everyone else in the main residence knew that he kept a distance from women. Any woman who got close to him would be shaken off right away, so there was no way he would take a woman in his arms. For a time, Eleanor thought her grandson was gay, and she was worried the Bennett bloodline would meet its end. That was why she bought a lady in a hurry when Michael hit his twenty-ninth birthday as a bachelor. She had to get a great-grandchild and keep the bloodline going. Everyone was in shock. Seeing Michael holding a woman in his arms was like seeing a UFO land right before them. It was unbelievable. At the same time, Eleanor was delighted. So my grandson is straight. There's his girlfriend. Well, as long as her background's not shady, she's okay to go. She has to bear a child, though. But when Edda brought her closer and saw that Michael was holding Charlotte in his arms, her expression froze for a moment, then her fury swelled. “Michael. Why are you holding her in your arms?” “Grandma.” Michael's attitude softened when he was facing his grandmother. “This woman is a slut, Michael. Put her down. You're dirtying your hands.” The fact that Charlotte cheated on her grandson angered her, and she tried to yank her away from him. Michael's face fell as he sidestepped and dodged her. Eleanor was infuriated that her grandson disobeyed her and defended Charlotte. “Michael!” Her face fell, and she slammed her clutch against the floor, demanding respect. “She is no slut, Grandma.” That was all Michael said with an icy expression before he went up to his bedroom with Charlotte in his arms. “Edda, call a doctor. And make it fast.” Everyone was shocked. “W-What is wrong with him?” Eleanor's chest heaved, her anger still swelling. “Calm down, Mrs. Bennett. Mr. Bennett must have been tricked. It'll be fine once you explain it to him,” Edda quickly calmed Eleanor down so that she wouldn't get too worked up. “Just get the doctor.” Mrs. Bennett looked upset and waved Edda away. I wonder if that girl's in trouble. She looks pale. Better get a doctor, or Michael's going to get angry. “Yes.” Meanwhile, Michael leaned forward and put Charlotte on the bed. When he noticed the swelling on her left face, fury flashed across his eyes. He pushed her strands of hair away, revealing her whole face. It was as pale as a tombstone, and Michael felt squeamish seeing her in that state. The doctor came shortly with his first-aid kit in hand. “M—” Michael stopped the doctor from addressing him and commanded, “Take a look at her and tell me what happened.” “Yes.” The doctor put his first-aid kit down and performed a checkup. When he noticed the hickeys on her neck, he blushed. But he was an experienced doctor, and it only caught him by surprise for a moment. Then he went on with the checkup. Michael stood beside him, staring coldly at the woman on his bed. His forehead was creased by a frown, but he didn't look away, not until he had gotten any updates. A few minutes later, the doctor turned around and reported humbly, “Mr. Bennett, the lady is fine. This is probably caused by a lack of rest or malnutrition.” “Malnutrition?” Michael was stunned. Then he took a closer look at Charlotte. Well, she's really thin, so that might be the case. What kind of family has she been raised in? Didn't they feed her? “Yes, and her lack of rest has taken its toll on her. It can easily result in low blood sugar levels, causing her to faint. But she'll be fine once she has enough rest and nutrition.” “I see. Tell me how to wake her up.” Michael frowned. He hated seeing her in that state. She is as pale as a dead person. He was sure that if he told others that she was a corpse, everyone would believe him. “It's fine, sir. I'll give her some IV drip. Once it's used up, she should wake up,” the doctor told him before going ahead with it.