"Defibritor! Quick! Crank up the voltage!"


    The doctor''s urgent voice echoed in her ears as if it were the only sound in the operating room. Sophie felt like she was losing blood, and the pain was pounding relentlessly in her head. In a foggy daze, she glimpsed the operating room''s ceiling, the bright lights blinding her eyes. Everything seemed blurry, like a scene from a past life.


    Then, out of nowhere, a sharp pain shot through her arm. Sophie broke out in a cold sweat and, as she opened her eyes, saw Harold sitting right beside her. The Aldridge Estate was as peaceful as ever; all the chaos from her nightmare was just that-a dream. It had been ages since Sophie had such a terrifying dream. Maybe it was because Colby hadn''t been aroundtely, leaving her feeling a bit unsettled.


    Harold, ever the caretaker, had soaked a warm towel and ced it on her forehead. "Can''t you take care of yourself without Colby here?" he asked, his voice carrying a hint of sternness.


    "What''s wrong with me?" Sophie croaked, her voice hoarse.


    "You''ve got a fever, what else?" Harold replied, matter-of-factly. The news left Sophie in silence.


    He went on, "The doctor said your wound''s gotten worse. You probably haven''t been putting on the medication like you''re supposed to. Plus, you''ve been out partying and drinking. No wonder your wound''s acting up. You need to take it easy and heal at home." "I felt fine this morning..." she protested weakly.


    "Yeah, well, you let your temper re and caught a chill. Do you know how scared I was when you passed out?" Harold frowned, trying to sound like the responsible adult he was trying to be.


    Sophie chuckled, "It''s just a little fever, nothing to fuss over."


    They''d both been through enough life-and-death scrapes to know a fever was barely a blip on their radar.


    "I wouldn''t worry if it was just a normal fever, but..." Harold stopped short, not finishing his thought.


    Sophie eyed him suspiciously. "What''s up? Why the strange look?"N?velDrama.Org content.


    Harold studied her for a moment, Rick''s words from theirst phone call ying in his mind. He didn''t know what Sophie and the others had endured in the Aldridge family''s basementst time, but Gordon''s health had taken a nosedive too. Before their overseas trip, Gordon hadn''t been as frail as the rumors suggested. He could walk on his own. But now...


    Harold''s brow creased with concern, but he decided to keep his worries to himself for now. He shook his head gently. "It''s nothing, really. I just don''t want Colbying after me if something happens to you while I''m in charge."


    He looked earnestly at Sophie and added, "I really can''t take him in a fight."


    Sophieughed, a smile lighting up her face. "I thought it was serious. Don''t worry, I''m fine. Just a little fever that''ll clear up in a few days."


    "I''ve arranged for a nurse to keep


    tabs on your medication," Harold said as he stood up from the chair next to her. Then, almost as an afterthought, he asked, "By the way, you''ve been hanging out at


    ven


    nightclubs with male models, and a bunch of them have quit suddenly. Did you slip them some cash to disappear?"