Chapter 5 He'll die before the doctor arrives

The Villa:

After parking the car, a smirk curled up on the side of Joel's mouth as he stepped out of the car and casually tossed the car key to one of the nearby guards.

Emily bit her lip as she opened the door, hopping out of the car on her right foot and reaching for her crutch.

"Annoying bastard," Emily scrunched up her face and stole a glance at Joel, who was already approaching the door, "with fast legs," she sneered angrily, placing the crutch under her arm.

She slammed the door shut in annoyance, muttering to herself, "Too wicked."

Suddenly, the car started making alarm sounds, snapping Emily back to her senses. She widened her eyes and flinched away from the car, finding it just as annoying as its owner.

Joel stopped in his tracks and turned towards the car's direction, his attention captured by the commotion.

The maids around also halted and stared at Emily, their curious gazes fixed upon her.

Feeling a sense of guilt, Emily lowered her head, allowing her hair to fall freely over her face. After a while, she mustered the courage to look up and realized she was still being watched by piercing eyes.

"Mihamnida," she bowed, biting her lower lip in the process. (A/N: Mihamnida is a formal way of saying "I'm sorry.")

The maids averted their gazes and went about their respective tasks, leaving Emily feeling downcast. She stared at the floor, gritting her teeth, still embarrassed by her earlier mishap of running into a brick.

"Ahhh," she hissed in pain and looked up abruptly, only to realize it wasn't a brick she had collided with, but a human being—the handsome god, Joel. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out, leaving her staring blankly at Joel, who seemed on the verge of bursting.

"Yah," Joel called out quietly, his voice as cold as ice, his gaze piercing through her.

He continued, gazing at her coldly, "Why are you such a ding-a-ling? You're clumsy, stupid, poor... Why are you even still alive?"

He scoffed, turned around, and walked into the villa, leaving Emily standing there, transfixed on the spot. Joel's words had hit her deep, and she tilted her head to the side, fighting back the tears welling up in her eyes.

"He's right... Why am I even alive? Dad detests me, my stepmom detests me... Everyone detests me," she murmured, her head lowered as tears flowed freely.

She was still sobbing when she heard a maid rush out of the villa, crying.

"Eotteoke?" the maid cried, seeking help or guidance.

"Little master is at it again... Eotteoke?" The maid stomped her feet on the floor, then ran off to another part of the villa.

Emily hiccuped and shifted her gaze to the door in front of her. Sniffing miserably, she mustered the courage to stop a passing maid, who was about to run past her.

"Sorry to disturb you, but please, what's happening?" she asked, her voice filled with misery.

"Ahhh, it's Little Pumpkin. He fainted again," the maid hurriedly responded.

"Again?" Emily furrowed her brows, confused by the recurring issue.

"Take me to him, please," Emily requested, determination in her voice.

"Ah, okay," the maid nodded and offered her assistance to Emily, guiding her towards the lounge.

Inside the lounge, the scene was filled with tension. Joel's voice boomed, yelling furiously at the maids.

"Have you called the doctor

?!" he bellowed in anger.

"Yes, Master," they replied, trembling in fear. Whenever there was a problem or an issue, their master would always unleash his fury. Moreover, this time, it concerned his little nephew's well-being, so there was nothing he wouldn't do. He could resort to any extreme measures.

Emily ignored everyone in the living room as she dropped her crutch, sat on a chair, and carefully cradled the lifeless little boy, Little Pumpkin, on her lap.

Ignoring the tension in the room, she observed him for a moment before muttering something incoherently, "Onion."

No one heard her words. All eyes were fixed on the door, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the doctor.

"Gimme an onion," she yelled, her focus solely on the unconscious boy.

Everyone turned their heads towards her automatically.

"How... Where..." Joel stuttered, surprised by Emily's sudden request.

"He'll die before the doctor arrives. Please, get me one," she blurted out urgently.

The maids stared at her, stunned into silence. They stood still, darting their eyes between their boss and the peculiar lady, waiting for Joel's permission before taking action.

Emily stared desperately into Joel's eyes. "Tell them to get me an onion! Trust me!"

As if under his control, Joel turned to the maids, his anger palpable.

"Are you nuts?! Are you deaf?!! She said to get her an onion!!! Do you all want to lose your jobs?!" he yelled furiously.

"If anything happens to Andrew, you are all dead! I'll feed your bones to the dogs!" he threatened.

The maids shuddered uncontrollably, and in a flurry, they rushed to the kitchen. Within moments, they returned with a bowl full of onions and placed it on the floor beside Emily.

She grabbed one of the onions, disregarding its skin, and took a deep bite. Chewing determinedly, she forcefully opened the boy's mouth with her fingers and then transferred the onion from her mouth to his.

She glanced up at one of the maids. "Water..."

Even before the word left her lips, a bowl of water was already in her hand. She sprinkled it on the boy's face and chewed on the onion again before spitting it into his mouth. She performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and...

"Hugh! Hugh!" Little Pumpkin coughed as he regained consciousness.

Emily heaved a sigh of relief and sprinkled water on his face once again.

Hastily, Joel snatched Little Pumpkin from Emily. "Little Pumpkin, are you alright? Huh? Are you okay?"

"Umn," Little Pumpkin weakly nodded his head.

"Thank God!" Joel sighed in relief, embracing the boy tightly.

At that moment, Michael rushed into the lounge. "Where is my son?!"

Joel looked at his brother as he approached, gently handing Little Pumpkin over to him.

Michael gasped softly, hugging his son tightly. Little Pumpkin was all he had left, and he wasn't willing to lose him.

Joel patted Michael on the back and headed for the staircase. "He's alright, no need to worry."

Slowly, Michael sat down with Little Pumpkin on his lap.

Emily smiled, relieved that nothing had happened to the boy. She watched as the doctor arrived, handed some medication to Michael, and left after giving specific instructions.

After the doctor departed, Michael stole a glance at Emily, who was now fast asleep, raising an eyebrow in slight surprise.

He turned to one of the maids and inquired, "Nugu?" (A/N: "Who is she?")

"Ahhh," the maid

gazed at Emily. She took her time to explain how Emily had saved Little Pumpkin. Once she finished her explanation, the father and son duo fell into a silent contemplation, both fixated on Emily.

"How did she end up here?" Michael asked the maid, his gaze still fixed on the peacefully sleeping lady on the sofa.

"Master brought her," the maid replied with a bow.

He looked up at her, seeking confirmation. "Joel?"

"Yes," she bowed again.

"Alright. You may all leave now," Michael dismissed the maids.

They all bowed before leaving the lounge to attend to their respective tasks.

Once the maids had departed, Michael and Little Pumpkin continued to gaze at the lady on the sofa. After a while, they simultaneously pouted their lips, exchanged a look, and shrugged their shoulders.

It was none of their business what Joel had with the lady.

Michael smiled at his son, breaking the silence. "You need to take your medicine."

"I don't want to; it's too bitter," Little Pumpkin whined.

"Ah, here we go again..." Michael groaned.

"You need to take it for your health," he responded with a slight frown.

"Nooo," Little Pumpkin pouted.

He slipped away from his father's lap and scampered across the room.

Michael rolled his eyes, aware of his son's antics. Little Pumpkin always evaded taking his medication.

Michael stood up and chased after his cute son, who darted around the living room.

He bit his lip as he pursued Little Pumpkin. "Come here."

Little Pumpkin stuck his tongue out, teasingly wagging it at his father. "Ani" (A/N: "No").

"If I catch you..." Michael laughed.

He sprinted after his son and, once within reach, lifted him onto his shoulder, heading back to the chair where he had been sitting earlier.

"Little Pumpkin needs to take his medicine," Michael sang.

"Ahh... I don't want to," Little Pumpkin groaned.

Michael sat back down on the chair and dissolved the first tablet in a spoonful of water.

"Now, say 'ahhh'," he smiled at his son.

"I don't want it," Little Pumpkin pushed the spoon away, causing the medicine to spill onto his father's shirt.

Michael scrunched up his face in response.