Not sure what exactly had happened, the doctor who had been expecting the worst, looked askance at the healthy looking Eliana, shocked, and completely at a loss for words or explanation.
Scarlett, obviously still in shock, clung to her new and improved baby sister, as if she was scared that all of this might disappear if she snoozed. She touched her forehead, peered at her eyes, and grasped at her hands.
"Oh stop it! I said I'm fine! Look, every symptom of the illness is gone! The fever's no longer there, I feel strong! Stronger than I've ever felt before...!"
But Scarlett simply could not accept that. There was too much at stake. So, with fear in her heart, and hope in her eyes, she turned to the doctor;
"Doc, can you please check her? She says she feels okay, but I'd really love to hear it from you."
The attending doctor shook her head disapprovingly; "I don't want to burst your bubble, but I'm afraid it's medically impossible. Your sister's diagnosis was very mu---"
Eliana cut in energetically; "What are you waiting for then? Go on and check me! I'm telling you guys, I'm completely healed."
Reluctantly, the slender doctor dragged her feet from the entrance towards the stubborn patient, very unhappy that she was going to be the one to crush the girl's hopes. But she was the one who ended up with the surprise. After conducting the preliminary tests for spinal muscular atrophy, the middle-aged doctor removed her glasses nervously. None of this made sense.
"Well, this is completely unprecedented, but the disease seems to have been gone..."
"Don't you need to check her bone density or something like that?"
"No, not really. I may have to run some more tests in the lab and put her through an MRI, but from the preliminary tests, I am seventy percent sure that she has been cured." She looked around the room curiously; "What happened? Did some other doctor come in here to do something?"
The two sisters shot quick knowing glances at each other before turning to look at Alex together. All eyes on him, he decided to give the official statement;
"I guess you could say this is a medical miracle. This is a hospital after all...isn't it?"
It was the most unsatisfactory answer yet, but it really did not matter. Eliana was healed, Scarlett was happy, and the doctor was- well, Alex was sure she felt whatever it was that dcotors felt whenever they encountered something that was beyond their limits.
"Just to be sure, you're saying my sister is healed then?"
"Yes, from all indication, she appears to have beat the sickness." Even the doctor could not help but sound surprised by her own final verdict. But Scarlett did not care. She burst into tears and wept with Eliana in her arms. She held on to her for a long time as she let the tears flow. It had been a long tedious road. And now, it was all over. All thanks to a stranger she had wanted to sleep with, but ended up robbing.
It was time to pay her dues. So, she left her sister in the care of some nurses who had come to witness the miracle, and took Alex to a quiet spot outside.
As soon as they were out of sight, Scarlett dropped down on both knees. With her head bowed and arms placed squarely on her thighs, she addressed him formally;
"I am sorry for robbing you Alex. Please, forgive me...you have no idea what you've done for me today. I don't deserve this from you at all. Thank you so much! Thank you!!"
Tears dropped from her eyes to the floor as she apologized and appreciated him. The sex god was moved. This was the first and only time she had actually apologized. He stretched forth his hand and hoisted her up.
"There's no need for that. It's all good now."
Scarlett was an exceptionally proud woman. For her to have willfully gone on her knees for any man was something she never thought would happen in her lifetime. But this man deserved it.
She asked softly; "Why???" Looking into his eyes she pressed further; "Why did you decide to help me even when I have been nothing but bad to you?"
"Don't worry about it. Just go be with your sister."
Scarlett lingered for a moment.
"I have nothing of value to repay your kindness. But if there's anything you need from me, know that I will wilingly do it for you."
"All I need from you is to stop double dealing at the auction house. You gave me your word already, remember?"
She nodded.
Suddenly, a serious expression streaked across his face; "Actually, there's something I need to know about your place of business. What's the deal with that place anyway?"
She stiffened, and for a moment, her eyes and her mind drifted off to some dark place. This was clearly a sore subject. She had been sworn to secrecy on the grounds that they would take care of her sister's bills. But Alex had done way more than that for her already.
"I think you need to sit down for this. Let's head to the balcony ahead, We can talk there."
As soon as they had settled in, Scarlett began to unravel the mystery.
"First you must understand that the auction house is not a just a regular business. It belongs to a mysterious organization. The name of this shadow organization is only whispered in hushed tones, and only a handful of people are privy to its existence."
"This organization you speak of, what's its name?"
She closed her eyes for a bit.
"New Order..." she finally exhaled. "They are some seriously connected people Alex. I mean real next level stuff. They operate in the gray areas and all their activities and business dealings are underground. From what I have heard, their members were forced into taking blood oaths. So the New Order has a terrible pull on its members."
"I see. And you're one of them?"
"Yes, but I'm basically a neophyte. As a peripheral member, it's pretty difficult to access any core intel on the organization itself. The higher one advances in rank, the more knowledge they're allowed to access. Of course, the punishment for betrayal is death.
"You don't even need to betray them at all, if a member makes even the slightest mistake that points towards betrayal, the guillotine comes down on them without question."
As she looked at him, he saw that sadness had now overshadowed her eyes;
"You know what this means Alex. I have to skip town with my sister. It's the only way for us to escape the auction house. Especially now that my sister has been cured, they know they no longer have a hold over me if I were to ever leave them."
Alex was listening. He registered every single word she spoke, and she knew it. Which was why it came as a shock to her when he said;
"No. You're not going anywhere." He paused, "You don't have to because I will protect you. No harm will come to you and your sister, you have my word."
Scarlett's shoulders slumped, and her eyes watered. She had been strong for so long, both for herself and her sister. No one had ever looked out for them. To hear Alex say those words to her made all the difference. The look in his eye told her that not only was he being serious, he was also perfectly capable of living up to his promise. She believed him. After all, he had only just done the impossible by healing her sister.
Completely overwhelmed by the turbulent emotion that was true gratitude, she decided to take a step further;
"Alex, there's something you need to know. It's about the Cursed Blade..." she pursed her lips as she tried to hide her shame. "I know whe---"
She was shocked into silence when Alex suddenly lifted up his finger to his lip, gesturing her to keep quiet as he cocked his head like he was listening for something. Alarmed, she crouched down. And in a barely audible whisper, she inquired;
"What??? Is someone listening???"
He shook his head. He announced as he stood up hastily;
"I have to go right away. You'll hear from me soon."