Richelle Dunn's expression was serious. "The acupuncture points for your treatment are located behind your ear and on your forehead. These points are hard to find, and a slight deviation can lead to paralysis or even death. Therefore, I'm afraid that Mr. Lewis has to rest his head on my lap so I can accurately locate the points."
Carrying the most sincere expression, Richelle said those provocative words.
What a joke! Although the acupuncture points were indeed difficult to find, her being a distinguished apprentice of the miracle doctor would have been banished by her master to the mountains to be fed to the dogs if she couldn't locate them.
The reason she made this request was simply to amuse herself at the sight of this haughty man, Roy Lewis, being humbled.
He dared to make her precious son so aggrieved and upset; she wouldn't let him get off lightly either!
Additionally, she had taken on a commercial project recently where she had to draw a handsome man's side profile. As an artist, she had never been satisfied with attempting to draw the man's ear to jaw contour.
Now was the perfect opportunity to use Roy Lewis, who had the perfect facial features and head shape, as a model to provide her with some useful inspiration.
Roy Lewis fixed his deep gaze on Richelle, feeling "shameless" was not enough to describe her.
Since childhood, he had loathed physical contact with others, regardless of gender.
In his memories, apart from his parents' warm embrace during his early childhood which he was deeply fond of, he always resisted contact with others.
Not until his dear son emerged would he use the excuse of paternal love to hold him occasionally; apart from that, there were no exceptions.
"Richelle Dunn, are you sure?"
Richelle's tone and expression were very serious, but he could clearly hear the provocation in her words.
Did she think he wouldn't dare?
There was nothing Roy Lewis didn't dare to do!
It was just a matter of whether he wanted to or not!
When Roy Lewis propped himself up and rested his head heavily on her lap, Richelle was shocked appreciatively and secretly whistled to herself.
This man wasn't as misogynistic or rigid as what others had said or as she had thought!
Richelle didn't stop chattering internally, but it did not affect her professional performance at all. She reached out to gently support the back of Roy Lewis's head. "Mr. Lewis, move your face a little closer. Yes, that's right... "
With his eyes slightly closed, Richelle roamed the contours of Roy Lewis's perfectly rounded ears and jawline with her daring glances, quickly sketching a handsome side profile in her mind.
Roy Lewis appeared composed and decisive, which made it difficult for Richelle to continue teasing him.
She lowered her head and her slender fingers skillfully inserted a silver needle into the Yiming acupoint behind his ear.
"Mr. Lewis, your sleep quality has been poor recently, so I will help you adjust your sleep first..."
With each needle pierced, Richelle explained the use and function of the acupuncture points to Roy Lewis. Her voice was soft and gentle, completely unlike the arrogant tone she had previously.
Warm breaths brushed against Roy Lewis's cheeks and ears as she spoke, arousing strange waves in his heart along with feelings of resistance.
It felt like a feather softly brushing against a heartstring – like a warm breeze gently sweeping across his face. The faint sense of familiarity arose again, making Roy Lewis's consciousness gradually sink and drift away. Before long, he fell asleep amidst her gentle murmuring.
Seeing that Roy Lewis had fallen asleep, Richelle stopped talking and began inserting needles at a faster pace. In just a few minutes, she signaled to Uncle Axel to help her move Roy Lewis back to the bed to rest on his side.
As soon as Uncle Axel brought tea and refreshments, he was extremely astonished by Richelle's magical ability to put their master, Roy, to sleep.
As someone who took care of Roy's daily needs, Uncle Axel knew very well that Roy Lewis had been relying on two to three times the normal dose of sleeping pills to sleep for the past couple of years.
Now, Roy Lewis breathed deeply and smoothly without any medication. His relaxed facial expression, as opposed to his usual furrowed brow while sleeping, made him seem visibly more content. Uncle Axel couldn't help but lessen his prejudice against Richelle.
The two of them sat down in the small living room near the window in the bedroom. Richelle drank tea and sized up Uncle Axel. She really wanted to ask about her son, but she knew that haste would yield poor results in certain matters.
"I just took Mr. Lewis's pulse and found that his spleen and stomach are quite weak. Has he been having a poor appetite recently?"
Uncle Axel nodded worriedly. "Yes, not only has he not been sleeping well, he has also lost his appetite."
Roy Lewis was an individual with strong willpower and high self-discipline. Even when he was sick, he maintained his exercise routine. He always walked with a forceful presence and worked extremely hard. If it wasn't for Mr. Chapman's email, Uncle Axel wouldn't have known that his master was experiencing health issues.
Richelle took out a pen and paper and quickly wrote down a prescription before handing it to Uncle Axel.
"This prescription contains two or three rare ingredients. Let Mr. Chapman prepare it for you. Take one dose daily for half a month."
Before Richelle, countless physicians, whether in traditional Chinese medicine or Western medicine, had treated Roy Lewis with little to no success. When Uncle Axel heard that Richelle was giving him a prescription for traditional Chinese medicine, he couldn't help but feel disappointed.
"Dr. Dunn, the effects of Chinese traditional medicine are slow, and Master Lewis is facing a life or death situation..."
Uncle Axel didn't dare to say anything too offensive, after all, Richelle was the disciple of a renowned international miracle doctor. If he offended her, his master's life would be at stake.
"Mr. Lewis has many stubborn illnesses in his body. If we don't clear them up, the success rate of the surgery will be very low."
Compared to Roy Lewis, Richelle Dunn was much more polite to Uncle Axel.
However, her explanation was limited to that, as outsiders couldn't understand the professional terms anyway.
She took out her iPad to read medical literature. When the time came, she removed the silver needles, let Uncle Axel help Roy lie down and gave him some precautions before leaving with her medicine box.
Coming out of Roy's bedroom, her eyes unconsciously drifted to the doorway of another bedroom. Seeing it empty, her heart felt a void too.
Uncle Axel escorted her out, and she drove away in a dejected mood.
It took about half an hour to drive from Roy's house to Richelle's. There weren't many cars on the road, and she arrived home just at ten o'clock sharp.
In the living room, Tifanny was energetically playing and painting.
"Mommy, was big brother happy to receive our gift?"
As Tifanny asked, she took Richelle's bag and reached in.
Then, she happily took out a small box, "Mommy, is this from big brother for us?"
Seeing the clumsily written "big brother received" on the box, her little mouth pouted high. Inside the small box were the handmade clay dolls she and her brother made last night while rushing to finish.
Bitterness filled Richelle's heart. Faced with her daughter's hopeful eyes, she bent down, rubbed her head, and told a well-intentioned lie with a smile.
"Baby, Mommy didn't see big brother today..."
Tifanny was a bit disappointed, but she sensibly opened her arms to hug and comfort Richelle.
"It's okay, Mommy can give it to big brother next time."
After saying that, she carefully put the small box back into the bag and picked up slippers for Richelle from the shoe cabinet.
At that moment, Timothy ran out of the bedroom, called out "Mommy" affectionately, and helped Richelle store the medicine box in the cabinet.
Sensing Richelle's low spirits, Tifanny led her into the living room and presented her with a bouquet of handmade paper flowers.
"Mommy, these are for you from me and big brother. We love you!"
The colorful paper flowers were delicately made and very beautiful.
Richelle felt her eyes heat up. She squatted down again, embracing her beaming daughter and the flowers together.
"Thank you, my babies!"
Timothy, who had been busy in the kitchen, brought a cup of honey water to Richelle.
"Mommy, you must be thirsty. Drink some honey water."
Richelle's heart warmed. She pulled her son into her embrace, kissed his cheek, and said, "Thank you, Timothy!"
Noticing that Tifanny was not around, Timothy went to Richelle's ear and asked worriedly,
"Mommy, is big brother still angry?"
Indeed, children understood children's thoughts best.
Richelle didn't want to appear weak and helpless in front of her son, nor did she want him to worry. She caressed his face.
"No, it's just that your big brother isn't ready yet."
Not ready to accept a mother who had never cared for him before.
Not ready to accept a mother who couldn't give him any promises or future.