Chapter 2177

Zachary nodded lightly. “Grandpa’s the same as ever.”

After a few more polite exchanges, his attention shifted to Felix.

“It’s okay, Felix. Don’t be scared,” Zachary said gently. “Come with me, and we’ll let the doctor check where you feel uncomfortable, all right?”

Compared to Nathaniel’s oppressive presence, Zachary’s warm smile felt like sunlight. Felix’s shoulders loosened almost instantly.

“My head hurts, Mr. Zachary,” Felix said, pointing at his temple. “It hurts a lot… and I feel dizzy, too.”

Miranda had drilled those lines into him beforehand. Now, the little actor delivered them flawlessly.

“Is that so?” Zachary replied, his expression turning solemn. “A headache can be serious business.”

He hunched his shoulders slightly, as if already weighed down by a grim diagnosis.

“But there’s nothing to worry about,” he continued, lowering his voice. “I’ve invited an excellent traditional medicine practitioner. He can diagnose any illness or injury without using any of those humming machines.”

Miranda’s spine finally relaxed. A breath she hadn’t realized she was holding slipped quietly from her lungs.

A traditional medicine practitioner, huh? Even if the exam doesn’t go our way, no one will take it seriously. Perfect.

Soon, the Rainsworths followed Zachary down a corridor faintly scented with disinfectant and sandalwood, fluorescent lights pulsing overhead like an anxious heartbeat.

Zachary slowed to match Felix’s pace and leaned closer. “Felix, when the doctor asks questions, you have to answer honestly. No fibbing, okay?”

Felix nodded with exaggerated seriousness. “I know.”

“Because if you lie,” Zachary added, widening his eyes, “he might give you the wrong treatment—or stick you with an extra shot for no reason.”

Felix swallowed and nodded again, lashes trembling. “Mr. Zachary, I swear I’m not lying. Everything I said is true.”

Zachary lifted a hand and gently brushed Felix’s hair, the motion light and reassuring, as though smoothing away his unspoken fears.

“Good.”

Then he bent closer, his face inches from the boy’s, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper meant for Felix alone. “By the way, that old doctor has a terrible temper. Whatever he wants to do later, let him do it—no yelling, no fussing, all right?”

Felix frowned. “But why?”

Zachary shuddered theatrically, grimacing. “No reason. Just trust me. I’m scared of him too. Once, he jabbed me with needles, and it hurt like crazy. I used to lie all the time, and in the end I…”

His voice trailed off. He pressed his lips together, wearing an expression so heavy it seemed the memory itself was too bleak to explain.

The act worked.

A shadow crept across Felix’s face, a cold knot forming in his chest.

What if I lie like Mom told me to, and the doctor finds out? Will he hurt me?

Soon, the small procession reached the consultation room. Zachary pushed the door open.

Felix’s first sight was a deeply wrinkled old man with slanted brown eyes sharp as blades—an intimidating sculpture carved from age and impatience.

He looks terrifying…

Remembering Zachary’s warning, Felix froze at the threshold, shoes glued to the polished tile.

“Felix,” Miranda coaxed softly, her hand resting lightly on his shoulder. “Remember—tell the doctor exactly where it hurts.”

It’s just a traditional medicine practitioner. There’s no way he’ll see through a child’s little act.

Felix gave a faint nod, though the confidence he’d shown in the car had evaporated.

He shuffled forward and perched on the examination stool, puffing out his chest in a flimsy show of courage.

Across from him, Albert Hawthorne—already fully briefed by Zachary—waited patiently, a knowing glint hidden behind his stern exterior.

“Where does it hurt?” Albert barked, his voice rough as gravel.

Felix flinched. He swallowed hard before stammering, “M-My head. It hurts. It really hurts.”

“Give me your hand,” Albert ordered.

Felix raised his small hand, palm up, as if surrendering himself entirely.

Albert pressed two weathered fingers against the boy’s wrist and closed his eyes.

A hush fell over the room, sudden and absolute. In Miranda’s ears, the silence rang, her nerves tightening like strings pulled far too tight.