Page 9 of Dr. Damaged Protector

Her eyes widened in shock as she noticed the rage in my eyes.

"There's nothing wrong…." She tried to free herself from my grip.

"Have you forgotten?" I asked.

"What?"

Her question, be it willful ignorance or anything else, angered me.

"Why are you acting differently? Did something happen?" I inquired.

"No, it's nothing, sir," she replied, her gaze on the floor. “I just think we should be professional about our relationship.”

“If that’s the problem, then maybe after your shift…” I was going to suggest we go somewhere together. “Never mind. I understand.”

“I…” her shoulders dropped, taking in a deep breath. “Thank you for understanding.”

She was hiding something. I had yet to find an opportunity to ask her or Father about the nature of their relationship. With her distancing herself from me, I was definitely not getting any information from her. As for Father, I wouldn't want him to become curious about my past. It would only complicate things only further.

"I apologize for acting unprofessional," I apologized. "I'll see the first patient immediately after they arrive."

****

Five p.m.

Olivia left an hour before, saying she had somewhere important to be. She wasn't alone. Father had demanded the presence of his children for his special announcement. Thanks to Sebastian's tip, I could already guess what it would probably be about.

I arrived home and noticed the different sports and luxurious cars parked in the driveway. Some of my siblings were there. Stepping through the doors, the atmosphere was already heavy; as far as I could tell, Father had yet to return.

Meaning, the only ones here…

"Well, well, well," a cold voice announced with amusement. "If it isn't the prodigal son. I heard rumors that you had returned. And you didn't leave us a card."

I turned to see my immediate younger sister dressed in a black dress with a split at the left side, revealing too much of her thigh, in my opinion. The pearl necklace was a gift from our mother. Our parents may not have been fantastic, but they occasionally gave us gifts: an attempt to keep usmotivated.

Father called it thechastise the child with the left hand and rub the child's back with the rightapproach.

Unfortunately, we mostly saw the left hand, Tabitha especially.

"Would you justloveto know that your elder brother is doing well and healthy, Tabitha?" I mocked.

She frowned. "Unfortunately, I would hope that you had died in a ditch or something." She rolled her eyes and set herself down at the dinner table. "Then again, you have the durability of that old bastard."

"If you hate him so much, why are you here then?" I asked.

"Probably wants to acquire information to exchange with Mommy," Helena, our youngest sister, announced her presence. She was dressed in a mini skirt and crop top, a cigar in hand.

She was probably returning from a party. She rarely attended parties, but when she did, she went hard.

"Watch your mouth, you little bitch," Tabitha spat out.

"Relax," Helena raised her hands in defense, eyeing the necklace on Tabitha's neck, smirking to herself. "I see the spoils of Mommy's favoritism rests heavily on your neck."

Tabitha squeezed her hands into a fist and gritted her teeth. There was a reasonable distance between them; even if Tabitha were to get up, Helena would have something up her sleeve.

"Guys, we really don't have to be like this." A sigh came from the kitchen. Gregory, the youngest of our mother's children, showed himself.

I'm roughly 6'4”, and he measured approximately the same. While I had more muscle, he was lean, with tattoos on the side of his neck.

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