?Chapter 1036:


    The knock on the door brought him back to reality.


    Gerard stepped in. “You’re up,” he said, relieved. “Don’t worry about work. I’ve handled everything. Dinner’s ready,e eat something.”


    Kristian gave a slight nod, still shaking off thest remnants of sleep. His mind was foggy, but slowly, things began to piece themselves back together.


    Halfway through the meal, he suddenly looked up. “Where’s Lawrence?”


    “He had something to handle,” Gerard replied smoothly.


    Kristian frowned. “What kind of thing?”


    “Not sure. He didn’t say.” It was exactly what Lawrence had told him to say—and Gerard stuck to it.


    Kristian didn’t press further. He just gave a short nod and went back to eating, quiet and a little more withdrawn than usual.


    To Gerard, this version of Kristian—subdued, slower, quieter—felt unfamiliar. But he didn’t say anything.


    A few days passed. The residual effects of the hypnosis began to wear off. Sleep, once again, became a struggle.


    That evening, Gerard brought over the medication Lawrence had left behind. As expected, Kristian refused it.


    “I’m not sick. I don’t need medicine,” he said, his tone firm, eyes steady. “The fainting was just an ident. I hadn’t eaten. I was tired. It won’t happen again.”


    “Dr. Hayes said your health will suffer if you don’t get enough sleep,” Gerard reminded gently.


    Kristian leaned back, his expression unreadable. “I know my body well.” He clearly wasn’t budging. “You should head home and rest. I can manage things here,” he added dismissively.


    Every chapter lives on g a lno vels ;m


    Gerard sighed, already expecting this. “So you’re really not taking the meds?”


    “No.”


    Gerard didn’t push further. Instead, he reached for a ss of water and handed it to him. “At least drink something, then.” He put the medication away and offered the water.


    He had done as Lawrence advised and dissolved a pill in the water.


    “If I’m not mistaken, you crushed a pill in there, didn’t you?” Kristian nced at the ss.


    Gerard froze for a moment. He should’ve known. Kristian didn’t miss anything.


    “No,” Gerard lied—badly.


    “Take it away,” Kristian said, his tone steady.


    “But…”


    “I’m not thirsty. If I need water, I’ll get it myself.” It wasn’t a harsh refusal, but it was a firm one.


    Gerard let out a quiet sigh and ced the ss down.


    Sometimes, having such a smart employee wasn’t necessarily a good thing.


    As soon as he stepped out of the room, he texted Lawrence. “He refused the meds. Caught the one I slipped in his water too.”


    Lawrence wasn’t surprised. His reply came almost instantly. “That’s the most stubborn patient I’ve ever had.”


    Gerard set his phone down and leaned back, rubbing his temples.


    For a moment, he considered messaging Freya.


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