Chapter 279
279:
Vanessa hesitated, anxiety tightening her features. “What I’m trying to ask is… The mark on my daughter’s temple and her voice, could you…”
Without missing a beat, Christina refocused on Eloise’s wound, her voice low and steady. “There’s no need to worry, Mrs. Hubbard. She’ll be able to speak again. The mark, the scar—they’ll both disappear in time.”
Lifting her head, Christina met Vanessa’s gaze squarely, every syllable ringing with certainty. “I promise.”
That simple vow, uttered so confidently, rippled through the room—leaving everyone in stunned, breathless silence.
The hospitals had all come up empty, failing to pinpoint what triggered Eloise’s muteness. Dozens of specialists had pronounced Eloise’s case hopeless—her voice was gone for good, they insisted. Yet now, Christina appeared, calmly declaring she could cure Eloise.
Shock rippled through the room, mingled with deep suspicion. Christina had claimed she was a vet. Not once had she hinted at treating humans. Nothing about her appearance—her youth, her seeming lack of any human patients—matched anyone’s idea of a medical prodigy. And still, she radiated a quiet authority that pulled people in, making it almost impossible not to believe her. Carson couldn’t help but study Christina, weighing every gesture. If she truly could cure Eloise, maybe she was some kind of miracle worker.
Vanessa glanced at Omar, eyes wide with a hope she’d barely let herself feel.
“Miss Jones, you’re really certain my daughter will be able to speak again?”
“I am,” Christina replied, her voice steady as bedrock, her gaze unwavering.
Vanessa’s hands trembled as she clung to the possibility. “How soon will she reclaim her voice?”
𝖁𝗶𝖊𝖜 𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖍 𝖈𝖔𝖓𝖋𝖎𝖉𝖊𝖓𝖈𝖊 ⸮ 𝖌𝖆𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀﹒𝗰𝗼𝗺
“With my treatment plan, she’ll begin talking again within a week,” Christina answered with measured confidence. “But she’ll need to take things slow. Her vocal cords are fragile, so she must rest her voice. By the end of the month, she should be back to normal.”
Of course, the real danger wasn’t just the damage already done—it was preventing anyone from ever poisoning Eloise again. But Christina kept that worry to herself. She wasn’t about to reveal her suspicions, not with Carson standing so close. The gravity of the situation demanded a private discussion—one that belonged solely to the Hubbard family, with so much hanging in the balance for Eloise and every member of their bloodline. If Eloise’s poisoning took a turn for the worse, it would be more than a single tragedy. The consequences could ripple out, touching every corner of their world.
Omar’s voice trembled. “R-Really?” He looked as if the ground had vanished beneath his feet.
“Yes.” Christina offered a steady nod, radiating quiet assurance.
Emotion welled up in Vanessa and Omar, so raw that they could barely speak. They exchanged glances, opening their mouths to reply but finding themselves utterly lost for words, left gasping in the silence, overwhelmed.
Meanwhile, Elliott couldn’t drag his gaze away from Christina. Something about her presence had shifted the entire atmosphere—a living beam of sunlight, slicing straight through the haze of uncertainty. Wherever she stood, the room felt sharper, clearer, almost hopeful.
.
.
.