MICHAEL AND MR. DONALD

Michael took a step forward towards Isabella's bed and placed a hand on her forehead. Then he lifted his hand and placed it on her throat. "Hmm, it's hard for you to breathe isn't it?" 

She nodded her head.

"Can you swallow for me?" He asked with an arched brow. 

She tried to swallow her own saliva but choked. Her eyes fell shut for a second as the pain stung her.

"Inflammatory." He muttered to himself with a concerned look in his eyes. He turned to look at her father who stood worriedly a few feet away from him. "Her throat has been inflamed so she has a severe sore throat. All these side effects are ones you must have noted yourself while you take the tea." His eyes trailed back to Isabella.

"Nonsense!" Mia barked. She shoved Michael with all her might, sending him stumbling backwards. "This man is a con! If she's sick because of the tea then why am I as healthy as I am when I drink it too , even in larger quantities than she does?!" She growled at him. 

"You have a stronger immune system than Ms. Donald but even at that, I strictly advise you to stop now that you still feel healthy because with a body system like yours, you might not show any side effects until the day you'd suddenly drop dead."

Hearing these words from him made her even more angrier. She growled as she punched him directly in the nose and Michael collapsed to the ground, blood trailing down from his nostrils. 

A loud gasp erupted in the room from all of them except Mia as they saw blood trickling down his nose. 

"Do you even know what you are saying? My ancestors all drank these tea and were healthy until the day they died! This tea is my family treasure and yet you insult it so foolishly!" She bellowed. 

Michael brought himself back to his feet. "Everybody is different! Your forefathers must have died almost at the same age and now your family must think there's some curse on you or something."

"You don't know anything!" She yelled as she lunged towards him again. 

Swiftly yet majestically, Michael dodged her blow. "You are killing yourself and Ms. Donald! Stop being so arrogant and just listen to me." 

Growling like a fierce beast, she lunged forward towards him again. How dare he dodge her blow?

The more she tried, the more angrier she became as she kept failing to even land as much as a blow on him again. 

She had never expected him to be so good at fighting, even though she would never let herself to lose to a man like him and neither will she admit it that he was better than her. 

"Mia..." Isabella called out her name so weakly. 

"Every... Moment... Wasting... Is... Killing... Her!" Michael voiced out as he kept dodging several blows and kicks from Mia. 

There was not another minute to waste. He knew if he kept avoiding her kicks and blows, she would never back down, not until she was tired and even then she might not still back down. 

He grunted, he didn't want to do this but he had no choice. As she lifted a leg to kick him, he grabbed her foot and pulled her forward towards him, she raised a hand to punch him but he caught hold of her hand and the moment he released her foot, twisted both of her arms to back. 

She yelped from the pain as he smacked her off her feet. Two golden bracelets glittered on her wrist and he hooked it together, making it into a handcuff that cuffed her hands together and he placed it under her feet. 

She grunted as she tried to break free from it but it was too tight. Kneeling to the ground with her hands cuffed under her feet, she snarled at him. "You don't know what you are saying! You're just good for nothing con!" 

Mr Donald was confused. With swift movements, Michael tangled her together so that it almost seemed like a blur. How the hell could an ordinary man do that to a woman who had undergone training like a man to protect his daughter?

He shot Mr Brian with a confused look, his eyes asking the question; "where did you find this man?"

Mr Brian needed no translator to understand the question and only let out a soft chuckle in response. 

Michael let out a sigh. "I don't want to hurt you, instead, I want to help you." 

He turned around to face Mr Donald who seemed to be looking a little pale. "I need to perform acupuncture to free her muscles again and while that works, I'll need to visit your garden to see what I can find to mix up for her."

Mr Donald nodded his head. 

"Do you happen to have the right needles I can use?" Michael asked with an arched brow.

"Of course! There is no medicinal instrument we do not own in this house!" Mr Donald couldn't help but to boast. 

Michael nodded with a weak smile. "Mr Brian, you can go with him and help me get the needles and--"

Mia groaned, cutting him off and Michael let out a sigh. He turned around to meet with her gaze. "Listen, I need your help too but I can't release you if you are just going to keep wasting my time instead of helping me cure your friend." 

Her brows furrowed as a frown sat on her face. 

"Mia... Please, let us trust... Mr West." Isabella forced the words out of her mouth. 

It was only then that a calm expression took over Mia's face and she gave Michael a once over. "Fine, I'll help you." 

Michael nodded with a faint smile. As he knelt behind her back to release her, a smile carved on his face as he heard her say; "those bracelets were passed down from my great grandmother. I'll only let you off easily if you can heal Isabella. If not, I'll show you what they do to people when they mess with ancestral treasure in my hometown." 

As he released her from the bondage of her bracelets, he rose to his feet and heaved a sigh. "Alright then, I need you to help me undress Ms. Donald." 

Her eyes flared. "What? Are you crazy?! What do you think you are saying you perverted bastard?!" 

Just then, Mr Donald and Mr Brian returned to the room with the acupuncture needles and handed them to Michael. 

Mr Donald let his eyes roll skyward as he questioned Mia. "What's the problem this time?" 

"He wants me to undress her! What the hell is he thinking?" She lashed out. 

Mr Donald's eyes widened in surprise. "Undress her? There is no possible way we could do that now Mr West." He said in a firm tone. 

"Then there's no possible way I can treat her. It's impossible for me to put the needles in the right places with her clothes on. It will all just be a waste of time and it could even worsen her condition." Michael explained.

Even with his explanation, Mr Donald still arrogantly refused his daughter to be stripped in front of a man. 

"Dad, please!" Isabella called out as loud as she could, which wasn't very loud. "Don't you... want me to get better? We have to do... Everything he says." She forced the words from her mouth. 

Even at that, Mr Donald still didn't want to oblige. 

"Mr Donald, I had hoped you didn't get the wrong idea about me. I am here as her healer and I will do what is needed to heal her and nothing more, I promise you." Michael said in a firm tone. 

Having said that, Mr Donald had no choice but to allow it. "Mia, help her out of her clothes."

"But--"

"Just do it." He gave Mia a stern look as she posed to object. 

With a grunt, she took to undressing Isabella while Mr Donald and Mr Brian left the room for her privacy. 

As Isabella was stripped of her clothes, as much as Asht

on tried to focus on his work, he couldn't help but to glance. 

Her curves were remarkably beautiful.