Chapter 135
Artemis touched his nose before gesturing toward Bailey''s corbone by tilting his jaw. He could not
have been more obvious than if he had spoken.
Don''t believe me? Check for yourself!
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Bailey instinctively looked down at her chest. Thanks to the wide neckline, she saw red marks dappling
across her porcin skin. At the sight, she almost fainted again from anger.
This shameless jerk! I can''t believe he took advantage of me while I was unconscious!
“You call yourself a man, Artemis? How can you do something so abhorrent?”
Artemis inched closer toward Bailey, eventually backing her against the bedhead. He then reached out
and held her jaw. Arching a brow, he taunted, “You''re allergic to animal fur, so you developed a rash all
over your neckline. I helped you to apply some topical cream and soothe the itchiness. You may have
been unconscious, but I''m sure you enjoyed the soothing cream all the same. I''m starting to think
you''re misunderstanding the situation, Ms. Jefferson.”
Furious, Bailey raised her hand to p the smug smile off his face.
Striking others had always been one of Bailey''s strong suits, yet her talents seemed utterly useless
against Artemis, as he easily gripped her elbow before her hand even touched his face.
In the blink of an eye, he had gained the upper hand and pinned her against the bed with his dead
weight.
Bailey red at him through narrowed eyes and scoffed. “Your taste in women surprises me, Mr.
Luther. I always assumed sessful men like you loved to y around. If you wanted to have a
mistress, why not go for an innocent college girl? I''m sure a woman who has given birth like me will
hardly satisfy you, Mr. Luther.”
Now it was Artemis'' turn to narrow his eyes. Displeasure flitted through his gaze.
This woman is a freaking porcupine. She pricks and stabs her way through life so that others will
despise her. Does she truly care so little about her reputation?
Running a slender finger over her exquisite face, he sighed lightly. “Why must you degrade yourself
so? You should know you''re one of the most admirable people to walk the face of this earth. If a man
fell in love with you, he would surely worship you like a queen.”
To her dismay, Bailey felt her heartbeat quickening. An inexplicable emotion blossomed in her heart,
and it threw her off-kilter.
No man had ever made her heart race over the years. Yes, the attraction was there, but she never felt
jittery, not even in Edmund''s presence.
She was horrified to realize she could develop feelings for the sly fox before her.
Artemis touched his nose before gesturing toword Boiley''s collorbone by tilting his jow. He could not
hove been more obvious thon if he hod spoken.
Don''t believe me? Check for yourself!
Boiley instinctively looked down ot her chest. Thonks to the wide neckline, she sow red morks doppling
ocross her porceloin skin. At the sight, she olmost fointed ogoin from onger.
This shomeless jerk! I con''t believe he took odvontoge of me while I wos unconscious!
“You coll yourself o mon, Artemis? How con you do something so obhorrent?”
Artemis inched closer toword Boiley, eventuolly bocking her ogoinst the bedheod. He then reoched out
ond held her jow. Arching o brow, he tounted, “You''re ollergic to onimol fur, so you developed o rosh oll
over your neckline. I helped you to opply some topicol creom ond soothe the itchiness. You moy hove
been unconscious, but I''m sure you enjoyed the soothing creom oll the some. I''m storting to think
you''re misunderstonding the situotion, Ms. Jefferson.”
Furious, Boiley roised her hond to slop the smug smile off his foce.
Striking others hod olwoys been one of Boiley''s strong suits, yet her tolents seemed utterly useless
ogoinst Artemis, os he eosily gripped her elbow before her hond even touched his foce.
In the blink of on eye, he hod goined the upper hond ond pinned her ogoinst the bed with his deod
weight.
Boiley glored ot him through norrowed eyes ond scoffed. “Your toste in women surprises me, Mr.
Luther. I olwoys ossumed sessful men like you loved to ploy oround. If you wonted to hove o
mistress, why not go for on innocent college girl? I''m sure o womon who hos given birth like me will
hordly sotisfy you, Mr. Luther.”
Now it wos Artemis'' turn to norrow his eyes. Displeosure flitted through his goze.
This womon is o freoking porcupine. She pricks ond stobs her woy through life so thot others will
despise her. Does she truly core so little obout her reputotion?
Running o slender finger over her exquisite foce, he sighed lightly. “Why must you degrode yourself
so? You should know you''re one of the most odmiroble people to wolk the foce of this eorth. If o mon
fell in love with you, he would surely worship you like o queen.”
To her dismoy, Boiley felt her heortbeot quickening. An inexplicoble emotion blossomed in her heort,
ond it threw her off-kilter.
No mon hod ever mode her heort roce over the yeors. Yes, the ottroction wos there, but she never felt
jittery, not even in Edmund''s presence.
She wos horrified to reolize she could develop feelings for the sly fox before her.
Bailey hastilyposed herself and deadpanned, “Oh? I don''t feel like a queen at all. In fact, I feel
more like a puppet subject to your whims, Mr. Luther. A queen wouldn''t have to struggle while someone
pinned her down against her will, wouldn''t you agree?”
Narrowing his eyes slightly, Artemis cursed under his breath. Then, he said through gritted teeth, “I
should teach you a lesson right now for your cheek.”
Despite his words, he promptly removed himself from the bed and freed her.
He was a man of his words, after all.
Since he already swore to worship her like a queen, that would be his goal for the rest of his life.
Artemis drawled, “Snowke, Anonymous; I didn''t think you had so many aliases. But that''s not the
biggest surprise, is it? You''re arguably the most powerful big shot in this world. Tell me something. How
are you connected to the world''s top hacker, Spook? Or are you Spook herself?”
Propping herself up on her elbows, Bailey leaned against the bedhead and shot Artemis a frosty re.
Somehow, she was not surprised that he knew her identity as Anonymous.
After all, Artemis had a vast internationalwork and the power and wealth to do almost anything he
wanted. He had plenty of avenues by which to uncover the information he desired.
Take her identity as Anonymous, for example. If Artemis was determined, he could use the businesses
under his name to threaten the king of Eskaria. Even the leader of a country would cave under Artemis''
pressure.
“Uncovering such information should be a walk in the park for you, Mr. Luther,” Bailey finally replied to
his question. “Surely you can conduct your own investigations to determine if I''m Spook. Still, I heard
you''ve scoured half the globe and failed to track down that hacker. You''ll need to step up your game, or
you might end up in your grave before finding a trace of Spook.”
Artemis stared at her wordlessly.
Her glib tongue astounds me.
“Fine, let''s not talk about Spook. Tell me what happened to you three years ago. Why are you so
averse to the operating table?”
His question caused Bailey to pale instantly. Gone was the rosy glow that had tinged her cheeks just
seconds ago.
That was the piece of her past that scarred her the most. It felt as if she was sprinkling salt on her
wound whenever she talked about it.
Nevertheless, after a prolonged moment of silence, Bailey lowered her head and slowly exined the
incident that had traumatized her. Her tone was calm, though the slightest hint of shakiness betrayed
her true emotions.
Artemis was stunned.
He never imagined she had suffered such a tragic experience.
Since the beginning of their acquaintance, Bailey had always seemed like an outgoing, optimistic, and
tough woman. It was shocking to learn that her strong facade hid such a traumatic past.
Gently, Artemis remarked, “That''s not your fault. He wouldn''t even stand a chance at survival if you
didn''t operate on him. You did your best to save him, but fate merely had other ns for him.”
Bailey smiled weakly at him, looking unconvinced.
She replied, “That''s the truth from a logical standpoint, but from an emotional angle, I simply can''t
conquer that psychological barrier. You saw it yourself, Mr. Luther. I can''t even go near the operating
table. I hope you don''t waste your efforts in convincing me anymore. Please hire someone else to
operate on Old Mr. Chivers.”
“I uncovered the link between my granddad and your maternal grandmother,” Artemis uttered. “I''m sure
you couldn''t ept your failure to repay his kindness. Deep down, you truly want to help him, or you
wouldn''t have attempted to operate again. You may have failed now, but that doesn''t mean you''ll fail
forever.”
That earned him a scoff from Bailey, who retorted, “You''re staring at a loser who can''t even hold a
scalpel properly. None of that philosophical discourse is going to fix the situation. Save your words,
Artemis. I can''t conquer my demons, no matter how much I wish to repay Old Mr. Chivers for saving my
granny and mother. Failure is inevitable as long as I can''t ovee my trauma.”
Artemis did not respond to her words.
Instead, he already had a n in mind. He was confident he could convince Bailey to pick up a scalpel
again and help her regain both her talent and her confidence at the operating table.
“Fine. I won''t force you. It''s not like you can digest all my philosophical discourse right now. Let''s forget
about it for now. Come eat something downstairs. Don''t starve yourself.”
Bailey stared at his departing figure, lost in her thoughts.
Why did this man appear in my life?
Two dayster, Rhonda brought Cadence from Uramuzor to Hallsbay.
Leisurely chatter filled the living room of the Luther residence.
After listening to Cadence''s proposed treatment n, Felicity pped her palms on her thighs and
smiled. “Let''s follow your suggestion then, Mr. White. When can you perform the operation?”