Zoey obediently turned off the lights, plunging the room into darkness once again.
As Royce pushed the door open, a sly smile spread across his face, clearly indicating his excitement about sleeping next to her again.
He eagerly crossed the room in just a few strides, yanking the blanket off and pressing himself onto the bed.
Julia, who was usually sensitive to the cold, would always make a small noise even in her sleep when he pulled the blanket away. But tonight, there was no reaction from her at all.
Instead, he felt a wave of heat emanate from her!
Royce didn't think much of it and leaned down to kiss her. But the moment his lips touched Julia's skin, he sprang back like a coil!
She was burning up!
Instinctively, he placed his hand on her forehead, only to find it scorching hot.
"Julia! Julia!" Royce shook her gently, but she remained completely unresponsive.
This is bad!
Julia had originally planned to take some medicine and sweat it out under the covers, thinking it would help. But instead of sweating, she had trapped all the heat inside, making her fever even worse!
Royce quickly scooped Julia up into his arms. Just as he was about to rush out, he remembered something and grabbed a piece of clothing from the wardrobe to wrap around her.
Hearing Royce's hurried footsteps, Zoey rushed forward, "Sir..."
"She's burning up with a fever, and you didn't even notice! How are you taking care of her?" Royce roared.
Zoey was instantly terrified. Usually, she could bully Julia without anyone knowing, and Julia wouldn't say a word. But now, she was in big trouble!
"I-I-I... She didn't tell me! She was just fine a moment ago!" Zoey stammered in a panic.
Ignoring Zoey, Royce scooped Julia up and rushed out the door.
Luckily, he hadn't come alone today; Dorian was driving.
Dorian had been planning to catch a nap in the car, knowing Royce usually took his time. Just as he was about to doze off, he saw Royce burst out holding something. He quickly got out to open the car door and realized Royce was carrying a person!
"Get to the hospital, now!" Royce commanded.
Dorian didn't dare waste a second. He started the engine and sped off.
Royce looked down at Julia in his arms. Her face was flushed like it had been steamed, and her body was burning hot. The worst part was, no matter how much he called her name, she didn't respond!
"Drive faster!" Royce shouted angrily.
Dorian floored the gas pedal. It was the middle of the night, and the roads were empty. It was best to follow the boss's orders.
The car raced towards Zenith Yield Hospital, a private hospital owned by Royce.
Dorian rushed straight into the hospital as soon as he got out of the car. The moment the hospital staff saw him, they swarmed out like bees from a hive.
"President Butler, please place the young lady on the stretcher," one of the staff members suggested.
Royce glanced at the person in his arms but didn't respond. Instead, he carried Julia directly into the hospital, heading straight for the emergency room.
"Get all the specialists here, now!" Royce shouted.
In no time, doctors from every department on duty—cardiology, surgery, ENT, endocrinology, and even proctology—rushed to the emergency room. Those who were off duty were also called back, including the hospital director, Marius.
The doctors were all terrified.
"What's going on? Who was brought in today that they called all of us back?"
"No idea! I heard it was someone the boss carried in."
"Is it our boss's wife?"
The doctors exchanged puzzled glances until they went in for the consultation.
A large group of doctors soon emerged from the room.
Royce stood outside with a face as dark as a storm cloud. He had never felt this nervous before. The strange thing was, once he calmed down, he couldn't figure out why he was so anxious.
Was he worried that Julia might die?
Marius was the director of this hospital, a man in his fifties with a courteous demeanor that immediately marked him as a learned physician.
"President Butler, the doctors have conducted a series of tests on the young lady. She's not in any serious danger."
"Not in any serious danger? I've been calling her for ages and she hasn't responded! And you're telling me she's fine?!" Royce roared once again.
"She has a fever, a high one at 104 degrees Fahrenheit, which is why she's delirious. Plus, she's on her... um, menstrual cycle, so her condition is quite uncomfortable. But don't worry, she was brought in just in time. We've started her on an IV drip, and she should recover soon."
"Oh," Royce responded flatly, realizing it was just a fever. It seemed he had indeed overreacted.
Marius glanced at the doctors standing outside the door. "President Butler, should these doctors...?"
"Get out, all of you! Leave a few of the best ones to take care of her. Also, move Julia to my private suite!"
"Yes, sir."
Julia was transferred to the VVIP suite, located on the top floor of the hospital's inpatient wing. This entire floor was Royce's private suite, and no one was allowed to enter without permission.
Royce sat by the bedside, with a few nurses standing nearby. The IV drip slowly infused its contents into Julia's body.
He watched her still flushed face.
Wait a minute!
Why did her face look uneven, with one side bigger than the other?
Royce immediately stood up, causing the nurses to straighten their backs in fear, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Royce leaned in close to Julia's face, examining it carefully. "Come here and take a look. What's wrong with her face?!"
Julia's entire body was flushed red due to a high fever, making it hard to see the slap marks on her cheeks.
The nurses were too scared to move, but one brave nurse stepped forward and took a closer look. It didn't seem like regular swelling; the left side was swollen while the right side wasn't, and the redness varied in intensity.
If you didn't look closely, you wouldn't notice it!
"President Butler, it looks like this young lady's face was slapped, not a medical condition."
"Slapped?" Royce's face darkened instantly.
The nurse nodded, trembling. "If you look closely, you can faintly see a handprint."
Royce looked at Julia's face again. Sure enough, there was a handprint!
He quickly stood up, and the nurses were even more terrified.
Royce walked past them and headed straight out the door, where Dorian was waiting.
"Find out what happened during today's filming immediately!" Royce's voice was low, barely containing the fury in his chest.
Someone dared to hit his woman?
Were they out of their mind?
After all, Julia was his lawful wife!
Slapping her face is like slapping his own face!
"Yes, President Butler, I'll investigate right away!" Dorian immediately left the room.
Royce re-entered the hospital room, and the nurses stared wide-eyed at Julia.
"You all, leave now," Royce commanded with a wave of his hand.
The nurses bolted out of the room as if they had seen a ghost.