A Replacement Bride

Chapter 122
Seeing Katherine's bloodless face, Ben suggested out of worry, "Miss Cornell, please have a rest in the room next door. Would
you like me to put you on a drip?"
Katherine waved her hand, pulled a chair over, and sat down. "You don't have to care about me. I'll be fine after a short rest."
Joaquin was already out of the woods and was in fairly stable condition. She surmised that he'd probably regain consciousness
in three to four hours, but he might come around sooner than that. After all, he was different from normal people, being
constitutionally much stronger than average people. Therefore, she thought she might as well stay here to collect some data.
Two hours later, Joaquin slowly came around with a cough.
It was very quiet in the ward, save for the beeping sound of medical devices. There was a faint scent in the air that was
somewhat familiar to him.
He opened his eyes and stared vacantly at the white ceiling for a long time. Then, he turned his head stiffly to look at Katherine,
who was sitting in a chair and dozing with her chin propped in her hand.
At this moment, she looked somewhat pale. The light in the ward illuminated her face like a soft layer of light, making her
features seem even more prominent and beautiful. Her long and curly eyelashes cast a faint shadow on her face.
Stunned by the sight of this at once, Joaquin was unable to come to his senses for a long time.
"Have you had enough of staring at me?" Katherine asked impassively without opening her eyes. She had been closing her eyes
all this while, but she sensed the intense gaze upon her. She had already woken when Joaquin coughed. She was always
vigilant and would stay absolutely awake at all times unless she got drunk.
"Did you save my life?" Joaquin asked impassively, though he asked the question in the indicative mood.
Katherine opened her eyes, which glittered like stars in the galaxy at this very moment. Upon seeing this, Joaquin was distracted
somewhat, but he soon collected himself while still looking as nonchalant as usual.
"I've gotten paid for that." Katherine yawned. Then, she came forward and grabbed his wrist to take his pulse.
Her fingers are ice-cold, thought Joaquin; feeling as though he had gotten an electric shock, he subconsciously tried to retract
his hand. The next instant, however, he came to his senses, thinking that his behavior just now was somewhat abrupt.

On the other hand, Katherine retracted her fingers. "You're recovering pretty well. You'll be able to be discharged after resting for
a couple of days."
Joaquin stared intently at her. "Katherine, who are you, really?" The longer they spent time together, the more she surprised him.
As a result, he began to develop some sort of unfamiliar feeling for her that even he couldn't understand. Such a feeling was out
of his control, so he didn't like it.
Tilting her head to one side, Katherine looked at him in childlike confusion. "I'm the good-for-nothing daughter of the Cornell
Family as well as your wife. You'd better focus on recuperating from your injuries instead. Our wedding will take place in a couple
of days, and I don't want to become the laughingstock of Hovington. Do you want me to say 'I do' to a substitute or something in
case you don't show up?"
Joaquin's lips twitched at her words. Just as he wanted to move, she quickly held him down, saying, "Don't move. If your wounds
reopen, you really won't be able to attend your own wedding."
Joaquin looked at her in amusement. "Are you that impatient to marry me?"
Katherine gave it some serious thought before answering indifferently, "Not really, but it's my mom's dying wish, after all. This is
her only wish left, so I want to fulfill it for her."
Her words pricked Joaquin's heart. Suddenly, he was reminded of his own mother.
The atmosphere in the ward suddenly became silent and somewhat sticky. Luckily, Ben came in from the outside at this moment
while carrying things. The instant he entered and saw Joaquin opening his eyes, he got so excited that he dropped the food in
his hands onto the floor.
Katherine looked at the food that had fallen all over the place with a pained expression. I'm already feeling dizzy with hunger.
Can't Ben give me something to eat first before getting so excited?
Noticing the resentful look in her eyes, Ben finally came to his senses and glanced at the food on the floor. He quickly
apologized, "Sorry, Boss! I'll go buy some food again right away! Just give me a minute!" With that, he turned around and ran off
like the wind.
Joaquin couldn't help but dart a look at Katherine while subconsciously raising his eyebrows. It's quite something for her to even
win Ben over.

Not knowing what he was thinking, Katherine stood up and gathered the food that scattered all over the place. Then, she sat
sprawled in the chair, looking weak and out of sorts. She was somewhat flagging after having so much blood drawn from her.
Seeing that she looked unwell, Joaquin kept quiet without bothering her.
Ben came back soon after that.
After grabbing a bite, Katherine regained some strength, so she took her leave and left.
Joaquin looked at her from behind until she disappeared from his sight before withdrawing his gaze.
Just then, Ben said, "Mr. Levisay, Boss is really too amazing! She actually is the doctor with the legendary Hippocrates' Scalpels!
If it weren't for her, you'd probably have died." He still couldn't help marveling as he sat there and recalled Katherine's superb
surgical skills.
Joaquin shot a glance at him.
Only then did Ben realize that he had made a Freudian slip. He quickly put on a straight face, saying, "Mr. Levisay, our mission
has been leaked this time."
Joaquin's expression was inscrutable. "I know that." Few people knew his mission this time. Other than those in Area Seven, no
outsiders knew where his destination was. Therefore, it was very suspicious that the contents of his mission were leaked under
such circumstances. He didn't believe that there was a mole in Area Seven, so the only possibility was that something was
wrong with one of those around him.
In reality, he was already suspecting someone in his mind. It was just that he was still unwilling to believe it.
"You're severely injured this time, so you have to rest up," Ben said. Then, he stood up and left the ward.
On the other hand, Katherine went back to Soulin International and rested for the night before going to Ben's clinic the next day
to check on Joaquin. When she entered the clinic, she was startled to see Beatrice, who showed up here while sitting in a
wheelchair. Puzzled, she gave Ben a quizzical look.
Ben gave her a forced, stiff smile before shaking his head.
Beatrice's eyes were badly swollen from crying. At the sight of Katherine, she stopped crying for a moment before saying weakly,
"Miss Cornell, thank you for helping me take care of Joe. I-I really can't imagine what would've happened to him without you.

Thank you, thank you so much."
Katherine's lips twitched. Ignoring the lady, she greeted Ben before entering the ward to see Joaquin.
Joaquin's wounds were healing well. With the ointment she left behind, it only took one night for his wounds to heal almost
completely.
"Your wounds are healing well. Keep it up," Katherine commented after examining his wounds. With that, she prepared to leave.
"Katherine," Joaquin called out to her in a deep voice.
Katherine didn't look back, though; she merely stood with her back to him while waiting for him to continue.
"Um, never mind. Thank you."