Master of Lust

Chapter - 98

The door to the room creaked open, and Evelina stepped inside, her footsteps barely making a sound on the sterile white floor. Rick followed closely behind her, taking in the sight of the room filled with machines monitoring various vitals, their soft beeping adding to the somber ambiance.

The room felt cold and clinical, with two nurses diligently recording readings from the machines. In the center of the room lay an elderly woman, Evelina's grandmother, connected to the machines, her eyes closed, and her chest rising and falling with each breath.

Evelina walked up to the bed, her steps hesitant, and the nurses noticed her approach. They briefly looked up from their work, acknowledging her presence with nods, and then resumed their tasks.

Evelina, her voice hushed, asked one of the nurses, "How is she doing?" Her tone was low and filled with concern.

Evelina lingered by the bedside, her unwavering gaze fixated on her grandmother's fragile form. The room enveloped itself in a hushed stillness, disturbed only by the intermittent beeping of the vigilant monitoring equipment.

The nurse nearest to her redirected her focus from the array of monitors, responding with a tone delicately balancing empathy and professional composure, "At the moment, her vital signs are holding steady. We are exerting every effort, but pinpointing the underlying issue remains elusive. She remains in an unconscious state, presenting a considerable challenge."

Evelina nodded, her steadfast gaze remaining fixed on her grandmother. She extended her hand to gently clasp the frail hand of the elderly woman, sensing a warmth that contrasted with the chilly surroundings. "I appreciate your efforts," she conveyed to the nurse, her voice tinged with somber gratitude.

Turning toward the two nurses, Evelina requested, "Could you give us some privacy for a while? I would appreciate some time alone with my grandmother."

The nurses nodded, understanding the need for privacy, and adeptly made adjustments to the monitoring equipment before quietly exiting the room. "We'll be right outside if you need anything," one of them offered before gently closing the door behind them.

Now, it was just Evelina, Rick, and her unconscious grandmother in the room, enveloped in a poignant stillness.

Evelina stood beside the bed, her countenance a mixture of concern and sorrow. Her gaze lingered on her grandmother, who lay motionless, tethered to an intricate network of machines diligently monitoring every vital sign. Rick, uncertain of the appropriate words, maintained a quiet presence, offering Evelina the solace of undisturbed moments with her grandmother.

As time trickled by, Evelina, with a glimmer of hope in her eyes, turned towards Rick and posed a question, "Can you figure out what is wrong with her?"

Rick, feeling somewhat out of his depth and realizing his lack of expertise in medical diagnostics, hesitated. He scratched his head, glancing around the room as if searching for answers. "Look, Evelina, I'm not exactly your go-to Dr. Rick, you know. I can't magically diagnose someone. I mean, I fix problems, but this is a whole different league."

"I am not sure if I can be of much help here," Rick helplessly conveyed to Evelina.

Evelina's eyes pleaded with him, "I understand, but I am holding on to that straw of hope. Maybe you will see something that everyone else missed."

Rick felt a bit helpless. He had only come for the ten million dollars Evelina had offered to give him for absolutely nothing. How could he discern what was wrong with Evelina's grandmother? He was not a bloody doctor, after all.

Rick hesitated for a moment but then, with a reluctant nod, approached Evelina's grandmother. He walked over to the bed, stood beside it, and cast a quick glance at the monitoring equipment, as if deciphering its cryptic language.

Taking Evelina's grandmother's hand, he checked her pulse, giving a serious nod, as if unearthing something profound. He furrowed his brow in a pseudo-intense manner, feigning a thorough examination of her pulse.

He then dramatically decided to opt for the classic eye examination move. Gently opening one of Evelina's grandmother's eyes, he peered into it, inspecting it with the precision of a seasoned physician, despite having no real understanding of what he was looking for.

Rick went through the motions, mimicking a thorough examination, all the while attempting to buy time as he racked his brain on how to break the news to Evelina that he had found nothing noteworthy.

Rick sustained his charade for a few more minutes, masquerading as the medical genius he clearly was not. In his thoughts, he mused, 'This is ridiculous. Why am I even hesitating? She knew well before that I was of no help.'

Evelina observed anxiously, her eyes alternating between Rick and her unconscious grandmother. The room remained in a profound stillness, the sole sounds resonating being the gentle beeping of the monitors.

After a few minutes of maintaining the charade, Rick stepped back from the bed, his countenance adopting a solemn expression. Taking a deep breath, as if bracing for the delivery of unfortunate news, he finally admitted defeat. "As I said before, I don't have the slightest idea what is wrong with her," Rick conceded.

Evelina's face contorted with worry, her eyes filled with desperation. "What should we do?" she implored.

"What else?" Rick exclaimed with an exasperated look. "Call an ambulance or something. Get her admitted to a hospital, and fast. Why are you holding her in this room? Do you want her to..."

Just as Rick was on the verge of expressing his inability to do anything more, a sudden ding sound echoed in his mind.

It was a notification from the system. Could the system finally be of some help?

Well, not entirely.

[Hey! Hey! Hey! Time for Double Trouble master. Are you ready?]

Rick heard the system say in its Mechanical Voice.

[

Quest: Help the pretty Evelina cure her grandmother.

Time Duration: 1 week (That's how long the old lady has left)

Rewards: 10x Cash; Aegis of Truth; Cash: $200,000

]

[But hey, that's not all. There is another quest.]

[

Quest: Uncover and spoil the conspiracy around the poisoning of Evelina's grandmother.

Time Duration: 1 Week

Rewards: Ero Points: 50,000; Cash: $350,000; EXP: 50

]

[Aren't you happy master? Rewards are raining. Happy Dhanteras!!]

'Dhanteras?' Rick was confused, but the rewards were too enticing for him to dwell on the significance of the term. Whatever 'Dhanteras' was, It must be a good thing no matter how he looked at it.

'So she was poisoned,' Upon encountering the quest, a revelation dawned on Rick, and maybe Evelina also talked about it, 'If there is a poison, there must be an antidote as well.' Rick mused, realizing he had an opportunity.

"But hospitals can be quite costly," Rick commented, catching the disheartened Evelina off guard, "And the germs... No, we can't risk exposing your grandmother to them."

"So..." Rick paused.

"So?" Evelina's eyes were filled with anticipation.

[

1. Tell her that it will be a lot of trouble. Ask for more money (Temptation - 5)

2. Grab her ass, and tell her you will treat her Grandmother, no extra money. (Temptation + 10)

]

"Considering I'm pocketing a hefty ten million, I suppose I'll have to save your grandmother," Rick spoke with a mischievous smirk. He placed his hand on Evelina's backside, caressing it softly, taking her by surprise.

"But it will take some time. So, we will have lots and lots of time to professionally discuss your grandmother's condition," Rick leaned in over Evelina's shoulder and whispered into her ear.

"Are you suggesting you can cure my grandmother?" Evelina inquired. Faced with the possibility of a cure for her grandmother, she convinced herself to endure Rick's lecherous behavior.

"I can give it a shot. Nothing on the stone, though," Rick responded with a smile.

"So there's no guarantee," Evelina's eyebrows arched up. She grabbed his hand, pushing it away from her ass, "I suppose I overestimated you."

"No, you didn't," Rick felt a sense of disappointment when the sensation of those perky ass cheeks was taken away from his hands. In an effort to recover, he quickly made a bold promise, "I will treat your grandmother, no matter what."

"Eager to make big promises," Evelina turned and stepped closer to Rick, closing the gap between them. Her face mere inches away from Rick's, she traced her finger along his jawline and whispered, "Are you sure a little boy like you can keep his word?"

Rick grinned, a playful glint in his eyes. "Well, sweetheart, I may be a little boy in your eyes, but I've got a big mouth and an even bigger something down there. You have experienced it yourself, haven't you. There is no surprise how much bite this 'little boy' packs." He winked, leaning in slightly. "Care to find out?"

"Keep your pants tight, little boy," Evelina asserted, her tone unyielding. "Do what you've been paid to do and keep your hands away from things that are off-limits to little boys." She teased Rick as she confidently walked past him toward the door.

"Follow me; I'll show you to your room," Evelina instructed Rick, stepping out of the room.

"Coming, baby," Rick replied with a playful grin.

* * * * *

[A/N: Don't forget to vote, leave a comment, send me golden tickets and gifts.]