chapter 9

Reese stood up, noticing his expression, and pulled out a piece of candy, bending down to pop it into his mouth. The sweet taste spread, slowly washing away the bitterness, and Malcolm's frown eased up a bit.

Malcolm shot her a glance, "Did you plan this?"

"Nah, just a habit." When her grandma was sick, she hated taking medicine. Since then, Reese always carried candy in her bag. Sometimes, a piece of candy when you were feeling down could work wonders.

"Yeah, it's pretty sweet."

"Alright, let's get started." Reese held a needle, ready to hit the acupuncture point.

Suddenly, the door flew open and Alyssa stormed in, snatching the needle from Reese's hand and shoving her to the ground.

"You sneaky witch, trying to kill Malcolm with a needle!"

"Seriously?" Reese glared at Alyssa, annoyed.

Aiden, standing behind Alyssa, looked at the mess on the floor and the bowl of nasty-smelling medicine on the table, his face turning red with anger.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Before Reese could explain, Everly, who had just come back, jumped in.

"Obviously, she's trying to kill Malcolm. A girl from the sticks treating Malcolm? You think that's a good idea?"

Alyssa, still holding a grudge, took every chance to put Reese in her place. She tugged at Aiden's sleeve, "Grandpa, I told you, she's got some shady motives for marrying into our family. Look at her, she's dirt poor and wants to off Malcolm to get the Flynn family's money."

Aiden turned to Reese, demanding an explanation.

"Reese, what's your deal?"

Reese calmly got up, looking Aiden straight in the eye.

"Grandpa, I can fix Malcolm's leg. Just give me some time."

Everly sneered from the sidelines.

"Looking at you, I bet you haven't even set foot in a college, yet here you are, playing doctor."

Reese shot her a sideways glance, "How do you know I haven't been to college? If I'm saying I can do this, it's 'cause I'm confident. If I mess up, you guys won't let me off the hook."

"Grandpa's brought in the best doctors from all over the country for Malcolm's leg, and none of them could fix it. You think your little bag of tricks can do the job?"

Everly's tone was dripping with the intent to boot Reese out of the Flynn family.

Aiden looked over at Malcolm lying on the bed. "Reese, our Flynn family doesn't wrong anyone. If you can prove you can help Malcolm, I'll believe you."

Reese lowered her head slightly, thinking.

Alyssa, thinking Reese was cornered, got even more smug. "What, cat got your tongue? Or are you just figuring out how to cover up your lie?"

Malcolm stayed quiet, curious to see if Reese could actually back up her claims.

Everly, sensing an opportunity, pushed harder, "Come on, if you can't prove it, just admit you're here to harm Malcolm."

Reese was figuring out how to show Malcolm her skills without making a big scene. His trust was what mattered most to her; the rest of them, not so much.

Everly, losing patience, urged again, "Grandpa, call the cops. Only in front of the police will this woman spill the truth."

Malcolm glanced at Reese, noticing her calm, thoughtful expression.

Aiden stayed silent, which was as good as agreeing with Everly. With a smug grin, Everly started dialing the police.

Just then, Malcolm felt a faint sensation in his leg. It was brief, but it was there.

Unable to believe it, he shouted excitedly, "Wait a minute!"