Chapter 175 I'm Going to Take Care of My Younger Brother

Chapter 175 I'm Going to Take Care of My Younger Brother

They walked through the village until they reached the nicest house right in the center, where everyone finally stopped.

This had to be Mike's place. Sure enough, Mike raised his hand and knocked on the door.

Two people emerged from inside—a middle-aged man around fifty and a young woman in her twenties. They must be Mike's father and sister.

Before the older man could ask anything, Mike spoke up. "Dad, this is my sister. And Dad, these are two people we found shipwrecked on the beach. They washed up here. They need to stay with us tonight."

After hearing this, Mike's father warmly ushered Harper inside. "I see! Come in, come in. The nights get pretty cold around here. You'll be warmer inside."

Two men at the door exchanged greetings with Mike's father, dropped off the fish at his house, and headed home.

The man carrying Nicholas brought him inside before leaving as well.

Mike's father looked at Nicholas with concern. "Is he injured? Chengwu, go fetch the village doctor right away. Have him take a look."

Mike didn't waste a second—he turned and headed straight out the door.

Meanwhile, Mike's sister noticed how dirty Harper's clothes were. She turned to Harper. "I have a couple of outfits I've never worn. If you don't mind, you can change into one of mine."

At a time like this, who could afford to be picky? Of course Harper didn't mind. "Thank you. But I'll wait until after the village doctor checks on my brother-in-law before I change."

Nicholas was actually decent-looking, but right now his face was deathly pale, he looked completely drained, and the seawater had done him no favors. Mike's sister barely gave him a second glance.

The village doctor arrived quickly with Mike. After examining Nicholas, he said, "Our resources here are limited. I can't treat an injury like this in the village. I can only give him some painkillers and antibiotics. You'll need to get him to a proper hospital tomorrow."

Harper and Nicholas knew they couldn't ask for more, especially this late. Harper nodded understandingly. "Doctor, could you please prescribe the medication? We'll stabilize his condition tonight and go to the hospital tomorrow."

The doctor had already gotten the gist of the situation on his way over, so he'd brought medicine with him. The moment Harper finished speaking, he pulled it out.

Then Harper realized something incredibly awkward—she'd lost her phone, and she didn't have any cash on her. Neither did Nicholas.

Mike immediately pulled money from his pocket and handed it to the doctor. "You've been through a shipwreck. Don't worry about this. I'll cover it."

Mike's father, watching this scene unfold, raised an eyebrow. Then he shifted his gaze to Harper and smiled knowingly.

After taking the medication, Nicholas felt slightly better. With Mike's help, he took a shower, changed clothes, and finally lay down in the room they'd arranged for him.

Once Nicholas was settled, Harper finally tended to herself. Taking the clothes Mike's sister had given her, she entered the room assigned to her.

When she went into the room, she locked the door behind her before heading to the bathroom to shower. While bathing, she heard sounds at the bedroom door—someone trying to open it. Thank God she'd locked it.

But whoever it was clearly had a key. A lock might not be enough to keep them out.

Harper quickly finished her shower and got dressed. Just as the door opened, she opened the bathroom door.

Mike saw that Harper was fully clothed, and disappointment flickered in his eyes. "Miss Wilson, I came to see if there's anything you need help with."

"No, thank you." Harper smiled politely. From the first moment she'd met him, she'd known exactly what he wanted. There was no way she'd give him an opening.

Harper realized that sleeping alone tonight wasn't safe—she'd just confirmed that even a locked door could be opened.

After gathering her things, Harper headed toward the door. Mike looked confused. "Miss Wilson, where are you going? This is the room we arranged for you."

Harper looked at Mike and voiced her concern. "I'm worried my brother-in-law might develop a fever during the night. I want to look after him. If something happens, I need to be there to handle it quickly."

This reasoning left Mike with no grounds to stop her—after all, she was going to care for a patient.

Still, Mike disagreed. "The village doctor already examined him. It's mainly internal injuries. Nothing should happen overnight. How about I go look after him for you? You should get some proper rest."

"Absolutely not." Harper immediately shook her head, rejecting Mike's suggestion. "We're complete strangers to you. How could I possibly ask you to look after my brother-in-law? My husband only has this one brother. He's been cherished since childhood. This is the first time he's ever suffered like this. I have to stay with him tonight."

With the conversation reaching this point, Mike had no choice but to let her go.

Harper made her way to Nicholas's room. He wasn't asleep—after all, his chest was still aching. Though he'd taken painkillers, it still hurt.

Seeing Harper come in, he looked surprised. "Didn't they give you a room too? Why are you coming to stay with me? Don't tell me you want revenge because I helped Claire before?"

Harper rolled her eyes at Nicholas. "You've got quite the imagination. If I really wanted revenge, I could've just left you in the ocean, couldn't I? Why would I go through all that trouble to pull you out?"

Nicholas thought about it—she had a point. "Then what are you doing here?"

Harper sat down in a nearby chair before finally answering. "I'm worried about you. I'll sit here and watch over you tonight. If you develop a fever, I can deal with it right away. Worst case, we'll leave in the middle of the night and go to the hospital."

Nicholas had a gut feeling Harper wasn't here for the reason she claimed, but he couldn't figure out what the real reason was.

As time passed, Nicholas began to feel drowsy. His body needed to heal from the injuries, and even though he didn't think he could sleep, his eyes were already starting to close.

Harper didn't dare sleep at all. If Mike could open other doors, he could certainly open this one too.

She was staying with Nicholas as a gamble—betting that Mike had enough shame not to barge in brazenly.

But she'd overestimated him. Just as her eyes were about to close, the door pushed open. Mike stood in the doorway, his gaze fixed directly on her.

Harper immediately stood up, looking at him. "Is something wrong? If there's anything I can help with, I definitely won't refuse."