Alexandra hauled Eldridge back onto the bed. Her movements weren't gentle, but they were efficient.

She studied the medical monitors beside him. The complex data and waveforms on the screen were as easy for her to read as a children's book.

Vital signs are stable, but cortical activity is almost zero... a typical deep coma, she concluded with professional certainty.

She took a long, thin needle from her pouch and carefully sterilized it with an alcohol swab. The motion was practiced, almost elegant.

She had no desire to save him. But she needed him alive. A living, but incapacitated, vegetable of a husband was her best shield, her best tool for wreaking havoc in the Carlisle household.

Taking a deep breath, she located an acupuncture point on the crown of his head. She held her breath, her focus absolute, preparing to insert the first needle.

Just as the tip was about to break the skin, the door was thrown open with a violent bang.

Her hand jerked. The needle slipped, leaving a tiny, bright red scratch on Eldridge's scalp. She frowned, turning her head in annoyance.

A middle-aged woman in a Chanel suit, her face a mask of aristocratic fury, stormed into the room. Trailing behind her was a younger woman in a white dress, who looked gentle and lovely.

Alexandra recognized them immediately. The leader was Eldridge's mother, the matriarch of the Carlisle family, Mrs. Carlisle. The woman behind her was Clarissa Thornton, the socialite doctor often linked to Eldridge in the press.

Mrs. Carlisle's eyes went straight to the gleaming needle in Alexandra's hand and the speck of blood on her son's head. Her face turned to stone.

"What are you doing!" she shrieked, rushing forward.

She slapped Alexandra's hand away. The silver needle fell silently onto the thick carpet.

Alexandra stumbled back a step, her eyes turning cold.

Clarissa immediately moved to support Mrs. Carlisle, her voice a shocked, worried whisper. "Oh my god, Auntie, is she... is she trying to hurt Eldridge with a needle? That's horrifying!"

"Hurt him?" Mrs. Carlisle's voice trembled with rage. She pointed a shaking finger at Alexandra as if she were a common criminal. "You, you wild seed from god-knows-where, how dare you touch my son!"

It was clear Mrs. Carlisle detested this marriage. However, due to the authority of Mr. Carlisle's arrangements, she was unable to stop the marriage.Her eyes raked over Alexandra's simple clothes, her disdain and class superiority on full display.

Alexandra said nothing. She bent down, picked up the silver needle, and began to wipe it meticulously with a silk handkerchief, ignoring them completely.

Her silence was gasoline on the fire. "Are you deaf? I'm speaking to you! Do you think climbing into my son's bed makes you the lady of this house? In your dreams!"

Clarissa interjected with a tone of feigned helpfulness. "Miss Alexandra, perhaps you don't understand. Eldridge's condition is extremely fragile. He can't be moved carelessly, let alone be subjected to this... this kind of unscientific treatment."

Her words were a thinly veiled insinuation that Alexandra was ignorant, crude, and practicing some kind of witchcraft.

Alexandra finally looked up. Her ice-blue eyes met Clarissa's, and a mocking smile touched her lips. "Oh? Then please tell me, 'Doctor,' besides letting him lie here and wait to die, what scientifically validated method do you have to wake him up?"

Clarissa's face stiffened. She hadn't expected this country girl to be so sharp-tongued.

Seeing her favored Clarissa being challenged, Mrs. Carlisle grew even more furious. "Insolence! Who do you think you are to question Clarissa? She's one of the best neurologists in the country!"

One of the best? Alexandra scoffed internally. Never heard of her.

Mrs. Carlisle's tone softened as she turned to Clarissa. "Clarissa, quickly, check on Eldridge. See if this madwoman hurt him."

Clarissa rushed to the bedside and made a show of examining Eldridge. Then, with a grave expression, she turned to Mrs. Carlisle. "Auntie, his vitals are a little unstable. He may have been agitated."

That was the final straw. Mrs. Carlisle's fury erupted.

"Guards!" she screamed toward the door.

Several men in black suits appeared instantly. Mrs. Carlisle pointed a trembling finger at Alexandra and gave a vicious command.

"Strip this woman of her filthy clothes and throw her out!"