Chapter 4 Briar quickly pulled hersell together and fret Ashton's gaze " So , what sit puma he ? if you're Ashton nanowed his eyes , thinking for a second . " How sure are you ? Hands stuffed in her pockets , Briar glanced at the unconscious Griffin . " Ora pilt and tome acupuncture , and he'll be awake is an hour . Read it ANUS day , and he'll be back on his feet in a week " She said it like it was a done deal full of swagger , not a hint of doubt . Griffin had been sick for years . Every top doctor in Dasmieca had tried and failed to cure him . All they could do was dow things down . Unless they could somehow track down the legendary Tristan , Griffin wasn't gonna last much longer . But Tristan had basically vanished off the face of the earth . Ashton had already burned several million dollars trying to find him , but it was all for nesting Some folks believed Tristan was dead . They said his only student had taken over - but that person was even harder to find Only a handful of people had ever seen Tristan's student . No one even knew if it was a man or a woman . That was why , with Griffin slipping deeper into another coma , Ashton had no choice but to gamble on experimental drugs from the Dark Met They could keep throwing money at finding Tristan , but Griffin couldn't wait . Ashton's gaze shifted . The curiosity he'd shown at first was still there , but now it was laced with scrutiny and suspicion . " Awake in an hour ? Fully recovered in a week ? " Before Briar could answer , a few of the Wade relatives burst out laughing . " Do you even know where you are , Miss ? " one sneered . " This isn't some clinic where you can say whatever you want . " " Yeah , wake up in an hour , cured in a week - who are you trying to fool ? " another chimed in . " Even Dasmieca's best doctors wouldn't dare promise that . Someone get this clown out of here ," someone else shouted . More voices joined in . They looked Briar up and down , already convinced she was a nobody . They'd heard she rode in on some beat - up bike to deliver meds . Her outfit probably cost less than one of their belts . They didn't bother looking into who she really was . To them , she was just some bold girl trying to chase Ashton . And in their eyes , Ashton would never go for someone like her . Honestly , they thought they were being generous just by not tossing her out . The doctors didn't show the same contempt as the Wade relatives , but they tried to talk her down . " Young lady , this isn't the place to take wild chances , " one said . " Yeah , " another added . " Forget the pills . We're not even sure if they're safe . And acupuncture is not an option either . You're too young to even have a license , right ? " " Griffin isn't someone you experiment on . Just walk away , " someone else said . Briar didn't react . No flinch , no panic . She didn't even glance at the people trash - talking her . Her focus never left Ashton - like he was the only one whose opinion mattered . And Ashton noticed . Most people would've cracked by now , but Briar stayed calm , unfazed by all the noise around her . That alone was enou an impression . He raised his hand , and the room instantly quieted down . Everyone expected him to kick Briar out . nake 1/2 IVIUIT , 20 U C Chapter 4 Instead , he looked straight at Briar and said , " If you can wake my grandfather in an hour , F'll come thank you in person . Whn's your n " Briar Jennings , " she replied coolly . Ashton didn't completely buy the whole " fully recovered in a week " thing , but he did believe Briar could wake Griffin up in an hour . That atone earned him a few points in Briar's book . " Ashton , how can you gamble with your grandfather's life like this ? " someone from the crowd shouted , clearly angry . " I won't allow it " " Me neither , " another chimed in . " Griffin's condition is too fragile . We can't just let anyone mess with him . " Ashton shot them a cold glare . " And since when do you make decisions for the Wade family ? " That shut them up fast . Briar raised an eyebrow , starting to get a clearer picture - Ashton had real authority around here . Without paying any attention to the sour faces around her , she followed Ashton to Griffin's bedside . She pulled out a small black cloth pouch , unrolled it . and laid out a set of acupuncture needles . After quickly sterilizing everything , she got to work . Her hands moved fast and steady as she placed eight needles with pinpoint precision . The crowd couldn't believe what they were seeing . Briar didn't just know acupuncture - she was clearly a pro . It was too late for those Wade relatives to stop her now , so someone started a timer , just waiting to prove Briar wrong when the hour passed with no change . They wanted to see Ashton humiliated . Briar knew exactly what they were trying to do , but she didn't care . Honestly , the only reason she agreed to help was because Ashton was good - looking -and of course , out of respect for Griffin . Once the needles were in place , she took out the pill and asked Ashton for a glass of water . She crushed and dissolved the pill in it and carefully gave it to Griffin . Then she plopped down in a chair and pulled out her phone . [ Didn't you say you had an old friend in Dasmieca ? What was their name again ? ] she texted . A few minutes later , the reply came through . [ Griffin Wade , but it's been years since we last talked . ] Briar read it and casually replied : [ Got it . ] Inside the room , things were quiet , but outside , people were getting antsy . They didn't know exactly what was happening , but they saw Briar treating Griffin and were losing their minds . They wanted to barge in and stop Briar , but Ashton's right - hand man , Brandon , was guarding the door . All they could do was stew in their own panic . When Griffin's oldest son , Sean , and his wife Arlette finally stepped out , the crowd swarmed them . " What's going on in there ? " someone demanded . " Why's someone doing acupuncture on Griffin ? " As the eldest , Sean had once been next in line to lead the Wade family - until Griffin decided to hand the reins to his youngest son's branch . Since then , Sean had been at odds with Ashton and the rest of that side of the family . So now , he didn't hold back . " Ashton's losing it . He let some random girl take over Griffin's treatment . " Arlette added , all dramatic , " She actually claimed Griffin would wake up in an hour and be totally cured in a week ! " " What ? " someone gasped . " They're seriously playing with Griffin's life , huh ? " " This girl's gotta be a scammer , " another said . " We need to call the cops and get her out of there before something happens ! " Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!