Quit the Mafia Crown, Took the Healer Scalpel Chapter 11

Quit the Mafia Crown, Took the Healer Scalpel Chapter 11

Lina looked down at the card. It read “Liam Russo,” with a phone number below.

She looked up. “I’ll think about it.”

Liam nodded and walked away.

That night, Lina sat in her apartment and stared at the card for a long time.

Triple the salary. The Russo family’s private medical team, access to the best medical resources in Europe.

She needed money, and she needed resources.

The next day, she called. “I accept.”

The Russo estate sat on the outskirts of Zurich, a sprawling main house like a manor.

Three times a week she checked on Liam, treated the butler’s blood pressure and the gardener’s back.

Every time Matteo heard she was coming, he found some excuse to run over to the main house.

“My head hurts.”

“My hand hurts.”

“My chest hurts.”

Lina ignored him, so he sat nearby and watched her with shining eyes.

Liam would appear, watch from the doorway, and leave. He said nothing, but she felt his gaze.

A month later, the Russo family held a party.

Lina wasn’t meant to attend, but Liam said medical funders would be there, useful for her future.

She changed into a black gown, pinned up her hair, and walked into the ballroom.

When Liam saw her, his gaze paused. He said nothing.

Midway through the party, Lina was surrounded by a few rich young men.

“Dr. Lina, the Russo private physician?” One stepped closer, glass in hand. “Good doctor, they say, and easy on the eyes.”

Lina stepped back. “Thank you.”

“A drink?” Another handed her a glass. “Friends?”

Lina shook her head. “I don’t drink.”

“Turning me down?” The first man moved closer. “A private physician for the Russos, too proud to drink with

us?”

A hand reached over and took the glass.

Liam stood at her side and placed it on a passing waiter’s tray.

“She’s my guest tonight,” he said quietly.

The young men exchanged looks and drifted away.

Liam looked down at her. “Come on. I’ll take you home.”

The car stopped outside Lina’s apartment.

Both of them had had a drink. The car’s heater was on high, and the air felt close.

Liam cut the engine and said nothing.

Lina turned to look at him. “Thank you.”

He looked at her, his eyes deeper than usual, as if hiding something.

She suddenly felt the car too small, his presence too close.

No one could say who moved first.

Maybe he lowered his head. Maybe she looked up.

In the moment their breaths tangled, all restraint and distance shattered.

A night of surrender.

When Lina woke the next day, it was already bright outside.

Liam sat on the sofa by the bed, fully dressed, a cup of coffee in his hand.

He looked at her and said calmly, “We’re officially dating.”

Lina sat up, the blanket slipping. She caught it.

“Last night was a mistake,” she said. “I don’t want a relationship.”

Liam gave her a long look, amused. This woman asked nothing of him?

He set down the coffee cup and left.

The door closed softly.

Lina leaned back against the headboard and stared at the ceiling for a long time.

Three days later, Matteo was waiting outside her apartment door.

“Why does my brother get to and not me?” His eyes were red.

Lina frowned. “Who told you?”

“He told me himself.” Matteo gritted his teeth. “He said you slept together. Try me. I’d be better than him.”

Lina looked at him and felt a headache coming on.

“Matteo, that night was a mistake.”

“Then make a mistake with me too.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re too young.”

Matteo glared at her. “I’m twenty-two!”

Lina walked around him, opened her door, and shut it.

Matteo shouted through the door. “You wait! I’m not giving up!”

Lina leaned against the door and sighed.

Matteo came even more often: flowers, coffee, homemade sandwiches. Liam watched from a distance,

complicated and silent.

The two brothers were driving Lina crazy, but there was nothing she could do.

Her medical coursework was heavy, and she couldn’t fall behind. The Russo salary meant she no longer had

to count the sell-by dates on discount yogurt, and St. Andis taught her a lot.

And so the days went on.

Three months passed in the blink of an eye.