A Man with Nerves of Steel (Joseph Hart) novel Chapter 135

Chapter 135

That evening, Joseph was in his study, practicing on a mannequin with his new needles. The door opened, and Cora walked in.

Seeing that he wasn’t watching one of those gruesome surgical videos, she motioned for Ella to hand over a tray before carrying a bowl of soup inside herself. “Joseph, drink this while it’s hot. It’s good for you.” 1

Her gaze fell on the needles.

She couldn’t appreciate the finer details, but from that absorbed look on Joseph’s face, she could tell he had entered one of those states where he became completely immersed in his craft.

Joseph set the needle down and took the bowl. As he drank the soup, he said casually, “Fiona probably told you already, but a patient’s family member gave me these. I liked them, so I accepted them. It’s not going to give anyone leverage over me, right?”

Cora knew there was another hidden meaning in Joseph’s words, but she chose to ignore it. “If you like things like these, I can always find more for you.”

After finishing the soup, Joseph felt a strange warmth spreading through his body, especially downward.

He smacked his lips thoughtfully, asking, “Did you add something to this?”

Cora shook her head. “No, it’s the same recipe as always. I drank some too, and I feel perfectly normal. Why? What’s wrong?”

Following Joseph’s gaze, Cora noticed his physical reaction and smiled. “I’ll go get cleaned up first. Come join me later.”

As she left, she found it odd. It was just some ordinary soup. If Joseph was reacting like this, the only explanation was that Joseph’s thoughts were already wandering off in that direction.

Once she was gone, Joseph checked his own pulse and immediately felt that something was wrong.

Without hesitation, he reached up and pulled out a needle that had been stuck near the back of his head. His hair had grown long enough to conceal the needle. That was why Cora never noticed it, even though she was standing right beside him moments earlier.

He had been experimenting on himself.

After removing the needle, the heat coursing through his body remained. Following the sensations carefully, he inserted more needles at different points, learning what kinds of reactions they caused.

After organizing his observations and mentally noting down the results, he headed to the bedroom. There, he and Cora enjoyed an intimate night together.

Afterward, while catching her breath, Cora nestled close to his ear and said softly, “Honey, I’ll be away for a day or two tomorrow. I need to negotiate for a project, so I’m applying for leave from you.”

Joseph said, “I know I don’t have you all to myself. If you’re going off to spend time with another man, then go ahead. You’ve been doing that for more than a decade, anyway.”

“Yvonne is in trouble. She insists on speaking to you personally.”

Cora felt that it was weird. Moments later, she went into a room and found Yvonne waiting inside. She was already discharged from the hospital, but her condition was alarming. One side of her face was drooping, and her eyes were misaligned. She seemed to struggle to even swallow her saliva.

“Did you have a stroke?” Cora asked.

“No, Cora. My condition… your husband caused it. When he discovered me, he stuck some needles into me. After that, I ended up like this,” Yvonne said.

Cora frowned. “Joseph?”

Yvonne nodded. “Yes. He kept trying to force me to reveal Lacey’s whereabouts. When I refused, he attacked me. He even said I left him with no choice. Cora, just look at me…”

Cora said, “If he caused this, I’ll have him treat you and make sure you recover. Focus on resting for now.”

After comforting Yvonne, Cora left the room.

The moment the door closed behind her, Cora felt a complicated surge of emotions.