Chapter 156: Respect Your Benefactor

’A gunshot wound, plus so many other injuries, and he’s still alive. This man is no ordinary person.’

’She’s been in this room the whole time. When did she manage to bring a man like this on board?’

’If Ethan Young finds out, this could get messy.’

"There’s no need. I can take care of him myself. But could you explain the situation to Captain Young for me? He’s a friend of mine. He’ll be disembarking with me and won’t cause any trouble."

Stella Sterling said to Louis Grant. Although she had medical supplies in her storage space, it wasn’t convenient to take them out, so she had to rely on Louis.

As for Ethan Young, she had never intended to hide the fact that there was an extra person on the ship.

But having Louis Grant break the news would save her a lot of hassle.

"Alright, I’ll go talk to Ethan Young."

Louis Grant offered a small smile, glanced at Basil Xavier one last time, and turned to leave.

Basil Xavier was already semi-conscious, his mind hazy. He vaguely saw Stella Sterling talking to someone and assumed it was a friend of hers, so he didn’t ask any questions.

After Louis Grant left, Stella Sterling opened the medical kit and began treating his wounds.

First, she dug out the bullet, then she gave the wound a few simple stitches. Fortunately, she had been practicing on Stephen Lawrence for the past two years, and her medical skills had become masterful. She could manage even with basic tools.

Once the most difficult wound was dealt with, tending to the smaller cuts was much easier.

She applied ointment where needed and wrapped bandages around the rest.

During the process, she secretly mixed in some of her own special supplies before giving him an anti-inflammatory pill.

She had done all she could. Now it was up to him to pull through.

She packed away everything that didn’t belong in the medical kit. Looking down at the unconscious Basil Xavier, she murmured, "You’re lucky. If it weren’t for Gordon Ford, I wouldn’t have bothered saving you."

Unexpectedly, Basil Xavier came to just in time to hear her. He grunted in displeasure. "We know each other, at least. If it weren’t for Gordon Ford, would you really have just watched me die?"

"I know a lot of people. Am I supposed to save every single one of them?"

Stella Sterling shot him a dismissive glance.

"I’m the patient here. Can’t you say something nice for a change? Cheer me up a little."

Basil Xavier looked at her, exasperated. He knew she was right; if it weren’t for Gordon Ford, he would never have even met Stella Sterling.

’Knowing her personality,’ he thought, ’if I didn’t know Gordon Ford, she probably wouldn’t have given me a second glance even if I died right in front of her tonight.’

’Let alone pull me onto the ship and personally treat my wounds.’

Hearing this, Stella Sterling crossed her arms and stared at him. "I’m the one who saved your life. You’re supposed to be respectful and grateful to your savior, which means you’ll do as I say."

COUGH, COUGH.

Basil Xavier coughed twice, but he couldn’t find a single thing to say in response to Stella Sterling’s words.

But Stella Sterling’s cold remarks continued. "Go on, get yourself all worked up. You’ll die without me having to lift a finger."

Basil Xavier didn’t dare to gamble with his own life. Lying back in the chair, all he could do was glare at Stella Sterling.

’Why does she have to be so harsh?’

’Then again,’ he thought, recalling her ferocious demeanor when they first met, ’this is nothing, really.’

’At least she didn’t just hack me to death with a knife. She even saved me. What more could I ask for?’

So Basil Xavier forced a weak smile. "Yes, yes, Miss Sterling. Please don’t hold it against me. I’ll be sure to repay this great debt one day if I get the chance."

Stella Sterling ignored him. Just then, the sound of footsteps emerged from the darkness, growing steadily closer.

Basil Xavier’s expression changed. "Did bringing me on board cause you trouble?"

"It’s a little late to be worrying about that now. Trouble or not, you’re already here!"

Her tone was calm, tinged with a hint of indifference.

Then, just as Basil Xavier was starting to feel touched, she added viciously, "Worse comes to worst, I’ll just hand you over."

Basil Xavier gave a placating smile. "But you’re the one who saved my life. You went to all this trouble. If you hand me over, wouldn’t all your hard work be for nothing?"

"I don’t mind. I’ll just chalk it up to killing some time," Stella Sterling said with an unconcerned look.

Basil Xavier started to get genuinely nervous. He had no idea whose territory he was on!

’This woman... she wouldn’t actually hand me over, would she?!’

He turned to look at Stella Sterling. Seeing her nonchalant expression, he suddenly calmed down. For some reason, he just felt she wouldn’t do it.

’Even if only for Gordon Ford’s sake, she wouldn’t.’

The door opened, and Louis Grant walked in with Ethan Young.

Trailing behind, Louis Grant gave Stella Sterling an apologetic shrug. "Sorry. There’s a ’very suspicious person’ on board. Captain Young was worried and insisted on checking for himself."

Before Stella Sterling could say a word, Basil Xavier cried out from the side, "Captain Young, is that you?"

Ethan Young’s eyes fell on Basil Xavier, and his expression changed at the sight of his injuries. "Basil Xavier! Kid, what the hell happened to you?"

From the side, Stella Sterling glanced down at Basil Xavier.

’So they know each other. In that case, this just got a lot easier.’

The moment Basil Xavier saw Ethan Young, his entire body relaxed. "Don’t even ask, Captain Young. I ran into some trouble, got ambushed. If Miss Sterling hadn’t saved me, I’d be dead ten times over by now."

"You, kid... You were one of the best I ever had under my command. For someone to hurt you this badly, they can’t be small-time."

Ethan Young was also taken aback. He never expected to run into Basil Xavier here of all places.

Louis Grant, standing to the side, also realized the two knew each other. Aside from a flicker of surprise, he didn’t think much of it.

He moved to Stella Sterling’s side and whispered, "Looks like you got lucky. This guy happens to know Ethan Young. If it had been anyone else, you might’ve been in real trouble today."

"Who is this guy you saved? What’s his background?"

"I don’t know."

Stella Sterling shook her head. She didn’t know anything about Basil Xavier’s background, either. All she knew was that, like Gordon Ford, he used to work for the government.

But that was two years ago; she had no idea what their situation was now.

Louis Grant simply assumed Stella Sterling didn’t want to tell him and didn’t press the matter.

"You wait here," Ethan Young said. "I’ll get someone to take a look at your wounds."

As he spoke, Ethan Young turned and nodded to Stella Sterling, his eyes filled with gratitude.

He didn’t even mention the fact that she had brought someone on board without permission. He simply turned and left.