Fang marks

**Chapter 3 Title: A Night of Surprises**

That day, Lila Bennett didn't get to meet Alexander Reed.

All afternoon, Reed had been idle in his room, playing a simple puzzle game on his phone due to the lack of internet.

The melody of a song Lila had heard on the bus earlier had moved him deeply.

It had been a long time since he had touched his guitar. Originally, he had planned to use these two days of rest on the island, after donating blood and being freed from work obligations, to play the guitar and get acquainted with the melody. However, with his hand injured, playing wasn't an option for now.

Fortunately, the meals on the island were particularly delicious, and the doctor who treated his wound was quite nice, much like Sebastian—both treated him with warmth and kindness.

However, when Lila rolled up his sleeve for the blood test, he felt a bit embarrassed.

Before leaving, he hadn't paid much attention to his appearance and hadn't noticed that his sweater's sleeves were covered in lint. The sweater was hand-knitted, incredibly warm, and something he had worn for many years.

Lately, his life had been in a rough patch, and he had become so used to things that he hadn't paid attention to such details. It was only now that he realized just how worn out the sweater had become.

"You have a tattoo," said Dr. Ling, a bespectacled physician, who, as if not noticing the worn-out sweater, asked, "You don't look like someone who'd get one."

They were doing a preliminary blood draw in preparation for tomorrow's official donation. Sebastian had already explained this to Lila Bennett, so he cooperated without hesitation.

On the smooth, soft skin of Lila's forearm was a tattoo that was still relatively new. Given that it was winter, and he always wore long sleeves, no one had seen it before.

"It's in Latin. It means 'The Moonlight on the Mountain Peak,'" Lila sat upright. "The sentence includes my mother's name. I got it to commemorate her."

"To commemorate her?" the doctor asked.

"Yes, she passed away last month."

"You're very filial," Dr. Ling remarked gently, his movements equally gentle. "Does it hurt?"

The needle punctured Lila's vein.

Red blood flowed through a thin tube into the vial.

It wasn't clear if the doctor was asking about the tattoo or the blood draw, but Lila shook his head and replied, "No, it doesn't hurt."

The doctor only took a small sample of blood, as the island had medical equipment to test it.

It was common for wealthy families to employ private doctors for long periods, and Alexander Reed's situation, which was more complicated than most, required extra caution.

Lila asked, "Will you be drawing my blood tomorrow as well?"

"Yes, and you won't be able to have breakfast tomorrow morning," the doctor explained. "Each donation is only a small amount, around 200 milliliters, no more than 250 milliliters at most. We'll monitor your nutrition and health in real-time, and if any issues arise, we'll stop immediately. There's no need to worry."

This had all been explained in the agreement, and Lila nodded. He then asked, "Does Alexander Reed have a condition that requires regular blood transfusions every month?"

He had done some research before coming and guessed it might be something like thalassemia or leukemia.

But the doctor only replied, "Alexander Reed's condition is special—very complex."