The European Warlord’s Cherished Darling

The European Warlord’s Beloved Amid the ravages of war in Africa, she was a flash of pure white amid the smoke and gunfire. Major General Colt von Strauss of the United Nations peacekeeping force was the heir to an ancient European military dynasty. Powerful and aloof, he kept everyone at a distance. Then, amid the rubble of a terrorist attack, he saw the Chinese doctor Shen Heng shielding African children with her own body. Her dust-stained white coat and calm eyes stood in stark contrast to the brutality around her. In that moment, the steel walls around his heart were quietly breached. Shen Heng stayed behind to fulfill her duty as a doctor, using acupuncture and herbal medicine to soothe the wounds of war. Colt claimed to be making inspection rounds, but his gaze always followed her focused figure: The profile of her face as she worked with her needles in the sunlight, the little way she rubbed her lower back when tired, the slight curve at the corners of her eyes as she tasted the Chinese food he had gone to great lengths to find… He brought her scarce medical supplies and silently swept away potential threats. The all-powerful warlord learned to wait and watch. She was the unexpected twist in his life, the most precious “prize” amid the flames of war. When danger struck again, he shielded her with his body. “Your duty is to save lives. Mine is to protect you…”