February in Sureton City was wet. It had been drizzling throughout the day, leaving the roads damp. The cold wind brought with it the rain, making Freya Somner shiver. She held an umbrella and curled up while crouching before the entrance to the city hall.It was already 5:00 pm. Would that person come?She was worried as she thought about her grandfather, Neil Somner, who lay sick in bed. Had he finished his IV drip? Would he need to use the restroom? Had Thomas Talbot already gone home?She looked up and scanned the empty streets. The city hall would close for the day at 5:30 pm. She would just grit her teeth and wait for another half an hour, then. If that person didn't show up, she could blame him and tell Neil and Thomas that he'd stood her up. It wasn't because she didn't want to marry him or anything.Neil was sick. As a traditional medicine practitioner, he knew his time was running out. Freya was his only concern—she would be alone in the world once he passed.He'd cont
Freya wanted to stand up, but she'd been crouching for so long that her legs had gone numb."What's wrong?" the man asked."My legs have gone numb."She was lifted off her feet as soon as the words were out of her mouth. An unfamiliar scent enveloped her, and she felt her face burn.The man placed her on the seat before the counter. "Get your identification."She kept her head lowered as she obediently placed the things on the counter."Daniel Talbot," the staff said."That's me," the man said."Freya Somner.""Here," Freya said. She looked up at the staff.The staff looked at the identification she held, then at Freya. The latter's eyes were spirited but also carried a hint of naivety. Freya was only 22, but Daniel was already 28. He'd even carried her in.That made the staff suspect whether Freya had been forced into this. She asked, "Are you here to get married at your own will?""Yes, I am," Freya said."Alright, then. Fill up these forms, please."At 5:30 pm, Freya a
Daniel's apartment was in Sureton City's central commercial area. It was an expensive area with good infrastructure—the medical and education systems were well-established. The residential area was right next to Sureton City's largest park.Freya looked at the minimalist, almost stark apartment. The marble coffee table was covered in a layer of dust. "This is your home?""Yeah." Daniel also saw the dust. "I don't usually stay here."That didn't make sense at all. Why would anyone not live in their own home? Freya couldn't understand it."There's a card here that you can use to pay for the utilities." He opened a drawer in the TV cabinet to show her. "If anything needs fixing, you can speak to the management office."I'll have someone clean up the place later. There are two rooms, so you can pick whichever one you want. Feel free to use the study as well…"Freya observed the place. It was well renovated but showed no signs of being lived in. There weren't even any plates or utensi
Two years passed in the blink of an eye."There's no time to eat, Dr. Somner. We're being dispatched for a house call."Freya was in a hospital's emergency room. When she heard the nurse, Jade Winton, call her, she put a folder over her unfinished instant mac and cheese and left the doctor's lounge."Where's Dr. Wood?" she asked while wearing a mask. She hurried to catch up with Jade."He's accompanying Lena for a prenatal check. I've called him, and he's on his way." Jade grabbed a first-aid kit and an extra bag of gauze and bandages. She handed them to Freya."What's the situation? Why do we need so many bandages and gauze?""A luxury jewelry store was robbed. The store's staff called the police, but the robbers discovered them and took ten staff hostage. We're being dispatched to provide medical assistance," Jade said.She told Freya everything she knew, then added, "Don't be rash later. Leave everything to Dr. Wood.""Got it. Thanks, Jade."Freya's mentor, Jason Wood, arri
Jade handed Freya the first-aid kit before hanging the stethoscope from her neck. "You're just going to ignore everything I told you before we came here, aren't you? You're bound to get into trouble if you continue like this.""No one is more suitable than me, Jade," Freya said calmly."It's not like the military region's general hospital lacks doctors. If you turn them down, they'll arrange for someone else to come.""But it's too far away. They'll take at least 30 minutes to arrive. That doesn't conform to the principles of pre-hospitalization emergency care."Jade was one of the emergency room's most experienced nurses, so she knew Freya was right. It was the only thing they could do under the circumstances.The administrator held a loudspeaker and shouted toward the store, "The doctor is coming. Open the door."A hoarse voice rang out as soon as the words were out of his mouth. "Put the first-aid kit on the ground and turn in a circle. Then, take everything out of the first-a
The man dragged Freya to a secluded corner to hide. The cold feeling against her temple made her compliant. Her palms grew sweaty as she stood there, and she could hear her heart racing.No matter how nervous or scared she was, she could only place her faith in the Falcon Strike Unit and tightly hold the needle in her hand.A few minutes later, red lights flashed at them. The man dragged Freya out of their hiding spot. Before she could even see what was happening, she heard a muffled groan behind her. Then, there was a thump, and the robber's hand fell before her.She was still lost when a team of three surrounded her. A familiar voice said, "Take her out, Rabbit.""Roger, Falcon." This voice belonged to a woman. Rabbit, or Loren Smith, turned to Freya. "Come with me."Freya turned to look at the familiar man while following Loren out. He glanced at her while walking up the stairs, and his sharp eyes matched the ones in her memory.She asked Loren, "Is the person you called F
When Jason saw how indignant Freya looked, he dragged her to the emergency stairwell, sounding stricter than ever as he said, "I told you not to head into the jewelry store during the robbery dispatch, but you refused to listen. Now, someone's reported you for practicing without experience.""How am I inexperienced?""The complaint letter pointed out that you'd only passed the medical board exam but have yet to complete all the registration procedures at the hospital. Because of that, you're not counted as a licensed doctor, so that was malpractice."Jason felt a headache coming on. He pulled out a cigarette and put it in his mouth. Then, he glanced at Freya and put it back into the box.Freya snarled, "What the hell is wrong with the complainer? I only did a simple cricothyrotomy, which I've practiced hundreds of times—"Jason interrupted her, "It's not about your skills, Freya. The hospital has accepted the complaint, and you know how they'll handle this. They'll take action as
The professor gave Freya a piece of paper indicating her punishment, making Freya smile wryly. They'd sentenced her without even giving her a chance to explain, huh?She looked at the professor's signature on the paper. Beside it was the signature of a male hospital administrator. Her smile turned mocking."If my ears weren't mistaken the other day, you and this administrator were the ones in the archives here, right?" Freya asked.The professor's gaze became shifty, and her tone was unsure as she asked in return, "What did you hear?"Freya was positive the amorous noises she'd heard that day were from this professor and the administrator who'd signed the paper. However, for her safety, she didn't respond.Instead, she scrunched up the paper and threw it into the trashcan before striding out of the office, leaving the professor feeling flustered and anxious.Freya returned to her workstation to pack her things. Then, she sought Jason out, looking guilty. "I'm sorry for causing yo