Chapter 2 A new life of dignity

THREE YEARS LATER

VERONICA

The unexpected call of the nurse disrupted my silence, "Doctor, please come to the ward 305. It's urgent!" So, I left my chair and visited the ward.

In the ward, an elderly woman was shouting at an intern, Sophie — "Who gave you the authority to become a doctor?" she shouted at the young girl. "How dare you ignore me! I'll complain about you!"

"You're not understanding, ma'am. This is not..." The poor girl tried to explain but was cut off.

"Shut up! I won't let you go! I demand to see your supervisor!"

I, frowning, stepped inside and approached the agitated patient who was causing a chaotic mess in the ward for all the stuff and other patients in the ward.

"May I inquire about the situation?" I interjected, drawing everyone's attention. Addressing the patient directly, I stated calmly but firmly, "Madam, this is a hospital; you need to calm down."

"Who are you?" she barked, giving me the once-over.

Maintaining my composure, I replied with a smile, "I am a senior physician here, madam. Please, tell me what is troubling you."

Her gaze lingered on me before softening slightly. "I've got a stomach ache! And your staff says it's nothing serious!"

"What if her lack of awareness leads to a more serious problem later?" The woman appeared anxious and genuinely frightened.

I offered her a reassuring smile. "Please do not worry, madam. Allow me to review your reports first." I extended my hand, received the report from the nurse, and examined it.

The intern's assessment was correct; she did not have an acute illness. It was simply indigestion from overeating.

I listened attentively to her concerns, addressed her anxieties, and explained the treatment plan in a clear and understandable manner. Her demeanour gradually became more relaxed, and by the end of our conversation, she expressed her sincere gratitude for my care and understanding.

Following the signing of her discharge papers, I left the ward with my colleagues.

"Thank you, Doctor," Sophie said with gratitude.

I smiled and patted her shoulder. "It's quite alright, but remember that you will encounter diverse patients throughout your career, so strive to maintain composure."

"I will, Doctor," she replied enthusiastically as I departed for my office.

As a medicine specialist, I started practising again much later after receiving my degree. Safe to say, after being separated from Christian.

During my married days, I was solely focused on being the perfect wife and mother. At that time, I cared less about my career, which was a mistake in my life. However, after I shifted here to Yorkshire, I started learning and practising three years ago and regained my dignity through my career.

I have become a well-known doctor at the best medical college in Yorkshire.

That evening, upon my return home, I activated the radio news broadcast; the newsreader announced— "The weather forecast predicts a severe rainstorm in Yorkshire! It's a red alert, and the government has requested that everyone remain at home!" ...

*********

A soft pink light illuminated the sky as persistent rain fell. I stood near the closed window in my room, observing the unsettled weather outside.

In the city of Yorkshire, it's been raining cats and dogs for the past two days. Not once had the rainstorm stopped, almost flooding the city.

The clock chimed, interrupting my thoughts as I gazed at the wooden clock in my bedroom. It was exactly midnight.

Finally, it's time...

Closing the curtain, I returned to my bed. "Happy birthday, my child. I wish you grow up to be the happiest baby ever," I whispered to my sleepy daughter and kissed her chubby pink cheeks.

My sweet almond turned two today. She moved a little with her soft plush bear in her arms and went back to sleep again.

I smiled and leaned on the pillow beside her. Stretching my hand, I opened the drawer of the bedside table and took out a black diary. Inside was a carefully kept photo of my little Zeon that I stole before leaving the Wolfe mansion three years ago.

Slowly, I traced the photo; a drop of tears fell on it. "Wish you all the happiness of this world as well, my baby boy," I murmured.

Zeon turned 7 two months ago, but I couldn't be there for him. I almost died while giving birth to my son, but I never regretted it.

In the past three years, not a single day has passed when I did not miss my child. For a long time, I wanted to go back and take him with me, but I couldn't become equal to the power of the Wolfe family.

I had someone to keep an eye on things for me there and realized my son was happy with his father—just as I thought he would be before leaving.

Therefore, I did not have the heart to ruin it for him. My "eyes" in the Wolfe mansion had informed me that Zeon would travel to Yorkshire with his father. I almost rushed to have a glance at him, but I forcibly stopped myself. I couldn't risk my Cadence being taken away at any cost.

A sudden thunderbolt startled me as I protectively covered my daughter. She rubbed her little face and again went back to sleep.

The doorbell's sudden ring startled me. I wondered, who would be visiting in this inclement weather?

Rising from my bed, I approached the window and gently parted the curtains to peek outside when a flash of headlights disrupted my vision.

My frown intensified as I peered more closely. The rain blurred my view, but I could make out a car parked before my villa.

In my villa, I live with my daughter along with three loyal servants—all women in this household. It is, though, a safe place to live; at midnight in the rainstorm, I didn't feel safe answering the call.

I did not want any unnecessary trouble. However, the people outside did not bother to stop and kept ringing the doorbell. One of the servants, Nina, came to me for my permission.

"Ma'am, should we open the door and see?" There was hesitation in her voice, probably thinking the same as I was.

"No need. Don't answer. They will leave if they're not attended to," I said with a frown, still trying to see the car through the closed window.

"Yes, ma'am." She left but returned a few minutes later, looking more perturbed than before. "Ma'am, the person is not ready to listen. He kept requesting to see you. I believe they have a child with them who is having a high fever, and they seem to be particularly looking for you," Nina said, sounding unsure.

With doubts in my heart, I again stared at the flushed light outside.

Most of the time, people appear at my doorstep and ask for treatment, so I built a chamber attached to my villa where people can come for initial check-up for a small charge. In fact, I kept the service free for underprivileged people.

I have never turned anyone away, but tonight—I don't feel confident enough in this weather at this hour. "Alright, let me see first. You stay here with Cadence," I said, and she nodded.

I stepped downstairs and saw the other two servants standing close to the door, uncertain about the situation. Seeing me, they slowly bowed.

I approached the door when the doorbell rang again frantically. I took the intercom and connected it to the visual screen of the courtyard. Immediately, I saw a man's reflection. He was well-suited, but his face wasn't really visible due to the raindrops on the camera lens.

"Yes, what do you want?" I asked with a sturdy voice.

"Please, open the door. We really need to see Dr. Granger," the man spoke, his voice laced with urgency.

"I am sorry, but at this hour, I can not take the risk of opening the door. You can come tomorrow morning, and I will attend to your patient. Please go back, or else I will have to call the police," I retorted, still stern in my decision.

"Ma'am, please, try to understand! We are not bad people! In fact, we have a sick child with us! He has caught a high fever! I-if you don't believe me, I can show you my ID!" He was desperate as I saw him hurriedly trying to hold a card-like object in front of the camera, as close as possible.

I, however, was about to decline again, but his next words froze me: "Ma'am, in fact, my boss is the vice chairman of European State Empire, Christian Wolfe. You can search for him on the Internet!"

"As long as you agree, Ma'am, he is willing to pay any price for his only son's treatment. The child is terribly sick. Please help us, Ma'am!" He said.