Alfred was caught off guard, having never been comforted by a patient before. He acknowledged that he had held responsibility for Chloe's current situation. He had been too trusting of his former student and should never have taken the case based solely on the student’s one-sided claims.Stella entered the room. "Professor, it's time."Alfred glanced at the clock on the wall and took a deep breath to calm himself.*It would take a whole morning to undo the hypnosis. After that, the patient needed to stay in the hospital for three days of observation. Before being allowed to leave, they would have to undergo a comprehensive psychological evaluation. Joseph had Lucas bring his laptop to him as he planned to work remotely while waiting for Chloe to be done.When Stella stepped out of the room, she spotted Joseph sitting at the table. He was impeccably dressed and had a serious expression. He exuded a regal aura as he poured his focus into his work. However, he seemed rather worried
Stella was both pleasantly surprised and heartbroken. She was delighted to know that her guess was correct—that Noah had not moved on from Chloe and being with Tiffany was just a sham. At the same time, it saddened her that Noah still held feelings for Chloe, a woman undeserving of his affections.Clearing her throat, Stella pressed the answer button and said, "How have you been, Noah?”"When did Chloe first contact Professor Alfred?" Noah ignored her question and got straight to the point."Umm… Yesterday.""Do you know what they talked about?""No, but they did have a long conversation in the office. Professor Alfred wasn’t in a great mood after Chloe left and immediately started preparing for today's procedure. I don't know what he's doing as he didn't tell me about it."Stella had studied psychology in college and was familiar with some industry terms, but advanced psychology was beyond her understanding.Noah was so silent for so long that Stella thought he had hung up. "No
A musty odor lingered in the air of the dilapidated hotel. Xavia was wearing a long gray linen dress and her face was devoid of makeup. She walked toward a faded desk by the wall and glided her fingers across the top. Redness tinged her eyes and her voice was thick with deep-seated resentment as she said, "Chloe has gone too far. Though I already left Joseph, she still clings on, determined to break me and Ken apart. I have nowhere to call home now. There's no one in this world who wants Chloe dead more than I do. Look around you. Isn't all this enough for you to believe me?"Bethany looked around and frowned. "I know you hate Chloe, and I dislike her too, but there's nothing we can do. We're powerless.""We don't have to get our hands dirty. We can get rid of her through another person's hands.""What do you mean?""I know Vince likes you. He's Joseph's most trusted subordinate." Bethany instantly understood, but recalling Vince's indecisiveness yesterday, she felt a surge of an
Alfred wiped off the beads of sweat on his forehead and shook his head. “She showed a strong stress reaction during the procedure, so I gave her a sedative shot. We'll know the specifics of her condition once she wakes up.""And when will she wake up?" Joseph asked."A few days maybe," Alfred answered, "You don’t have to wait here. Go home and rest. I'll call you as soon as she wakes up.""It's fine, I’ll be here." Since Joseph insisted, Alfred did not argue. He turned and instructed Stella to keep a close eye on Chloe.Joseph nodded gratefully and strode to Chloe's bedside. He gently tucked the stray hair behind her ears. Noticing that her lips were chapped, he put down his phone and asked the nurse for some vaseline."Are you listening? What are you daydreaming about?" Alfred looked at Stella incredulously.Stella tore her eyes away from Joseph and noted down Alfred’s instructions in her small notebook. "Please continue, Professor.""That's all. Keep an eye on her electrocar
"Have you had lunch yet, miss? I brought lunch for Mr. Joseph but I ordered too much. Would you like some? We’ll be leaving Ms. Chloe in your hands during the afternoon," Lucas said to Stella when she walked in and handed her a lunch box.Stella lowered her head and saw a box of exquisite desserts neatly placed side by side. There was a small cloud logo attached to the outside of the box, and she instantly recognized the establishment. It was a well-known private Docwood restaurant specializing in Estre cuisine. The ingredients used in the restaurant were flown in from abroad daily, making the dishes there very expensive. Just the desserts Lucas had given her would probably cost over 3,000 dollars.She had been there once and would never forget the experience. She took a deep breath and accepted the box. "Thanks."Lucas smiled and continued, "By the way, I’d like to apologize for my bad behavior the last time I came here. I was a little on edge at that time."Stella raised an eyebr
Lucas could not shake the feeling that there was something off about this woman. He could not tell what it was, so he kept his eyes on her.Sensing his gaze, Stella asked, "Am I doing something wrong? Why are you staring at me?"Lucas smiled awkwardly, quickly trying to come up with an excuse to divert her attention. "No… I just think you’re…really pretty. I just couldn’t help staring." He chided himself inwardly for being so shameless. This was worse than telling a blatant lie. 'I'm not going to get struck by lightning, am I?' he wondered.Stella was momentarily stunned. Her face then turned red with shyness as she held her cheek. She knew she was as pretty as Chloe. However, she was not interested in a lowly assistant. She wanted to be like Tiffany, so she was going to do what she had to do. "What did you say, Lucas?!" Suddenly, Emily's voice came from the ward entrance. She had her hands on her hips and her teeth clenched in anger. ‘He thinks this girl is pretty? Is he blin
Alfred flew into a rage upon learning of the incident. He was certain that Stella was behind this, but he could not believe she had done such a thing.After reviewing the surveillance footage, they found that Stella had gone to the pharmacy before the IV bag change. The truth was evident. Soon, she was brought before Joseph."Why are you arresting me? Let me go!" she cried.Stella still had not noticed the gravity of the situation and refused to admit her mistake. As far as she knew, Chloe was completely fine and the alarm in the ward had not gone off. At most, they just discovered something. Since Chloe was fine, why should she admit anything?Stepping in front of Joseph, Alfred asked Stella sternly, "Chloe's IV bag was found to have multiple times the normal dose of sedative. Was it your doing?""It wasn't me, Professor. I have no idea what happened," Stella replied, shaking her head. She glanced at Chloe and then continued, "Ms. Chloe seems perfectly fine—"That's because Mr.
The driver aimed for Stella’s legs, and she was sent flying five meters away. She hit the ground and fainted. It would seem she would likely be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life.Zoelle was there when the accident happened. She recalled the unusual coldness she sensed from Joseph during a recent phone call. Now, seeing Stella being thrown out of the institute, she clicked her tongue in wonder. She did not have a strong impression of Stella, having crossed paths with the latter only a few times during their university days. However, aware of Stella's affection for Noah, Zoelle concluded that Stella was another irredeemable fool like Bethany. Upon entering the institute and exchanging pleasantries with Alfred, Zoelle gathered information about the recent events. Trusting Alfred's expertise as one of the world's premier psychiatrists, she was confident that Chloe would awaken within three days. However, what Chloe chose to do after waking up would be entirely up to her.