Lulu closed her eyes in exhaustion, and Irene tucked her in. "Rest well."However, Irene refused to abandon Lulu here and would make Lulu better no matter how hard it was.She stayed for a long while in Lulu's ward, many thoughts crossing her mind.Lulu would never get over Martin if she stayed here, and she might be able to leave her dark past if she started over in a new place and started anew.She spoke to the officers, who agreed to her request considering Lulu's condition—the only condition was to get Lulu's consent.Irene insisted that she would, and one of them said, "If you can convince Lulu to accept treatment and live well, you can ask us for anything you need."In fact, they would have done everything they could for Lulu given what happened to her.Irene did not need anything, however. "Just arrange for a vehicle for when I take her away.""Leave that to us. Don't worry."Since the officers were not arguing, Irene just had to work Lulu patiently.She knew that word
Lulu asked, "Why do you insist on taking me away?""Or what, am I supposed to not care while you get yourself killed?" Irene snapped, not abiding with her self-destructive tendencies just then. "Has anyone lived their lives without facing setbacks and rough patches? Is that worth getting killed for? There wouldn't be that many people alive if that were the case.""Did they suffer like I do?" Lulu countered.Irene was stumped, but there definitely had not been many who suffered like Lulu did.Even so, Irene pushed on. "It's always darkest before the dawn.""I'm tired," Lulu replied, shaking her head and reluctant to speak further.Irene knew that Lulu was refusing to see reason and pressed, "If you're not going to do it for anyone, do it for Jean. Just think about it—what if Zachary marries someone and Jean has to live with a stepmother? You should know very well that the stepmother would definitely abuse Jean and put her through all the pain in the world. In fact, you weren't all
Lulu felt uncomfortable along the journey to Minerva.Even if she decided to go with it, she had no idea if she could really be properly treated there."You'll definitely get better," Irene assured her. "And don't worry—no one will find out."Lulu nodded as the plane began in descent.Medical staff from the hospital were on hand to receive them, with Irene making the arrangements. Although her social circle was not exactly huge, most of her acquaintances were involved in the medical field.And with Isaac, Irene did not have to worry about money to get Lucas the best care.Naturally, all the doctors and the treatment were first-class, and the plastic surgeon she got was incredibly accomplished. Irene certainly had to make an effort to reach out to him, and he was supposed to be on leave.At the airport, they moved Lulu into an ambulance that took her straight to the hospital, with Irene keeping her company.Before the surgeries, Lulu had a series of medical examinations, and I
"The patient's injuries are extensive," the doctor replied. "We need further examinations before surgery and plan the surgery accordingly."It was certainly better to be safe than sorry. "Thank you," Irene said. "I'll do my best to treat her since I took her in as a patient." The doctor smiled. "I'm a perfectionist—I don't know what she looked like before or whether I can restore her face to the way it was, but I'll definitely make her look good."Irene agreed—it was fine not to reconstruct Lulu's original appearance as long as the plastic surgery was a success.After Lulu stayed at the hospital, it was medical examinations and planning the surgery over the next few days.Plastic surgery was not Irene's speciality, but she was allowed to be present and judge the success rate of the surgery with her own knowledge.After days of discussion, they planned over a dozen surgeries, both major and minor.It was possible for changes too, and Irene understood that.When she told Lulu
Irene quickly took Lulu's hand. "I'm here. The surgery was a success—you have nothing to worry about.""Yeah," Lulu replied, staring at Irene. "I'm very thirsty…"Irene poured her a glass of water since Lulu had to lie down and refrain from moving, and she felt much relieved from her parched throat after having a drink."I'm done with my first surgery. When are you going home?" Lulu asked then."I'll book a plane ticket in a couple days," Irene told her.Irene was still in a dilemma—she had to find someone reliable to take care of Lulu before she did, and she would feel ill at ease if she asked a stranger.She wanted to ask Mrs. Watson since she trusted her, but doing so would arouse Zachary's suspicion.Though that idea just did not seem right, there was no other option."You're stressing me out if you keep staying here," Lulu said feebly then."Don't worry and rest," Irene told her. "You're just done with your first surgery—you need to stay healthy for your second."Lulu re
"Just tell me," Irene said—she did not have to worry about money with a backer like Isaac.She was just concerned that Eagle's idea might not be reliable, and Lulu was very weak at the moment—there must be no slip-ups."There's this female colleague of mine who is strong and shows a strong sense of duty," Eagle explained. "However, hiring her is expensive, though I could ask her over if you're willing to keep an eye on Ms. Adams. She might not be meticulous as a care worker since her expertise is combat, so you can hire a care worker in addition to her so Ms. Adams would have both care and protection. What do you think?""Let me think about it," Irene replied.Money was not a problem—the problem was that she did not know a thing about the woman Eagle was talking about, making her no different from a stranger.On the other hand, it might be ideal if she had Eagle stayed instead and hired an additional care worker as he suggested."It's late, you should get some sleep. There's no d
After waiting for a long while, Isaac became disappointed since Irene was not calling him back.He refused to call her, too—did she not miss him at all after being gone for so long? She even refused to tell him that!Nonetheless, he rubbed his temples and mustered his spirit as he stared at the documents on the table.One wrong decision would lead to severe losses for his company, and he assumed his usual working mindset of calm and prudence.-Irene did not sleep well the entire night, as she had this nagging feeling that Isaac was angry.Still, she decided she would not explain herself clearly if she called back, and that she must get home soon to check on the children and talk to Isaac so he would not keep feeling upset about it.She could stay there for a couple days before coming back too.She ate the breakfast Eagle bought in the morning, hesitating for a moment before telling him, "I think I'll rest easy knowing you're here."Moreover, his colleague would need time to g
"I'll stay here and take good care of Miss Adams," Eagle assured Irene. "You have nothing to worry about."Irene was certainly assured with Eagle around.Meanwhile, she still had not called Isaac as she was heading home to surprise him. It was daytime when she arrived at Franconia due to the time difference, and took a cab home from the airport.She checked her wristwatch to see if he would be at home, and decided that he would still be home.She could not help feeling thrilled at the thought of seeing him again, her drowsiness fading just then as she was eager to get home sooner to see him and their children.She looked out at the scenery. Unlike Zidonia's green zones, most of the area was urbanized, but the buildings themselves made for great scenery too, if different. She alighted once her cab arrived outside the castle, and headed inside.Pierre was the first to see her, and he appeared surprised. "Ma'am…"Irene smiled at him and asked, "Has he left for work?""He just