"I understood every word you said, but I can't possibly live my life with memory loss. Plus, you know the long-term effects if I do not opt for surgery." Alec examined Blake carefully as though he suspected an ulterior motive.Blake understood the necessity of the surgery, but she simply hoped that the surgery could be delayed for a few months. She knew better than to say her thoughts aloud, so she muttered, "I know. I'm just worried for you.""Don't worry. My luck isn't that bad." He wouldn't go down before he could take over the Faust family.Blake didn't say a word because she knew that any objection would only irk him. Instead, she turned her attention to Jenny.On that afternoon, Jenny was surprised to find Blake at her office. "Miss Watkins, are you here to talk to me?""Yes," Blake replied. Frowning, Jenny wanted to remind her that it was business hours, but Blake said, "I'm the final patient on your list today. You don't have to worry about the next patient." Then, she han
Jenny was unable to refute Blake's seemingly reasonable and confident accusation. In reality, such situations were plausible. If a patient was a loved one of the surgeon, the surgeon might fail to rein in his or her emotions if there was a minor slip-up during the surgery, which might affect the outcome. However, this wouldn't apply across the board to all doctors, and Jenny believed that she was better than that.Still, she couldn't fault Blake for voicing out a legitimate concern. After a pause, she suggested to Blake, "That is a valid concern, but you are not his legal wife yet. From a legal perspective, you cannot make decisions on his behalf. However, you can tell him about your thoughts when you get home. If he shares your concern, I can contact other doctors to step in for me."She offered sincere advice from her heart, but it sounded like mockery to Blake. "Are you mocking me for not getting married to him?""No, that's not what I meant." The misinterpretation dumbfounded Je
Rowena kept a smile on her face even after being confronted by Jenny. "Oh, let's drop that and eat. We can discuss it after dinner." Meanwhile, she went into the kitchen and prepared two more dishes. Then, she took a seat at the table to eat with them.The trio stared at the dishes on the table, but Jenny and Graham didn't touch the food out of fear that Rowena might have added something to it.Rowena seemed to read their mind and tested all the dishes in front of them. "Go ahead. The food's safe to eat."Jenny and Graham exchanged glances and started eating in silence. Throughout dinner, Jenny decided she would help keep Graham level-headed against whatever Rowena wanted to say later. She didn't want Graham to change his mind because of Rowena's words.In fact, Jenny had underestimated Graham's resolve. He would have overlooked the minor tricks that Rowena pulled, but he wouldn't forgive her for harming the Walters and Jenny. Therefore, Rowena's efforts that day were destined to g
Graham chuckled coldly. "You loved me? You wouldn't have slept with another man if you loved me. Do you take me for a fool, Rowena Glass?"Always a reticent man, he was unusually talkative that day, which surprised her. She muttered, "Graham…""Tell me what you want from the divorce." He refused to waste time quarreling with her because the divorce was final. Seeing that, Rowena knew she stood no chance and sat across from him. Staring at the familiar man, who was nothing more than a stranger now, she felt resentment rising in her. "I came here today for a final appeal. I thought you would consider our feelings for each other after years of marriage and might reconsider the divorce if I made a compromise. But I finally realized I was the only one with feelings for you—it was not mutual."Graham did not respond to her speech at all. She took a deep breath to keep her anger in check. "We can proceed with the divorce if you split the Walter family's assets in half." She gave an offer
In the end, Rowena left the villa with the signed divorce papers and the offer of a countryside villa and 15 million dollars. She did not want the two apartment properties initially offered to her, which were admittedly in a better location than the villa she received, because she believed that she should live in villas, not high-rise buildings. Ever since birth, she had been living in villas, which led to her odd insistence on receiving a villa at the time of divorce.After negotiating with Graham, the 15 million dollars she received was the final agreement. He was speechless at her obstinance and added another 5 million dollars because he couldn't be bothered with her. But the deal was far from ideal for her because she visited Graham with at least one billion dollars in mind, and she only left with a tenth of the amount she wanted, which was a huge difference.However, she had her concerns. Like Graham told her, she needed to think in Jolene's best interests. Whatever she had done
Considering that Paul was a friend of Alec's and that she had not given up on pursuing him, she nodded at Paul as a form of greeting. To her dismay, Paul ignored the gesture because he looked down on her. Enraged, she felt disrespected."Are all Parringtonians this stubborn?" First, there was Jenny, and here came Paul, who was similarly annoying. She also knew how obstinate Alec could be.Paul sat on the bench outside of the operating theatre and chuckled. "Maybe it's not us who are stubborn. Perhaps, Bardoff people are simply weak in comparison.""Paul Wagner!" She was outraged. "I didn't want to fight with you because you're Alec's friend, but you shouldn't go overboard either!""Miss Watkins, you're being weird. When did I go overboard? I didn't even do anything." He shrugged, looking innocent. Sure, he did not do anything to her, but his attitude alone was enough to irk her.She scoffed and sat on the bench across from him, refusing to talk to him for the sake of her sanity. T
"Dr. Walter said the surgery was a success, but the patient needs to be warded in the ICU. If he gets through tonight without complications, there won't be any major risks down the road."Paul felt assured by the nurse's explanation. He was initially worried about Jenny operating on Alec because he could not gauge her feelings for him. She could have taken Alec's life in silence by claiming a "slip-up" in the surgery. Thankfully, Jenny didn't pull any tricks on Alec.Soon, Alec was wheeled out from the operating theater to the ICU. Jenny came out and noticed Paul by the entrance. She told him, "The surgery was successful. Please inform Mr. Zachary Faust.""Sure, I'll let him know." Paul nodded, his worries gone after learning about the successful surgery. On her way out, she stopped again and said to Paul and Blake, "I need someone to stay guard at the hospital tonight. Which one of you is staying?" She had announced that on purpose to observe Blake's response."I'll stay back. A
Paul glanced at Alec from the ICU entrance and sat by the door. At that moment, he was incredibly troubled by Jenny's words even though he didn't believe her. He was sure that Stephanie loved him. It would be impossible for her to be with another man in such a short time. But what if…At that thought, he had the urge to meet with Stephanie and question her. Still, he had to put that on hold because Alec had not woken up.Meanwhile, Jenny hung around in the staff lounge after the surgery. She didn't have to work the subsequent shift, but she stayed on anyway for reasons unknown. Perhaps, she fully knew what was going on in her mind but was reluctant to admit it.The hospital was tranquil at night, and Alec was in stable condition. However, the same could not be said for some others in Bardoff City.At 3 am, Jenny finally managed to fall asleep in the lounge but was woken up by her ringing phone. She shot up, thinking that something might have happened to Alec, only to realize it was