Chapter 13
“Get out of my way,” Sylvia snapped, her voice sharp as a knife.
Her face was stone–cold, her eyes glaring at Joanna, who stood blocking her path.
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Joanna’s eyes teared up, her lip quivering like she’d been terribly hurt. “Sylvia, it’s not that I don’t want you to see him, but Edward’s really fragile right now.
“He can’t handle any stress. Can you come back another day?”
Inside the room, Edward heard the noise. His cloudy eyes narrowed, his voice rough. “Who’s yelling out there?”
Cedric rushed to the door in a hurry to figure out what was going on.
Joanna jumped on the chance, her face full of fake worry. “Mr. Groove, isn’t Edward supposed to stay calm right now? I’m just—”
Cedric cut her off, annoyed. “Why are you blocking her? She’s my mentor! She’s here to check on Edward. If you hold her up and something happens to him, are you taking the blame?”
Joanna’s jaw dropped, her eyes wide with shock. “Mr. Groove, what? You’re saying Sylvia’s… your mentor?”
Cedric shot her a look. “Yeah, obviously!”
Joanna’s face went red, then pale, like she’d been slapped by the truth. Humiliation burned through her.
She couldn’t believe it. ‘Sylvia, Cedric Groove’s mentor?‘
Sylvia pushed past Joanna’s stunned face and walked into the room.
Joanna’s mind raced, her eyes darting. She thought, “This has to be fake. Sylvia can fake a lot, but medical skills? No way. I’ll watch her mess up.
Edward’s tired eyes brightened when he saw Sylvia. He sat up a bit, his voice shaky with excitement. “Sylvia… you’re back? Thank God…”
Sylvia walked over and said, “Edward, take it easy, don’t get worked up!”
Sylvia hurried to his bedside, her face full of concern. “You just had surgery. The cut’s still healing.”
Joanna smirked from the corner, her voice sugary but sharp. “Sir, Sylvia said she’s the one who operated on you. She’s here for your check–up.”
Edward blinked, then grinned. “I knew it! I was wondering who else in this country had that kind of skill, besides my old friend who passed. It makes sense–it’s you, Sylvia!”
The old friend he mentioned was Sylvia’s grandfather.
The guy had saved Edward’s life years ago when his heart first acted up. That connection had led to Sylvia and Byron’s engagement.
Sylvia’s medical talent clearly came from her grandfather.
Joanna’s face darkened, her stomach twisting with resentment.
She thought, ‘Is Edward for real? Buying Sylvia’s obvious lie? His favoritism is ridiculous!‘
Sylvia picked up the CT scan from the bedside table, studying it closely before checking Edward’s cardiogram.
“Edward,” she said calm, “The surgery went well, but at your age, your circulation’s a bit slow. It’s holding back your recovery.”
She pulled a sleek case from her bag, carefully sterilizing a set of acupuncture needles.
Cedric helped unbutton Edward’s hospital gown. Sylvia’s hands moved smoothly, each needle hitting the right spot on Edward’s pressure points.
Edward felt a cool, refreshing feeling spread through him, the tight heaviness in his chest fading.
“Sylvia, thank you. I haven’t felt this good in days,” he said, his voice warm with gratitude.
Cedric, thrilled, started asking Sylvia all about her acupuncture technique.
Joanna stood frozen, her jaw slack Sylvia knows acupuncture?‘
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4:12 PM
Chapter 13
She could see Edward’s cheeks gaining color, his breathing steady and calm.
The truth hit Joanna like a ton of bricks. Sylvia wasn’t pretending–she was the surgeon who saved Edward.
Joanna couldn’t help wondering, ‘How? How could a small–town nobody like her be this skilled?‘
Edward looked at Sylvia, his voice heavy with regret. “Sylvia, is there really no chance for you and Byron?”
Sylvia cut him off before he could go on. “Sir, let’s not talk about the past, okay?”
Edward sighed, disappointed. “Byron doesn’t know what he’s missing.”
His eyes flicked to Joanna, and he let out a sharp huff. “As long as I’m alive, no one’s marrying Byron except Sylvia.”
Joanna’s face burned with embarrassment. Desperate to change the subject, she turned. “Sylvia, I saw a little girl with you earlier. Who is she? Did you… remarry?”
Her eyes slid toward Edward, her tone loaded with meaning.
Sylvia nodded calmly. “Yes, she’s my daughter.”
Joanna’s lips curved into a smug smile, expecting Edward’s face to twist with anger. To her shock, he only let out a soft sigh.
Then he said, “Sylvia, bring the kid by sometime so I can meet her. She may not be a Blair, but she’s my old friend’s great–granddaughter. I’ll love her for him.”
Joanna’s fists clenched under the table. ‘Is Edward out of his mind?‘ she thought, ‘That girl had zero Blair blood. Why is he still fawning over Sylvia?‘
Edward feit he owed Sylvia–especially after she’d saved his life.
After a moment’s thought, he asked about her daughter and learned Ruby was in kindergarten.
He fumbled for his phone on the bedside table.
“James, head to Class Two of Francisco Memorial School’s kindergarten division. Find a little girl named Ruby. Get her measurements for some custom clothes.”
He paused, then added, “There’s that designer brand, AIVLYS, right? Order her a hundred outfits, full sets for every season.”
Joanna’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. “A hundred outfits? Sir, isn’t that… a bit much? For all four seasons?”
Edward’s brow furrowed, his voice rising. “A hundred? If she weren’t still growing, I’d order ten thousand! It’s just clothes.”
Joanna seethed, jealousy burning through her.
AIVLYS was the hot new fashion brand, backed by the world’s top designers.
Each piece cost a fortune–hundreds of thousands. And Edward was dropping that kind of cash on some kid he hadn’t even met.
Sylvia, meanwhile, hid a wry smile.
She hadn’t expected Edward to know about AIVLYS, the brand she’d founded. But she kept quiet, not wanting to spoil his gesture.
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