Chapter 48
“We had dinner together tonight, so Mr. Zale gave us a ride home.” Sally lifted her eyes, looking at Brad with cold indifference.
Brad’s brows suddenly furrowed. “You two had dinner together?”
“What’s so shocking about that?” Sally’s tone was icy. “Mr. Zale is Lillian’s godfather. I’m taking care of her now, so of course, he comes by to check on her sometimes. Isn’t that normal?”
“Sally, you don’t even visit your own son, but you’re busy raising someone else’s kid. Don’t you think that’s just ridiculous?” snapped Brad.
Sally smirked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “You and Lena really are a perfect match. Even the things you say sound exactly the same!”
“Isn’t it the truth?” Brad retorted.
Sally didn’t bother arguing. Her voice was flat. “If you’ve got nothing else to say, stop coming here and bothering me. There’s nothing left for us to talk about.”
“Stay away from Uncle Jaxon from now on. Give the kid back to him. I don’t want you to look after someone else’s child anymore.”
Brad’s voice was ice–cold as his gaze landed on Lillian.
Lillian happened to look up and met his eyes.
She instinctively lowered her head, edging closer to Sally and gripping her hand even tighter.
Sally immediately noticed how tense and uneasy Lillian was.
She dragged Lillian along and raised her voice. “Brad, I’m divorcing you. You can’t tell me who I can take care of! If you’re so bothered by me looking after someone else’s kid, why don’t you send Nick over for me to raise? But would you really do that?”
Brad’s expression darkened for a moment.
Of course, he wasn’t on board with this.
Even if there was nothing between them, Nick was his only kid. There was no way he’d let Sally take Nick.
“Mr. Zale, if you never planned to let me raise Nick, then why are you giving me attitude now?” said Sally.
Brad said, “I just think it’s totally inappropriate for you to be looking after Uncle Jaxon’s kid!”
Sally’s face turned icy. “She’s just his goddaughter, not even his real daughter. Why are you so bothered?”
Brad said, “I’m not bothered. I just don’t want people gossiping. And Grandpa thinks this is just temporary, but from the way you’re acting, it looks like you want to keep her for good.”
Sally’s eyes grew even colder at his words.
If Brad found out she’d adopted Lillian right now, he’d definitely try to stir up trouble.
She absolutely couldn’t let him know she’d adopted Lillian.
Otherwise, everything she and Jaxon had worked for would go to waste.
“Instead of coming at me, maybe you should go talk to your uncle,” said Sally.
Brad asked, “What’s that supposed to mean?” Brad looked confused. “Are you saying Uncle Jaxon insisted you take the kid?”
Sally replied coolly, “Lillian lost her parents, and Mr. Zale is always swamped. Do you really think he has time to look after a kid?”
Brad retorted, “He’s got a bunch of nannies at home. Can’t they handle one child?”
Like I said, if you’re so curious, go ask your uncle yourself.” She grabbed Lillian’s hand and headed for the door. “I’ve got other things to do, so I won’t be seeing you out.
Without waiting for Brad to answer, Sally grabbed Lillian’s hand and quickly pulled her inside.
Brad watched her walk in, his eyes turning almost pitch black.
He thought, ‘She asked me to go ask Uncle Jaxon. Asking him for something like this? He might not even bother to listen!”
1/3
11:55 AM
Chapter 48
When Sally got home, she saw Abigail lounging on the couch. “You’re back already?”
“Yes, Abigail!” Lillian ran over and hugged Abigail’s arm, a gentle smile spreading across her face.
Sally took Lillian for a bath, and when they came out, Abigail was still sitting on the couch, scrolling through her phone.
Sally walked over, curious. “It’s getting late. Why aren’t you in bed yet?”
“Perfect timing. I have a relative who’s not feeling well and wants you to take a look. When’s your clinic opening?” asked Abigail.
“In two days,” Sally replied, looking at her with interest. “What’s wrong with your relative?”
“She’s got the same trouble breathing as Howard did. Modern medicine hasn’t really helped, so I was hoping you could check her out.”
“Of course! Just have her come by the clinic after we open, and I’ll see what I can do,” said Sally.
“Great.” Abigail nodded and then changed the subject. “How’s your place coming along? Is the renovation finished?”
Sally nodded. “Yeah, it’s pretty much done. Someone’s coming to clean tomorrow, and once that’s sorted, we’ll be all set to open.”
Abigail asked curiously. “So, did you find the right person for the job?”
Sally replied calmly, “Someone’s coming in for an interview tomorrow.”
Abigail said, “Well, make sure you pick someone reliable. Get yourself a real right–hand man…”
Sally just smiled and didn’t say anything.
The next morning, a few people came to the clinic for interviews, but for now, Sally only planned to hire one traditional medicine practitioner. She’d think about bringing on more staff once the clinic was running smoothly.
After meeting several candidates, only one young man really caught her eye.
He wasn’t that old, but his medical skills were impressive. He was tall and good–looking, too.
When he walked in, Sally felt like a fresh breeze had swept through the room. He was both clean–cut and cheerful. His name was Carlos York.
Sally couldn’t help but smile when she saw his name.
The name was poetic, just like him, gentle, yet with a hidden edge.
Sally asked him a few questions, and he answered almost all of them perfectly. When it came time for the practical test, he was even more professional than she’d expected.
“You did great. If you’re interested, you can start tomorrow,” said Sally.
Carlos nodded enthusiastically. “Absolutely, Mrs. Zale.”
Sally said, “Just call me Sally from now on.”
Carlos said with a gentle smile, “Alright. I will call you Sally from now on.”
“Okay.” Sally nodded softly and walked him to the door.
As Carlos pushed open the front door, he met a pair of cold, piercing eyes.
A man in a black suit stood there, his sharply defined hand raised as if he was just about to open the door.
Carlos froze for a split second when he saw the man. Then he gave a polite nod and looked away.
He glanced back at Sally. “I’ll get going now, Sally.”
Sally waved at him. “Alright.”
Her gaze shifted to the man who had just walked in, a hint of curiosity in her eyes. “Mr. Zale, what brings you here all of a sudden?”
“My friend heard your clinic was about to open. He couldn’t make it to check on things himself, so he asked me to come take a look,” Jaxon spoke in his usual calm tone, but there was a subtle warmth in his eyes.
Sally grinned, “Is your friend worried I’ll end up tearing the place down?”
