Sophia was about to head to the kitchen for something to eat, but as she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw Scott Livinus and Felix standing in the living room. Scott Livinus, tall and imposing at about 185 cm, cut an intimidating figure in his suit. His expression was impassive, and his stern demeanor, combined with his strong presence, seemed to thin the air in the room.
He took a bottle of chilled water from the fridge. “Has there been any response from Mr. James?”
“No, Mr. James’s family is dealing with some issues right now, so business might not be his priority in the short term.”
“What’s going on?” Scott Livinus’s brows furrowed.
“I heard that his wife is bedridden. She’s been to all the top doctors in the country, but no one has been able to help. Mr. James deeply loves his wife and hasn’t been to the office for a week now.”
Scott Livinus loosened his tie slightly, his gaze deepening. “Pick out some of the supplements we have at home, ones that are good for women’s health.”
“Are you planning to visit Mrs. James, sir?”
Scott Livinus didn’t deny it. “This deal is crucial, and the competition is watching closely. We have to secure it.”
As he finished speaking, he turned and saw Sophia standing at the top of the staircase.
Sophia blinked, feeling caught. “Um… I wasn’t eavesdropping; I was just heading down to get some food and happened to overhear…”
“Felix, let’s go!”
Without pausing, Scott Livinus gave her an indifferent look before grabbing his suit jacket and heading for the door, with Felix following him, supplements in hand.
Sophia suddenly called out, “May I ask what illness Mrs. James has?”
As a doctor, Sophia had a habit of tackling the tough cases that stumped others. Whenever she heard about a patient suffering from an incurable disease, her interest was piqued. She’d be intrigued if people said it was beyond local doctors’ ability to treat. And if it was considered impossible to treat nationally, she’d feel an almost irresistible urge to try her hand.
Besides, as she was just starting out in her career and still lacked connections to sources of medical herbs, helping Mrs. James could be pretty beneficial.
Scott Livinus looked at her with a distant expression. “You heard, didn’t you? Doctors across the country have failed to help.”
Sophia mentally clicked her tongue, impressed by how quickly he’d put up a barrier, already implying that she should stop overestimating herself.
Such a charming personality, she thought sarcastically.
“Yes, doctors across the country couldn’t help her, but that doesn’t mean I can’t.” Sophia shrugged, feigning casual confidence.
Scott Livinus’s frown deepened. “Sophia, while it’s good to avoid underestimating yourself, arrogance is another matter. Mr. James is a important client, not someone for you to ‘practice’ on.”
Sophia realized he thought of her as just another medical school student looking for practice.
With a small smile, she explained calmly, “Mr. Scott, I’m actually from a family of traditional medicine practitioners. Do you know why Scott Henry married me? Because my family possesses many rare formulas. In families like ours, it may be hard to see our value in everyday situations, but when it comes to rare, difficult cases, our knowledge truly shines.”
After a moment of silence, Scott Livinus glanced at Felix. Taking the cue, Felix quickly responded, “Ah, from what I heard… it seems Mrs. James is suffering from hemorrhaging. She’s lost a significant amount of blood, and they’ve been unable to stop the bleeding. She’s barely hanging on.”
“Internal bleeding?” Sophia’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Hemorrhaging could stem from many causes, and each required a tailored approach. “Have they taken her to the hospital?”
“No, I’m not sure of the details beyond that,” Felix replied.
Sophia nodded. In her previous life, she had treated countless cases of severe hemorrhaging. For her, it wasn’t a difficult condition to manage, but without the right treatment approach, even a manageable illness could be fatal, with many patients ultimately succumbing to blood loss.
She looked back at Scott Livinus, her expression calm. “I’d like to take a look. If doctors nationwide can’t treat her, failing wouldn’t be anything shameful, and it wouldn’t bring you any trouble. But if I succeed…”
If she succeeded, she’d have saved Mrs. James’s life, leaving Mr. James indebted to her. In that case, securing the deal would likely be effortless.
After a moment, Scott Livinus nodded, his voice low. “Get in the car.”
In the back seat, Sophia and Scott Livinus sat on opposite sides, one near the right window, the other on the left.
Felix, glancing in the rearview mirror, found their dynamic a bit odd. Scott Livinus, despite his coldness, was usually unfailingly courteous toward women. This was the first time Felix had seen him maintain such an unyielding distance from a woman.
It looked like he was keeping her at arm’s length on purpose.
In fact, it almost seemed like there was something suspicious going on.
And as for Sophia… Felix didn’t know her well, but her demeanor didn’t seem quite normal either. She seemed eager to avoid any association with Scott Livinus as if she couldn’t distance herself fast enough.
Both of them were acting quite oddly!
