“It must be fake.”
“Should we ask Miss Smith about it? Stop the losses early?”
Scott Livinus returned to his desk, tapping his fingers on the table. After a long silence, he finally said, “No need! Let him be!”
Felix thought about it and understood his intentions.
If Scott Richard’s prescription was obtained improperly, then he couldn’t blame Miss Smith for doing something behind his back. No one forced Scott Richard to invest so much money in a fake prescription. He had to bear the consequences himself.
“Understood.”
“Remember, don’t mention this to anyone.”
“Understood!”
–
The next day, Sophia went to Liam’s restaurant for lunch. It was peak time, and the place was unusually full. She looked around but didn’t see any open seats.
Liam peeked out from the kitchen, raised an eyebrow, and said, “No seats left, but there’s a gentleman you can share a table with.”
“Hmm?” Following his gaze, she saw Scott Livinus, dressed in a black T-shirt, sitting in the corner by the window.
He rarely dressed casually, perhaps because he was used to being a CEO. Even in casual clothes, he carried a certain stern air. Handsome, yes, but his aura was strong, making him hard to approach.
“No other tables?” Sophia asked.
“Nope!” Then he called out, “Livinus, this lady doesn’t have a table. Share with her!”
Before Scott Livinus could refuse, Liam had already pulled out a chair for Sophia and set the table for her.
Scott Livinus showed no reaction throughout. Sophia smiled, “Maybe I should share with someone else?”
“Someone else? Everyone else here is a couple. Are you going to be a third wheel? I say, just share the table with Livinus, the single guy here!”
Scott Livinus neither agreed nor disagreed. Sophia poured herself some tea, took a sip, and then heard him suddenly speak up:
“Are you afraid of me?”
Sophia paused, “Me? Afraid of you? Do you look that scary?”
There was little expression on Scott Livinus’s face, but his lips curved into a faint smile.
It was the first time she saw him show this expression, and Sophia felt as if she’d seen a ghost.
He was actually smiling? Heaven! The human-shaped air conditioner wasn’t blowing cold air for once?
“About Tony’s health, how confident are you in treating it?”
Sophia thought for a moment, “Both of them have issues, but Clara’s is more serious. Still, I’d say there’s at least a 60% chance!”
“Can they have a child?”
“No big issue there!”
Scott Livinus nodded and pushed the newly served dish toward Sophia. “Eat first!”
Sophia had ordered the same dish, but seeing his insistence, she didn’t say anything and took a few bites.
It was rare for Scott Livinus to have free time. He seldom had such moments, sitting there, passing time, just to have a meal.
Sophia ate quietly, without making a sound. Her manners were impeccable. From this, it seemed Andrea was mistaken. Though Sophia’s family wasn’t as prestigious as the Scott Family, her upbringing and grace were more than enough to match Henry.
Her red lips moved slightly as she took small bites of her food, which led Scott Livinus’s mind to wander back to that night.
The entanglement, the indulgence – even though the initial encounter was due to the influence of a drug, after several times, it seemed to mean something more.
He was a man of strong self-control, and even under the influence of the drug, he shouldn’t have completely lost control. Yet, that night, their wildness made him repeatedly question if something had gone wrong.
The meal ended in silence. Though they didn’t say much, the atmosphere was comfortable enough to make the meal enjoyable.
After the meal, Sophia went to pay, only for Scott Livinus to stop her by handing over his card.
“I’ll treat you.” Then, after a pause, he added, “I’m the elder.”
“…”
The word “elder” left Sophia feeling frustrated, though she couldn’t find a reason to refute it. As she left, she thought, Henry, her husband, hadn’t even treated her to a meal, yet here was Scott Livinus, calling himself some kind of elder?
After she left, Liam couldn’t hold back his laughter, “Elder? My goodness! Livinus, this is probably the second funniest thing I’ve heard this year!”
Seeing his confusion, he added, “The first one was when you injured your thigh while exercising! Honestly, did you accidentally pull anything important?”
“…” Scott Livinus quietly put his card away, smiling dangerously, “I’ve decided – this meal is on you!”
Liam was dumbfounded.
–
The next day, with school starting soon, Sophia went to a bookstore to buy a few books.
Though this world wasn’t much different from her previous one, there were still some discrepancies in details. Sophia had to read some professional books to avoid making mistakes at school and arousing suspicion.
Internship at the hospital was not an easy task, so it wouldn’t hurt to be prepared.
The bookstore was large, with many professional books on medicine. Sophia flipped through a few and found that the textbooks were not too different from her previous life. Although, from her perspective, there were many deficiencies, the textbooks were meticulously compiled and overall quite decent.
So why, in this era, did traditional medicine hold such a low status?
Many young people didn’t believe in traditional medicine at all, claiming it was a fraud?
Sophia bought a few professional books. At checkout, she noticed a prominent book on the counter and picked it up.
It was “Bar Talk”, a book she had also bought in her previous life but had only read halfway before mysteriously coming to this world.
She handed the book to the cashier. “I’ll take this one too.”
The cashier smiled apologetically, “This book is a bit niche, and we only have the last copy, which that gentleman over there already reserved.”
Following her gaze, Sophia saw a man in a black T-shirt holding a stack of books. He added “Bar Talk” to the pile as well.
“Paying!” he said, handing over his card. He glanced at Sophia and said casually, “Haven’t gone home yet?”
“You bought this book?” Sophia pointed to the book.
The cashier smiled, “Since you two know each other, maybe you could borrow it from each other.”
Without a word, Scott Livinus paid, then tossed the book to Sophia. Under her gaze, he said, “I’ve read it already. You can take it.”
“Alright, I’ve read most of it. I’ll return it after finishing.”
Scott Livinus nodded and walked away.
–
These past few days hadn’t been peaceful for Andrea. First, she received photos of her husband cheating, then gave the mistress a beating. Since then, Scott Richard often didn’t come home or answer her calls.
