Upon seeing this, Jean finally felt relieved.
It was as if a lone flatboat, adrift for far too long on the boundless expanse of the sea, had finally reached the shore.
Jean was finally at peace.
The doctor at the side was visibly excited as he celebrated the success of the surgery. âThe surgery on Mr. Frederic was very successful. Madam Beauvort, you can rest assured. In a little while, the nurses will bring Mr. Frederic out, and you can accompany him to his room. If all goes well, he should wake up within the next twenty-four hours.â
Wrenn finally received the long-awaited good news. Overwhelmed with joy, she burst into tears, covering her mouth, her voice breaking due to her sobs. âThank you, thank you⦠So, his subsequent recoveryâ¦â
âRest assured, Mr. Fredericâs surgery went very smoothly, and there were no adverse reactions. This will be beneficial for his subsequent recovery.â
âGood, thatâs good. Thank you. I really canât thank you enough.â
The doctor smiled and waved his hand. âWe owe a lot to Dr. Nancy, the miracle doctor, this time. She significantly expedited the process.â
Neera was momentarily taken aback, then modestly smiled. âYou flatter me. I didnât really do much to help.â
âThatâs not true. If it werenât for your guidance and reminders on certain details, we might have made mistakes. Moreover, the most crucial part is this heart you found. Such a matching heart is simply too ideal. If you hadnât found it in time, we might have missed the best treatment opportunity, and Mr.
Frederic would have had to choose conservative treatment.â
Neera preferred to maintain a modest smile, without saying much.
Through tear-filled eyes, Wrenn looked at Neera, her expression a complex mix of emotions.
A multitude of emotions struck Wrennâs heart, yearning to pour out, yet uncertain if she should let them do so.
For the first time in her life, she felt a sense of trepidation.
Neera didnât look at Wrenn, simply sending a soothing glance toward Jean. âIâll go change my clothes first. You guys can follow Mr. Frederic to the ward in a bit. Iâll be right there.â
Jeanâs Adamâs apple bobbed slightly as he said, âAll right, Iâll wait for you.â
With a smile, Neera turned and headed toward the dressing room.
After changing into her own clothes, she washed her face.
Her phone fang at that moment. It was an unfamiliar number.
Without much thought, Neera picked up the phone and asked politely, âHello, may I ask whoâs calling?â
The atmosphere on the other end seemed to pause for a moment. Then, a somewhat familiar voice came through, inexplicably a bit oppressive. âMs. Garcia, itâs me. I hope Iâm not disturbing you.â
After a moment of searching her memory, Neera hesitantly asked, âAre you⦠Mr. Leopold?â
Leopold said in a strained voice, âItâs me.â
Neera clamped the phone between her shoulder and head, cleaned her hands, threw the tissue into the trash can, and then moved the phone to her other ear.
âExcuse me, can I help you with something?â Her tone was indifferent, causing Leopold to pinch the bridge of his nose.
Then, Leopold said, âI wanted to apologize to you. Weâve found out about what Nicole did. Grandpa was so upset about it that he fell ill. He even invoked family discipline to punish Nicole. He wasnât aware of the heart interception incident. I hope it didnât cause any inconvenience to you.â
Neera had guessed his purpose for the call. Leaning against the sink, she replied to him emotionlessly, âNo.â
Leopold sighed in relief. âThatâs good. Nicole is naive and almost caused a big disaster-â
Neera interrupted, âMr. Leopold, your sister is no longer a child. Sheâs an adult. Itâs not quite appropriate to excuse her mistakes as ignorance. Right and wrong, good and evil, Iâm sure she understands these concepts. So, saying this doesnât really make sense.â
She realized her tone was a bit harsh. After a brief pause, she spoke again, this time with a more relaxed and smoother tone. âOf course, Iâm not blaming you. I just want to say that sheâs an adult now.
If she makes a mistake, she should bear the consequences herself. You donât need to apologize or explain on her behalf. This isnât your fault.â
Leopold moved his lips slightly. He had a lot to say, but the only thing he could utter was an apology. âI understand, and Iâm truly sorry. The lack of discipline in the Meyer family has caused you trouble.â
âMr. Leopold, youâre too kind. If it werenât for Mr. Meyerâs help in finding the heart, I wouldnât have known what to do. The surgery wouldnât have gone so smoothly, let alone be completed. Iâm deeply grateful to your family. Both you and Mr. Meyer are people of great kindness. As for the matter with Nicole, I didnât suffer any loss and I donât plan to pursue it any further. Letâs let the matter rest.â
âAll right, thank you.â
âNo need for formalities. I should be the one thanking you.â Glancing at the time, Neera ended the conversation. âMr. Leopold, I have some matters to attend to, so I wonât keep you any longer.â
Leopold hummed in agreement, his tone gentle and refined.
âAll right.â Then, he called out to her again, hesitated for a moment before he asked, âMs. Garcia, if you have some free time, I wonder if you will do me the honor of joining me for a meal as an apology. Will that be all right?â.
Neeraâs eye twitched subconsciously, a peculiar feeling stirring within her.
She didnât give it much thought and gently turned it down. âActually, you really donât have to worry about it. Iâve been quite busy lately too. Letâs talk about it later.â
The subtle anticipation in Leopoldâs heart quietly fade away.
He gently pursed his lips, softly said âOkay,â and hung up the phone with a sense of loss.
After spending some time in the living room, he stood up and made his way upstairs. As he turned the corner of the staircase, he unexpectedly encountered Nicole, who was leaning against the railing. His eyebrows immediately furrowed. âWhat brings you here?â
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