Yvette Mooney's brakes failed, but she was put in jail for drunk driving.

When she got out of prison, the jailer reminded her, "When you get out of here, remember to abide by the law all the time. Don't ever come back. Got it?"

Yvette nodded. "Yes, I got it."

Noticing no one on the road, the jailer couldn't help asking, "No one is here to pick you up? It takes at least three hours to drive from here to the city center.

A glint of self-mockery flashed across Yvette's eyes. She acted all tough and said, "No, I'll go home myself."

Looking at her skinny and miserable back, the jailer heaved a sigh and felt sorry for her.

She was a Mooney, but she seemed so miserable.

Three months ago, Yvette was driving her car as usual when the brakes went wrong all of a sudden. The car was about to hit the passer-by. She tried her best to control the wheel and in the end, she hit the flower bed by the roadside.

The front part of her car was totally ruined. Luckily, the passer-by didn't get hurt, except for being scared.

Yvette was panicked, waiting for the investigation result alone. Then, she was arrested for drunk driving.

Back then, she tried to defend herself. According to the police, she had two options. One was to have someone bail her out and the other was to be detained for three months.

But when she called her family and the man she liked for help, all she got was accusations.

"Yvette, stop calling me. What's wrong with you? Humph, if only you could stay in prison forever. Then you wouldn't badger me all the time."

"Drunk driving? Yvette, don't tell anyone that you're my sister. What a disgrace!"

"No more calling me. Just stay in there for self-introspection. It's our family's decision. You gotta learn a lesson and don't act wildly again!"

Yvette cried loudly, begging them to get her out. In the end, no one came to her rescue.

At that moment, she was helpless and felt desperate.

She spent three months in prison, bathing her face in tears day and night.

Now, Yvette checked her Instagram and clicked the latest photo posted by Dianne Kramer, Yvette's cousin.

The photo was about Yvette's parents and two brothers celebrating Dianne's birthday. The house was decorated in Dianne's favorite style and all the food on the table was her favorite too.

It was like her heart had been seized by an invisible hand.

She felt a pang of sharp pain in her heart.

In fact, she was the real daughter of the Mooney family and it was her birthday too.

She always laughed it off and told herself that it was fine when her birthday was forgotten. After all, Dianne had lost her parents. She deserved to be more adored.

But today, they knew that it was time for her to get out of jail and that she had no money with her.

They didn't even send a chauffeur to pick her up.

Then, Yvette thought of what Dianne often said to her.

"Yvette, you're really redundant in this family."

"Dianne was right. I'm just nothing in my family," Yvette thought.

At 9 pm.

It took Yvette seven hours to walk back home from the suburbs.

Enduring the pain caused by the blisters on her feet, she entered the house.

The decoration was still there, but the dining table had been cleaned up.

"You're finally back!"

Yvette turned her face only to see her mother, Debora Mooney, rise from the sofa and walk to her with an angry face.

She said, "No one picked me up. I came home myself."

Debora asked with a long face, "Are you complaining about us not picking you up?"

"No."

Then, Debora slapped her in the face. "Three months in jail didn't teach you anything at all! We didn't go pick you up because we want you to reflect on yourself. If it happens again, you'll no longer be a Mooney.

"But you just threw a tantrum and came back late because of that. Do you know today is Dianne's birthday today? Do you know she waited two hours for you just because she wanted to share the cake with you? If I had known you turned out so bad, I would've deserted you in the hospital."

Yvette felt a tingling pain in her face but her heart ached even more.

She managed to hold back her tears.

Dianne and Yvette were born on the same day, but because of Yvette's father, his enemy abducted Dianne by mistake, indirectly causing Yvette's aunt to commit suicide out of grief. As a result, Debora vowed to find Dianne and treat the latter as her own daughter.

After Dianne was rescued and brought back, she became the apple of the Mooneys' eyes.

All these years, they all blamed Dianne's mother's death and Dianne's abduction on Yvette.

Having been brainwashed for years, Yvette subconsciously felt indebted to Dianne. She wouldn't ask for anything even though they gave everything to Dianne, including their favor, gifts, and all the good things.

But now she finally awakened.

The enemy did that because of Yvette's father and he abducted the wrong baby himself. Why would she have to take the blame?

Yvette lifted her eyes and said, "Let's do a paternity test someday. Maybe I'm not your daughter for real."

She didn't understand why a mother would not love her child.

Except for having no blood ties, she really couldn't think of another reason.

Hearing that, Debora flared up again. "Yvette, how dare you!"

She tried to slap Yvette again, but this time, her wrist was grabbed by Yvette.

This was the first time that Yvette had looked into Debora's eyes. "You're even nice to the servants. I'm your daughter. Why are you always treating me like trash?

"You didn't pick up my calls. I texted you, telling you that I'd get out of prison at 2 pm. It's 9 pm now. It's been seven hours. Shouldn't you have called me, asking me why I hadn't come back home yet? But none of you did that. Worse still, you slapped me in the face the minute I got home!"

Debora was dumbfounded for a few seconds.

She didn't expect Yvette to sass her.

For the moment, she even forgot to be angry.

When she came out of her trance, she scolded, "How dare you feel grieved? You're always goofing around and also squandering our family's money to win a man's heart. If you were half as obedient and sensible as Dianne, of course, we'd love you. You're good for nothing and even get jealous of your sister."

Then, she pressed her temples and pointed at Yvette. "Do you think I want a toxic daughter like you?"

Her words cut Yvette to the heart.

Previously, to gain her parents' praise and a smile from them, she tried her best to learn various skills, including cooking, pastry, tea making, chess, and painting. Sometimes, she could even rejoice over a perfunctory smile.

Sometimes, they didn't even give her any response, but she still felt contented.

She found herself so foolish. Her family adored Dianne to the core but showed her no concern at all. Obviously, they had given up on her.

It was so foolish of Yvette to strive for the ridiculous kinship!

Yvette took a deep breath and made up her mind, saying, "Fine, I'll move out so that I won't annoy you."

After saying that, she turned around and went upstairs.

Debora laughed out of anger. "You'll move out? That's quite some tough talk. Listen up. From now on, you'll never get a single penny from this family. Nor do you come back begging for mercy after leaving for a few days. Don't you ever come back after getting out of here!"

Even while Yvette was packing her few things in her room, Debora was still cursing her downstairs.

Tears kept streaming down Yvette's face.

She wiped the tears again and again.

When she arrived downstairs, Debora was already gone.

A maid came to Yvette. "Ms. Yvette, Mrs. Mooney said you had to leave the keys and all your bank cards before you leave."

Yvette held back her emotions and left everything as told before leaving with her suitcase.

But when she got out of the gate, Spencer's car stopped in front of her.

Dianne got out of the front passenger seat and ran to her in joy. "Yvette, there you are. Were you gonna look for us? It happens that Spencer has driven me home to grab something. Jerome has booked a private room in the Rome Club. Let's go hang out there then."

Spencer put on a disdainful look. "Why would we take her there? She's just got out of prison. What bad luck!"

Dianne acted like she was mad. "Spencer, don't speak like that. Yvette must have realized her mistake. I believe she'll correct herself. She's our sister."

Spencer snorted, "It's such a shame to have a sister like her. Only you can make me proud. And she... Humph!"

Dianne grinned proudly.

She was about to speak more when Yvette said, "Well, you can take her out more. Then, she can make you look good all the time."

Spencer frowned.

Dianne was stunned.

They didn't expect that Yvette would talk tough like that.

Seeing their reactions, Yvette sneered.

Spencer was right. She used to hope that her brothers could take her out for fun, using soft and hard tactics. Just because they always praised Dianne and loathed her among their circles, their friends also hated her.

Over time, those people would compare her with Dianne.

There was a comment she could never forget.

"Dianne is like a flower while Yvette can't even compare with a leaf."

"Looks like three months in prison didn't make you learn. Instead, you've just got worse!" Spencer snapped.

"Yvette, knock it off. Your parents and brothers still care a lot about you." Dianne tried to hold Yvette's hand.

But Yvette didn't let her do that.

Spencer thought that Yvette was gonna hit Dianne, so he just pushed Yvette's shoulders.

Yvette fell to the ground abruptly.

Spencer pointed at her and threatened, "Yvette, do you really think I won't beat you? Dia keeps speaking up for you. And you tried to hit her!"

Dianne was pleased that Spencer was protective of her, but still, she put on an innocent look and stopped him. "Spencer, Yvette didn't mean to hit me. You must have got her wrong."

"I've seen that myself. How can I get her wrong? Don't speak for her again. She's just an ungrateful soul," said Spencer while he took out his phone. "I must tell Jerome about this. She should stay in prison forever!"

Yvette looked at her left hand rubbed raw and her heart was totally numb.

This didn't happen for the first time.

In their eyes, Yvette was always the wicked sister who bullied Dianne all the time.

Yvette was more determined.

She decided to stay away from this family!

Yvette got up from the ground and clenched the suitcase. Staring at Spencer coldly, she said, "No need to worry about me. I'll leave myself."

It was then that Spencer noticed her suitcase. He hedged for a bit.

Then, Yvette fixed her eyes on Dianne and sneered. "They really love you. Why don't you change your last name to Mooney and the only daughter of this family?"

A glint of surprise and joy flashed across Dianne's eyes. She chased after Yvette in an affected manner. "Yvette, where are you heading with your suitcase late at night? Enough grief talking. I'll apologize to you on behalf of Spencer, OK?"

Yvette looked askance at her. "Isn't this what you want?"

Then, she just left without looking back.

Dianne felt so happy as Yvette left.

"After all these years, she's finally gone," Dianne thought.

Spencer walked to her. "Is she insane? Where is she going with a suitcase?"

Dianne pretended to be worried and said, "Yvette said she didn't want to come back anymore. What should we do? She's really mad."

Spencer said through gritted teeth. "How dare she be mad? Hmph. Whatever. Better not come back forever."

It was a bit cool in the early autumn. Yvette wandered on the pavement aimlessly with her suitcase.

Her phone buzzed.

She turned it on and saw a message.

"Happy birthday."

It had been ten years in a row since she received birthday wishes from this number. She had looked into this earlier but found nothing. Over time, she got used to this and saved the number with a mark.

This time, she still replied, "Thank you."

Though she wouldn't receive any reply.

Suddenly, a caller ID showed on her phone.

Upon seeing the call ID, Yvette felt a lump in her throat and burst into tears.

The moment she put the call through, her bestie, Nora Davenport, said briskly from the other side of the call, "Happy birthday to you, my dear!

"I also owe you an apology. Why didn't I send you the birthday wishes right after 12 am? Here's the thing. Because I had to take the graduation exam. You won't be mad at me, will you?"

Yvette cried so hard that her shoulders were shivering. She faltered, "Nora, can you lend me some money?"

Half an hour later, Yvette took a taxi to Nora's apartment.

Nora stayed on the phone. After making sure Yvette had entered the door, she asked seriously, "They didn't take you home or celebrate your birthday. And they even expelled you out of home?"

Yvette learned that Nora had asked her family to get her out upon knowing that she had been taken to the police, but it was stopped by Yvette's father.

She couldn't imagine what on earth she was to the Mooneys.

Sitting on the sofa, Yvette explained everything to Nora, including how she was treated after she got home from prison and that she moved out of the Mooney's house.

After she heard Yvette out, Nora flew into a rage.

"I agree with you. You gotta take the paternity test!"

"Yvie, don't go back to that home. My parents will be yours too. You know, my parents like you a lot. They always say you're versatile with a good personality and various skills. It'd be lucky to have you as their daughter."

Yvette laughed and felt a lot better.

"Aren't you afraid that your parents would be biased toward me?"

"I'm not like that bitch Dianne. Forget about her. Now to the matter at hand. Since you've moved out, how about working at the Pinnacle Hospital?"

"I want to, but..."

"There won't be any problem as long as you want to," Nora said confidently. "Don't forget you're Prof. Arellano's favorite student and the best medical student. You got a lot of offers back then. If not for the Mooneys and that guy, you'd have reached the peak of the medical world."

Speaking of that, Yvette felt remorseful and sorry for her teacher.

If she hadn't given up her career, her teacher wouldn't cut off ties with her out of anger.

"It's OK. You're still young. It's not too late," Nora encouraged her. "I promise you'll join the Pinnacle Hospital. As soon as I get the graduation stuff done, I'll come back to stand up for you."

Yvette knew that Nora was the only person nice to her. But it was never easy to join the Pinnacle Hospital.

She was about to ask Nora not to worry about that but the phone was hung up the next second.

Nora immediately dialed a number right after she hung up the call.

The moment the call was put through, she said, "Hello, am I interrupting something? Are you still working?"

Then a deep male voice came from the other side, "Just cut to the chase."

Yvette knew Nora meant well, but she didn't hold out much hope for that.

When she intended to take a shower, her phone buzzed. She turned it on and found in surprise that she had got a reply from that unknown caller.

"Hmm."

Yvette's curiosity was triggered again. She replied, "May I ask who you are?"

No response was given.

The next day.

Yvette showed up at the Pinnacle Hospital on time as Nora told her to. Shortly, she was led to the deputy director's office.

The deputy director, Mark Weaver, said with all her information, "Come to check in at the Cardiac Surgery Department tomorrow. OK?"

"Sure."

"Any questions on the salary?"

"No."

"Alright, go to the CSD and check in with Marcelo Greer at 8 am tomorrow. Dr. Mooney, welcome to the Pinnacle Hospital."

The moment she got out of the office, Yvette was still baffled.

She didn't expect that Nora could really get her the job.

After a moment of joy, Yvette started to feel worried. It wasn't easy to join the Pinnacle Hospital. She could hardly imagine how Nora made it. "Is it Nora's father who did me the favor," she wondered.

In that case, she had owed Nora a big favor.

She texted Nora how she made it in the elevator.

When the elevator door opened, she got out while typing on her phone.

Suddenly, she was dragged aside.

"You're just everywhere again. Yvette, don't you have other things to do? You're badgering me all day long. Don't you have any shame?"

Yvette didn't steady herself until she staggered a bit. She looked up and finally saw the man.

It was Clifton Garza, the man she had chased for ten years. And he hated her very much.

Holding a bunch of beautiful roses, Clifton glared at her coldly and resentfully.

"Will you stop it?"

His voice was serious and loud, causing all the passers-by to look at them.

Someone recognized Yvette.

"Isn't this the daughter of the Mooney family who was arrested for drunk driving three months ago?"

"Tell me about it. She's chasing after a man again after she got out of prison!"

"Is she out of her mind? Doesn't she know this man hates her a lot?"

Clifton stood in front of her with a frown, his eyes full of detestation. "Clifton, here's my last warning. Don't badger me anymore!"

She felt sad indeed.

After all, she had spent ten years chasing after him.

Back then, she had to please her family and Clifton as well. And she had spent a lot of money on him.

Clifton accepted all the expensive gifts given by Yvette, but he never returned the compliment. She also thought to herself that he must like her since he was willing to take her gifts.

That night when the car accident happened three months ago, she was actually on the way to fetch the birthday gift for him.

That was a lighter worth 300 thousand dollars.

It cost her one year's pocket money, the earnings from her part-time job, and a loan.

Actually, that day, Clifton had informed her that his unforgettable love was coming back from abroad and asked her to back off.

She didn't believe that. So, she insisted on giving him gifts, hoping to show him her sincerity.

But the truth was absurd.

She probably didn't even count as a backup.

Yvette called herself an idiot inwardly and said with a straight face, "Yeah, I got it. I won't show up in front of you again. Besides, I didn't follow you here today. You can check the security footage. I should have got here half an hour earlier than you."

After saying that, Yvette meant to leave.

Clifton had a brain fart for an instant.

She didn't understand why Yvette suddenly changed.

"No, this must be her new trick!" he thought.

With a grim expression, Clifton took two steps forward and dragged her to him, taunting, "Is this your new trick, playing hard to get? Yvette, you're nothing but a helpless love-struck woman, who always tries to win my attention. What else can you do? Do you know you'll only make me detest you more as you do this?"

Clifton grabbed Yvette so hard it hurt.

Onlookers pointed fingers at her.

He looked down at her and mocked, "Are you nervous because I was right?"

Annoyance was written all over Yvette's face. She retorted coldly, "Clifton, why didn't I know you were so narcissistic? If you like to see a woman playing hard-to-get, go find someone else. Leave me alone! You make me sick!"

He made her sick?

Clifton couldn't believe his ears. He had to laugh.

He was certain this was just a new trick by Yvette. Yet he had to admit it got to him.

Looking down, Clifton returned, "Who's been following me everywhere like a fly these years? Yvette, drop your act already. Don't overdo it. You'll regret it."

Yvette realized she was wrong.

She didn't know Clifton as well as she had thought.

She wasn't even his backup. To him, she was a ready source of money. Charmed and smitten with him, she satisfied his vanity perfectly.

With a sneer, Yvette took two steps back and said in disgust, "Don't be so close to me. I don't want people to think you and I have a relationship."

The mocking smile on Clifton's face died.

He stared at Yvette in disbelief.

"What?"

He wanted to say, "What's wrong with you?"

For the past ten years, Yvette did everything to impress him. How could she suddenly be over him?

Yvette gave a standard fake smile. "Didn't you say your beloved woman is returning from abroad? Mind your conduct. Keep a distance from other women unless you like gossip. I hope you and your beloved woman live happily ever after. Bye. Oh, no. So long!"

With a quick wave of her hand, Yvette left, cool and brisk.

Clifton was dumbstruck.

Impossible!

He didn't believe Yvette had changed so dramatically so soon. Just three months ago, she was still crazy about him. She had said she was gonna prepare a big surprise for his birthday. She had told him to wait for it.

Clifton snorted.

Cliché. He saw through her trick.

He believed she'd crawl back to him in tears and beg for his forgiveness!

After a simple lunch, Yvette bought some food and articles of everyday use.

When she got home, she received a notice from Pinnacle Hospital. She was officially hired and could start her job immediately. To get prepared, she learned about the hospital's history in advance.

A familiar name caught her attention.

Anderson Trevino.

He came from the most powerful family in Plympford, and he was Yvette's senior in the same department at university.

In junior year, Anderson suddenly went abroad to study a different major. Two years later, he took over the family business and announced his company was gonna enter the medical industry. Back then, the news caused a sensation. The Trevino family's property spread across the world. Its business covered various fields. But still, it was new in the medical industry. Besides, Anderson was too young and inexperienced. Even though he had learned medicine for three years, people didn't think he had made the wise decision.

Against everyone's expectations, in a matter of two years, Anderson proved he was right with his success. His company had become a leading medical group.

Pinnacle Hospital and the medical institute were the best examples of Anderson's success.

Yvette met him a few times briefly after she enrolled in the med school. The last time she saw him was six months ago. Clifton's friends set her up and humiliated her. Anderson happened to pass by and helped her out.

After that, they never met again.

Yvette wasn't sure if Anderson remembered her. Right now, she only wanted one thing. She hoped she could work at his medical institute someday.

Yvette began planning her future. Just then, a message notification from her phone broke her reverie.

It was a photo of Clifton from Dianne.

Dressed in leisurewear, he was sitting in a white chair.

At a glance, Yvette knew he was at a golf course.

Dianne often sent Clifton's whereabouts to Yvette. Yvette was touched at first, thinking Dianne was a good cousin. Now she knew Dianne did it on purpose.

Dianne let her know where Clifton was so she could find him. Over time, Clifton misunderstood and felt Yvette had been watching him all the time.

Both Clifton and his friends called her a sick paparazzo.

Yvette wouldn't fall for Dianne's trick this time.

She decided to blacklist Dianne's number. Just then, she noticed something familiar on the coffee table beside Clifton.

She enlarged the photo in disbelief.

When she saw it clearly, the color drained from her face.

She darted into her bedroom and found the gift her teacher had given her.

She opened the box. The pen was gone.

Her teacher had given it to her as a gift upon her graduation. Why did Clifton have it?

Without thinking much, Yvette hurried to the golf club.

A security guard stopped her at the entrance.

"Ms. Mooney, you're no longer a member of the club anymore. Sorry, you can't go in."

To Yvette's surprise, her mom had canceled her membership.

Members could bring people inside. Clifton was a golf lover. Yvette wanted to enter the golf course with him, but he wouldn't let her. So, she paid for the membership.

Yvette took a deep breath and pleaded, "Can you make an exception? I left something inside. I'll come out immediately after I get it. I promise."

The security guard sneered disdainfully, "Please don't make things difficult for us. If you wanna go inside so much, buy the membership."

Yvette was lost for words.

The membership cost 80,000 dollars.

She only had less than 3,000 dollars on her now. It was far from enough.

In addition, she would stay away from Clifton in the future. Even if she had the money, she wouldn't spend it on the membership.

Knowing that the security guard was determined to keep her outside, Yvette left to think of other ways.

Just then, she heard the security guards' conversation. "She paid for the membership because of Mr. Garza before. She won't pay this time. I guess she can't afford it now."

"How is that possible? Isn't she the daughter of the Mooney family?"

"She spends money on a man without hesitation. Her family's wealth will be squandered by her sooner or later."

"I'll say. If she were my daughter, I'd kick her out of the house."

Yvette pressed her lips into a thin line when she heard their mockery. If it were before, she'd have argued with them and said Clifton cared about her.

How stupid! It wouldn't happen again.

Yvette looked around calmly. Since she couldn't go in through the main entrance, she'd have to sneak in.

"Well, well, look who's here. It's Simp-Yve."

Yvette turned her head. It was Clifton's best friend.

He dubbed Yvette Simp-Yve.

"You came for Clif again?" the man scoffed. He always looked down on Yvette.

"Hmm. Can you take me inside?"

Seeing how anxious she was, he sneered, "Didn't you say you wouldn't see Clif again? You miss him already?"

Yvette ignored his mockery and asked, "Will you take me inside or not?"

His contempt grew. But he was intrigued to picture how humble she would be when she apologized to Clifton.

"OK. I will."

Yvette didn't care what the man thought of her. She had to go in to get the pen.

As soon as she entered, she trotted straight to where Clifton was.

The man mocked loudly behind her, "Clifton, look. Simp-Yve is here to apologize to you."

Clifton had just played a round and was sitting there to have a drink. Hearing his friend's words, he turned his head and saw Yvette running toward him. He snorted disdainfully with a tad of gloat.

Sure enough, this woman didn't mean a word of it when she spoke to him last time.

How could she possibly leave him alone?

"Yvette, weren't you tough this morning? What? It's been only a few hours, and you already regret it?

"I'm telling you. Even if you beg on your knees, I won't spare a look at you. You're a cheap bitch!"

His words fell on deaf ears, though. All Yvette thought about at this moment was to get the back.

She picked it up and examined it carefully. When she was sure it was intact, she let out a sigh of relief and put it into the gift box.

Sensing her silence, Clifton turned to her and flared up instantly.

He stood up and snatched the gift box away from Yvette before she could put it into her purse. "Yvette, you have some nerve! How dare you take my pen!" he roared.

"It's mine!"

"Yours? Huh!" he sneered. "What? Is this a lousy new trick of yours? Yvette, to attract my attention, you've racked your brains to come up with stupid, crazy ideas."

The man beside him rocked with laughter. "Simp-Yve, this idea is really lame. It'll be more useful if you just apologize on your knees."

Clifton snorted, "I won't forgive her even if she kneels and begs."

Yvette clenched her hands tightly. Her eyes grew red gradually, but her body was chilly all over.

In the past, every time Clifton was mad at her, she apologized to him in various humble ways, except kneeling.

Thinking of it, she was rueful. How stupid she could be to do that.

She admired this piece of garbage for ten years.

Oh, wait. He was worse than garbage.

Yvette lifted her eyes and said loud and clear, "In your fucking dream!"

Both Clifton and his friend were shocked.

"Oh?" the man exclaimed.

Clifton couldn't stand such humiliation. He growled through gritted teeth, "Yvette! Are you courting death?"

"I don't wanna waste my breath talking to you." Yvette extended her hand. "My initials were engraved on the cap of the pen. That proves it's mine. I don't care why you have it. Give it to me! Now!"

Clifton slammed the gift box on the coffee table. "You wanna take what's mine? How dare you!"

Yvette's heart skipped a beat when she saw him slam the pen. He tended to smash things when he was angry. Provoked further, he might break the pen.

Yvette's tone softened when she asked, "What do I have to do to make you return my pen?"

The other man rested his arm on Clifton's shoulder and quipped, "Hey, Clif, to be honest, Simp-Yve's new trick is quite original."

Hearing this, Clifton felt pretty good about himself. With his fingers tapping the gift box, he asked proudly, "You know what you did wrong?"

Yvette pressed her lips together tightly without a word but looked daggers at him.

Clifton believed she was ready to apologize. He gloated, "Well, I'll be a bigger man and give you a chance to apologize. Get down on your knees. Cry, 'I'm sorry. I won't do it again.' Do this till I'm in a better mood. Then, I'll be merciful and forgive you."

"Kneel here?" Yvette asked grimly.

"Why not? Are you scared? Yvette, didn't you say you love me and are willing to die for me?" Clifton bent over and looked her in the eye. His eyes dripped with mockery. "Where's your sincerity? I don't see it."

He meant to teach Yvette a lesson. He wanted her to remember not to play tricks to attract his attention or challenge his bottom line again.

A simp like her was only good enough to be toyed with by him.

Yvette looked at the gift box.

"Clifton, if your unforgettable love knows you're a pervert, what do you think she will do?"

Clifton's expression changed utterly. He grabbed Yvette's arm angrily and shoved her. "You're dead meat!"

Yvette fell to the ground. She winced from pain. Her left hand had just been injured the night before. Now, it had a new wound.

When she looked at her hand, Clifton clutched her by the collar.

Yvette subconsciously grasped his hand. Her whole body was lifted, and she had trouble breathing.

The furious Clifton had a hideous look on his face. He said viciously, "Who the hell do you think you are to mention her?"

Yvette had said that intentionally.

Once, she learned about the existence of Clifton's unforgettable love accidentally through one of his friends. Wearing a feigned smile, she asked what his unforgettable love's name was. Unexpectedly, Clifton blew a fuse and almost strangled her.

Afterward, Yvette spent a lot of time and money mollifying him. She didn't dare to mention that woman again.

Three months ago, Clifton told Yvette his unforgettable love was returning from abroad. He wanted her gone.

So, today, Yvette mentioned that woman and would mention her repeatedly.

"Plympford isn't big. I assume she'll know soon that a woman pursued you for ten years.

"Oh, wait. I guess she has friends in Plympford. In this case, she must've known about it for a while.

"She may wonder, since you don't like me, why do you let me pursue you for ten years?

"This is bad. She may think you don't like her anymore. So..."

"Yvette!" Clifton thundered, blue veils plain in his neck.

His friend was dumbstruck and said anxiously in two seconds, "Yvette, do you have a death wish?"

It was getting harder and harder to breathe, but Yvette wasn't intimidated. She smiled, "Clifton, should I find her and tell her there's nothing going on between you and me?"

"Go to hell!"

Clifton pressed her roughly against the coffee table.

The glasses were swept off the table and broke.

The commotion attracted other people's attention.

Yvette seized the opportunity. She put on a horrified face. Tears flowed out of her eyes.

"Please! D-Don't hit me!"

Clifton was gonna punch her when his friend stopped him.

"Clif, calm down."

Clifton turned his head. Many people were watching.

Their gazes made him uncomfortable. Repressing his rage, he let go of Yvette and threatened, "This isn't over."

Touching her throat, Yvette sat on the ground for a few seconds before slowly standing up.

She stared at Clifton coldly but maintained a scared expression, as if something horrible had just happened to her.

"Clifton, rest assured. I'm over you.

"Goodbye!"

Yvette wiped the tears off her face and left briskly.

When she removed her hand from her fair neck, the onlookers noticed the red strangling mark on her neck.

Clearly, Clifton meant to kill just now.

Everybody in Plympford knew Yvette had been pursuing him.

They laughed at her. But after all, she genuinely liked him for ten years.

Besides, people tended to sympathize with the weak.

At this moment, some people began criticizing Clifton.

"Since he doesn't like Yvette, he should've rejected her at the beginning. But instead, he gave her opportunities. Clearly, he was using her as a backup."

"To be fair, Ms. Mooney is pitiable. Clifton doesn't like her and almost strangled her."

"As a man, Clifton was violent to a woman in public. Shame on him!"

Clifton's face turned livid when he heard these comments.

Just then, a clerk of the club came over.

"Mr. Garza, your violent behavior is inappropriate and has a bad impact on our club. Therefore, your membership has been canceled. You aren't allowed to come here again."

Mixed with embarrassment and anger, Clifton's expression changed constantly. Trying to conceal his emotions, he sneered, "It's just a club. Big deal. Huh."

With that, he left quickly.

His friend followed suit. It took him a long while to figure out what Yvette was up to. "Damn. Clif, Simp-Yve became clever."

Clifton was in a foul mood. He wished to catch Yvette and teach her an unforgettable lesson.

"She's doomed!"

"Answer me this. You're thinking of her, aren't you?"

"I'm thinking of how to punish her!"

"That's why she's clever." His friend clapped his hands. "She made a scene deliberately because she believed you'd find her afterward. If you do, everybody will think you regret what you did and find her to ask for her forgiveness."

Hearing his analysis, Clifton thought about it calmly.

"How come the three months in jail made her clever?"

Clifton snorted coldly, "She wants me to find her? Not gonna happen! I'll see how long she can hold on this time!"

He swore inwardly that when Yvette apologized to him, he'd make that day unforgettable for her.

Outside the club, the sadness in Yvette's face vanished. She happily caressed the pen before putting it into her purse.

She had angered Clifton deliberately. As she had expected, the commotion attracted other people's attention.

She said she was over Clifton in the presence of so many people.

Before long, the whole city would know Yvette had stopped pursuing Clifton. Meanwhile, she had taken the pen back.

But something still puzzled her.

Yvette had hidden the pen in the closet in the Mooney's house. No one in the Mooney family knew of the pen's existence.

She didn't know how Clifton got it, but it must have something to do with Dianne.

Dianne loved to go through her stuff.

Yvette could forget about the past. But this time, Dianne crossed the line.

Yvette collected herself and called Dianne.

The phone was answered immediately.

Dianne said with feigned concern, "Yvette, did you see Clifton? I knew you two fought. So, when I learned his whereabouts, I sent you the photo at once. Did he forgive you?"

Yvette could imagine how Dianne was gloating at the other end of the line.

She said, "I won't point out what you're up to. Dianne, don't show your face again. Otherwise, I'm not sure what'll happen to you."

"Yvette, how could you say that?" Dianne pretended to be sad and innocent. Yvette hung up and blacklisted her number.

She had nothing now. So, she had nothing to fear and wouldn't suffer in silence anymore.

She vowed to make the villains pay.

She'd make it big for herself and impress everyone.

When Yvette got home, Nora sent a video chat request.

"Honey, congratulations on your new job."

Yvette took off her coat and lay on the couch, feeling tired. "Nora, be honest with me. Did you ask your dad to pull strings so I can work at Pinnacle Hospital?"

Nora wanted to deny it. But thinking of Anderson, she admitted, "Yes. When my dad knew you were gonna strive, he was happier for you even than I was. Relax. A friend of my dad's happens to have connections with Pinnacle Hospital. He recommended you.

"But whether you can keep the job or not depends on your own effort."

"When the first month's payment is made, I'll visit your dad and thank him in person."

"Oh, that's not necessary." Nora began avoiding eye contact with her. Just then, a call came. She said hurriedly, "Honey, my professor is calling. Talk to you later. By the way, you'll receive the birthday gift I bought you tomorrow. Remember to sign for it."

After hanging up, Yvette felt the look on Nora's face was weird. But she didn't dwell on it. She took a shower, tidied her room, and made dinner for herself.

When she ate, she watched videos on her phone and accidentally found out the familiar number replied to her message 30 minutes ago. She opened the message expectantly. "Pointless." That was the reply.

What did it mean?

Yvette asked who he was. Did he think it was pointless?

Confused, Yvette typed, "You celebrated my birthday every year. I wanna thank you in person."

A few seconds later, Yvette received a call.

Her face darkened when she saw the caller ID. It was her eldest brother, Jerome Mooney.

"It seems the three months in jail taught you nothing! You even moved out of our house. What are you gonna do next time? Suicide?" Jerome yelled as soon as Yvette answered the call.

Squeezing the fork, Yvette said calmly, "Don't worry. I love myself too much to commit suicide."

"You do? These years, to pursue a man, you ruined your own reputation. Our entire family was implicated. You wanna love yourself now?"

Yvette took a deep breath. "If you're calling to yell at me, I'm gonna hang up."

"Show up at our house before 6 a.m. tomorrow. Make breakfast. Dia wants to have the pasta you cook. Make it for her tomorrow morning. Yvette, this is your only chance to make it right."

Jerome hung up as soon as he finished speaking.

Yvette laughed.

Were they giving her a chance to apologize? Or were they calling because they were used to the breakfast she made and wanted her to continue to be their free chef?

Yvette had made breakfast for them for so many years. She paid attention to nutrition and even diversified it.

Jerome was allergic to protein. Yvette racked her brain to find a substitute so he could have enough protein.

Spencer had a sweet tooth. Yvette did her best to make the desserts more delicious.

Her dad didn't like to have soup in the morning. Yvette specially learned to cook his favorite food.

Her mom preferred to eat light.

Dianne was the pickiest. Sometimes, because she didn't like the food, Yvette had to redo it several times. After they had breakfast together merrily and went out, Yvette ate the cold food alone.

Despite everything, they weren't grateful at all. Instead, they took what Yvette did for them for granted.

Huh. Funny. Did they think Yvette would be stupid for the rest of her life?

Yvette blacklisted the numbers of the entire Mooney family. Then, she enjoyed her meal.

The next morning, she went to work early by bike.

Standing outside Marcelo's office in the Cardiac Surgery Department of Pinnacle Hospital, she knocked twice gently.

"Mr. Greer, nice to meet you. I'm Yvette Mooney. It's my first day today."

"Come with me," Marcelo said coldly without even looking at Yvette before putting on his lab coat hastily.

Yvette followed him without thinking much about it.

The staff on this floor was gathering nervously.

Yvette didn't have a lab coat. Standing together with them, she was like a square peg in a round hole.

With a frown, Marcelo said in disgust, "Stand in the back. Hurry!"

Yvette could sense the hostility. She stood in the back without complaining.

Just then, the nurses got excited.

"There. Mr. Trevino is coming!"

Mr. Trevino?

Yvette looked curiously. Just then, the doors of the elevator opened, and a tall, slim figure stepped out.

Anderson had deep eyes, a straight nose, and thin lips.

His chiseled features were both striking and aggressive.

Yvette had seen him many times, but she still couldn't help but gasp. After six months, he seemed to be even more good-looking.

In the past, Clifton had attracted all her attention, and she had been so determined that he was the best-looking man in the world.

But now, she was no longer stupid. Compared to Anderson, Clifton was nothing.

She glanced at Anderson several times and happened to meet his gaze. Then she subtly averted her eyes.

To her surprise, in the next second, a pair of long, slender legs came into view.

Anderson said, his voice flat, "Are you here as a doctor or a nurse?"

After a pause, she answered truthfully, "A doctor."

Anderson then looked around and saw all the doctors standing at the very front of the lineup.

His intimidating gaze fell upon Marcelo. "What's with the clique?"

The atmosphere immediately became tense.

A cold sweat broke out on Marcelo's back as he hastily stepped forward and explained, "Mr. Trevino, you misunderstood. This is Dr. Mooney's first day, and I haven't had the time to walk her through everything because I learned you were coming."

"So, I came here at a bad time?"

Anderson's cold tone made everyone lower their heads, not even daring to breathe out loud.

Marcelo felt his legs trembling. "Not at all, Mr. Trevino."

Yvette presumed Anderson had recognized her, and that was why he was kind enough to speak up for her. But it was her first day here, and if Marcelo was given a hard time because of her, her days here would surely suffer.

So, she explained, "Mr. Trevino, you misunderstood indeed. I'm not familiar with here yet and ran too slowly, so I figured I might as well stand here."

Anderson squinted slightly and then walked away without saying anything.

Everyone was relieved and then stunned—Anderson actually let it slide so easily?

Marcelo breathed a long sigh of relief. He dispersed the crowd and then called Yvette to his office.

Yvette trotted behind him, feeling the probing gazes from her colleagues.

But she was focusing on analyzing Anderson's gaze before he left.

She didn't know why, but she just felt he was mad.

Back in the office, Marcelo looked at her. Though his gaze was less unfriendly, the contempt within was still palpable.

"I don't care what strings you pulled to get a job here.

"I don't tolerate slackers here. If I find you make even the slightest mistake, pack up and leave."

Yvette had long expected this.

After all, no one could pull strings to get a job at Pinnacle Hospital.

The only way to make him stop doubting her was to bring out her best.

"Rest assured. I won't disappoint you," she said.

"We'll see." Marcelo never thought of keeping her here forever. "Go and report to Dr. Barrett. From now on, you'll be with his team."

"OK," she said and then left his office. Walking around, she didn't see Stefan Barrett and went to the nurse's station. "Do you know where Dr. Barrett is?"

The nurses were dumbfounded.

"Mr. Greer assigned you to Dr. Barrett?"

Judging from the expressions, she knew something was off.

"Yes," she said.

They exchanged glances, and the head nurse pointed. "He's over there."

Yvette walked over to Stefan. Before she could say anything, Stefan, a nearly fifty-year-old man, asked her to pull out and review all the case files from the past two years.

She did as he ordered.

Throughout the whole morning, the doctors in the office kept coming in and going out, whereas she was the only one who remained sitting motionlessly.

After working for hours, Stefan showed up again.

He stood next to her, his presence imposing. Then he randomly pulled out a case file. "Mitral valve insufficiency."

Yvette described the symptoms fluently.

He clicked his tongue and listed several more conditions, and she handled them all pretty well.

He nodded, barely satisfied with her. Then he said, "Go get lunch. Then continue."

"Alright," she said.

She was the last one who walked out of the office. After having lunch in the cafeteria alone, she walked past the hospital's rear garden and happened to see Clifton crouching down in front of a wheelchair and smiling at a woman in a patient gown gently.

Instinctively, she rolled her eyes, thinking, "I'm so unlucky."

Out of sight, out of mind.

She bypassed the garden.

Yet, after she took a few steps, Clifton's assistant blocked her way. "Ms. Mooney, Mr. Garza wants to talk to you."

She deadpanned, "Not interested."

Clifton's assistant raised his arms, looking at her with contempt, and threatened, "Ms. Mooney, upsetting Mr. Garza will do you no good."

She wasn't terrified at all. Taking out her phone, she dialed 911 and flashed him the phone screen. "If you don't step aside, I'll tell the police that you harassed me."

He was furious. "Ms. Mooney, I thought you were shameless enough when courting Mr. Garza. It never occurred to me you've grown to be even more shameless."

She said word by word, "One more thing to tell the police—you smeared me and tarnished my reputation."

He was visibly stunned.

In the past, she had always been polite to him and even offered him favors in exchange for information about Clifton.

And now? He figured she had changed her tactics to attract Clifton's attention, including changing her attitude toward him.

He couldn't help but sneer, thinking a stupid woman like her could never be good enough for Clifton.

Yvette, however, had no interest in dealing with him. She just wanted to go back to the office as soon as possible.

But Clifton showed up as she was turning around. He grabbed her arm and commanded with a darkened expression, "Come with me."

"Clifton! Let go," she said, looking displeased.

But he was oblivious to her struggle. He dragged her to a corner and patted his hands in disgust as he let go of his hand. "Yvette, hats off. Your new tricks are impressive, and you've become much better at stalking.

"You think you could get my attention by acting so desperate?"

Yvette rubbed her reddened wrist, amused. "Is this your turf, Clifton?"

He looked at her coldly. "You followed me to the club yesterday, and today, it's the hospital. Shall I look forward to seeing you in my bed soon?"

A crisp sound rang out.

She slapped him hard.

She used so much force that his head tilted. He touched his burning cheek, widening his eyes. In the next second, he gripped her by the neck. "You slapped me?! Who gave you the nerve?"

Feeling hard to breathe, she clutched his right hand with both hands and pinched it with her fingernails.

Under the immense pain, he let go of her.

Then he looked down, only to see ten deep nail marks on the back of his hand.

"Yvette!" he roared in a low voice.

After panting for a few seconds, Yvette raised her arms and shouted at several security guards who happened to pass by, "Help! I'm being assaulted!"

The security guards, who weren't far away, immediately rushed over.

Clifton was surprised. He flew into a rage, snapping, "Yvette, you've got some balls!"

She stepped back, feigning fear. Then she pointed at him while saying to the security guards, "You saw that, right? He wanted to hit me again!"

The guards indeed saw it and noticed the ferocious look on Clifton's face. They believed in Yvette's words and stood in front of her right away. "Sir, what are you doing? This is Pinnacle Hospital. You're not allowed to cause trouble here."

Clifton took a deep breath, knowing causing a scene here would be unwise. As he was about to point at Yvette and say something, she was already nowhere to be seen.

He thought, "Yvette, don't let me catch you. You're doomed!"

Just then, his assistant ran over. "Mr. Garza, come with me! Ms. Foster says her heart hurts."

Yvette went back to the office and continued to review case files during lunch break.

After a few minutes, a nurse ran inside hastily.

"Dr. Mooney, we've got an emergency. Other doctors are still out; could you take a look?"

"OK." She immediately put on her mask and stethoscope and followed the nurse out.

"What do we have?" she asked.

"Aortic valve stenosis," the nurse said.

"Has surgery been scheduled?"

"No, because the patient also suffers from sepsis and is still undergoing treatment. The surgery has to be postponed."

Having a general picture, she nodded.

After entering the ward, she paused slightly as she recognized the woman in bed.

It was Clifton's unforgettable love.

Talk about a coincidence.

She had no idea Clifton had settled his unforgettable love in Pinnacle Hospital's Cardiac Surgery Department.

In the next second, someone bumped her away.

Clifton rushed to the bed and said to Simone Foster, his tone utterly gentle and worried, "I'm here, Simi."

Then he turned around, roaring angrily, "Where's the doctor?"

Yvette put on her black-framed glasses, walked to another side of the bed, placed the stethoscope on Simone's chest, and said, deliberately deepening her voice, "Long inhale, and then short exhale. Take your time and follow my rhythm."

Simone was a woman with delicate beauty.

With one hand being grabbed by Clifton tightly, she looked at Yvette with crystal clear eyes, following Yvette's instructions.

Soon, her pain eased.

Yvette asked, "Feeling any better?"

She nodded.

"You should stay calm. Try not to get worked up," Yvette said.

"Thanks," she said weakly.

Then Yvette put the stethoscope away. "Take the medicine on time, and we can arrange for your surgery as soon as possible. Then you'll feel much better."

"Thank you," she thanked Yvette again.

Yvette nodded. Till she stepped out, Clifton had never glanced at her, let alone recognized her voice.

On the contrary, Simone watched her figure as she left.

Clifton sat by the bed, still worried. "Are you still in pain?"

Simone smiled, shaking her head, "I'm much better now. Sorry that I worried you again, Clif."

"I'm just glad you're OK," he said.

Then she asked casually, "Clif, the woman who's obsessed with you—her name is Yvette Mooney, right?"

Clifton frowned. A trace of disgust flashed across his eyes as he asked, "Why are you bringing that jinx up all of a sudden?"

Simone smiled, pleased to know she was still the one Clifton loved. "I think that doctor's name is Yvette Mooney, too. I wonder if it's a coincidence."

"What?" Clifton was stunned. Then he said mockingly while shaking his head, looking as if he knew Yvette inside out, "She's just a spoiled rich heiress. How could she possibly be a doctor at Pinnacle Hospital?"

"Clif, that's a bit uncalled for."

Simone was so gentle; Clifton gazed at her affectionately while Yvette's face emerged in his mind.

He couldn't help but start to compare the two women.

Compared to Simone, to him, Yvette had no advantage at all.

He then said to Simone gently, "Enough about her. Get some rest, OK? I'll be here with you."

Maybe because Yvette had handled an emergency perfectly at noon; Stefan didn't give her any hard time in the afternoon.

After another round of evaluations, he had her shadow him for consultations and gave her tasks continuously.

At 6:00 p.m., she got off work and wanted to go to the supermarket for groceries.

As she was about to scan a shared bike on the roadside, a flashy sports car came to a stop next to her.

She averted her gaze calmly and continued to scan the bike.

Meanwhile, Dianne had already stepped out of the car and walked toward her. Though Dianne looked gentle, her gaze falling upon Yvette's face was exceptionally sharp and venomous. "Yvette, you ran away from home and even blocked us all? That's a bit too far. Don't you think?

"Come back with me and apologize to Debora and the others. I'm sure they'll forgive you."

Yvette unlocked the bike and stood in front of Dianne.

Her imposing presence startled Dianne.

"Dianne, you've already forgotten what I said on the phone yesterday?" Yvette pressed.

Dianne pulled herself together quickly, reminding herself Yvette wouldn't dare to do anything to her unless Yvette didn't want to go back to the Mooney family. "Yvette, I'm here to persuade you out of kindness. Because of you, none of us had breakfast this morning. Jerome's stomach condition even flared up again. Aren't you guilty?"

Yvette deadpanned, "Did you pay me to make breakfast for you?"

Dianne said with a fake smile, "You've always been the one who fixes us breakfast."

Yvette sneered, "I was put away for three months, and I didn't see any of you starve to death."

"Yvette, you..."

As Dianne wanted to say something, Yvette had already ridden on the bike and charged headlong toward her with a cold face.

Terrified, she fell to the ground along with several shared bikes next to her, her face utterly pale.

Looking down at her, Yvette said with a sneer, "When all of you starve to death, I'll remember to visit your graves."

Dianne glared at Yvette's retreating figure and then looked down at her injured knee.

Suddenly, she laughed, thinking, "You're so stupid, Yvette. Haven't you realized you've just given me a big gift?"

She sat back in the car, took a photo of her injured knee, and sent it to Jerome.

Within several seconds, he called.

"What happened to your knee, Dia?"

Dianne said in a sobbing voice, "Yvette blocked us all, so I figured she was genuinely upset. I came to her, wanting to apologize to her and tell her to come back with me. But ... she was angrier than I had imagined. She ... actually hit me with her electric scooter."

"That's outrageous! Don't go to her again. Leave it with me," Jerome fumed.

On the other end, Yvette came back to her apartment after shopping and had a simple meal for dinner.

Then she received a call from an old friend.

"Come to Silverleaf Bar now. Big opportunity!"

"Coming."

She hung up and hailed a cab to Silverleaf Bar.

Gerald Wright waved at her from afar.

As she sat in the booth, he placed a glass of wine he had ordered in front of her. "You're so heartless, Yvette. If you hadn't called me, I would have thought you quit dubbing for good."

After sipping the wine, she smiled, "That's why I called you to fix me a job."

"Everyone in the circle knows Polaris. You don't find work; work comes to you." Gerald clinked glasses with her. "After our call, I spread the word. And I got a response soon after. Have you heard of the novel 'Spring Romance'?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Sipdon Entertainment bought the film rights almost the second it became a hit."

"Exactly. Sipdon Entertainment makes the offer—they want you to voice the female lead. They've even bought the broadcast rights so that you can do the dubbing for that as well." He rested his arm on her shoulders as if they were old buddies. "As for the split—Sipdon Entertainment will take forty percent, Supertonic Studio will take ten percent, and the rest goes to you. How about that?"

"They only want forty percent?" She found it hard to believe.

"Yeah. So?"

"Deal," she agreed without hesitation.

Sipdon Entertainment was surprisingly generous; plus, she could make her comeback with this dubbing. In such a way, she'd have more gigs, which ensured her future income. After she paid off the loan, she could start to save money to buy a place of her own.

"Yvette, welcome back." Gerald raised his glass.

"Thanks for having me, Mr. Wright."

He arched an eyebrow. "So, you're really set on your career? What about your love?"

She gulped down the wine. "That's not love. I was a total simp in that relationship."

"Alright. So, you're not gonna be a simp anymore?"

"You bet. Being a simp won't land me any money."

He patted her shoulder, feeling relieved, and then handed her another glass of wine. "You should have fucking realized this. Remember—in this world, money is the only thing that won't betray you."

She gulped down the wine again. "True that."

In the next second, someone suddenly grabbed the glass in her hand away.

Then she was yanked up brutally.

"I thought you ran away from home because you were planning on doing something big. Yet, here you are, working as a bar hostess? Yvette, stop disgracing us!" Jerome snapped.

They were in public. Otherwise, he would have taught Yvette a lesson physically.

Gerald immediately stood up and protected Yvette. "Hey, who are you? Let go of her now! She's with me!"

Gerald came from a rich family, but he refused to inherit the family assets and founded Supertonic Studio—a voice-acting studio on his own. His dressing style was the same as his personality, which was casual, subtly flashy, and a little out of place.

So, at first sight, Jerome was determined that Gerald was a useless punk.

He shot a glance filled with contempt at Gerald before questioning Yvette, "You couldn't win over Clifton, so you've stooped so low as to hang out with this loser? Yvette, you really can't live without a man? Why couldn't you be half as sensible and sweet as Dia?"

"Watch your mouth!" Gerald grabbed his collar at once.

"Piss off!" Jerome was about to punch him.

Yvette grabbed Jerome's wrist swiftly and said, "This is a bar. Make a scene and embarrass yourself however you want, but don't drag me into it."

Hearing this, Jerome was stunned for a second, wondering if he had heard her wrong.

In the past, Yvette had always treated him with respect.

He blinked and saw her face clearly before regaining his usual coldness and seriousness.

Meanwhile, Yvette said to Gerald, "Gerald, this is Jerome."

Jerome arched an eyebrow.

She actually introduced him by his name only.

Gerald immediately realized something.

"I'll call you later." She gave Gerald a look and then dragged Jerome out of the bar. Then, without saying anything, she let go of Jerome's arm and walked to the side of the road to hail a cab.

Seeing this, Jerome grabbed her back and pulled her away while suppressing his fury.

"Jerome, where are you taking me?"

"Home! Apologize to us all," he commanded.

"Why should I?"

He shoved her into the passenger seat as if he hadn't heard her protest at all.

"Yvette, just because you're my sister doesn't mean you get to act so willful. I'm offering you a chance here. Go back, apologize to us, and make us breakfast from tomorrow as you always did. Also, stay away from any man. Then I'll still acknowledge you're my sister."

Utterly pissed off, Yvette let out a derisive laugh. "I see. So, you want me back to continue to be the free maid. What is it? Is the Mooney family going bankrupt? You can't even afford a maid anymore?"

Jerome's expression darkened. "Cut it out! This is your last chance."

"My, my. Thanks a lot. But I don't want it."

"Are you done, Yvette? When word gets out, and everyone knows you work here as a bar hostess, our entire family will be the butt of the joke. Is that what you want?"

Yvette found his words hilarious.

When facing her, Jerome had always been arbitrary and impatient. In the past, Dianne had offered to learn to cook one day. As she stepped into the kitchen, Dianna happened to cut her hand. As Jerome rushed inside, he scolded her for being lazy and bossing Dianne around without bothering to know the truth.

There was once a wine party that the whole family attended. Dianne messed with some spoiled rich kids, and she stepped in to help Dianne. Dianne shifted the blame onto her, and she was almost taken away. Fortunately, a few security guards showed up in time and rescued her. When she came back, she saw everyone comforting the tearful Dianne. Upon seeing her, Jerome slapped her hard, scolding her for being willful and letting Dianne be bullied.

And this time, the same thing happened again—he was so certain she worked here as a bar hostess without bothering to know the truth.

She felt so stupid respecting and worshipping Jerome for more than ten years.

She looked up and said icily, "If you don't wanna be disgraced, that's easy. Make an official announcement and tell everyone I'm not the Mooney family's daughter."

Jerome looked at her skeptically, thinking she was just saying this out of spite.

He then said impatiently, "I know you're throwing a tantrum, but enough is enough."

Yvette pushed his arm away and stepped back, maintaining a distance from him. "I've given you a solution. Don't try to morally kidnap me with the family's reputation anymore."

Jerome felt the veins on his forehead throbbing; this time, Yvette was tougher than he had imagined.

He strode forward, grabbed her arm again, and cursed under his breath, "I wouldn't have given a damn about you if you weren't my sister. Look at yourself—you've become so unruly and willful. If you continue to be like this, I might as well send you to a convent so that you can learn to behave."

Send her to a convent?

She almost forgot.

He had threatened her like this at least ten times already.

In the past, whenever he had threatened her like this, she'd always give in and apologize regardless of the truth until he was satisfied. But now, as she thought about it, she truly regretted putting herself down for so long.

It was part of her fault that allowed them to bully her however they pleased.

With such a thought, she retorted sarcastically, "You know what, Jerome? You're the one who should go to a monastery to learn to behave."

"Yvette, you..."

"Ms. Mooney, do you need any help?"

A sudden voice interrupted Jerome.

Yvette looked back and recognized the man.

She had seen him earlier when he was standing next to Anderson; he was Alex Caldwell, Anderson's special assistant.

She was surprised for a second before nodding decisively. "Yes."

Jerome recognized Alex, too, but he didn't know when Alex had met with Yvette. He said calmly, "Mr. Caldwell, this is Yvette, my sister."

Alex said, "Mr. Mooney, I've never seen any man treat his sister the way you just did."

Jerome's expression remained icy. "She was throwing a tantrum. As her brother, I have every right to discipline her."

Alex said straightforwardly, "No matter what Ms. Mooney did, Mr. Trevino has zero tolerance when it comes to men bullying women."

In other words, Anderson had stepped in.

Yvette was stunned. Did Anderson see the whole thing?

Meanwhile, Jerome's face turned livid. He knew very well that the Mooney family was nothing compared to the Trevino family, and of course, he couldn't afford to mess with Anderson.

He was puzzled, though—why would Anderson intervene in something like this?

Whatever the reason was, he knew it wouldn't be a wise choice if he upset Anderson at a time like this. He was hoping to cooperate with Anderson in an upcoming business deal.

Therefore, he let go and warned Yvette in a deep voice, "Think about what I said. Call me back tomorrow."

Yvette rolled her eyes, not intending to unblock his number at all.

Seeing this, Jerome took a deep breath. Then, he drove off, suppressing his anger.

After that, she thanked Alex, "Thanks for the help, Mr. Caldwell."

Alex smiled, "Ms. Mooney, you've recently joined Pinnacle Hospital. Mr. Trevino won't sit around while seeing his staff bullied."

She asked boldly, "Is Mr. Trevino around?"

Since Anderson had helped her out twice within a day, it was only right if she thanked him in person.

Alex nodded. "Yes. He's been feeling a bit unwell, and I'm taking him home."

She expressed concerns. "How about I check on him? I also wanna take the chance to thank him in person."

Yvette was worried making such an offer would seem a bit abrupt. After all, she had just joined Pinnacle Hospital.

Besides, she didn't want Alex to overthink it.

To her surprise, Alex nodded right away and then led her to Anderson.

Anderson was sitting in the car.

Alex opened the door to the driver's seat and sat in to explain. In the next second, his expression changed, and he stepped back. "Dr. Mooney, Mr. Trevino has passed out!"

Yvette was instantly nervous.

She opened the door to the back seat, only to see Anderson lean backward with his eyes closed, breathing heavily.

She calmly grabbed his hand.

Immediately, she realized he was burning.

Pressing the back of her hand against his forehead, she said to Alex, "He has a high fever and needs a fever-reducing injection right now."

"Ms. Mooney, could you please get in the car and take care of Mr. Trevino? I'll drive."

"OK."

Yvette walked to the other side of the car and got in.

Given Anderson's condition, as a professional doctor, she loosened his tie and unbuttoned his collar while explaining to Alex, "Mr. Caldwell, Mr. Trevino needs to cool down, so I have to do this."

"Mr. Trevino's health comes first." Alex nodded.

She said, "Pinnacle Hospital isonly about a ten-minute drive from here."

"Mr. Trevino hates being treated in a hospital."

"I presume he has a family doctor, right?" She grabbed a tissue from her pocket to wipe away Anderson's sweat.

"The family doctor happens to be on leave today." Alex glanced at the rearview mirror. "Ms. Mooney, can you treat Mr. Trevino?"

"Yeah, but..."

He interrupted her, "Thank you then. And, Ms. Mooney, it's appreciated that you keep Mr. Trevino's condition to yourself. He doesn't need unnecessary attention."

Yvette nodded in understanding.

Apart from the fact that she was a doctor at Pinnacle Hospital, she owed Anderson two favors.

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at Apex Vista.

Alex and the bodyguard helped Anderson upstairs.

Yvette asked a few questions and quickly found the reason caused his high fever. Then she had someone prepare the medication, and soon, Anderson was hooked to an IV drip.

After about ten minutes, his fever had come down from 40 degrees Celsius to 37.9 degrees Celsius.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Yvette walked out of the room and said to Alex, "He's doing better now. His fever might flare up in the second half of the night, but it won't be serious. Just keep a close eye on him. When he comes around, give this medicine to him."

Alex realized she was about to leave.

"Ms. Mooney, I've just talked to the family doctor, and he won't be here before tomorrow noon. He's always the one who looks after Mr. Trevino whenever Mr. Trevino falls sick. After all, none of us here are professional. If Mr. Trevino's high fever doesn't subside in the second half of the night, things will be tricky."

He looked worried. "The less people know about his high fever, the better."

Yvette had thought the family doctor could make it in time. Hearing Alex's words, she figured he was right.

"If I stay here, when Mr. Trevino comes around, will he..." she said.

"Ms. Mooney, you're a doctor at Pinnacle Hospital. You're one of our own."

Alex's firm tone relieved her a lot.

She nodded. "Then I'll stay here."

As she had expected, Anderson's high fever spiked again two hours later.

Patients shouldn't take medicines repeatedly, so she could only use physical methods to bring down his fever.

When she wiped his body with a towel soaked with warm water the eighth time, she unbuttoned his pajamas and wiped from his neck to his chest.

Her movements were very gentle.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his fingers move several times and subconsciously arched an eyebrow.

At some point, he had already opened his eyes and was staring at her.

Immediately, she froze.

His gaze sent a chill down her spine.

"Mr. Trevino, you have a high fever. Doing this will help reduce it. You passed out, and Mr. Caldwell said your family doctor wasn't around, so I've been sticking around to help," she explained quickly, praying in silence that Alex would come in soon to help her out of this awkward situation.

"Help me up," Anderson said after a while, his voice hoarse.

"OK." She set down the towel and leaned forward.

When doing so, she felt the heat from his body clearly.

Since she had already unbuttoned his pajamas, his collar loosened even more during the process, and his perfect abs were exposed in the air.

They were right in front of Yvette's eyes.

She subconsciously looked away, feeling a bit shy.

"Water." His voice was weak.

"OK." She quickly fetched him a glass of water.

"More." He handed her the empty glass.

He then gulped down five glasses of water in a row.

"When will the fever break?" he asked.

"You have severe inflammation, so it's normal to have recurrent fevers. Since you're awake now, I'll make you a glass of medicated drink. It can help relieve the inflammation."

"OK."

His voice was much less hoarse now that he had had water.

She quickly fixed the medicated drink and brought it over.

He took the glass and frowned as the smell reached his nose. After taking a sip, he set the glass down with disgust.

"It's bitter," he stated.

She said, "Yes, but it works fast."

"I hate bitter things. Get me something sweet."

Surprised, she gawked at him.

Was he a man reaching thirty years old or a three-year-old child?

And he actually made his fear of bitterness so natural.

Anderson seemed to see through her. He lifted his chin, looking haughty. "What is it? I can't hate bitter things?"

"You can, of course," Yvette said, nodding earnestly. "I'm just trying to think of a medicine that won't taste so bitter."

"If you can't think of any, then I won't take it," he said coldly.

"Actually, I've thought of something. Give me a second." She had prepared something in her kit. While going downstairs to fetch it, she asked the servants to make a sweet soup.

After he drank it, he looked visibly better.

"If you still feel unwell, wiping your body will help reduce the fever. Remember—warm but not cold water," she emphasized.

He got out of bed without saying anything.

Just as he took the first step, he felt dizzy.

She quickly helped him.

Tilting his head, he asked, "Are you sure I can make it to the bathroom? Haven't you learned anything during those years at the med school, Yvette?"

Yvette's heart skipped a beat when she heard him say her name so naturally and question her as her senior.

He indeed remembered her.

She smiled, "Mr. Trevino, I said you could wipe your body but didn't say you could get up and do it yourself. If you want, I can get you the water and have Mr. Caldwell come in to wipe your body for you."

"You're saying I'm not sharp enough to comprehend your meaning," he said flatly.

"Mr. Trevino, you have a high fever, so reacting a bit slowly is completely normal. Let me help you lie down, OK?" As she supported him, she could feel his full weight leaning into her, which wasn't surprising, given how weak the high fever had made him.

After lying down, Anderson felt sick. He said weakly, "My body is all sticky. It's so gross."

"I'll get Mr. Caldwell here. Just a second, Mr. Trevino." She almost fled away.

He barely had time to react.

Soon, Alex came in. With his help, Anderson changed into another set of pajamas. Alex also took the time to help change the bedding.

"Anderson, how do you feel?" Alex asked with concern.

Leaning against the head of the bed, Anderson arched an eyebrow at him and teased, "It's rare to see both of my doctors gone."

He had two family doctors. If one was unavailable, the other would cover. There was no way both were out of reach.

Alex grinned. "You sent me to help Ms. Mooney out, and I figured even if Mr. Mooney left, he might later go to her place and give her a hard time there, which would make our help pointless. Besides ... I didn't expect you to really pass out."