Cindy Hunt's face was livid with anger, about to speak, when Vivian James appeared at the door.

"Mom, what are you doing here? I've been looking everywhere for you," Vivian James said as she walked in, her eyes widening at the scene inside. Then she quickly turned her attention to the old lady's condition. "It's nothing serious, just a small injury. What's going on—who's sick?" the old lady asked, noticing the hospital folder in Vivian James's hand.

There was a trace of exhaustion on Vivian James’s face. Hearing the old lady's question, her mood visibly dipped.

"The child’s got a fever. I brought him in for a check-up today." She had brought Cindy Hunt along for support, but after leaving the examination room, the woman had disappeared. Vivian James had searched the whole place with her child in her arms for ages.

Cindy Hunt still glared at Lauren Shaw, barely hiding her disdain. She muttered under her breath, "Oh, aren’t you impressive? Just because you found yourself a doctor, you act all high and mighty."

So what if he's a doctor? He still doesn't make as much as her son-in-law.

"Mom, could you just give it a rest?" Vivian James snapped, her patience thinning.

"What’s with you? Siding with outsiders against your own mother?" Cindy Hunt's voice grew louder.

"Grandma needs to rest. If you have something to say, please take it outside," Lauren Shaw's tone turned icy cold.

But Cindy Hunt refused to back down. "Is this how you talk to your elders? I’m still your senior, you know!"

Yancy Shaw cut her off. "This is a place for patients to rest. Please, madam, keep your voice down."

He didn’t care who upset Lauren Shaw—he’d never take it lying down.

Cindy Hunt let out a cold snort, narrowing her gaze at Yancy Shaw. She scoffed, "Oh, so you’re trying to throw me out now? Auntie, look at your precious granddaughter and grandson-in-law!"

Before the old lady could reply, Yancy Shaw fixed her with an icy stare.

Vivian James hurriedly apologized. "We’re sorry. We’ll go now."

With that, she tugged Cindy Hunt out of the hospital room. The door slammed shut behind them with a "bang."

"Hmph, what snobs! They look down on us just because we’re their poor relatives. And that Lauren Shaw’s husband—him, a doctor? That’s a laugh," Cindy Hunt grumbled at the closed door.

"He’s Toby Ward’s attending physician," Vivian James said quietly.

Cindy Hunt, mid-rant, froze. "What did you say? He’s really Toby Ward’s doctor?"

Vivian James nodded. "Yes. He’s the famous genius doctor of Ancheng—the only one able to perform Toby Ward’s surgery."

Cindy Hunt wasn’t the only one surprised; even Vivian James had been shocked. She’d expected a cardiac specialist to be an older man, not someone so young.

Just recently, Toby Ward had been diagnosed with heart disease and needed a valve replacement. The surgery was risky, and Toby Ward was her family’s pillar. If anything happened to him, she’d be left to struggle with two children.

The doctor had recommended a specialist, and to her astonishment, it was Yancy Shaw.

She’d looked up his background: over the years, he’d performed more than eight hundred heart surgeries. Even those with notoriously low success rates turned out fine in his hands.

"You should be more polite to them. And really, the Shaw family hasn’t done anything to offend you. Why do you always pick fights with them?" All her life, her mother had taught her to try to outdo the Li sisters wherever they went.

The Jiang family wasn’t as wealthy as the Lis, but Cindy Hunt loved to compare her to them anyway; it made her life exhausting. Now, she no longer wanted to live under her mother’s shadow.

After Cindy Hunt left, not wanting to disturb the old lady's rest, Lauren Shaw and Yancy Shaw stepped out too.

"You’re my cousin-in-law’s attending physician?" Lauren Shaw asked. No wonder Vivian James had scolded Cindy Hunt just now—she never would have done that before.

Yancy Shaw nodded and checked the time. "It’s lunchtime. I’ll take you to eat."

It was Lauren Shaw’s first time eating in the hospital cafeteria. Truth be told, it was less about the meal and more about getting her face known—when everyone in the hospital saw her, they’d know she was Dr. Shen's wife.

She ran into Dr. Qiu, the surgeon who’d operated on her before.

Smiling, Lauren Shaw greeted her. Dr. Qiu beamed. "Miss Li, you haven’t felt unwell lately, have you?"

Lauren Shaw smiled and shook her head. "I’m fine."

"I figured as much. I remember back during your surgery, he was so nervous."

Dr. Qiu reminisced, and Lauren Shaw recalled that even then she’d felt Yancy Shaw treated her differently. Sure enough, fate had brought them together.

She glanced at the man beside her—he was reserved around others, but when it came to her, his affection never faltered.

"Nina Shaw is your older sister, right?" Dr. Qiu suddenly brought up Lauren Shaw’s sister.

Lauren Shaw nodded. Last time, it was Nina Shaw who’d registered her for the surgery. Clearly, Nina Shaw and Dr. Qiu were on friendly terms.

"Your sister was an excellent doctor. What a pity," Dr. Qiu said with a sigh.

An accident had robbed Nina Shaw of the use of her hand—she could never wield a scalpel again.

Yancy Shaw interrupted, placing more food in Lauren Shaw’s bowl. "Eat up—the food’s getting cold."

Lauren Shaw knew he wanted to steer away from the sad topic. Dr. Qiu realized she'd overstepped and soon excused herself.

—

Meanwhile, at a guesthouse by the sea in Harbor City, the weather was bright and far milder than chilly Ancheng.

Nina Shaw sat on the second-floor veranda, wearing sunglasses, quietly gazing at the distant horizon. Her grace and poise drew glances; locals had noticed her sitting there, lost in thought, for days.

A man sauntered up, angling for a conversation. "Hey, gorgeous, are you here alone?"

Nina Shaw turned, about to reply, when a tall, imposing man strode over from not far away.

He pulled up a chair beside her, eyeing the would-be suitor with an icy glare.

Intimidated by his presence, the man slunk away without another word.

Nina Shaw rolled her eyes. "Xavier Quinn, will you ever quit?"

Xavier Quinn’s expression was calm, but there was an unconcealed tenderness in his eyes that caught her off guard.

He wasn’t angry at her blunt words. Instead, he asked serenely, "Are you done being mad? If so, come home with me."

"I’m not leaving. You think I'll just come home because you say so? Who do you think you are?"

"Nina Shaw, don’t force me to use strength in a place like this."

At his words, Nina Shaw deflated instantly, like a ball losing air.

The memory of last time flashed vividly in her mind: she’d refused to go back and he’d simply hefted her over his shoulder and carried her off, taming her thoroughly.

She still remembered it like it was yesterday.

Forget it—a wise woman doesn’t fight a losing battle with a man.

"Move," she said, still annoyed.

Xavier Quinn raised an eyebrow, making no move to get out of her way.

"I need to go pack up my things. How am I supposed to do that if you don’t move?"

He stood there, arms braced on either side, caging her like a bird caught in a trap.