Chapter 29
The library lights were soft.
Sophia Sullivan finished two exam papers.
She couldn't solve the final problem.
She frowned in thought.
She remembered a similar problem in a reference book.
She stood and walked to the lending section.
Her fingers brushed over the book spines.
She quickly found her target.
She was about to leave.
A book nearby caught her eye.
"Recombination and Fusion of Gene Sequences."
She recalled Alexander Laurent's words.
She pulled the book out and flipped through it.
The more she read, the more surprised she became.
The viewpoints highly aligned with her own ideas.
She became immersed in the book.
Her phone vibrated, pulling her from her thoughts.
A new WeChat message popped up.
Olivia Lopez: [Guess where I am?]
Sophia typed a reply: [You came to school?]
[Bingo!]
She closed the book.
She hurried downstairs.
Olivia Lopez stood under a tree.
She held a food container.
"I was passing by and brought you something."
A delicious aroma wafted from it.
Sophia took it. "Not staying to eat together?"
Olivia waved a hand. "I'm too busy."
She rubbed her temples.
"This new project is killing me."
"Only eight hours of sleep in three days."
"I just woke up and my dad called me in."
She was a designer.
She took few commissions, but each was difficult.
This one was a last-minute emergency.
"It's related to the Roscente family." She winked.
"Not interested." Sophia cut her off.
She shoved an umbrella into Olivia's hands.
"Remember your sunscreen."
She turned and went back to the library.
Olivia raised an eyebrow.
She looked at the documents with the Roscente name.
A smile played on her lips.
Hospital room.
Ethan Roscente pulled out his IV.
A bead of blood welled up.
He pressed a tissue to it.
He put on his jacket to leave.
A nurse tried to stop him.
"Mr. Roscente, you can't be discharged!"
He gave her a cold look.
The nurse fell silent.
He drove home.
His phone rang incessantly.
Victoria Roscente was calling.
He hung up directly.
He turned on airplane mode.
The world became quiet.
He walked into the kitchen.
The cookware was shiny and neatly arranged.
He remembered Sophia Sullivan making congee.
She always soaked the rice ahead of time.
She woke up early to simmer it over a low flame.
He said it was too much trouble.
She persisted anyway.
Later, he grew accustomed to her kindness.
The front door opened.
Martha walked in.
Victoria had sent her to take care of him.
"Make some oatmeal porridge." He gave the order and went upstairs.
Martha sighed.
She tied on an apron and entered the kitchen.
She brought the porridge upstairs when it was ready.
Ethan was already asleep.
His brow was furrowed tightly.
His face was pale.
Martha set the bowl down quietly.
She cleaned up and left.
In the middle of the night.
Ethan's body burned with fever.
A searing pain tormented his stomach.
Victoria arrived.
She felt his forehead; it was scalding.
She urgently called the family doctor.
"The fever is caused by his stomach condition." The doctor took his temperature.
"Take this medicine on schedule."
Victoria noted the instructions.
A nurse changed the IV bottle.
Ethan opened his eyes.
He borrowed a phone to make a call.
He dialed a memorized number.
It connected after two rings.
His Adam's apple bobbed.
No sound came out.
Sophia was half-asleep.
She answered the phone.
"Hello?"
Silence on the other end.
She opened her eyes, drowsy.
Thinking it was a wrong number.
She was about to hang up.