Ch. 331..340

Chapter 331 We’ll See

When the news first came out, Sarah didn’t respond with any statement on her end. A few of the netizens began to suspect that the rumors were legitimate after that. After all, the company could have easily made a statement if the rumors were not true. They could post a lawyer’s letter or a personal statement. Yet, they remained silent even after a long while. Soon enough, a few of the companies that had requested Sarah to be their ambassador started to contact her. They wanted compensation fees from her company.

On the other hand, Nicole was sitting outside on her balcony as she sipped on some tea in a leisurely and sophisticated manner.

“Why didn’t you post all of the information at once, Nicole? We could’ve completely destroyed Sarah’s career,” Whitney uttered with a dissatisfied tone. She was still mad at the harsh words that Sarah and Yvonne had said in the restaurant. If it had been up to her, she would have uploaded all of Sarah’s nasty stuff to the Internet!

Nicole sat in a prim and proper manner as she lifted the cup of tea and brought it to her lips. She blew on it a few times before tilting the cup and sipping on the liquid. After a mouthful of tea, she started explaining herself. “You always have to give others a chance, Whitney. All she did was look down on us, so all I was doing was teaching her a small lesson.”

She looked down to conceal the slight disappointment she felt. She had once been good friends with Sarah when they were at school. Back then, Nicole’s family was poor and couldn’t afford anything for her. However, Sarah was nice enough to give her some gifts and offer her some food every now and then. Nicole had genuinely treated Sarah as her best friend back then, but it was a shame that she now had to face the harsh reality.

Sarah managed to get her hands on Nicole’s contact number. She sounded extremely mad once she got on a call with Nicole. “Were you the one who uploaded those things on the Internet, Nicole?!” she hissed through gritted teeth.

“Yeah.” Nicole didn’t bother hiding it at all.

Sarah was fuming after hearing Nicole’s response. “Why did you do that, Nicole?!”

Nicole smiled as she lowered her gaze. “I didn’t start any false rumors about you. I was just stating facts on the Internet.”

Sarah could feel her insides burning with fire. She wished she could murder Nicole through the phone! “Do you think you’re going to destroy me just like that? You can’t do it with such minor issues. Hmph!”

Nicole didn’t intend to crush Sarah’s career with a tiny incident like this, so she simply smirked as she spoke. “Well, Ann has already signed an initial contract with you, so you should pay us the compensation fees within the next few days. I’ll have to find a new ambassador too, you know?”

Sarah nearly burst out in anger after hearing Nicole’s light-hearted tone. However, she managed to contain herself as there were a lot of people around her. “Just you wait, Nicole. I’m not going to allow you to live an easy life after you’ve meddled in mine!” she smirked and thought, It’s not that I can’t deal with Nicole. I just haven’t found the right time! I was working with Kylie and Joanna for F&M Apparel’s ambassadorship at first. They might not have the power to help me regain the ambassadorship, but they probably have some ways to drag Nicole down!

“Sarah, this is just a warning to you. I was playing nice this time since you were once my classmate. You should be careful if you have other ulterior motives or ill intentions. If you let me find out about those, your punishment is going to be more than just plagiarism,” Nicole warned in a calm tone. She didn’t seem bothered by Sarah’s threats at all.

Since Sarah had come to this point, she decided that she would have to stand up for herself so that Nicole could no longer threaten her. Many other artists plagiarized certain content as well, yet they didn’t have any issues.

“We’ll see how it goes!” Sarah hissed.

Chapter 332 Alice Murphy

Sarah’s company had put in a great deal of effort to contain the news of her plagiarized song. Nicole, however, didn’t allow for this to happen. She ordered Gardner Corporation to announce Sarah as an ambassador for Ann—this started a huge trend as all the focus was on Sarah once more.

This time, the netizens managed to hunt down a lot more of Sarah’s dark history. This was possibly the most popular she had ever been since her debut. The information that Whitney had gathered was complete, and the way things were posted made it extremely clear. Whitney didn’t allow anyone to refute the statements she had made.

Initially, the company thought that the hype was dying down and that they could get away without making a statement. However, the situation only became increasingly severe as the media sites started making reports about it. The company couldn’t handle it at all. In the end, they had to get Sarah to make an official apology.

Sarah had no choice but to step forward and apologize. First, she uploaded a tweet to explain that an old friend of hers had written the song and that she had only sung it after getting her friend’s permission. Back then, she claimed that she had written the song because she had been an immature child. There were a bunch of other things that Sarah wrote after the initial explanation, but it gave others a headache just looking at all the words.

After Sarah made the statement, Gardner Corporation’s finance department gave Sarah’s manager a call to ask for the compensation fees. Once they received the money, Nicole got Alice to come in and sign the agreement. Alice was one of the most popular and talented actresses in the current generation. She was still in her early twenties, but she had already won all sorts of prizes.

“I’d like to thank you for working with us, Alice!” Nicole uttered with a beam. She made sure that Alice had settled down in her seat before handing her a cup of tea.

Alice was dressed in casual sweatpants, and she had a cap, face mask, and sunglasses that concealed her face. Despite this, she had a strong aura that seemed to fill the room the moment she walked in.

She took off her cap, sunglasses, and face mask to reveal her bare face. She had sharp features and a sweet smile. “This weather is terribly hot,” she said after taking a deep breath. “I nearly got a heat stroke when I wore a full costume for one of my movie scenes,” she said.

The smile on Nicole’s face widened when she saw how at ease the other girl seemed. “Drink some of this warm water. It should quench your thirst,” Nicole offered.

Alice finished the whole cup and brushed the beads of sweat off her forehead before she started speaking. “You don’t have to thank me, Nicole. You can just tell me if you need anything. You saved my whole family, after all.”

Nicole shook her head. “I was just doing my job. I really appreciate that you agreed to take this job as Ann’s ambassador.”

In the past, Alice’s father had suffered from a tumor in the brain, and he couldn’t find any doctor who could help him. Alice was just a rookie actress back then—she couldn’t afford to pay for the huge sum of medical fees for her father.

Coincidentally, Nicole had returned to the country by then. When she saw Alice kneeling at the front entrance of the hospital and begging for the doctor to perform surgery on her father, the bitter look on Alice’s face reminded her of herself when her mother had been ill.

This scene touched a part of Nicole’s heart, and Nicole decided to bring Alice and her father to one of Julia’s local hospitals, where Nicole personally completed the surgery.

The surgery was a huge success, and Nicole didn’t take a single penny from then. Since then, Alice had always treated Nicole as the savior of their family. Even though Alice was famous now, she would never forget the kind deeds that Nicole did for her family.

When Nicole called to ask if Alice could be the ambassador, Alice instantly rearranged all her recent schedules to ensure that she would have time to take up this ambassadorship role for Ann.

 

Chapter 333 Pierre Toth

At first, Alice had said that she wouldn’t charge anything to be the ambassador of the brand. However, Nicole still ended up giving her some money, although the amount was only about 60% of her usual market price. Alice figured that she would have to return Nicole this favor one way or another—Nicole had saved her dad’s life, after all.

“You shouldn’t treat me like an outsider, Nicole. Stop thanking me for all of this. If we’re thanking one another, I would have to be on my knees to show you how thankful I am,” Alice uttered sincerely.

Nicole’s lips formed a wide grin as she placed the contract in front of Alice. “This is the contract I drafted. Take a look at it and let me know if there’s anything that has to be amended.”

Alice barely glanced at the contract—she simply turned to the page where her signature was required before leaving her signature there. “I trust your contracts, Nicole.”

Nicole kept the documents away after taking a glance at Alice’s grand signature. Then, her motions came to a halt for a moment as she seemed to recall something. “By the way, there’s something I’d like you to keep a secret. Please don’t tell others that I’m able to perform medical procedures,” she said.

Alice nodded obediently before speaking with a hint of admiration in her voice. “I know. You told me about this previously, and I’ve remembered it ever since. But you’re so impressive, Nicole. You aren’t just the head designer of F&M Apparel; you even have such impressive medical skills!”

“It’s all just a coincidence,” Nicole uttered with a warm smile and a casual tone.

Alice was about to respond when her phone vibrated. She lowered her gaze to look at her screen, and a rather apologetic expression formed on her look when she met Nicole’s eyes again. “It’s getting late, Nicole. I have work in the evening, so I have to leave now. I will free up the whole of next Thursday for your job,” she stated.

“Alright. Travel safe,” Nicole said with a smile. Maybe all of this is good karma. I would’ve never expected someone I saved years ago to have a daughter who could be of so much help right now.

After sending Alice off, Nicole was about to continue her work when she received a call from Wendy.

“What is it, Wendy?” Nicole placed her phone beside her on the table after turning the hands-free mode on.

“Things are looking bad, Nicole. My aunt just brought Queenie and some doctor over. They’re planning to have surgery for Old Mr. Benedict. I can’t contact my brother, and my father is abroad. They’ll take time to rush home and my mother can’t stop this on her own.” Wendy sounded extremely anxious, and Nicole frowned with worry after hearing Wendy’s words.

It took a while for Nicole to say anything. Her initial instinct was for her to rush over and take a look, but she then realized that Benedict wasn’t actually related to her even though he saw her as his granddaughter. She was worried that she might be causing more trouble if she were to insist on going there.

She rubbed her temples for a while before responding. “I got it. I’ll go look for President Gardner now. You guys will have to try to stop them.”

If Nicole’s guess was right, the doctor that Olivia and Queenie had brought over was probably Pierre! I can’t let Pierre perform the surgery on Old Mr. Benedict!

After ending the call, Nicole rushed directly to Colton’s office. However, Colton’s office was empty—she couldn’t find anyone there. She gave him a call, but he didn’t pick up even after the phone rang for a long time. She tried giving Tony a call, but he didn’t respond as well. That’s odd. Where did they go?

Nicole asked Whitney about this, and Whitney seemed to recall something after thinking for a while. “Hey, I recall Mr. Larson saying that President Gardner has to attend a really important meeting today,” she uttered.

A meeting? Nicole frowned. They probably didn’t hear the calls if their phones were on silent. We don’t know how long the meeting will take, so we don’t know if he can rush home in time. Nicole didn’t want to spend too much time thinking, so she grabbed her stuff and turned to Whitney.

“I’m going out for a while. Call me if anything happens,” she ordered.

Chapter 334 Gardner Residence

Without waiting for Whitney to react, Nicole turned and left in a hurry once she finished saying that.

In the meantime, there were two people sitting in a private room of a high-end cafe.

These two were none other than Tony and Colton. After glancing carefully at the man who sat by the window with his head resting on his hand, Tony retracted his gaze and stared at his phone.

While staring at his phone, he asked, “President Gardner, Miss Nicole Anderson has called you 3 times. Are you sure that you’re not going to answer her call?”

After Tony asked that, he thought, Not only did he not answer his phone, he also prohibited me from answering mine.

Hearing Tony’s question caused Colton to retract his gaze from the window. Then, he looked at the screen of the phone he placed on the table with an idle demeanor. Showing a meaningful smile, he said decisively, “No, I’m not answering.”

As Tony looked at Colton’s confident look, he couldn’t help but feel strange. President Colton’s behavior is rather odd today. For some unknown reason, he actually instructed me to tell Whitney that we’re going to have an important meeting outside of the office. But as his assistant, more specifically, his top-notch assistant, how could there be any meetings that I’m not aware of?

Thinking that I might have missed out on some important orders, I simply let him drag me out of the office building, but I didn’t expect that he would directly drag me out only to spend our time sitting in this cafe.

What’s more, we’ve been sitting here for 3 hours or so, and we even drank 3 cups of coffee. Since I have no idea what President Gardner has up his sleeves, I can only accompany him here in this cafe.

A curious Tony asked under his breath, “President Gardner, how about you utter something and tell me what’s on your mind? Or at least tell me the reason why we’re here in this cafe.”

At the sound of Tony’s voice, Colton simply glanced at him lightly. Nevertheless, he didn’t intend to hide from his assistant. “My grandpa is critically ill.”

Tony nodded upon hearing that. I know about this matter. According to the doctor, the brain tumor was pressing against Old Mr. Benedict’s cranial nerves. Furthermore, taking his age into consideration, the success rate of the surgery is exceptionally low.

Even after receiving Colton’s answer, Tony was still puzzled. Therefore, he asked again, “But what does that have to do with you being here?”

Giving him a look as if saying that he’s an idiot, Colton then retracted his gaze and said coldly, “Nicole is White’s protégé.”

Akin to being the recipient of a bombshell, Tony was stupefied for a long time before he could slowly comprehend the shocking piece of information. Feeling rather inconceivable, his eyes widened as he asked, “President Gardner, are you saying that Miss Nicole Anderson is White’s protégé?”

In truth, similar to Troy’s reaction, Colton didn’t know about this at first. It wasn’t until later when he noticed Nicole and Julia’s close relationship, Julia’s full knowledge about Benedict’s condition, and retrieved a lot of information about it that he faintly realized something was wrong.

With that in mind, he then determined to get to the bottom of the matter. After investigating for a while, he was able to identify some clues. Through the clues he identified, he discovered that Nicole had left traces in the hospital where White stayed before. Therefore, he blindly guessed that Nicole was White’s protégé.

“We’ll find out after today.” Colton smiled confidently.

He already knew that Queenie went to look for Olivia. Knowing Olivia’s temper, he strongly believed that she would surely bring Pierre and Queenie over to the Gardner Residence.

Since Benjamin wasn’t home, Anna alone would not be able to stop Olivia’s hotheadedness. Keeping that in mind, Colton knew he had to look for someone to stop Olivia, and that someone was Nicole. Therefore, he had already informed Wendy to call Nicole and explain the matter clearly to her if something ever happened at home.

Once Nicole learned about what happened, she would come to him. When she couldn’t find him, she would certainly head to the Gardner Residence.

Just as Colton had predicted, Nicole was indeed rushing to the Gardner Residence. As soon as she entered the door, she heard a burst of a heated argument.

“Anna! You’re not a child born of the Gardner Family. Are you wishing that Dad would meet his deathbed? Let me tell you: the doctor I had invited this time said he has at least 50% confidence that he’ll succeed in the surgery. Why do you have to stop me?! What kind of vicious intentions do you have?!” Olivia lashed out at Anna.

Even though Olivia drove her up the wall, Anna still pulled her and halted her in her tracks. “Colton has already gone to seek White’s protégé. Dad’s illness will be saved if he successfully finds her.”

After hearing Anna’s words, Pierre chuckled softly, “Mrs. Gardner, you can let me in to check on Old Mr. Benedict’s condition first even if you don’t believe in my medical expertise.

And even if I’m not performing the surgery, I can still give you an analysis of his condition. Frankly speaking, White’s protégé may not have medical expertise like mine.”

Listening to the glib man in front of her, she felt uneasy. In fact, the words that escaped the man’s lips earlier alone were enough to let Anna have her guard up against him.

Chapter 335 White’s Protégé

After hearing the remarks made by the man earlier, Nicole followed the sound of his voice and shifted her gaze toward him.

Staring at the man from top to bottom, she thought to herself, This man is neither tall nor short and has a slight middle-aged spread. With that pair of black-rimmed glasses on his face, he looks kind of silly when he smiles.

At the same time, Queenie stood by Pierre’s side and not once did she utter a word. Even so, there was a smile on her face.

“It’s unnecessary,” Anna rejected coldly.

Just like Olivia, she had also thought of inviting Pierre over to the Gardner Residence and checked on Benedict’s condition before. However, in the beginning, Colton stopped her from doing so and Nicole later informed Anna that Pierre wasn’t the right doctor to treat Benedict.

For that reason alone, Anna had some doubts about Pierre. Hence, she specifically hired someone to look up on the information relating to Pierre.

To Anna’s surprise, she discovered that Pierre’s medical ethics were tremendously poor after she conducted a little in-depth investigation. Furthermore, she even found that a patient had previously posted an article on the Internet to denounce him.

However, there was nothing more the patient could do since a medical liability waiver would be signed between a patient or a patient’s family and the doctor, regardless of the degree of the surgery. Therefore, Pierre had nothing to lose and would not be held accountable even if the patient died.

Pierre feigned innocence when he saw Anna’s cold rejection and asked with a smile, “Mrs. Gardner, not to sound too boastful, but I’m still relevant in this country regardless. So I’m quite curious. When or where did I ever offend you that you’re interfering with my affairs in every way you can right now?”

At this point, Olivia was even more unhappy. Hence, she directly pointed at Anna and yelled, “Anna! Judging from Dad’s condition, we can’t delay his treatment anymore! He must undergo the surgery promptly! As for that illusory White’s protégé of yours, tell me: where are you going to find her?”

When Anna heard Olivia’s words, her facial expression faintly darkened. Nevertheless, she still blocked Olivia’s path forcibly. Trying her best to explain to Olivia, she said, “Colton is already looking for the protégé. Dad’s illness will be cured once he’s able to reach out to the protégé.”

With that, she looked straight at Pierre and intimidated the man. Since Anna was the eldest born lady from a prestigious family, it was no surprise that she carried a complete natural deterrence. “Also, do I still have to find a reason if I found you to be displeasing to my eyes?”

Pierre, who initially had a smile on his face, immediately pulled a long face after he heard Anna’s words.

“Anna, stop being tenacious in this matter, will you? If Colton is really able to find White’s protégé, let her come, but the point now is that he can’t reach out to her,” Olivia said sternly.

Then, she snorted, squinted her eyes and continued, “White’s protégé, huh? No doubt White was renowned back then, but we don’t even know the medical expertise of his protégé. From what I see, she’s nothing but a mere coward who latched onto her master’s fame. Not only that, but she’s also reluctant to show herself now. Tell me: how much of an expert can she be?!”

Nicole, who was listening on the sideline, could no longer stand Olivia’s spiteful remarks. Therefore, she came forth and said at once, “Who said she wouldn’t show up?”

When Pierre heard a female voice, he looked up habitually. Once his gaze laid upon Nicole, a trace of peculiarity flashed across his eyes. This woman in front looks rather familiar. I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before, but I can’t really remember when or where I have seen her.

Likewise, Olivia also turned to look at Nicole the moment she heard her voice. After seeing Nicole, she immediately snorted and asked with disdain, “Do you think you have the right to speak here?”

Ignoring the disdainful tone in Olivia’s voice, Nicole didn’t answer her and continued with a serious demeanor, “I have reached out to White’s protégé.”

Once Anna heard Nicole’s words, she hastily went forward and came to her side. With a tint of urgency painted across her face, she asked, “Nicole, is it true? Is it true that you’ve found White’s protégé?”

Nicole nodded. “Yes.”

Meanwhile, Olivia took a glance at Nicole. Then, she glanced behind Nicole again. Once she was certain that there was no one behind her, she sneered, “What’s the matter? Do you think we’ll believe that you actually found White’s protégé merely from your words? The least you can do is to bring the person here.”

Instantly, Nicole’s eyes darkened. Clenching her fists tightly, she looked down and thought for a while before starting to speak, “I’ve already talked to her, and she told me she’ll be here next week.”

“You’re not lying to me, are you?” Olivia asked, looking doubtful.

Seeing this, Queenie took the chance and said in an exaggerated manner, “Sis, could it possibly be that you speak thoughtlessly just so you can take credit? It’s White’s protégé that we’re talking about. Even the Gardner Family has a hard time finding the person, yet you’re telling us that you did?”

Chapter 336 Do You Dare Not to Sign a Medical Liability Waiver?

A smirk formed on Nicole’s face as she glanced at Queenie coldly. With her voice sounding a little disdain, she then said, “Do you think everyone is like you? Each person that you seek is a fake.

Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but unlike you, I knew many people when I was abroad before. Also, I have established a lot of social connections, so it’s really not that hard for me to search for a doctor.”

When Queenie heard that, her face became ghastly pale. Glaring at Nicole viciously, she gritted her teeth and uttered, “What do you mean by that? Are you possibly suspecting Dr. Toth’s identity?”

Meanwhile, Pierre was also a little discontented when he heard someone doubted his identity. Squinting his small eyes, he turned to look at Nicole and said with some dissatisfaction, “Miss, I’m a person with a certain standing in the medical field. If you don’t believe me, just look through the photos on the Internet and you can find me in them.”

Listening to Pierre’s shameless remarks, she merely smirked. After that, she immediately shifted her gaze from him to Queenie’s side. With a cold voice, she responded, “I’m sure Ms. Olivia Gardner must have verified Dr. Pierre Toth’s identity by now. In that case, what’s there for me to suspect?”

Queenie’s facial expression turned slightly better. Later, she continued, “Then, what do you mean by that?”

“The meaning behind my words is simple. Since I’m capable of helping Wendy to borrow the jewelry from Triton Studio used for the finale in the show, it’s only natural for me to be able to reach out to White’s protégé,” Nicole said plausibly.

Pausing for a while, she then stared at Olivia and added gradually, “White’s protégé has promised me that she’ll be able to come over to check on Old Mr. Benedict’s health at the latest by next Tuesday. If everything goes well, she’ll start the surgery next Wednesday.”

Olivia frowned after hearing that. She probably didn’t expect that Nicole was actually capable of inviting White’s protégé. At the same time, Olivia thought, Although I’m very much displeased with Nicole, I’ll still be able to endure her existence if she can bring White’s protégé over.

Even so, she was still doubtful. Hence, she asked coldly, “What if no one shows up next week?”

“What’s the fuss? You all can always find this doctor again if White’s protégé really doesn’t show up. Grandpa has nothing to lose either way,” Nicole said. Despite saying that, her eyes were icy cold when she looked at Pierre.

While taking a look at him, a thought came to her mind. I’m sure that this guy named Pierre Toth must have something to do with Mr. White’s death.

According to descriptions from the family members who had found their consciences, they said it was a man who gave them a large sum of money, asking them to slander my master. Even though the man was wearing a mask and a hat at that time, his figure and height were an exact match with Pierre’s look!

The more Nicole thought about it, the more enraged she became. Fearing that she wouldn’t be able to control herself and would injure the person in front of her, she turned her head away, not wanting to look at Pierre.

In the meantime, Olivia thought about Nicole’s words for a while. I’m concerned about Dad’s health. Besides, I have also run a background check on Pierre before and found out he isn’t a good doctor indeed. If White’s protégé can really make a trip over, we’ll do just fine without Pierre’s help.

Pierre, who was standing on one side, was a little dissatisfied after he heard Nicole’s words. Will you listen to her words? Does she completely regard me as a spare? Besides, from their conversation earlier, they all subconsciously felt that my medical expertise is inferior to White’s protégé.

Unlike everyone’s admiration toward White’s protégé, Pierre had long held some grudges against that protégé. In Pierre’s perspective, he might have had the chance to inherit White’s medical expertise if the protégé whom he deemed as an outsider never suddenly showed up.

“Miss, it’s wrong for you to phrase your words in such a way. Yes, I admit that my medical expertise isn’t as remarkable as White, but it’s still more than enough compared to his protégé.”

When Nicole heard that, she looked up at Pierre. With a smile, she clarified, “In that case, what do you think is the success rate for this surgery?”

“More than 50%,” he answered with confidence. However, in his mind, he had a different thought. In reality, I’ve already looked at Old Mr. Benedict’s case.

Honestly, I only have 10% or 20% of confidence that this surgery will succeed. But who cares? I’m originally here to send Old Mr. Benedict to his deathbed anyway. So, as long as it isn’t 100%, it doesn’t matter how much the success rate is.

However, Nicole didn’t stop there. She continued to press on and asked, “Then, do you dare to forgo a medical liability waiver?”

Like a shot, Pierre instantly bewildered by this question, but quickly retorted, “A surgical process is still unpredictable even if there’s a success rate of more than 50%. As a doctor, I can’t really control the patient’s life and death.”

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Chapter 337 You Wouldn’t Dare!

Knowing Pierre’s medical malpractice, how could Nicole possibly be unable to figure out his thoughts? Thus, she merely sneered and thought, Surely he wouldn’t dare to sign the medical liability waiver.

After all, that’s his ultimate ticket to be free from all possible legal charges. Besides, once the medical liability waiver is signed, he won’t be held accountable even if Old Mr. Benedict dies during the surgery!

Thinking of that, she had the sudden urge to challenge him. Hence, she added, “According to White’s protégé, she doesn’t need to sign a medical liability waiver for this surgery.

Furthermore, she’s willing to bear legal responsibility if anything happens. Dr. Toth, I won’t stop you if you’re brave enough to proceed with Old Mr. Benedict’s surgery!”

In the meantime, Anna was stunned after she heard Nicole’s words. Turning her head to look at Nicole, she asked with slight trembling in her tone, “Nicole, are you sure about what you said?”

As Nicole could comprehend the doubtful tone in Anna’s question, she didn’t get angry with the woman at all. Furthermore, it was normal for Anna to have such doubts because it generally signified that the doctor had great confidence in the surgery if they would forgo signing a medical liability waiver.

For that reason, it wasn’t easy for patients to find a doctor who would forgo signing a medical liability waiver before performing a surgery. After all, the hospital would still require the patient’s family members to sign a medical liability waiver even if the surgery’s success rate was 99.9% as they were afraid of the possible occurrence of any surgical mishaps.

Like greased lightning, Anna’s words wiped the initial smirk off Pierre’s face and he was now left speechless.

At that moment, thoughts began running through his mind. I’m here to send Old Mr. Benedict to his deathbed, considering I have accepted the payment from Bryan. What’s more, the risk for this surgery itself is extremely high.

I bet the success rate is less than 30% even if the surgery is performed by a team of top-tier brain specialists. And I even purposely boasted about my medical expertise and told them that I’m confident that the success rate of this surgery is 50% just so I can get my hands on it.

Then, I’ll take the money given by Bryan and enjoy my life once I perform the surgery. Yet such a woman suddenly meddles halfway and asks me not to sign a medical liability waiver?! Without a doubt, she’s asking me to get behind bars! Not only that, I’m afraid I’ll rot and die in jail, considering the power behind the Gardner Family!

When Nicole heard Anna’s question, she nodded in assurance. Then, she grimly looked straight at Pierre. “What’s the matter, Dr. Toth? I have absolutely no opinion if you have the confidence and are willing to do the same.”

At this juncture, Pierre was extremely displeased with Nicole. His face reddened with rage and he said angrily, “Ridiculous! A medical liability waiver needs to be signed even if it’s just a simple operation these days.

Not to mention that I only have confidence that the surgical success rate is 50% and not 100%. Even the late White Nicholson can’t even guarantee that the success rate of this surgery is 100%!”

After hearing that, Nicole smirked. Later, as she stared daggers at him, the corners of her lips formed into a sneer. “Since White’s protégé is willing to forgo signing a medical liability waiver, that means she’s confident enough with the surgery. You can do the same too if you possess such a high degree of confidence and aren’t convinced with her medical expertise.”

Although he showed no signs of panic on the surface, he was actually breaking into cold sweats. I didn’t have much confidence in Benedict’s condition in the first place. But now, I even had to be forced into a corner by this young lady in front of me.

Nonetheless, he still insisted despite not feeling confident, “That’s absolute nonsense! Instead of coming up with such a lame excuse, you guys could just tell me directly if you guys don’t need me. Aren’t you all afraid that the others will laugh their heads off once they find out?”

Completely disregarding Pierre, Nicole snorted coldly and asked directly, “What’s the matter? Are you saying you won’t dare? Or could it be that your original intention was to send Old Mr. Benedict to his death bed? After all, you’re going to sign a medical liability waiver. Am I right?”

Meanwhile, Queenie, who had been staying silent, was shocked by Nicole’s words. Believing that Nicole had discovered her sinister plot, she hurriedly stepped forward and stood in front of Pierre.

“Sis, I was thinking of making a little effort regarding Old Mr. Benedict’s matter, so I kindly went to seek for Dr. Toth. Yet, I never expected you would be saying such things. Since you’re going to have such thoughts, I won’t be the kind person anymore.”

After that, she turned to look at Pierre. Looking deeply apologetic, she explained to Pierre, “Dr. Toth, initially it was me who invited you over and seeked your help in treating Old Mr. Benedict. But I didn’t expect this to happen now. I’m really sorry.”

Pierre’s facial expression gradually turned better as he listened to Queenie giving him an out. Waving his hand, he sighed, “Now that the Gardner Family has already come up with their own plans, I’ll no longer interfere with this matter. I shall take my leave first.”

Once he finished saying that, he turned around and left the Gardner Residence.

Watching as Pierre had left, Queenie then said to Olivia, “I’m going to see Dr. Toth off.”

Chapter 338 There Are Better Plots

Olivia waited until Pierre left before she turned to look at Nicole. A glimpse of suspicion flashed in her eyes as she asked, “Is it true that you’d reached out to White’s protégé? Is she really confident with the surgery to the point that she’s willing to not sign a medical liability waiver?”

Hearing that, Nicole nodded. “Of course. What’s the matter? Could it possibly be that you’re thinking I’m boasting?”

Olivia huffed loudly. With a cold gaze, she looked at Nicole and warned, “You better not be boasting. Or else, I’ll question you if no one shows up next week now that you’ve chased Pierre away by force!”

After she finished her warning, Olivia didn’t stay long either and left.

…

Meanwhile, outside the main door, Queenie followed Pierre into the car.

Once they got into the car, Pierre immediately shed his facade and revealed his true colors. Bursting with anger, he slammed his fist on the steering wheel. Then, he uttered while gnashing his teeth, “B*tch! That f*cking b*tch!” Darn it! I almost succeeded and the money is within my reach. Yet, my plan was abruptly tampered with by that little b*tch!

Since Queenie was aware that keeping Benedict alive wouldn’t benefit her the slightest bit, she also had a slightly awful look as she turned her head to look at Pierre, whose face was flushed with anger.

Frowning slightly, she asked with some doubts, “Is White’s protégé’s medical expertise so superb that she even dares to forgo signing a medical liability waiver?”

Pierre showed a total disdainful look on his face and immediately bellowed loudly, “B*llsh*t! That little girl has no such great capability!” Immediately after, he added, “Even the late White Nicholson had a confidence of 50% success rate at most if he was asked to perform this surgery!”

“50%…” Queenie paused for a while before a thoughtful expression painted across her face. Then, she lowered her head and thought for a while before having a straight face. “It’s only a 50% success rate, yet she dares to boast about it?!”

When he heard her remarks, he snorted, “50%, huh?” Showing a sinister smile, he continued, “I won’t give her any chance of success at all. As long as she dares not to sign a medical liability waiver, I’ll take any means to let her rot in jail.”

Like a shot, her eyes lit up after she heard that and a scheming thought flashed through her mind. Since Nicole was the one who reached out to White’s protégé, she’ll definitely be the one to get blamed if something happens to Old Mr. Benedict.

“Do you have any good plots?”

“Of course I do,” Pierre sneered. Then, he squinted his eyes slightly and added, “Accidents are the most common phenomenon during surgeries. By then, we can just create any mishaps and let her face a tragic end!”

As he spoke, he constantly thought of his grudge against White’s protégé. I would have been a world-renowned brain specialist by now if it wasn’t for this outsider back then! At that time, I was only one step away from succeeding. Who knew this outsider would suddenly show up and get in my way! No doubt I’ll send her to jail if she really dares not to sign a medical liability waiver this time.

After listening to his words, Queenie breathed a sigh of relief. What Bryan wanted was the death of Old Mr. Benedict. If I can’t even execute such a simple task well, he’ll probably look down on me in the future. Regardless of whether it’s Pierre performing the surgery or not, my mission will be considered a success as long as Old Mr. Benedict dies in the midst of the surgery.

Thinking of that, she had a satisfying smile. After that, she turned to look at Pierre and said, “Whether it’s you or someone else who performs this surgery, I’ll give you every single penny that I’ve promised you as long as you can guarantee that Old Mr. Benedict will die during the surgery.”

That was enough to make Pierre smile. Clutching the steering wheel tightly, he said with a cold voice, “Coincidentally, if White’s protégé dares to show up, I’ll immediately ruin her reputation and make her regret her comeback this time!”

Back then, I came up with a scheme to sabotage White’s reputation. On top of that, I even used it to threaten him and demanded he teach me his medical expertise. But it’s too bad that the old man wasn’t willing to teach me even if he faced death himself. He would rather die of slander than teach his medical expertise to me.

In the end, his protégé also disappeared after he died. I have asked someone to investigate, but there wasn’t any news. Initially, I thought things were over. Little did I know that I’d be able to meet his protégé again at the Gardner Residence. Since she was in my way back then, she can’t blame me for being ruthless this time.

“I don’t care about the grudges you have with White’s protégé, but don’t you forget about the task entrusted by Mr. Kohlberg.” Queenie couldn’t help but remind Pierre aloud as she was afraid that he would make mistakes.

Chapter 339 I Am White’s Protégé

When Pierre heard Queenie’s reminder, he glanced at her with ambiguity as he responded, “Got it. I can’t say no to money regardless of what, right?”

She felt slightly disgruntled as she saw the amatory look on his face. Hence, she reached out to pull up her clothes. Then, she turned her head and said nothing.

When he noticed that, he giggled and spoke nothing more. He stepped on the accelerator and drove away.

Meanwhile, Colton, who spent his time in a cafe, was waiting for the whole situation to be over. He only came home terribly late after he learned that Nicole had finished dealing with the Gardner Family’s affairs.

When he showed up, he pretended to know nothing and asked, “I saw there were a lot of missed calls as soon as I finished with the meeting. So, I called Wendy and she said something came up at home. Can anyone tell me what has happened?”

There was a burst of joy on Anna’s face after she saw Colton. She immediately approached him and said, “Colton, did you know that Nicole had reached out to White’s protégé? Your grandpa is saved!”

Unlike the rest of the Gardner Family, he didn’t seem surprised at all after he heard those words. Resting his gaze upon Nicole, he asked softly with a smirk, “Really?”

Noticing his gaze, he nodded awkwardly. “Yeah.” In her mind, she thought, Well, I’ve given them my words, so I definitely can’t back down now.

At the thought of that, Nicole closed her eyes slightly. Shortly after, she whispered, “She’ll come over next Tuesday.”

Even though she had faith in her medical expertise, it had been years since she last performed a surgery after all. Thinking that she couldn’t afford to let any mishaps occur during Benedict’s surgery, she decided to go back and brush up on her skills. I’ll perform his surgery once I’ve finished polishing my skills.

Colton didn’t force Nicole either. Turning to look at Anna and Wendy, he said, “Nicole and I have something to discuss. Mom, why don’t you bring Wendy upstairs first?”

While hearing that, Anna gave him a knowing look. Hence, she nodded and replied. “Sure. Sure. It just so happens that I have something to discuss with Wendy too, so you two can just discuss it here.”

With that, she directly pulled Wendy with one hand and brought her upstairs.

In the blink of an eye, only Nicole and Colton were left in the spacious living room now. He looked straight at her with a smile on his face and an inquiring look that was being suppressed in his eyes.

Sensing Colton’s bold stare, Nicole felt her scalp tingling with nerves. After a while, she looked up at him and asked, “Is there something wrong, President Gardner? Why do you keep looking at me like this?”

However, he didn’t answer her nor utter a word. Instead, he reached out his hand and pulled Nicole over to the couch. Then, he poured a glass of water and handed it to her.

Due to her being in an argument with Pierre earlier, she was literally parched at this moment. Therefore, she picked up the glass of water without thinking twice, brought it to her lips, and took a sip.

Just when she was about to say something after taking a sip of the water, she heard Colton’s voice asking her, “You’re the protégé of the late White Nicholson. Am I right?”

As she heard Colton’s question, she choked on her water and coughed lightly. Then, she covered her lips with her hands and coughed twice. At that moment, a layer of inconceivable flashed across her eyes as she was in disbelief that Colton had found out about her other identity.

Then, she thought about it for a while. I’m going to perform a surgery for Old Mr. Benedict next week anyway. Seeing she couldn’t hide her identity any longer, she decided to reveal the truth. Therefore, she pursed her lips and asked directly, “How did you find out?”

Letting out a soft smile, Colton placed his hands together and thought, It seems like my guess was right after all.

“Although Julia is a doctor, she’s not a neurologist. She’s not even a surgeon and is of little help with Grandpa’s condition. The reason why she stays at the Gardner Residence is because of Richard.” Colton stared at Nicole.

Then, he continued to say word by word, “Moreover, she suddenly became proactive after she met you and Grandpa recently. She even took the initiative to retrieve all of Grandpa’s medical records. In addition, she knew White’s protégé, and you’re the only person whom she has met recently.”

Listening to Colton’s word-for-word analysis, Nicole couldn’t help but admire him. Colton’s analysis wasn’t wrong at all, and I’m amazed that he can immediately guess my identity as White’s protégé with such little information.

“Yes, you’re right. I’m White’s protégé indeed.” She nodded and replied.

 

Chapter 340 Make Up Her Mind

Colton wasn’t surprised at all after he heard Nicole’s confession. Gazing upon her, he asked immediately, “How confident are you about my grandpa’s surgery?”

“Fifty-fifty,” Nicole answered him with certainty.

After hearing that, he squinted his eyes to show displeasure. “Isn’t that the same as what Pierre said before?”

At once, she shook her head decisively. Thinking about Pierre’s medical malpractice, she curled her lips into a smirk when she talked about him. “Pierre is someone who likes to boast about his medical expertise. Yeah, his medical skills aren’t bad. Still, it can’t change the fact that he doesn’t go easy on the dosage. That’s why his way of medical practice isn’t suitable for the elderly and children.”

In order to allow Benedict to undergo his surgery, Colton had specifically done a thorough background check on Pierre. Therefore, just like Nicole, Colton was surely aware of Pierre’s medical malpractices.

“Nicole, I believe in you.”

Nicole reached out her hand and massaged her temples upon hearing that. Deep down, she thought, I have already given my words in front of Mrs. Gardner and Olivia. For that, this is a surgery I must take on, regardless.

“Thanks. Well then, I’m afraid I can’t go to Gardner Corporation and work these few days. So, allow me to ask for your permission to take a leave of absence first.”

Colton gave her his endorsement with a nod. Then, he placed his hand on her shoulder as if to encourage her. “Take your time to get prepared, and tell me at any time if you need anything.”

She nodded lightly. After that, she lowered her head before she wore a wry smile while fixing her gaze on the floor. Mr White, sorry for letting you down. This time, I must pick up the scalpel once again, but I still hope you won’t be too disappointed.

Letting her thoughts wander in her mind, Nicole recalled the scene where she followed White to rescue people a few years ago. She could still vividly remember the feeling at that time. It was almost like we were in a tug-of-war with the God of Death. We couldn’t even afford to rest for a second.

After seething deep in her thoughts for a while, she decided to cast them aside. Then, she stood up. “It’s getting late, so I think I’m not going to stay here much longer. President Gardner, I’ll head back home first.”

Colton agreed and bid her goodbye. “Very well. You may leave first.”

At that moment, a stream of thoughts began running through his mind as he saw Nicole off at the front door. Everything that happened today was within my expectations. I know for a fact that Queenie will bring Pierre to seek my aunt, but I won’t stop her. And I even let Dad head abroad for a business trip just for today’s sake. Grandpa has always been important to Nicole. For some reason, I can sense that she’s constantly in a dilemma and unable to make up her mind because of some matters. Hence, I purposely allowed my aunt to bring Pierre over to directly pressure Nicole and force her to make a decision. I also know that from Nicole’s point of view, someone as glib as Pierre is ineligible to perform the surgery for Grandpa, and well, not to mention, Pierre had past disputes with White. Hence, Nicole naturally won’t trust him. Out of frustration, she’ll naturally blurt those words.

Watching Nicole’s back silhouette as she left the Gardner Residence, Colton suddenly felt he was being a little selfish.

Meanwhile, Nicole knew nothing about this. After leaving the Gardner Residence, she didn’t head straight back home. Instead, she went directly to Julia.

Coming from a family who had practiced medicine for generations, Julia’s family had a huge research center in their family’s manor. That place was also the place where Nicole rescued Alice’s father back then.

The medical equipment in the research center was complete and they were all the most high-end equipment in the world. Making her way to Julia’s place, Nicole thought, It’s Wednesday, so that means I still have five days left. As long as I can adjust my state well, I’ll soon recover my medical skills.

Once Nicole arrived at Julia’s place, she told Julia the reason why she had come over.

Julia was shocked when she heard Nicole’s words. She didn’t expect Nicole to act so decisively to the point that Nicole went directly to her house and told her that she wanted to perform surgery for Benedict.

“Nicole, are you sure you have thought carefully about this? Are you sure you want to do it?” Julia asked seriously with a solemn expression on her face.

Hearing that, Nicole clenched her hands tightly and her eyes darkened. Since she had made up her mind about this matter, she nodded firmly. Seeing that Julia was a close friend of hers, Nicole didn’t have many worries when she faced her.

Hence, she told Julia everything after she thought about it for a while. “They’ll ask Pierre to perform the surgery if I don’t want to do it. I know Pierre. He has no medical ethics at all. How would I dare to let him perform surgery for Old Mr. Benedict?”

Since the infamous Pierre had quite a bad reputation in the medical field, Julia also heard about him and his medical malpractices.

“In that case, can you really let the past go?” Julia asked worriedly.

After all, White’s final wish was that Nicole could stay away from the medicine.

She knew what Julia was worried about. Sighing slightly, she explained solemnly, “It’s exactly like what you said. Back then, Mr. White didn’t let me practice medicine because he was afraid of dragging me into the mess, but he never taught me not to save someone from dying.”