Ch. 341..350

Chapter 341 Experiment

As Nicole spoke, the expression on her face slowly took a turn, and there was a slight tint of sadness painted across her face. Indulging in her sadness, she clenched her hand tightly and clasped it on the back of her other hand.

“I can’t be heartless. I can’t just watch Old Mr. Benedict die without trying my best to save him. He treated my mom and me so kindly before. It’s like I’m killing him with my own hands if I still choose not to save him even after I know I’m capable of saving him. Tell me: what makes me different from a monster by then?”

Nicole’s lips began to tremble as she uttered those words to Julia. The feeling of sadness in her escalated when she reached the end of her sentence, and her entire body began to shiver.

“I-I can’t do that.”

Looking at Nicole drowning herself in a state of sadness, Julia felt she couldn’t hold it anymore. Therefore, she reached out her hand and patted Nicole’s shoulder.

“I know, Nicole. I know you have always been the kind-hearted person you are,” Julia said while hugging Nicole in her arms, comforting her.

After Nicole stayed in Julia’s arms for a while, she regained her spirits. Putting a smile on her face, she looked at Julia and said, “Julia, there isn’t much time left for me to practice now, so I need to get started as soon as possible. Only through this way can I ensure Old Mr. Benedict’s surgery will go well.”

Upon hearing that, Julia nodded. “Sure. I’ll help you.”

Before she started practicing her medical skills, Nicole made a call to Whitney and told her about her current situation. She told Whitney that she had something that she needed to attend to outside the city within these few days and would like to entrust Hayden under her care.

When Whitney received the call, she could clearly sense the severity of the situation through Nicole’s tone and words. Feeling rather confused at what the actual seriousness of the condition might be, she asked, “Did something happen, Miss Nicole?”

Upon hearing that, Nicole paused for a while. She was thinking of how to explain this situation to Whitney. After much thought, she realized that she couldn’t explain to her in detail, considering the degree of complications of the situation. Therefore, she decided that she would only describe it in a general sense.

Once Whitney finished listening to Nicole’s brief explanation, she was astonished. Never once did it cross her mind that Nicole would possess medical expertise.

And just like that, she stayed shocked for a long while before she finally came back to her senses. “Don’t worry, Miss Nicole. I’ll look after Hayden for you. I promise you that nothing’s ever going to happen to him while he’s with me, so go ahead and do what you need to do.”

After thanking Whitney, Nicole hung up the phone. Thanks to Whitney’s help in taking care of Hayden, she instantly felt relieved. Now that there was someone she trusted to help her take care of her son, she must concentrate all her energy on her medical practices. I need to give it my all because only through this way am I able to regain my confidence in operating on Old Mr. Benedict.

…

Later, Julia brought Nicole to her family’s research center. Since Nicole’s skills were rusty, it was impossible for Julia to let her experiment on a live person. Therefore, she had to let Nicole practice her skills by dissecting on a rabbit.

“Nicole, the required precision for this surgery is very high. Although you’re White’s protégé, it still can’t change the fact that it’s been years since you last landed your hand on a scalpel. For that reason, I think you still need to slowly regain your confidence with your medical skills by starting from the basics,” Julia said.

Understanding Julia’s concern, Nicole had no second opinion at all. She nodded and said with a wry smile, “I understand. It’s good to get myself familiarized with the procedure first. Besides, I don’t have much confidence in myself right now, and I’m afraid I might have to break my promise if I’m still unable to recover my medical skills by this Tuesday.”

Julia smiled when she stared at Nicole’s somewhat decadent state. Then, she comforted her by saying, “Don’t worry, Nicole. Back then, White chose you to be his protégé at one glance. So that means you’re a natural. We know White won’t lie about this matter.”

After hearing Julia’s comfort, Nicole suddenly felt much better. Looking up at Julia, she glanced at the rabbit which had been given anesthesia. Instantly, her eyes darkened, and she nodded. “Let’s get started. We must not waste even a second.”

Focusing all her attention on the surgery, Nicole stayed in Julia’s research center for a whole day and night. Although she hadn’t used a scalpel for several years, she did get her hands on clothes making in recent years. Since most custom-made clothes required fine stitching skills, she didn’t feel any sense of unfamiliarity at all when stitching the rabbit’s surgical wound.

Nicole was engrossed in her tasks for nearly 24 hours before she finished her medical training.

After that, she let out a deep sigh. Due to concentrating for a long time, she didn’t know when her forehead started sweating.

Meanwhile, Julia looked at the surgical wound that had been successfully stitched up. Wiping the sweat on Nicole’s forehead, she exclaimed with a smile, “You still had it in you, Nicole!”

While looking at the rabbit that was still in a coma, Nicole felt rather uneasy deep down. She pursed her lips and whispered under her breath, “Let’s make a conclusion on my medical skills only after the rabbit wakes up.”

Chapter 342 Tired

Finally, Nicole was able to take advantage of the time the rabbit was awake to take a break and rest.

Unlike clothes making, medical surgery required full concentration. One had to tense up for a long time, and not even the slightest mistakes could be made. The entire procedure was tough. It was all the more strenuous, especially for someone like Nicole, who hadn’t performed any surgery in a long while.

Like she had just gone for a swim, Nicole’s entire body was drenched in sweat when she stepped away from the operating table.

Looking at the tired Nicole, Julia immediately pulled a medical bed toward her. She let her lie down and rest for a while.

However, Nicole didn’t lie down on the bed. Instead, with her face as pale as a white sheet, she found a chair and pulled it toward her. She sat down on the chair and rested for a while. “I won’t rest. I’m fine. Let’s observe the rabbit’s condition first.”

Although Julia didn’t utter anything, she couldn’t help but feel concerned about Nicole when she saw the dark circles under her eyes.

Who can stand such a long hour of performing high-precision work like this? She was still at it after I took a break.

Thinking of that, Julia gently reminded her. “Nicole, you still have to take care of your own health first, even if you want to perform surgery on Old Mr. Benedict. Are you possibly thinking of exchanging his life with yours?”

Upon hearing that, Nicole thought of giving her explanation at first. However, she was immediately interrupted by Julia just as she started parting her lips. “You can’t risk your health no matter what. Hurry up and rest now! I’ll help you watch over the rabbit. Don’t worry. I’ll inform you right away if something goes wrong.”

Seeing that Julia was adamant about her request, Nicole didn’t know whether to cry or laugh. Julia is right. I’m indeed physically and mentally exhausted right now. I have a hunch that I’ll fall asleep as soon as I close my eyes.

Powerless against Julia’s persuasion, Nicole had no choice but to lie down on the bed.

As if proving her own hunch was right, she began to feel sleepy almost as soon as her body got in touch with the bed. In an instant, her eyelids felt heavy, and her mind also went blank. Shutting her eyes, she fell asleep within seconds.

Ever since Nicole stopped carrying out her duty as a doctor, she rarely went through moments where she needed to be wholly focused. Without a doubt, the rabbit’s surgical procedure took a toll on her, and her entire body was in an exhausted state. The size of the medical bed Julia retrieved for Nicole wasn’t big, considering it was just a tiny single bed. Furthermore, Nicole couldn’t even stretch her body on the bed. Still, she slept very deeply on the bed at this moment, as she was too tired to be bothered anymore.

The place was a research center, so there was definitely a special room for medical practitioners to rest. However, the room was located a little farther from the operating room. It would take about a few minutes to walk there. After seeing Nicole’s exhausted state, Julia was really worried about letting her walk to the room alone. For that reason, she decided to let her sleep here in the operating room, where she could supervise her.

Since Julia had already taken a nap while Nicole was performing the surgery, she wasn’t sleepy now. Turning her attention to the rabbit, she carefully examined it. After she took a closer look, she couldn’t help but feel amazed at Nicole’s medical skills. I have to say I’m truly impressed. Nicole’s hands aren’t shaky at all. The post-surgical stitches are neat, and no flaws can be spotted at all.

Suddenly, there was a slight movement at the door just when Julia was concentrating on observing the rabbit. At first, she thought it was a staff member of her house. Thus, she didn’t pay attention to it and continued looking at the rabbit.

However, she later sensed something was off. And thus, she decided to shift her attention away from the rabbit for a while to check on her surroundings. Unexpectedly, Colton’s silhouette came into her sight as soon as she looked up.

For a moment, Julia was stunned. Then, she came back to her senses a while later. However, Colton quickly put his finger in front of his lips and made a ‘shh’ gesture just as she was about to speak.

Only then did she realize Colton was afraid she would wake Nicole up from her nap.

Walking up to Colton, Julia lowered her voice and asked, “President Gardner, what brings you here to our family’s research center?”

In the meantime, Colton’s gaze had been fixated on Nicole ever since he entered through the door. After hearing Julia’s question, only did he retract his gaze. “I’m here to check on her.”

Since Julia still didn’t know if Colton had learned about Nicole’s identity as White’s protégé, she was on her toes. Smiling awkwardly, she explained, “Nicole is just here to accompany me. She felt a little tired, so she fell asleep. You can rest assured.”

When Colton heard that, a trace of concern glimpsed across his eyes. Looking at the rabbit on the operating table and the dark circles under Nicole’s eyes, he could almost guess the situation.

Ignoring Julia, he made his way straight toward Nicole. Then, he reached out his hands and carried her up in his arms.

Julia was startled when she saw that and wanted to stop Colton. However, someone suddenly showed up beside her and stopped her just when she was about to walk up to Colton.

Feeling weird, Julia looked up and saw it was Richard. “Richard, Nicole—”

 

Chapter 343 Weary

Richard knew what Julia wanted to say. Looking at her with a faint smile on his face, he reached out to caress her face and murmured, “Don’t worry. Colton is just taking her to get some rest. He won’t do anything to her.”

Left with no choice, she could only watch as Colton carried Nicole away. There was something that she wanted to utter, but she hesitated for a while. Eventually, she swallowed back the words on the tip of her tongue.

In the meantime, Richard seemed to have sensed Julia’s hesitation. Trying to enlighten her more, he smiled and added, “It’s honestly nothing to be worried about. Colton understands that Nicole is currently the key person to saving Old Mr. Benedict, so he knows what he’s doing. I’m sure he won’t do anything crazy to her at such a critical moment.”

It was at the moment after listening to Richard’s words when Julia realized Colton had already found out about Nicole’s identity as White’s protégé.

Restraining the worried expression on her face, she looked at Richard. Then, she showed her disgruntlement toward Richard by wrinkling her face. Then, with a melancholy tone in her voice, she asked, “So you’re the one who brought him here to my place?”

Once Richard noticed that Julia was unhappy, he hurriedly explained, “He’s Colton Gardner, a significant member of the Gardner Family. Do you really think he needs my help in locating this place? It’s as easy as ABC for him to find this place. I’m just tagging along because I feared you might feel bored all by yourself.”

A sense of realization hit Julia as she listened to Richard’s reasoning. I can’t seem to get mad at him, regardless of what he does. Besides, Colton had already discovered Nicole’s identity as White’s protégé. So I don’t see the need for me to hide the truth anymore.

“Fine. I get it. Speaking of which, come over and sit with me now that you’re here. Can you see this rabbit? Nicole has just operated on it, so we need to observe its post-surgical condition.”

As Richard stared at Julia’s angry look, a trace of pampering floated in his eyes. He couldn’t help but think she looked adorable. Reaching out, he touched her head with a smile and said, “Sure.”

In the meantime, Colton navigated himself around the place like a professional. It was as if he had been here many times before. While carrying Nicole in his arms, he headed straight toward the room where medical practitioners took their rest. Probably feeling too tired, Nicole simply let Colton carry her all the way. She was too deep in her slumber, and not once did she have the intention of waking up.

Not wanting to wake her up, Colton carefully placed her on the bed. Then, he covered her with a quilt.

In the dimly lit room, only some light faintly peeked through the ajar door.

With his gaze following the light, Colton stared at Nicole’s fair cheeks. He noticed that her face was looking a little pale, her lips were dry, and there was a layer of dark circles under her eyes. At that moment, he was concerned about her state. She looks like she hasn’t had a good rest in a long while.

At the same time, Nicole, who was currently in dreamland, seemed to have encountered something in her sleep. Looking as if she was a little discontented with something, she frowned slightly.

When Colton saw that, he involuntarily reached out his hand and placed the pulp of his finger right between her eyebrows. Then, he helped her to stretch out her frown by gently massaging the spot.

Seemingly to have felt something, Nicole slowly relaxed, and the tension between her eyebrows gradually eased up. After that, she fell into a deep sleep again.

In spite of that, Colton stayed around and didn’t leave her side. He sat directly at the bedside and watched Nicole sleeping soundly.

While watching her, he let his mind wander into his thoughts. I remember when I first met Nicole. At that time, I thought she was a snob who simply wanted to claim ties with the Gardner Family. But later, I gradually realized that this woman had many hidden identities. First, she was the Chief Designer of F&M Apparel, and recently, she was also revealed to be White’s protégé.

The more Colton thought about it, the more curious he got. He couldn’t help but wonder what other secrets exactly Nicole had that she might hide from him.

Like a flash, his eyes darkened. Staring straight at the woman on the bed, he used his gaze to trace the outline of her profile. Then, his eyes gradually traced down inch by inch.

Not knowing Colton was staring at her, Nicole slept for a long time. Perhaps it was because she was drained. She slept so deep that she nearly couldn’t open her eyes. In the end, it was the sudden thought about the rabbit that she had performed surgery on a while ago that abruptly woke her up.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw a pair of dark orbs staring at her. Thinking that it was some nightmare, she felt her heart suddenly drop with a ‘thud’ and was nearly scared out of her wits.

After she regained her senses, only then was she able to have a clear view of the look of the person who nearly scared her to death. It’s Colton! Even though she realized that the person was Colton, there was still a sense of fright that lingered within her. Looking at him with lingering fears, she asked in a hoarse voice, “President Gardner, what brings you here?”

Then, she turned her head and looked around the room. At that moment, she couldn’t help but wonder. That’s weird. I remember I was sleeping on the hospital bed in the laboratory. So how did I end up in the room?

Seeing that Nicole was awake, Colton reached out his hand to straighten his clothes. After that, he said with a smile, “I’m here to check on your progress.”

Despite having slept for a while, Nicole felt her head was still aching a little. Therefore, she reached out her hand to hold her forehead. Upon hearing Colton’s answer, she nodded and explained, “I almost got the hang of it. Give me some more time and wait for me to get the hang of things fully.”

 

Chapter 344 Let’s Get Busy

Seeing how exhausted she was, Colton felt his heart wrenching for Nicole, but he also knew that if she wanted to operate on Benedict, she had to overcome the difficulties that she was facing.

“Don’t rush it. Grandpa’s situation is now relatively stable. So, just take it easy and relax.”

Colton didn’t give her any pressure, but because she had such a history with Benedict, she definitely wanted to do her best to save him. Just this thought alone was enough to set his mind at ease.

Closing her eyes, Nicole rested for a few minutes in bed. Then, she pursed her lips before saying directly, “I cannot allow anything to go wrong when it comes to Old Mr. Benedict.”

After saying that, she lifted the sheets and got out of bed. Although she didn’t know how long she had slept, she felt much more energetic and decided to check up on the rabbit.

Watching the determined woman in front of him, he didn’t stop her and followed her to the lab where the rabbit had woken up. However, maybe it was because the anesthesia had only just worn off that it was now squatting motionlessly at a corner.

Seeing that Nicole had returned, Julia hurriedly said in excitement, “Nicole, Richard and I had just done a check-up on the rabbit, and there’s nothing wrong with it. The stitches and everything about the surgery is very successful.”

A look of relief washed over Nicole’s face and she sighed silently. Luckily, my medical skills haven’t regressed yet. Giving Julia a nod, she pulled herself together before announcing, “Let’s carry on with the next step, then. I’ve had enough rest.”

Seeing the hurried look on Nicole’s face, Julia didn’t turn her down and swiftly started getting to work.

When Richard saw that the girls were starting to get busy, he took a couple of steps backward without a word and went to Colton’s side. Stealing a look at him, he saw that he was staring unblinkingly at Nicole.

“Haha! Hey, Colton. Keep your eyes away. You’re staring so much that you’re going to make her embarrassed.” Richard couldn’t help but think Colton was too into Nicole.

After hearing Richard’s reminder, Colton looked away and swept his eyes over the man before shifting them back to Nicole again, saying calmly, “Let’s go back.”

Raising his brows in surprise, Richard asked with a grin, “I thought you would like to stay here. Why are you enlightened all of a sudden?”

Colton pursed his lips as he watched Nicole, who was getting down to business. Sticking his hands into his pockets, he answered, “It’s useless for me to stay here, and I’ll even disturb her.”

Richard couldn’t help but laugh when he saw how much self-awareness Colton had. “I didn’t imagine that after not seeing you for many years, there would be a change to your bad habit. You no longer have that big ego of yours anymore.”

Without a word, Colton walked out, and since Richard couldn’t be of any help here either and saw that Julia was also starting to get busy, he smirked and left with Colton.

…

At Gardner Corporation, Kylie was sure that something must have happened because Nicole hadn’t been around for the past few days and only her assistant, Whitney, was around.

“Say, Joanna. Did something happen to Nicole? She didn’t come to the office for the past few days, and she seemed to be in a rush the last time she left.”

Joanna peered at Kylie in front of her; this woman was still the chief designer at F&M Apparel, and even though she was useless in Gardner Corporation, she had to respect Kylie a little because of her title.

“Maybe,” Joanna answered casually, not knowing what Kylie wanted to say.

Kylie twisted the edges of her lips into a smirk and said lazily, “This is great. The Golden Brush Competition is about to start soon.”

The light in Joanna’s eyes shone brightly. That’s right. I was so busy these few days that I almost forgot about this.

Held once every four years, the Golden Brush Competition only had one nomination spot for every company.

 

Chapter 345 A Scheme

In the previous competition, Gardner Corporation had designated Joanna to participate, but unfortunately, she only ended up as a regular participant without even getting the nomination prize.

After four years, her designs were no longer as awkward as they used to be, and she totally had the chance to be nominated.

Looking at Joanne, Kylie said, “Only companies or studios of a certain scale in the clothing industry can recommend someone for the Golden Brush Competition. Since Nicole has already left F&M Apparel, the one they would recommend will for sure be me if there’s no accident. And from Gardner Corporation…”

Immediately, Joanna nodded and completed her sentence with a smile, “Of course, they’ll enter the competition with my name.”

Nodding in satisfaction, Kylie recalled that during the last competition, Nicole won the prize after she was recommended by F&M Apparel. However, she was arrogant when we accepted her prize on stage and even announced, “At the next Golden Brush Competition, I’ll still be receiving the same award on this stage and make F&M Apparel proud.”

Hurriedly, Kylie chimed in, “Previously, when Nicole received the award on stage, she said she would enter the competition again this time. But now that she has already left F&M Apparel, she isn’t even qualified to enter the competition, not to mention winning the award!”

Although Joanna knew that the winner of the competition last time was the Chief Designer of F&M Apparel, Lisa, she didn’t know that there was such a background story.

With curiosity written on her face, Joanna glanced at her and asked, “Huh? Did something happen?”

After Kylie told her everything that had happened, her eyes lit up. So, something like that actually happened!

Then, Kylie continued, “The participant list for the competition will be published in a few days, and the competition is a hot topic now. If the things Nicole said the last time was uploaded, maybe someone with some other intentions will make headlines out of it.” Imagining that scene in her mind, she couldn’t stop grinning. “Even if it won’t cause her any damage with this, it will make her a joke in the fashion industry!”

Joanna thought that this was a reliable plan, and it was all thanks to Nicole’s bragging from years ago.

Nevertheless, if it was only to damage Nicole’s reputation, this issue was a little of a fuss. Joanna’s eyes darkened a little as she thought about it and said, “This is not enough. If you simply want to damage her reputation, this is just a small scratch to her. Since we’re going to do it, we must make it big.”

To begin with, Kylie had always disliked Nicole. In F&M Apparel, she was oppressed by Nicole for four years. If there was a chance to get back to Nicole, she would definitely not let the chance slip by.

“Huh? Do you have any good ideas, Director Schmidt?”

Joanna narrowed her eyes. Anyway, her relationship with Nicole was already in the rut, and they both knew this in their hearts. So, there was no reason to continue with the pretense.

“Didn’t Nicole recently change the spokesperson and replace Sarah Brenner?”

Puzzled, Kylie peered at her. “Yeah, so what?”

Smirking, she continued, “Previously, Sarah told me that she loathes Nicole to the core, and the spokesperson was changed this time because Nicole did something in private.” As she spoke, her smirk deepened. “Since we’re all standing on the same side, why don’t we make use of this opportunity so that Nicole can’t make a comeback?”

Kylie’s eyes sparkled. As long as Nicole had it bad, she would be happy, and she immediately nodded and replied, “Director Schmidt, tell me. Do you have a good plan?”

“Nicole is not here now, but the products for the next season will be sent for production soon, and the products from Ann this time will be a collaboration with Aimee International by using the market they have opened up abroad. Say, if there’s a problem with the draft, will Nicole be involved or not?” Joanna said slowly with a sneer.

 

Chapter 346 Signing Up for the Golden Brush Competition

“What’s your plan?” Kylie asked, staring at Joanna.

As long as it could embarrass Nicole, she was willing to do anything.

Pulling out a drawer, Joanna then took out a stack of design drafts. “These are the draft designs collected for this season.”

As she spoke, she picked out a draft from the stack, placed it on the desk, and passed it to Kylie.

Confused, Kylie lowered her head and took a look at it. The design could only be deemed as proper—not bad—but there weren’t any highlights or problems with it, either.

“What’s this?”

“This is a draft I had turned down because it plagiarized earlier works of Aimee International. However, that’s a design from a long time ago, and I only happen to see it by chance. If it’s someone else, I’m afraid they won’t be able to see it immediately. If this is sent to Aimee International…”

It hadn’t been a long time since Aimee International explored the international market, and it was a clothing brand that suddenly emerged three years ago, known for its bold designs that attracted a lot of young people.

Very quickly, they penetrated the market abroad, and within the years, they were able to establish themselves in the fashion industry.

It was the ability and potential of the company that attracted the interest of Gardner Corporation, and they didn’t mind spending a huge amount of money just to collaborate with them. If the collaboration was ruined by Nicole, it’d put a lot of parties in a difficult situation, even if Colton helped her out.

Without a doubt, Nicole would be kicked out by that bunch of conservatives in Gardner Corporation.

A sparkle danced in Kylie’s eyes. As long as Nicole had signed the agreement, this draft would definitely end up in the hands of Aimee International, and they could definitely recognize an old design of theirs.

“Everyone in the fashion industry frowns upon plagiarism. If Nicole is accused of this, Aimee International can totally sue her. Then, that will be the end of her!”

With a sneer on her face, Joanna leaned back. Previously when she saw this design draft, this idea had already come to her mind. Anyway, she wasn’t the one who drew this draft, and she could simply find another scapegoat at that time to bear the punishment together with Nicole. For herself, she would be reprimanded without suffering any losses.

“Of course. It’s Nicole’s assistant who’s helping her to go through the contracts now, and she definitely can’t see the problem in it!”

Then, they shared a gaze with each other and giggled tacitly.

…

Meanwhile, Nicole basically lived at Julia’s research center. Setting aside all other thoughts, she planned to recover her medical skills properly.

Unbeknownst to her, because she wasn’t at Gardner Corporation for a long time, the people there were already up to no good.

The biggest event in the design world now was the Golden Brush Competition, which was just around the corner.

At Pinnacle Group, because Olivia had slapped Mason the last time, only then did Bradley pass most of his authority to him, and the first thing he did after getting power was sign Nicole up for the Golden Brush Competition under the name of Pinnacle Group.

Someone purposely released Nicole’s speech when she won the award four years ago, together with a paragraph which roughly questioned Nicole’s right to enter the next competition after F&M Apparel fired her.

But such a simple thing was able to kick up quite a fuss. After all, Nicole had a reputation in the design industry, and she lost her qualification to enter the competition after this ruckus.

Some designers even commented sarcastically beneath. ‘Well, she’s the one who wanted to leave F&M Apparel and even said that it’s for the development of the domestic clothing industry. Ha! She probably wanted to give herself a noble reason for changing employers.’

‘Exactly. F&M Apparel has a long history. Without this company, who would hear about Lisa? She’s clearly burning the bridge after crossing it!’

There were so many more, but the reason Nicole was able to provoke so many negative comments was simple—she had risen too fast, and that would make anyone jealous!

However, Joanna wasn’t happy to see the reactions on the Internet. Well, this was only the entrée at the beginning, and the real main dish was yet to be served!

Nicole, I would like to see how you’re going to turn things around this time!

Chapter 347 Going Home

For five consecutive days, Nicole stayed at Julia’s research center, and after working day and night, she finally regained her previous competence.

Watching as Nicole moved her hands deftly, Julia breathed a sigh of relief. Staying by Nicole’s side while she conducted surgeries, she could feel the adrenaline rush of being on the surgical table even though she was just an assistant.

“Nicole, I didn’t think that you’re still so well-trained even when you haven’t conducted any surgeries for years,” she said with a giggle.

Looking at the stitched-up wound, Nicole smiled faintly and replied, “Although I haven’t held a scalpel for a long time, I still have muscle memory. I can’t forget the way I move my wrists.”

Checking the time, Julia saw that it was already Monday evening, and Nicole would be going to the Gardner’s place to check up on Benedict tomorrow.

“Take a rest for a while, Nicole. You’ll have a tough battle tomorrow,” she said.

For some unknown reason, she felt like she had accomplished something, as though a huge war had just ended.

Nicole nodded, feeling relieved. Despite the exhaustion in her mind, her body was very relaxed, as if she had let go of all weights.

“Yeah, I haven’t been home for a few days, and Hayden is probably missing me. I’ll go home now and take a good rest. Tomorrow, you’re coming with me to the Gardner’s.”

Nodding, Julia agreed. “Okay, got it. With me around at the Gardner’s, no one will bully you.”

Listening to her promise, Nicole couldn’t help but chuckle, and she reached out to tap the tip of her nose, saying, “Alright, you better take care of yourself. I’m no pushover, and I won’t let anyone shove me around.”

Seeing how confident she was, Julia swallowed all the things she wanted to say in the end. Just as Nicole had said, given her personality, nobody could guess who would be on the short end at the end of the day.

After leaving Julia’s research center, Nicole raised her head and stared at the sky she hadn’t seen for a while, heaving a huge sigh of relief.

Tomorrow, I’ll first do a full-body checkup for Old Mr. Benedict. After that, I’ll arrange for the surgery, and hopefully, it can be approved smoothly.

Back at home, Hayden threw himself straight into her arms. With guilt in her heart, she stroked his head and said apologetically, “Hayden, I’ve been too busy these past few days and neglected you. Don’t be mad at me, okay?”

Clutching her clothes tightly with his tiny hands, Hayden remained in her arms for a long while before he lifted his head and said, “Mommy, I know you’re going to save Great-grandpa, so go ahead. I’ll be a good boy next to Miss Whitney.”

Consolation washed over her heart as she gazed at her sensible son, and she stroked his head as she gave him a nod. “Okay. Once the issue with your Great-grandpa is settled, I’ll free up some time to spend it with you.”

Nodding obediently, Hayden stared at the dark circles under her eyes and felt his heart wrenching. “Mommy, you should rest,” he said in a sorry voice. “It’s not good to be so tired.”

It was true that Nicole was a little tired, and she turned to Whitney. “Whitney, sorry to trouble you. I’m drained, so I’ll take a rest now.”

When Whitney saw her coming home encapsulated with an air of exhaustion, she knew that she was beat, and she nodded. Picking up Hayden, she said, “Miss Nicole, go ahead and do what you need to do. With me around, Hayden will be fine, and we can talk about everything else once you’re free.”

Whitney’s words set her mind at ease, and she turned to her own bedroom.

It had been a long time since she rested well. For the past few days, the pressure weighed her down like a huge mountain, and she couldn’t relax for even a second. Finally, she could relax for a little bit now.

Chapter 348 Have You Lost Your Minds?

The next day, Nicole energized herself, dressed up, and went to the Gardner’s, where the couches in the living room were filled with people.

Not only were the Gardners there, but Queenie and Pierre were also present.

Actually, Pierre was there because he wanted to meet this student of White’s, and that was the reason he asked Queenie to bring him along.

On the other hand, Queenie brought him along because she wanted him to make some unnoticeable moves so that Benedict would pass away on the hospital bed.

In the meantime, the Gardners allowed both of them in because they were worried that Nicole couldn’t find White’s student. Then, Pierre could be the backup.

All in all, everyone had their own selfish reasons.

When they saw Nicole had arrived with Julia without anyone else behind them, Olivia was the first to raise the question. “Isn’t White Nicholson’s protégé coming as well? Where’s she?”

Scanning across everyone, Nicole didn’t answer her and merely said to Colton, “Take me in to have a look at Old Mr. Benedict first. I’ll need to do a complete body checkup on him so that I can conduct the surgery based on the data.”

Her tone was as calm as the sea, but her words annoyed Olivia. With a thud, she sprang to her feet and stared daggers at Nicole. “What do you mean by this? Are you going to do this yourself because you can’t find White Nicholson’s student?” By then, her face had turned completely dark, and she glared at Nicole without blinking. “I shouldn’t have believed you before, b*tch! I really thought that you could find White Nicholson’s student, but it turned out that you were just bragging!”

Sensing something amiss, Anna appeared a little concerned, and she looked at Nicole as she said, “What’s happening, Nicole?”

Watching Nicole, Pierre recalled their conversation from before, and he couldn’t help but gloat. “Miss, could it be that you’re making up for it because you can’t find White Nicholson’s student?”

As she listened to their questioning, she didn’t say a thing and merely looked at Colton. Raising her voice, she asked, “President Gardner, I’m going to perform a body checkup on Old Mr. Benedict. Do I have your permission?”

Standing up, Colton had a faint smile on his face, and instead of revealing her identity, he went along with her and nodded. “Of course. I’ll take you there. There are pieces of equipment in Grandpa’s room you can use.”

When Olivia heard Colton’s approval, her face fell. “Colton Gardner! Are you trying to kill Dad? How can you trust this bitch? What can she do when she’s just a designer? Have you lost your mind?”

Even Anna was a little hesitant, but she knew that Colton wasn’t a senseless person, and he wouldn’t pull such a big joke just to save Nicole from the embarrassment.

However, she wasn’t confident, and she had no idea what both of them were up to, so she was also a little concerned.

Turning to his parents, Colton guaranteed on behalf of Nicole. “Mother, Father, I believe that Nicole can do it.”

Seeing how serious Colton was, Anna felt a little relief as she trusted her son.

Despite having doubts, Benjamin knew Colton had always been confident in everything he did, and he set aside his doubts. Nodding, he said in a deep voice, “Take her in.”

This time, Olivia erupted. After staring at both of them for a long while, she barked, “Have you two lost your minds? If you can’t find White’s student, let Dr. Toth do it. At least, the chances will be higher than when this b*tch does it!”

Since Benjamin had decided to believe his own son, he stood by his side. “Let Nicole go in to conduct a checkup first. Once the results are out, we see what she has to say.”

 

Chapter 349 Absurd!

Hearing Benjamin’s words, Olivia shook from the anger, and she narrowed her eyes at Nicole. There was something she didn’t quite understand; she couldn’t figure out what Nicole had given to the Gardners for them to stand on her side and make a fool out of everyone.

I’m still sensible! I won’t let this madwoman have her way!

“Impossible! When it comes to Dad, I’ll never allow her to do it unless it’s over my dead body!”

Colton looked at Olivia, who was hopping mad with anger, and then glanced at Nicole’s face, which seemed to carry a faint smile, and he could roughly guess what was on her mind. Instead of revealing her identity, he said to Anna, “I’m taking Nicole in to have a look.”

Rather than having a senseless fight here, it’s better to take a look inside first.

After he finished speaking, he brought Nicole and Julia inward, and when Olivia wanted to stop them, her path was blocked by Anna.

“I believe Colton. He won’t do anything senseless. If there’s anything, we’ll speak about it after they’re finished with the checkup.”

“Boll*cks!” Olivia roared. Shaking all over from the fury, she thought that Nicole could bring White’s student, so she took a step back, but everything appeared out of control.

“I’ll never allow this little b*tch to operate on my father!”

Watching the person who had completely lost her temper in front of her, Anna sighed softly and explained on Nicole’s behalf, “What if she could really save him? We can’t give up on this chance.”

Snorting, Olivia then yelled indifferently, “If she can save Dad, I’ll go on my knees to beg her, but that’s utterly impossible!”

Her booming voice caused Anna’s head to tremble and ache a little, and she breathed out to calm herself. After giving it a thought, she said, “Let’s wait and see. Even if Nicole has a way, the operation can only take place in a few days’ time, at least.”

Just when Olivia was about to blow her top again, Queenie suddenly stopped her and whispered something into her ear.

Olivia’s angry face finally relaxed a little, and she swept her eyes past everyone coldly before sneering, “What happened today won’t come to an end so easily. I definitely won’t agree to let Nicole operate on Dad!”

After saying that, she turned and left. Seeing that Olivia was gone, Queenie didn’t want to stay longer, too. Hence, she got up and bowed to Anna, saying composedly, “Mrs. Gardner, since there’s someone to treat Old Mr. Benedict, I’m leaving with Dr. Toth first. If there’s any way we can help, just give me a call.”

Ever since she left Colton, Queenie seemed to have become very reserved, and the way she spoke now was even a little neutral.

Although Anna disliked her for being full of lies, at least she had put in effort for Benedict’s case, so she softened her expression and said, “Alright, I got it. Go first.”

Queenie chuckled and left. Taking Pierre with her, she quickly caught up with Olivia, who looked very unhappy, and when she saw that Queenie was out, she said coldly, “Nicole is your sister. Are you honestly going to send her to jail?”

After asking that, she crossed her arms and gave Queenie a once-over with doubt in her eyes.

Without much emotion on her face, Queenie lowered her head and explained, “Initially, if Nicole has really brought White’s student to operate on Old Mr. Benedict, then I’ll have nothing to say. But looking at the situation now, it’s totally a case of improvising. Old Mr. Benedict’s life is precious, and it’s not enough even if it’s paid with Nicole’s life. Even though I’m her younger sister, I can still differentiate right from wrong.”

Hearing that someone wanted to destroy Nicole, Olivia looked a little appeased, but her tone was filled with indifference.

 

Chapter 350 He Knows What He’s Doing

“Back then, when they said that they’d found White’s student, I was actually excited, but it turns out that the b*tch is doing it herself! Did she think that humans are the same as fabric?”

Watching Olivia’s enraged face, Pierre stepped forward and said, “Ms. Gardner, I came with the kind intentions to help Old Mr. Benedict with the surgery, but you’ve seen the situation yourself. The problem isn’t whether I’m willing or not, but they were the ones who don’t want me to do it, and they would rather use a layman than me.”

Olivia peered at him. Even though it was rumored on the Internet that he had an unpleasant personality, his medical skills were amongst the best in the country. Given Benedict’s current condition, besides White’s protégé, there was only some hope left with Pierre.

“I know, Dr. Toth. Don’t worry. A layman like that won’t be the Gardners soon!”

Hearing her words, Pierre couldn’t help but smirk and continued, “Without a license, she will have to go to jail for conducting an operation on a person in private.”

Olivia nodded. Earlier, she left the house because she had heard this from Queenie, and since the rest of them wouldn’t listen to her, they could only rely on the police.

Once Nicole was arrested, Olivia wanted to see what else she could do.

“Thanks for your reminder, Dr. Toth. If she really dares to operate on Dad, I’ll use all of my connections to make sure that she sits in jail for good!” Olivia said viciously.

As Olivia really loathed Nicole, she was in dismay, not knowing if she would have the chance to teach her a lesson. But it was great now because Nicole had presented the opportunity herself. If she operated on a patient without a medical license, not even God himself could save her from this situation!

Even Queenie didn’t think that Nicole would reveal such a huge hold for her to grab onto. This time, she was only planning to complete the task given to her by Bryan and get Benedict killed on the hospital bed, but she didn’t imagine that she could also send Nicole to jail along with this task.

Just the thought of this situation filled her heart with delight unwittingly. Because Nicole couldn’t find White’s protégé, the operation would be conducted by Pierre in the end. At that time, Benedict would pass away in the hospital bed, and Nicole would go to jail. Both of these events were the best situations for her!

“Ms. Gardner, I’m leaving with Dr. Toth first. If there’s anything we can do, just let us know,” Queenie said with a smile, and because of this, she was in a much better mood.

Olivia gave her a nod and said nothing.

Meanwhile, at the Gardners, Anna and Benjamin were seated on the couch with a glum look. Even though they believed their son, they still didn’t have much confidence to let Nicole operate on Benedict, and they were worried that something unexpected would happen.

Looking at their solemn faces, Wendy explained assuringly, “Mom, Dad, Colton has always been sensible and reliable in his actions. Since Nicole has this skill, just let her give it a try.”

Anna listened to her and closed her eyes for a second as she sighed. “I know he’s sensible, but we’re just a little worried.” Then, she glanced at Benjamin’s tensed face, placed her hand above his, and comforted, “Colton won’t joke around with Dad’s life. You don’t have to worry so much.”

Her words seemed to be working, and his face relaxed a little. He gave her a nod and looked at her with adoration in his eyes. “I got it. This child knows what he’s doing.”

Next to them, Wendy watched her parents flirt with each other, and she couldn’t help but give them an annoyed look. They have no shame at all.

Inside Benedict’s room, he lay in bed with a look of exhaustion. For the past few days, his condition had suddenly worsened, and he had an oxygen tube inserted into his body. Even if someone came in, he couldn’t hear them and merely lay in bed peacefully.