Ch. 351..360

Chapter 351 Body Checkup

Nicole asked Julia to help to conduct a checkup on Benedict and when he felt someone touching him, he slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes, which used to be clear and bright, were now filled with exhaustion and he looked a little lost when he turned to both women.

Seeing that he had opened his eyes, Nicole softly called out, “Hello, Old Mr. Benedict.”

When he heard her voice, he gradually regained his bearings as his gaze swept back and forth on her. After a few minutes, he nodded and smiled as he said, “Ah, you’re here, Nicole. It’s been a while since you last visited me.”

After speaking, he even seemed to be sulking a little as he sounded a little unhappy.

Breaking into a giggle, she then answered in a gentle voice as though she was coaxing a child, “I was a little busy with work, but I’m here now to visit you.”

The look on Benedict’s face turned a little better when he heard her comforting him, and he snorted. “Looks like you still have some conscience. Help me up; I’ll sit up and talk a little with you.”

Hurriedly, Nicole went to help him up while Colton rushed forward to assist as well out of concern.

Only then did Benedict realize that he was in the room and he muttered slowly under his breath, “You’re here as well, rascal?”

Chuckling helplessly, Colton explained, “Grandpa, I came in together with Nicole, but she’s the only one in your eyes.”

Although Benedict was elderly in age, his temper was especially similar to a child’s and he shoved Colton in annoyance. “What’s so special about you when I can see you everyday? Here, Nicole. I’ll chat with you for a while.”

The way he treated both of them differently made Nicole giggle softly and she took a step next to Benedict. “Old Mr. Benedict, may I conduct a body checkup on you? I can only visit you often when you’re healthy.”

Hearing that she was here to do a body checkup on him, he immediately seemed a little unhappy and he sulked with a long face. “There’s nothing else to check up on when I’m already in this state. I know my own body, and I think my time is about to be up.”

Nicole’s heart wrenched at the things he said and she hurriedly interjected, “Old Mr. Benedict, something can still be done now. I’ll perform a body checkup on you first and find out the various indicators. Maybe there’s still a chance.”

As he listened to her, doubt slowly crawled over Benedict’s face and he glanced at her before turning to Colton. “Are the both of you joking with me?”

Colton laughed at his suspicious face and answered, “Grandpa, we don’t have that much time to joke with you. Nicole is White Nicholson’s student and her medical skills are superior. Aren’t you worried about others treating you? But we’re a family here, so that should set you at ease, shouldn’t it?”

Looking slightly relieved at Colton’s words, Benedict turned to Nicole. “So, it turns out that you’re so capable, Nicole. I already have one foot in paradise and I didn’t want the doctors to treat me before this because I’m afraid that they’ll send me off directly. But if it’s you, I’m willing to believe you.”

The fact that he was willing to believe her unconditionally sent a warm wave over her chest. Nodding, she said assuringly, “Old Mr. Benedict, don’t worry. God will be with you and you’ll be fine. I’ll perform a body checkup on you and plan an operation especially for you. Then, you can continue to live happily.”

Shutting his eyes a little, Benedict said in a hoarse voice, “Nicole, just do it bravely. I’m assured with you around.”

His words were a huge confidence boost for her, and he didn’t resist as she started performing a body checkup on him.

Chapter 352 Finding Out Her Identity

As Benedict was very cooperative, Nicole didn’t need to spend much effort. She was able to collect all of his health data in just one morning.

However, her expression was severe when she looked at the report. Although she knew that Benedict’s health was bad, it was even more serious than she imagined now that she read the report.

Staring at her face that was turning grimmer with each passing second, Colton could already guess it and he asked, “You’re not confident of this?”

Shaking her head, she flipped through the data in her hands before turning to him and said, “Let’s go to the living room, and I’ll tell it to Mr. and Mrs. Gardner as well.”

He nodded in agreement.

Due to the series of checkups earlier, Benedict was tired and had fallen asleep. Meanwhile, Julia was helping to conduct tests on the blood which was eventually drawn out.

Led by Colton, Nicole approached the couches with the report in her hand and when Anna and Benjamin saw her coming toward them, they looked a little hopeful.

After taking a look at the report, Nicole lifted her gaze at them and explained, “Old Mr. Benedict’s health is more serious than I thought. However, there’s still a certain chance with an operation. If I’m the main surgeon, there’s more than a fifty percent chance.”

When Anna saw that Nicole seemed serious when she spoke, she was a little surprised and stared at Nicole. Parting her lips, she asked, “Nicole, do you really have so much confidence?”

Before this, the other doctors all mentioned twenty percent of chances, so the figure Nicole said now was considered high.

In response, Nicole nodded. Actually, if it was only referring to the surgery, she had at least ninety percent of confidence because of her self-confidence. In spite of that, Benedict’s physical health was simply so terrible that he may not be able to take the risk of the operation. Taking that into consideration, she came up with fifty percent.

“Yes. Initially, I planned to operate tomorrow, but after seeing Old Mr. Benedict’s health report, I think I’ll need to prepare some things. So, we’ll delay the surgery to make preparations. At the latest, the surgery can be performed this week.”

Hearing the confidence in Nicole’s voice, Anna felt much more assured. Without saying much, Benjamin stood up. “I’m going to take a look at Dad. If you really have so much confidence to treat him, the Gardners will owe you a favor.”

The Gardner Family was influential and wealthy, and there would be inexhaustible glory and wealth in this life to have the honor of being owed a favor by them.

Nicole didn’t have much to say and she nodded in acknowledgement. “I got it. Old Mr. Benedict is someone whom I regard to be my grandfather, so I’ll put in my best effort.” She paused for a couple of seconds before adding, “I’m going to keep the things away and make a move first.”

After she was out of the room, it slowly dawned on Anna as she spun her head to look at Colton, asking, “When did Nicole study medicine?”

Smirking, he answered in his husky voice, “She’s White Nicholson’s student.”

This time, she was shocked as her heart skipped a beat. “Is she really White Nicholson’s student?”

Colton nodded and stared at Anna as he explained, “Back then, White Nicholson died because he was set up by someone. Before his death, he advised Nicole not to continue practicing medicine. That’s why she has never disclosed her identity. This time, just take it that it’s Nicole who’s treating Grandpa, and not White Nicholson’s student.”

After hearing that Nicole was White’s student, Anna was assured. No wonder she seems so confident, she thought, and she understood the reason behind White’s advice to Nicole. By operating on Benedict, she would be violating her teacher’s will.

“I got it. I won’t tell anyone else about this, so don’t worry. But now that I know she’s White Nicholson’s student, I can have peace of mind,” she said with a relieved look.

 

Chapter 353 The Golden Brush Competition

When Colton saw that his mother was assured, he nodded. “Okay, go and rest for now. After this, just cooperate with Nicole all you can.”

After that, Nicole compared Benedict’s health condition and customized a surgery for him, and while she was busy with work, Whitney gave her a call. “Miss Nicole, should I send a copy of the design drafts for the collaboration with Aimee International?”

As Nicole had focused all of her attention on Benedict, she had no time to check the design drafts when she should have prioritized her work.

In a hoarse voice, she answered, “Whitney, you can take a look at them after years of working by my side. If there isn’t any major issue with them, just sign it on my behalf. In addition, Aimee International will also check it out, so there won’t be any big problem.”

Knowing that Nicole was busy, Whitney nodded and agreed. “Okay, for the work after this, I’ll make the decisions for you if it’s not anything important. When you’re done, I’ll tell you the details.”

“Great, that will be it. Thanks,” Nicole replied and hung up.

After hanging up the call, Whitney glanced at the design drafts and since the majority of the drafts didn’t have any issues, she signed Nicole’s name on the document directly.

For the past few days when Nicole wasn’t around, the topics regarding the Golden Brush Competition were rife. Even though Nicole was the winner of the last competition, she even lost the qualification to enter the competition this time.

Many jealous designers started to add fuel to the fire on the Internet, saying that Nicole changed employers directly after gaining fame and she totally deserved it for her situation now.

At the same time, Whitney was busy at work as well, rebutting the netizens who slandered Nicole on the Internet. However, while these people were gloating over Nicole’s misfortune, the Pinnacle Group of the Schumacher Family announced that they would be joining the competition this time with Nicole as the contestant.

This had everyone stunned since they thought that she had joined Pinnacle Group!

However, soon after, Gardner Corporation announced that the contestant they nominated was Nicole, too.

So, what the hell was happening?

Two of the biggest apparel companies in the country were fighting over Nicole and wanted her to represent them in the competition.

This made Joanna really mad. Initially, she thought that even though she might not win the competition this time, she could at least be shortlisted and make an acquaintance with designers from all over the world.

As it turned out, she didn’t even have this chance!

Pinnacle Group had already nominated Nicole, but she still had to occupy the spot from Gardner Corporation. Clearly, she was just being a dog in the manger!

In the meantime, Kylie was having it worse than her. Thinking that she was the Chief Designer of F&M Apparel now, she would definitely be the one nominated for the Golden Brush Competition this time.

In the end, citing internal chaos within the company, Zachary didn’t nominate anyone on F&M Apparel’s behalf.

So, both of their hopes had fallen through!

Previously, they were sniggering at Nicole for not being able to enter the competition, but ironically, not only could she participate in the competition, there were companies fighting to sign her up. In contrast, both of them weren’t even qualified to participate!

With this, the entire industry knew that even when Nicole had left F&M Apparel, she could still be like a fish in the water in the fashion industry, and F&M wasn’t the one who was too good for her, but rather, she was too good for them!

For the reason of both companies in the country fighting to have Nicole participate in the competition for them, Nicole’s fame suddenly shot up to a new height.

Despite that, she had no idea about any of that. At the moment, she was basically separated from the rest of the world as she buried her head in Benedict’s data, preparing for his surgery without distraction.

For days and nights, she was busy with preparation, and on Thursday morning, she decided to open up the brain to remove the tumor.

 

Chapter 354 Taken Away

After confirming the plan, Nicole immediately approached Anna and Benjamin to explain the situation for them to prepare the necessary items. Once that was done, she would be able to return home to have a good sleep and energize herself for this surgery.

However, she stayed at the Gardner Residence instead. The cell phone in her pocket had been left unchecked for a long time, and when she checked it, she saw that Whitney had sent her a lot of messages.

Scrolling down, she read through them and the content was mainly about Pinnacle Group and Gardner Corporation wanting to nominate her for the Golden Brush Competition while F&M Apparel had directly decided to give up on the competition this time, and because both companies wanted her to enter the competition, her reputation soared sky high all of a sudden. Also, the drafts in collaboration with Aimee International were successfully sent to them.

After reading through, Nicole replied, ‘Thanks for your hard work.’

Then, she immediately went to bed because she now needed to recharge her energy and have a good rest.

However, it wasn’t that easy. While she was asleep, Olivia had brought a group of policemen to the house!

Peering at the policemen behind Olivia, Anna frowned and questioned in a low growl, “Olivia, what are you going to do? Why did you bring policemen to the house?”

With a sneer on her face, Olivia said indifferently, “It’s a surgery for my father. How can I allow a person without a medical license to do it? Forget it if she can’t find White Nicholson’s student, but she decided to do it herself just to make up for it. Her life is worthless, but my father’s life is precious!”

Listening to her sharp words, Anna wanted to clarify the situation when she recalled the things Colton said and swallowed back the words that had reached her lips.

Calming herself, she looked at Olivia in the eye and warned, “Olivia, don’t mess around. Nicole is capable enough to do this!”

Ignoring all that, Olivia narrowed her eyes at Anna and said, “I’m really curious. What the hell did that b*tch give you that you’re listening to everything she says?”

Realizing that she couldn’t stop Olivia, Anna was about to give Colton a call, but Nicole had woken up at some point without her realizing and was standing at the top of the staircase because of the noises downstairs.

When Olivia saw that she had come out, she pointed a finger at Nicole and exclaimed, “That’s the woman who’s practicing medicine without a license! Take her away quickly!”

Seeing that Anna wanted to stop them, Nicole actually came downstairs at first instance and paced next to her. Sweeping her eyes coldly past Olivia, she then turned to Anna. “Mrs. Gardner, Old Mr. Benedict’s surgery can be done tomorrow and I’ll be back before that. I’ll make a trip with Ms. Gardner now and see what she is up to!”

Thinking that Nicole was making her final struggle, Olivia ignored her and snorted. “I’m telling you, Nicole Anderson, that the cheap life of yours isn’t even worthy to pay for my father’s life!”

Because of Nicole’s words, Anna didn’t stop them in the end and she watched in vain as Nicole was handcuffed and taken away by the police.

Concerned, she gave Colton a call, and after he heard what happened, he didn’t react strongly and merely said with a chuckle, “Nicole is White Nicholson’s student, so she definitely has a medical license. Rest assured, she’s only doing this to teach Aunt Olivia a lesson.”

His words sounded reasonable to her, and she relaxed. With the way Olivia was, it was really time that she was taught a lesson, or else she would be out of control.

“Alright, I have nothing to worry about, then. Everything is alright as long as the operation for Dad can be carried out as planned,” she said slowly.

In order to have a complete confession out of Nicole, Olivia had hired a barrister and submitted the criminal evidence against her. With that, Nicole could forget about escaping jail time for at least three to five years!

 

Chapter 355 Destroying Her Own Future

As the exhibit presented by the barrister whom Olivia hired was solid, the police officers coldly brought Nicole in to assist with their investigations at first instance. Practicing medicine without a license was a grave matter.

It also did not help that Queenie fueled the flames by instigating the matter through Olivia. In an attempt to prevent Nicole from making a comeback, Queenie specifically instructed Olivia to search for journalists.

Since they had to respect the Gardners and the Schumacher Family, they agreed to come and report on this matter.

Olivia specifically searched for a location within distance from the police station where she called for a press conference, after which the journalists flung to hear her out.

Olivia requested for Queenie to publicly reveal the evidence of Nicole’s wrongdoings to the journalists, but Queenie was initially unwilling to help deal with the mess. Yet, her heart felt burdened when she thought of what Olivia had experienced lately.

After thinking about it, Queenie still decided to head onstage.

“I’m here to apologize to the Gardner Family on behalf of my sister, Nicole.” She adopted a solemn expression and said those words in a voice that was only clearly audible to those present.

That sentence alone was like a pebble that was thrown into a still river because it caused chaos among the journalists after that!

They originally came as a sign of respect to Olivia, but they never expected to learn of such revelation. Their calm expressions were then replaced by extreme agitation as they started to pepper Queenie with questions.

“Miss Queenie, what do you mean by those words? Are you insinuating that Miss Nicole has caused grievances to the Gardner Family?”

“Yeah, did you come here because of what Miss Nicole did?”

There was silence on Queenie’s part as she feigned sadness while facing the questions being thrown at her by the journalists one after another. She slightly lowered her head and looked downhearted while having crocodile tears before she raised her head to address the journalists.

“My sister wanted to please Mrs. Gardner, which was why she impersonated a doctor to operate on Old Mr. Benedict. She was arrested on the spot and is now at the police station.”

As she said this, her voice started to choke while tears swam in her eyes. Yet, she gritted her teeth and continued, “Even though we are biological sisters, what she has done involves integrity. This is why I want to apologize to the Gardner Family on her behalf!”

Nicole’s popularity was at an all-time high; both the Pinnacle Group and the Gardner Corporation were encouraging her to participate in the Golden Brush Competition. Since it was an excellent time for her career to flourish, how could such a thing even happen?!

The journalists were unconvinced by Queenie’s words and they started to shoot questions at her with the speed of a machine gun.

“Miss Queenie, are you telling the truth? Why would Miss Nicole want to please Mrs. Gardner?”

“That’s right; it’s such a prosperous time for Miss Nicole. She should be preparing for the Golden Brush Competition, so why would she take the risk to impersonate a doctor?”

Once again, the silent Queenie lowered her head with tears dancing in her eyes. It was impossible for her to describe her true happiness, but she feigned regret. After all, if she were to laugh at this moment, she would be caught with her hand in the cookie jar by the journalists.

“I’m also not sure why Nicole would want to do this, but since she’s already at the police station, I’m afraid it’d be arduous for her to participate in the competition.”

Since what Queenie said made sense, the journalists started to believe her to a certain degree. When they thought about it, it was Olivia who asked them to come, which made the situation as clear as day to them.

Nicole went to the Gardner Residence as a fake doctor and was caught doing so by Olivia, after which she pestered Queenie to admit the wrongdoings!

The Gardner Family was an empire and could not be offended; Queenie had also been with Olivia for the past 5 years, so Queenie’s words should be believable!

What mattered the most now was the fact that Nicole had been brought to the police station in handcuffs. This was the truth.

If the situation had occurred like the way the journalists had predicted, then it was a given that Nicole could give this year’s Golden Brush Award a miss. After all, practicing without a license was a serious crime that came with an imprisonment of at least 3 – 5 years. It also did not help her case that she offended the Gardner Family through such an action.

By doing so, it merely meant that Nicole was ruining her future!

Chapter 356 She’s Innocent

Meanwhile, Olivia looked incredibly gleeful when she saw the excited faces of the journalists. With a smirk, she sniggered, “Nicole Anderson, do you think you’re my match?”

She was sure that the imprisonment would be enough to render Nicole behind bars for a few good years!

While Olivia was gloating in glee, a man wearing a hat came out of nowhere, approached her and whispered something into her ears.

After listening to him, the gleeful expression on her face froze in an instant, and she turned solemn. Turning to him, she asked through a tightened jaw, “Are you serious?!”

Seeing that she was wearing a gloomy expression, that man shriveled his neck. Even though he was scared, he still told her what happened. “Yes, someone is bringing Miss Nicole’s medical license to the police station now, and from what that person said, Nicole was White Nicholson’s student back then!”

Right now, Olivia had a terrible expression. She had imagined many possibilities, but she never imagined that Nicole was actually White’s student!

Blood drained from her face as her mind went blank. Staggering, she almost fell on the ground, but luckily someone beside her grabbed her at first instance.

“T-Then what did the police say?” Olivia’s voice sounded very foreign to her as her hands formed into fists. It was beyond her imagination that Nicole was waiting for her at a point like this!

“With a medical license as proof, Miss Nicole naturally isn’t practicing without a license and our accusation against her isn’t valid anymore,” the man explained in a whisper.

After Olivia had created such a huge ruckus and invited so many journalists, she was told in the end that Nicole was innocent and was White’s student who could save Benedict.

Wasn’t this akin to a slap to Olivia’s face right now?!

Onstage, Queenie was chortling maniacally on the inside. Finally, I can grind Nicole under my feet ruthlessly this time. How effortless it is!

Below the stage, the journalists wanted to ask Queenie more questions, but suddenly, their cell phones started ringing simultaneously and all of them took a look at it at the same time.

Someone had actually sent them a message, and it was Nicole’s medical license together with a picture of her with White back then.

Then, they looked at each other, and someone took the first opportunity to exclaim aloud, “So, Miss Nicole is White Nicholson’s student?”

“What the hell? Didn’t they say that she was practicing without a license just a minute ago? What a huge turn of events now!”

“Not only does she have a medical license, she’s even White Nicholson’s student!”

A second ago, Queenie was still putting up an act onstage until she suddenly heard the murmurs beneath her. Even though the voices from beneath the stage were noisy, she was still able to hear their words clearly.

What did they say? Nicole is White’s student? That’s impossible! How is it possible for that b*tch to be White’s student? How could she be so talented?!

All of a sudden, her face, which was feigning pity, sank instantly.

Ignoring the identity of the person who sent them the message, the journalists asked, “Miss Queenie, you said that you’re apologizing to the Gardner Family on behalf of Miss Nicole, saying that she practiced medicine without a license, but someone just sent us her medical license. So, were you lying earlier?”

“That’s right, Miss Queenie. As Miss Nicole’s biological sister, don’t you even know that she’s White Nicholson’s student?”

“Miss Nicole is innocent. Is somebody trying to set her up on purpose?”

A dumbfounded Queenie turned pale from the questioning. Of course she didn’t know that. If she had known, she wouldn’t have jumped in front of the gun! Did they take her for an idiot?

However, the journalists were more interested in her current expression. From the moment they said that Nicole was innocent, her expression turned unpleasant. Someone from the journalists noticed this and the question they asked turned more crude.

“Miss Queenie, since we said that Miss Nicole is innocent, your expression hasn’t looked that good. Are you unhappy because Miss Nicole is innocent?”

Chapter 357 Out of the Police Station

Realizing that she had made a gaffe, Queenie hurriedly wore a smile, but her entire face was twitching. Of course she was unhappy in her heart, but she had to look delighted on the surface.

Facing the journalists, she responded with a smile, “Of course I’m happy. It’s amazing that Nicole is innocent.”

Despite that, the seasoned and experienced journalists knew that Queenie was clearly trying to put this blame on Nicole with her statements earlier.

“Miss Queenie, are you making up lies here because you’re jealous of Miss Nicole?”

“Yeah, are you?”

Her face turned ashen, but she couldn’t fall now and neither could she retreat. Hence, she tried her best to remain composed and swept her eyes over Olivia, who was that close to passing out. I can’t rely on her, for sure, she thought, and tried her best to calm herself. I’m not some scapegoat that can take any kind of blame.

“I didn’t know that Nicole is White Nicholson’s student. At that time, Miss Olivia looked for me to provide an explanation for the Gardner Family. I didn’t believe it at first, but Nicole was already arrested and sent to the police station. So, I have to think it was real, and I thought that I could reduce the weight of her crime by apologizing on her behalf.”

Queenie had to admit that her pitiful act was very handy. Pouting her lips, she blinked her eyes and they immediately turned red, which made her look not so pitiful.

Meanwhile at the police station, the lawyer who sent Nicole in was wiping his cold sweat away as he kept apologizing to the calm Nicole. “Miss Nicole, please forgive me and don’t hold it against a nobody like me. I had no other choice either.”

He was just a regular employee, so how could he offend Olivia? Therefore, he could only bite the bullet and show up, but he never imagined that not only was Nicole White’s student, she even had Colton to back her up. As a junior lawyer, he couldn’t afford to offend anyone.

Staring at the person whose forehead was covered in beads of cold sweat, Nicole knew that he was just a miserable employee and didn’t make things difficult for him. “I know. You’re only here on Olivia’s orders. I won’t act indiscriminately.”

Hearing her, the lawyer was so moved that he almost collapsed on his knees and gave her a ninety-degree bow instead. “Thank you for your understanding, Miss Nicole.”

Then, he let out a heavy sigh of relief. Looks like I’m safe now, he thought, recalling the call Colton made to him immediately after he had sent Nicole to the police station. That voice was so cold that it made his scalp numb. Who dares to offend a person like that?

After that, Nicole walked out of the police station. As the press conference venue organized by Olivia was close to the police station, when she came out, some journalists with a sharp eye immediately caught sight of her.

Seeing her outside, they quickly swarmed up to Nicole.

“Miss Nicole, are you really White Nicholson’s student?”

White’s reputation back then was particularly excellent; his medical skills were superior and he was kind. No matter what a person’s family background was, as long as they became his patient, he would treat them seriously!

Later, he had accepted a student and, together with his protege, they studied medicine to cure diseases and sold it to the public at an affordable price.

“That’s right, Miss Nicole. After White Nicholson’s death, his student has never made any more appearances. Is there a hidden reason for that?”

This question made Nicole’s heart wrench unwittingly and she was unable to stop the tears from forming in her eyes.

She tried her best to collect herself, and after a while, she said to the journalists, “Back then, my master was set up by someone, and not only his reputation, but his health was damaged as well. Before his death, he kept telling me not to practice medicine anymore.”

Her tone was very calm, but there was a small whimper in her voice, and it was so small that it was almost unnoticeable without paying attention to it.

 

Chapter 358 I Won’t Let You Be Wronged

Everyone was silent. Almost the entire country knew about White’s incident back then. He was originally a doctor who saved lives and healed wounds, but turned into a street rat which was spurned by everyone because of a backlash by his family.

His whole life had been noble, yet it was destroyed at the end.

Although someone came out to clarify the ridiculous incident in the end, White had already passed away at that time and no amount of repentance could help.

Closing her eyes, Nicole hid the sadness in them and she continued after a short pause, “Old Mr. Benedict is in a critical condition, and my mother owed him a favor from back then. So, I would like to treat him using my personal identity, but someone with ulterior motives framed me.”

After the words left her lips, almost all conflicts were pointed at Queenie.

“Miss Nicole, it was your younger sister who apologized on your behalf to the Gardner Family earlier. Did you know about this beforehand?”

“Yeah, so you mean to say that the person with ulterior motives was Miss Queenie?”

A dumbstruck Queenie swayed and almost fell over at the side. Her vision turned black and if it wasn’t for someone holding her steady next to her, she would have stumbled to the floor.

Immediately, she wore an overjoyed expression and wanted to approach Nicole to get close to her, but without any mercy, Nicole immediately denied her relationship with Queenie in front of the media.

“My father has already severed all ties with me and Queenie is my half-sister. So, we’re unrelated to each other.” Fixing her eyes on Queenie in the distance, Nicole grinned and added, “We’re not related to each other, so she can’t represent me in any way.”

Blood had completely drained from Queenie’s face by this point; Nicole’s statement was saying that she was the one who wanted to cling on to Nicole and be related to her.

“Miss Nicole, if you don’t mind me asking, as White’s student, what is the reason for your master’s last words to you not to practice medicine anymore?”

Nicole swallowed the knot in her throat and responded, “At that time, my master suffered an injustice, and he was worried that it would bring me harm if I continued to practice medicine as his student. Hence, after his passing, I stopped practicing as well.” Changing her tone, she swept her eyes past the people below the stage and acknowledged, “My master’s intention wasn’t asking me to abandon a dying person; he was just afraid that I’ll be in harm’s way, but after so many years, I’ve already accepted this.”

Her clarification caused everyone’s eyes to turn red. Back then, the incident caused such a huge commotion—a genius doctor passing away amidst the suspicions!

When Colton arrived, he happened to hear Nicole speaking. Although he knew that the woman in front of him was strong, he hadn’t heard her mention any of this before. As it turned out, there were these twists and turns in this story.

Then, the bodyguards came up and surrounded Nicole to protect her. As the place was close to the police station and there were so many journalists present, she had barely made it that far away from the police station when she was surrounded by people.

Catching sight of Colton who was in the distance, Nicole gave him a smile and then glanced at the people around.

“I’m sorry, but I won’t say more today. Old Mr. Benedict is still waiting for me, and it’s a matter of life and death. Once this surgery is over, I’ll accept your interviews,” she explained and left the crowd under the protection of the bodyguards.

Colton had prepared the car a long time ago, and the moment Nicole arrived the car and hopped in, the driver stepped on the gas pedal and dashed off.

“You’ve been wronged for what happened today,” he muttered softly, watching her as she closed her eyes to rest.

Hearing Colton’s voice, she opened her eyes slowly and turned to glance at him before looking away. “This is definitely not Olivia’s idea alone. Queenie must have had a part in it as well.”

After she sneered, Colton raised his eyes slightly, and because he knew she was a little disgruntled, he comforted, “I’ll help you get even and won’t let you suffer this injustice in vain.”

 

Chapter 359 Apology at the Doorstep

However, Colton didn’t bring Nicole back to the Gardner Residence but to her place instead. When he returned to the Gardner Residence, the air was unnaturally still and Olivia was seated on the couch with a long face.

On the other end of the couch sat Benjamin with a solemn expression and Anna.

“You’re really absurd! How could you actually drag Nicole into the police station? Do you think that there isn’t enough commotion? Or do you think that our family hasn’t been a bigger joke?” Benjamin chided, his face flushing. He almost beat his chest and stomped his feet from the fury.

Olivia just had to disrupt the surgery, which was already planned!

On the other hand, she didn’t argue with him because she was in the wrong in this matter.

Grabbing Benjamin’s arm, Anna said gently, “Nicole is a nice person, so she probably won’t hold it against us. Later, I’ll bring some gifts and apologize to her at her place. I think she won’t take this to heart.”

He glared at Olivia, snorted and looked away.

Knowing that she had made a mistake, Olivia humbled herself. “I didn’t know that Nicole is White Nicholson’s student at first, and she didn’t say it either. If she had said it from the beginning, all this mess could have been avoided. It’s all this bit—woman’s fault.”

The word ‘b*tch’ almost stumbled out of her mouth, but when she recalled that Nicole was White’s student, she forcibly changed her choice of words.

Since Benjamin was already hopping mad, his fury burned brighter than the flames when he heard her quibbling.

“If you didn’t insist on acting ridiculously and brought the police here to arrest her, will any of this happen? If Nicole refuses to operate on Dad, are you going to do it instead?”

When Olivia heard that, she sulked even harder and sneered, “She’s just White Nicholson’s student and Pierre said there’s a fifty percent chance as well. If she’s not willing to do it, then just let her perform the surgery on Dad.”

By the time Colton walked into the room, he happened to hear Olivia’s suggestion and he paced up to them while saying, “Pierre has a reputation in the medical field as a brag. Even though his skills are good, he’s mostly targeting young people. At Grandpa’s age, I’m afraid it will be difficult for Pierre to do it.”

Seeing him, Anna hurriedly asked, “Colton, where’s Nicole?”

Then, she peered behind him but didn’t see Nicole, which caused her heart to skip a beat.

With a soft smile on his face, Colton turned to Olivia and answered slowly, “After suffering such a huge injustice, of course Nicole’s home now. You can’t just expect her to return happily and perform the surgery for Grandpa as though nothing has happened, can you?”

Olivia’s expression fell, and she understood the meaning behind her words. Tightening her palms, she wanted to say something but couldn’t set her ego aside.

Immediately, Anna understood what he tried to express and quickly said, “I’ll get someone to prepare some things now and visit her.”

Taking a few steps forward, Colton then sat next to her and said with a stiff face, “Mom, you don’t have to worry about this. You’re not the one who caused this, anyway.”

His words made Olivia livid, but she suppressed her emotions. However, when she recalled the bed-ridden Benedict, she had no choice but to rein back her temper.

Benedict’s condition was getting more unstable and Nicole was White’s student, which meant that what she said was true—she had a high chance of success.

In spite of her despise for Nicole, judging from the current situation, she was the only person that could save Benedict, and she had no other choice but to set aside her pride and beg Nicole!

“I got it. I’ll visit her and apologize to her so that she’ll return to operate on Dad!” Springing to her feet, Olivia turned and left after speaking.

However, Anna was very anxious. Finally, there was some hope in Benedict’s condition, but she wasn’t so sure after Olivia ruined everything.

 

Chapter 360 Olivia Kneels

Colton understood his mother’s panic and comforted her with a smile. “Relax, Mom. Nicole knows what she’s doing. The whole thing is just her giving Aunt Olivia a warning, and it’s only normal for her to be upset since Aunt Olivia treats her like that. She won’t refuse to perform the surgery on Grandpa.”

Anna finally heaved a sigh of relief and sighed after hearing Colton’s honest words. “That’s Olivia for you. It’s high time someone pulls her down a little.”

…

As unwilling as Olivia was, she couldn’t disregard her father’s life. Hence, she decided to go to Nicole’s residence and apologize in person.

However, she stood at the front door for a long time and hesitated before finally knocking.

Nicole happened to be cooking; it had been a long while since she last cooked for Hayden when the knock came at the door.

“Hayden, can you get the door, please? It might be Whitney.” They had run out of spices, so Nicole asked Whitney to help and get them some.

Whitney had probably forgotten about her keys when she left in a hurry.

Hayden nodded in response and went down from the couch at once, trotting to the door.

However, his smiling face turned into a frown the next second when he saw Olivia standing behind the door, after which he informed Nicole at the top of his lungs, “Mommy, it’s the bad woman.”

Olivia instantly turned somewhat grim upon being called a bad woman by this rugrat when she had already prepared to humble herself and apologize sincerely.

Meanwhile, Nicole had just turned off the stove and plated a dish when Hayden announced who was at the door.

She looked toward the door, pausing mid-air with the dish in her hands when she saw that it was Olivia.

After removing the apron, she went to the door and smiled at the woman. “Is there something I can help you with, Ms. Olivia Gardner?”

Olivia turned serious as she looked toward Nicole and hesitated for a good while before she slowly said, “I’ve come to apologize. I shouldn’t have reacted brashly and sent you to the police indiscriminately.”

Nicole looked at the woman in front of her with narrowed eyes. She knew she was already asking a lot of Olivia by making the woman apologize.

However, Nicole didn’t intend to forgive her so easily.

With that, she smiled with a hint of frivolity at Olivia and said, “Ms. Gardner, I don’t know what I’ve done to make you hate me, but I’m not a big-hearted woman either. I can’t stand here and be all merry with you when you have sent me to the police.”

Nicole wanted to close the door as soon as she was done speaking and this time, it was Olivia’s turn to be anxious. She hurriedly stopped the closing door while latching her other hand on the door frame, preventing Nicole from shutting her outside.

At that, Nicole frowned in response and looked quizzically at Olivia. “This is my home, Ms. Gardner. Is there something else?”

Olivia gritted her teeth as she looked at Nicole, who evidently wasn’t going to forgive her easily. Lo and behold, she clenched her fists and dropped to her knees with a thud.

Her actions took Nicole by surprise. She knew the woman had always been self-important and disdained her, but who’d have thought Olivia would be willing to kneel?

Olivia was filled with shame as she kneeled on the floor. If it wasn’t because of her father, she would’ve long been cursing.

Now, she had no choice but to lower her head, for only Nicole could save Benedict. “Please, Miss Nicole, I ask you to overlook my mistakes. I have indeed done wrong this time. I’m sorry. Please forgive me and save my father.”

Though Nicole could clearly see the reluctance on Olivia’s face, she knew it was already near improbable that Olivia would kneel and beg her.

With that, she took a plain gander at Olivia and sneered. “I would still save Old Mr. Benedict without you begging me.”