Chapter 16
Henry was anxious deep down, but he had to maintain his authority in front of Cheryl. If word got out, the Evans family would lose all face.
He nodded, saying, “Cheryl’s right. Our family still has some pull in Hillarica. No way we’re getting wiped out by the Shadow Syndicate. Nathan, you need to be steadier.”
Cheryl kept praising Henry. “Of course, Grandpa Henry, you’re the boss around here. Half the hospitals in Hillarica are yours. Nothing to be afraid of, right?”
Nathan relaxed a bit after hearing that. “Yeah, Dad, Cheryl’s got a point. Our hospitals are solid. Plus, the formula for the Refreshing Pill is in our hands. The Shea and Grant families were practically at each other’s throats for it at last night’s auction.
“Once we whip up another Refreshing Pill and present it to Mr. Shea, our time will come. The Shea family is no less than the Shadow Syndicate.”
After a long pause, Henry nodded. What mattered now was finding a powerful backer for the Evans family, or trouble would come knocking soon. The Shea family was the best bet.
But Henry still felt a wave of anxiety he just couldn’t shake, ever since he’d met that girl yesterday.
“The Shea family has already sent over their invitation. We’ll meet their head together,” Nathan said, handing Henry a gold–embossed invitation.
Cheryl suddenly remembered she didn’t have an invitation from the Shea family. She let out a sigh. “Grandpa Henry, I…”
Henry took her hand and smiled, “There’s nothing you can’t tell me, Cheryl.”
“Grandpa, you know I just got back, and I don’t really know anyone in Hillarica yet. You know how things are at home. I didn’t get an invitation from the Shea family…” Cheryl’s eyes welled up, a single tear slipping down her cheek–enough to tug at anyone’s heartstrings.
Henry had always been a bit of a romantic in his younger days. Seeing Cheryl looking so pitiful, he softened right away. “It’s fine. You’ll go with me.”
Cheryl shook her head. “No, Grandpa Henry, that’d be too much to ask of you. And if Mom’s not going, there’s no way I’d dare show up at something like that all by myself.”
Cheryl was a master at acting sweet, and it didn’t take her long to have Henry wrapped around her finger. “What’s the problem?” Henry laughed. “She’s my god–granddaughter’s mom; of course, she’s coming along.”
“That’s right. Cheryl, you’re so gorgeous. Maybe Mr. Shea will fall for you,” Nathan chimed in. “If you end up as Mrs. Shea, don’t forget about your godfather, okay?”
Cheryl put on a bashful look. “I’ll make sure to do my best.” Andrew was the future heir to the Shea Group–what girl wouldn’t want him? She was going to make him hers.
Meanwhile, in the Maybach, Jenny was sitting beside Andrew, dutifully kneading his legs, her eyes sparkling with a pleading look.. “Andrew, don’t you really want to see the beauty? Once we’re gone, you won’t get another chance.”
Andrew rubbed his temples in silence. He hadn’t come to Hillarica for some medical conference; he was after the Refreshing Pill But not only did he miss out on the pill, now Jenny was completely taken with some strange girl.
Ethan gripped the steering wheel, watching Andrew’s expression, and ventured. “Boss, since we didn’t get Phantom Healer’s pill at the auction, what should we do next?*
Andrew’s eyes turned icy as he shot Ethan a look, and Ethan clammed up right away.
Andrew ordered, “Send someone to Shadow Syndicate and dig up everything you can on Phantom Healer. Money’s no object. Make sure to get his contact info and a photo. He’s the only one who can help Jenny now.”
As Andrew glanced at Jenny, there was a trace of worry in his eyes.
Ethan nodded. He knew all about Jenny’s illness. He’d been by Andrew’s side since he was ten, and they’d been through a lot together.
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12:20 PM P
Chapter 16
Andrew always had everything under control, never showing this kind of worry–except when it came to Jenny.
Over the years, they’d brought in countless famous doctors, but every single one of them would just shake their heads and sigh after seeing Jenny, saying there was nothing they could do. Every one of them said the only person who could save Jenny was Phantom Healer.
Phantom Healer was a mysterious doctor who emerged seemingly out of thin air in recent years. Whispers painted him as an enigma— no photos existed, his workplace remained unknown, and he always appeared where least anticipated. Those seeking him had no choice but to wait for his arrival.
Andrew knew it would be incredibly hard to track Phantom Healer down and convince him to save Jenny, but she was his only sister. No matter what, he was going to do whatever it took to find Phantom Healer.
“Boss, we’ve got an emergency,” Ethan said, frowning as he read a text message.
“What is it?” Andrew asked.
Ethan grimaced. “Mr. Samuel Summers is in Hillarica, too.”
“Probably looking for his granddaughter. So what?” Andrew said casually.
Right, but we just got word that Mr. Summers is in critical condition.” Ethan paused for a long moment before continuing, “None of the Summers can get here in time. Right now, you’re the only one in Hillarica who can call the shots.”
Andrew raised an eyebrow, saying nothing. With the Summers out of town, he was the only one Samuel really trusted around. “Let’s go to the hospital,” Andrew ordered.
Ethan immediately turned the steering wheel and headed in a different direction.
Snowflakes began to drift down outside, silent and gentle against the window. Jenny, sprawled across the back seat, couldn’t help but think about Olivia. She wondered what Olivia was up to at that moment.
Through the falling snow, she thought she spotted Olivia standing at a bus stop, waiting out the weather. “Ethan, pull over,” Jenny said, unbuckling her seatbelt. Her eyes darted as she quickly made up an excuse. “My stomach hurts. I need to use the restroom!”
“Please wait a moment, Ms. Shea. There’s a restroom about 2 thousand feet ahead,” Ethan said as he pulled the car over, grabbed an umbrella, and got ready to walk Jenny to the restroom.
“I’ll take her,” Andrew said, unbuckling his seatbelt to get out, but Jenny held him back.
“It’s okay, Andrew. You’re not in the best shape; you shouldn’t catch a chill. Don’t worry. I’ll be back before you know it,” she said, bouncing out of the car with a grin, not giving Andrew any chance to refuse.
Ethan walked her to the restroom door. “Ms. Shea, you’ll have to go in by yourself. I can’t accompany you inside.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Jenny huffed, shooting him an exasperated look. Ethan was always so uptight and by–the–book. Right now, her mind was completely filled with thoughts of Olivia. She didn’t have the patience for anyone else, so she hurried straight into the
restroom
Once inside, Jenny pulled out her smartwatch, pulled up a virtual interface and tapped away for a moment. Then, with a mischievous grin, she casually chucked the watch into one of the stalls. “Oops, sorry, Ethan,” she giggled to herself.
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