"Wait."
My wife's boss stopped me.
"You're a descendant of the Ramirez Divine Physician, aren't you? You refused to treat my father because you recognized the portrait of the Holland family's ancestor, right?"
He looked straight at me.
"I know my father's illness can only be cured by a descendant of the Ramirez family. If you don't step in, you won't be walking out of this door."
"This is a country governed by law," I said calmly, pulling out my phone and pressing the emergency call screen. "Are you sure you want to keep me here by force?"
The man stared at me.
"You can call the police," he said coldly. "When that happens, I'll provide them with evidence. You've treated quite a few people over the years—but you don't have a medical license. Do you need me to explain the law to you?"
"I still believe in human conscience," I said, meeting his gaze. "Not everyone is as cold-blooded as your family."
"Conscience?" He laughed softly. "You're in your thirties, aren't you? And you still believe in conscience? Should I call that innocence—or childishness?"
"Jenna told me she has a habit. Every time you treat someone, she records it."
"She said she likes how you look when you're saving lives, so she films it to watch again later."
"Did you really believe that?"
He unlocked his phone and opened a video.
"I have all of them. Even if every patient you treated suddenly grows a conscience and denies you ever helped them—how do you explain these videos to the police?"
I turned to look at my wife, Jenna.
"Hubby..." Her voice trembled with tears. "I just wanted to prove to Mr. Holland that you really know medicine. I never thought it would turn out like this."
"It's okay," I said, taking her hand. "This isn't your fault."
Then I looked back at Hugo.
"Mr. Holland, your way of driving a wedge is very straightforward. So I'll be just as direct."
"I will not treat your father."
"As for being arrested—I'll accept it."
"Accept it?" Hugo poked my chest repeatedly with his finger. "Will your family accept it?"
"You still have a mortgage on your house. Your car payments aren't finished either."
"Your son's training classes cost a fortune every year."
"And the elders in your family still rely on you for support."
"You accept it—who's going to pay all of that?"
He turned his gaze to Jenna.
"Her?"
"You think she can keep working at my company if you refuse?"
"With my position, do you think I can't blacklist her from the entire industry?"
"You go inside, and the people outside still have to live."
"Derek, have you thought about any of that?"
Jenna grabbed my arm, a hint of panic gleamed in her eyes. "Hubby, you always say that saving one life earns seven lifetimes of merit. The grudges of the past should stay in the past."
"President Holland said that as long as you help, I'll get a promotion and a raise. He'll also give us a generous consultation fee—and even help our son get into the best elementary school."
I looked at Jenna.
I didn't blame her for letting vanity get the better of her, for showing off my medical skills everywhere.
But I never expected her to say something like that.
Let the past go?
Could it really be let go?
I had told her about our ancestral grudge. That failing to avenge our forebears was already unfilial.
Treating the enemy's illness?
That was unforgivable.
Yet when I saw her reddened eyes, how could I bring myself to blame her?
She was too simple-minded.
Just like me, she was also a victim.
Hugo had seized my weakness perfectly. In the end, I could only compromise.
—
For the next seven days, my wife and I remained at the Holland residence.
Every day I examined the old master's pulse, prescribed medicine, and performed acupuncture.
My heart was in torment.
The past was a hurdle I still couldn't cross. But I lived in the present—and I couldn't drag down the people around me.
Seven days later, the old man, Oliver, was able to get out of bed.
All he needed was another week of medicine, and he would fully recover.
My wife and I were still kept at the Holland house.
Another seven days passed.
Oliver moved freely. He went to the hospital for a full examination, and the results confirmed that there were no remaining issues.
