Chapter 151
Chapter 151
This is insane! Absolutely crazy! Without any clinical experience and established degree, how exactly does this woman think herself capable of performing a procedure as intricate and risky as craniotomy? Who was it who emboldened her to so shamelessly put herself forward to operate? To think that she dared to claim that she was sure of a fifty percent success rate! I'm sure that a random doctor I can hire from any third-rate hospital would be able to do much better than this slut. Ha. Haha! This has to be a joke to end all jokes.
“I'd spell my own surname backward if I should ever agree to allow you to operate on my father.”
Lowering her head into a chuckle, Bailey frivolously replied, “Remember what you said then, Mrs. Luther. Trust me when I say that in three days' time, reality is going to hit you smack in the face.”
The positively livid Felicity fingered toward the main door not too far away and seethed between gritted teeth. “Get out. Get the hell out of my face right this instant. You are not to step foot in this house again.”
Bailey gave her a little shrug, then addressed Gwendolyn before turning to make her way out.
She had indeed been worn out from keeping vigil at Artemis' side day and night and badly needed to go back to catch up with her sleep. It was imperative that she made the best of whatever time she had to recover her energy ahead of that upcoming high-stakes operation.
Even though she was still bickering with Felicity, she was not about to allow herself to become complacent about Glen's craniotomy procedure.
Motivated by a desire to help her repay a debt of gratitude, Artemis had been willing to put everything
on the line, so on her part, she was not letting his efforts go to waste, no matter the circumstances.
Immediately after Felicity had seen Bailey off from the living room with her piercing gaze, she about- faced to yell at Edmund and Artemis, “Is this what you two managed to put together after all that mucking around you did the last three days? Let us be explicitly clear about one thing. Anyone could be allowed to operate on your grandfather, and I do mean anyone except that b*tch. I'll never give my consent to her, ever, so you might as well perish the thought.”
Artemis looked up at her staidly. “I think you should go home to chair Caridee's coming-of-age ceremony, Mother. Time is short as it's less than two weeks away, so quit fussing and let Uncle Yoel and Edmund handle things here.”
“Whatever do you mean by that?” Felicity's eyes narrowed at him while she repressed the rage mounting inside of her. “Are you trying to get rid of me so that woman could be allowed to do whatever the heck she wants?”
“There's nothing I can do if you insist on thinking that way, Mother. Look, why don't we just go with your own initial line of thinking? You're not really in a position to interfere, so just step aside and let Uncle Yoel and Edmund make those decisions that concern the Chivers' internal matters. Right now, I'll just have someone send you back to the Luther residence.”
“W-Why you.” He got Felicity hopping mad and staggering back, clutching at her own chest. “Wonderful. This is just great. I can finally see for myself what a fine son I've managed to raise. I'm washing my hands off of you. Your father will be back the day after, so it would be better if I left it to him to sort you out.”
With that, she stormed toward the main door.
As he lifted his hand to scratch his head, Artemis' suave face evoked a smidgen of helplessness.
What sort of beef is this? How am I supposed to deal with being stuck between these two women who hated each other's guts as much as they do?
“Come with me to the study, Artemis. I've something I wish to discuss.”
Yoel's voice rang out within earshot, reining him back from his wayward thoughts.
Nodding slightly, Artemis replied with relative calmness, “I've something I want to tell you as well, Uncle Yoel. Let's head over to the study.”
Then, Yoel looked to Edmund. “You should come too.”
“Okay.”
Bailey ran into Veronique after she stepped out of the Chivers residence.
“What are you doing here, Vero?”
Veronique's brows perked up in delight. “I knew that Mrs. Luther is over at the Chivers, and talks are likely to fall through seeing how the two of you simply can't stand each other. That is why I came by expressly to pick you up. Come on now, let's go.”
Bursting out in laughter, Bailey then turned to Ken. “I'm going to ride with Ms. Revelle, so you don't have to drive me anymore.”
Having worked for Artemis for years, Ken was expectedly perceptive. Who was he to interfere if a pair of good friends wanted to spend some time together?
“All right. Then have a safe journey home, and call me any time should you be in need of anything.”
Bailey pleasantly hummed in acknowledgment before she got into Veronique's car.
After the car rolled out onto the wooded boulevard, Veronique was the first to break the silence. “Congratulations on your revival. Being able to overcome your psychological barriers and finding the courage to return to the operating table.”
That wiped the smile off Bailey's face, who was unable to rejoice at the thought of Artemis, the man who had gambled with his own life just to help her fulfill her wish.
Though she was aware that he was interested in her, she was not expecting him to fancy her to the extent that he would put his own life at risk.
The more he did so, the more it piled on the pressure she felt. That, in turn, only made her increasingly inclined toward avoidance.
Some people, she felt, were just not fated to be together, just like Artemis and herself.
I am Rhonda's older sister and Simon's... Regardless, the connections between them on so many levels were as such that it made a relationship between them incestuous no matter how one sliced it.
Morally abhorrent, even. Should they ever go down that path, they would doubtlessly be made the subject of scorn and ridicule by others.
She had sought only a peaceful existence and had never tried to showcase her own talents. Prior to her arrival in Hallsbay, no one knew that she was Snowflake or Anonymous because she had done everything she possibly could to conceal her own identity—All for the sake of leading an ordinary life.
Who could say for certain if her life would still remain as idyllic as it presently was if she were to cross paths more often with Artemis in the days to come?
“Bay. Hey Bay...”
Veronique's voice hailing in her ears snapped her out of her thoughts.
“Huh?”
“Are you all right? You look distracted.”
Twitching her lips, Bailey eked out a smile. “I'm fine. I just got a little absorbed in thinking about the operation, that's all. What was it you were saying before this?”
Veronique eyed her with some skepticism. “I keep having that feeling there must be more to that kidnapping plot than meets the eye. What do you think, Bay?”
Looking at her askance, Bailey replied blandly, “You're looking too much into it. The facts are as such; Janice had hired a bunch of hoodlums to kidnap Zayron. Later on, the group that Artemis brought clashed with them, and during the skirmish, one of the goons grabbed a dagger and tried to stab
Zayron in the heart. In order to save him, Artemis used his own body to shield him from the attack.”
With that, she exhaled and continued, “I couldn't possibly watch my son's savior die. Placed under tremendous pressure, I overcame my mental blocks and stepped out of the shadows of that traumatic past to complete the emergency heart surgery.” Original from NôvelDrama.Org.
There continued to be uncertainty within Veronique's eyes, but she decided against pressing Bailey, seeing that the weary-looking woman had already leaned back with her eyes closed.
“Although it was all a little too dramatic, it was good that you are able to pick up the scalpel again, so consider that a silver lining of sorts. I'll drive you straight home so you can get some proper rest.”
“Mm.”
Back in the living room at the Luther residence, Felicity grabbed ahold of Rhonda, who was coming down the stairs. “Is that little b*tch Bailey previously trained in medicine, or is she not?”