Chapter 15

"Please-we're begging you!" The Clarke couple's voices carried the weight of desperation, stripped of their usual authority.

Anyone who stumbled upon the sight would have been left gaping. After all, the powerful Clarkes had never been heard speaking with such humility.

Eliana's expression didn't soften. Once she set her mind, nothing could move her from it. "I offered you the chance, and you threw it away. You've got no one to blame but yourselves."

She turned her back on them, letting their pleas fall into the cold air as she walked away.

Many sought her skills, but she had always practiced medicine by instinct, choosing her patients through the connection she felt with them.

The Clarke family had never stirred even a flicker of that connection.

At that moment, a sleek luxury car rolled up to the gates of the estate.

The tinted window slid down, revealing Hector, his eyes narrowing at the strange scene-his parents chasing after a woman dressed plainly enough to be mistaken for a beggar.

He signaled the driver to stop, stepped out, and closed the distance. "Dad, Mom, why are you running after a beggar?"

Jeffry's glare could have cut glass. "Beggar? That's the famed doctor we've been searching for!"

"What?" Hector froze, his gaze locking on Eliana.

He hadn't truly looked at her before-but now, he couldn't miss the quiet, striking presence she carried. Even under a dust-covered coat and worn clothing, her eyes gleamed like cut diamonds,impossible to overlook.

"I owe you an apology," Hector said quickly. "I didn't realize who you were."

Eliana's tone was cool. "It's fine. I have no intention of treating anyone in your family anyway."

In her mind, the Clarke household was full of people who measured worth by appearance alone. And she had no patience for those who were high and mighty.

Hector's brow furrowed. "Why not?"

"You ask me?" Her lips curved into a cold smnile."Ask your parents instead."

An awkward stiffness settled over Jeffry's and Ruby's faces.

Ruby stepped in quickly, spilling out the details of what had happened.

By the time Hector heard the whole story, the reason for their frantc chase was clear.

"Tell me your price. We can cover it," he said, his voice steeped in arrogance rather than the humility of someone seeking help. "I'm not short on money," Eliana answered, her tone cool as she turned to leave. She had no shortage of people seeking her out.

Hector wasn't accustomed to being dismissed so easily. Frustration hardened his voice. "Maybe money isn't what you need-but it's obvious you're lacking compassion."

Eliana's steps halted. She turned her head, eyes like shards of ice. "What did you just say?"

A faint curl tugged at his lips, his words deliberate."I said you're missing both compassion and medical ethics. A real doctor's duty is to save lives. But because our butler refused to let you inside our home, you'd let the patient suffer? Tell me-does someone like you even deserve to call herself a doctor?"

Eliana's eyes narrowed, her expression cool with disdain. It was obvious he was trying to corner her,pressing her into submission with moral guilt.

Unfortunately for him, she had no interest in playing by the rules of morality-so there was nothing for him to hold over her.

A slow, mocking smile curved her lips. "You're right.I'm not fit to be a doctor-and I'm even less fit to treat anyone in your family."

She stepped forward, clearly intent on leaving.

Hector's gaze turned razor-sharp, his voice snapping like a whip. "Stop her! She doesn't leave until my grandpa is treated!"

If persuasion wouldn't work, he'd use force. There was no way she would refuse to treat a patient with enough pressure. In an instant, several bodyguards closed in, forming a ring around her.

Eliana's gaze held nothing but icy calm-these men were nothing she couldn't handle.

She barely shifted her weight to strike when a deep,measured voice cut through the standoff. "Mr.Clarke,care to explain this?"

Every head snapped toward the sound, Eliana's included.

A man stepped out of the sleek car, his presence immediately filling the space. His height was commanding, his shadow spilling forward until it brushed across Eliana's shoes like a silent claim. A perfectly tailored suit framed his broad shoulders,buttoned high at the collar, and his steps carried the unhurried confidence of someone accustomed to control.

One glance told Eliana this was no ordinary passerby -her instincts rarely misjudged power.

Jeffry and Ruby's faces shifted instantly, their postures straightening under a mix of respect and unease. "Mr.Pearson..."

Her brow arched in mild surprise. Mr. Pearson? As in the Pearson family-the empire that held entire industries in its grip, able to tip the nation's economy with a single order?

But this man wasn't Jermaine Pearson, the heir she knew. Jermaine had once commissioned the Onyx Syndicate, and she had dealt with him before. The stranger before her was nothing like him.

A sly opportunist-that was how she pegged Jermaine, the kind who smiled while reaching for something that wasn't his. He'd once tried to lure her into working for him, and she hadn't forgotten.

There was no way she'd confuse Jermaine with the man in front of her. Which meant this Pearson was someone else entirely. His exact identity didn't matter. What mattered was whether he stood with her or with the Clarkes.

If he was their ally, she didn't care if he came from Eighvale's most powerful bloodline-she would treat him no differently than the rest.

While she studied him with measured calm, Tristan's gaze was locked on her, as though tracing the edges of a memory.

Something about her pulled at him-an almost hauntíng familiarity. Yet, for a man who never forgot a face, he couldn't place where or when their paths might have crossed.

The curiosity pricked at him until he finally asked,"Have we met before?"

It was a line that could have come straight from a bad romance drama.

"No, I don't think so," she replied, her tone flat as glass.

Her chill cut through the moment, snapping Tristan out of whatever haze he'd been in.

Realizing how it must have sounded, he reined in his expression and said evenly, "I'm sorry, I might have confused you with someone."

Jeffry stepped forward with a practiced smile."Mr.Pearson, if we'd known you were on your way,we would have sent a car to fetch you. Please, this way..."

In Qidence, the Clarke name carried weight. But in Esaton's business world, the Pearson family's influence could eclipse entire cities. The last thing the Clarke family wanted was for Tristan to witness them strong-arming a young woman into treating their family.

Unfortunately for them, he had already taken in the scene-their desperation, their lack of shame, and the woman standing there like an untouchable dove refusing to be caged.

Without so much as a glance at Jeffry's outstretched arm, Tristan bypassed him and came to a halt in front of Eliana. His gaze held hers, probing. "You're the famed doctor from Eighvale, aren't you?"

He'd been told the doctor was young. What he hadn't expected was for her youth to come with such an unshakable presence.

" am," she replied simply, without hesitation.

A faint smile touched his lips. "I've been meaning to meet you for some time but never had the chance.Now that I have, I'd like to ask-would you consider treating my father?" Eliana tilted her head slightly. "Your father?"

"Yes," Tristan replied, his voice low but steady. "He's been unwell. The danger's passed for now, but his health shifts like the wind-one day stable, the next on the brink."

His eyes flicked toward Hector and Jeffry,his words sharpened with intent. "If they can't muster the respect to request your help properly, then I will. Say the word, and I'll have a private jet ready to fly you to Eighvale, where you'll be received with the highest honor."

The offer tightened Jeffry's chest.

The nerve of Hector-trying to strong-arm Eliana as if she were some street vendor to be bullied. Did he forget she carried the name of the Onyx Syndicate,a name that could crush reputations with a whisper?Disappointment tangled with anger in Jeffry's chest.

Hector,still caught off guard, hadn't imagined Tristan would step in and shield her so openly. Shoving his irritation aside, Jeffry forced his expression into something warmer, almost pleading."Dr. Murray, I owe you an apology. This has all been one terrible misunderstanding. Of course, we'd be honored for you to treat my father. If you'd grant us that favor, I'll pay triple your original fee. And I swear,from this day forward, my family will hold you in the highest respect."

Eliana let out a sharp laugh. "A moment ago, you were set on dragging me back by force. And now?What exactly do you call this sudden change of heart?"

Jeffry scrambled to cover the misstep. "My son was reckless-blindly so. That's on me for not raising him better. I'll see to it that he learns from this. Please don't let his stupidity sour things between us."

Ruby skipped the diplomacy. She stepped forward and delivered a stinging slap across Hector's cheek."Apologize. Now."

The blow did its job. Pride swallowed and jaw tight Hector finally inclined his head. "I was wrong. Entirely wrong. I hope you can forgive me."

Eliana weighed her options. Triple the original fee was a hard figure to ignore. More importantly,treating a Clarke could elevate her reputation in the city quickly.

After a brief pause, she gave her verdict. "Where's the patient? Take me to him."

Relief swept through the Clarkes like a gust of wind.Jeffry moved quickly, saying, "It's my father. He's at home.Please-this way."

Expression unreadable, Eliana fell into step behind him.

From the side, Tristan's gaze lingered on her retreating figure. That nagging sense of familiarity refused to fade.

When Eliana turned unexpectedly and offered Tristan a small nod, something in his chest shifted-lightened,even.

He returned the gesture and closed the distance, choosing to follow.