Chapter 4 The Miracle Doctor

Meanwhile, inside another private hospital suite.

"Why didn't you bother telling me you were admitted?" Emilia gave Sloane a sharp look.

"I didn't think it was serious enough to trouble you, my precious Asclepius," Sloane explained, clutching her arm with a pout.

Emilia could only shake her head, letting out a resigned sigh. "Trouble just follows you around, doesn't it?"

"Forget about my problems. Is it really true-you actually signed the divorce papers?" Sloane asked, the question slipping out with a heavy sigh.

For a moment, it seemed incredible that Lord Inferno, the leader of a notorious assassin organization, could be tangled up in a toxic relationship.

Emilia said with a quiet smile, "Yeah. It's true."

Sloane retorted, "Arthur's the only decent person in that whole Mitchell family. The rest of them are just fools!"

"That's enough," said Emilia, voice calm and even, signaling she was finished talking about the Mitchells.

"But why did you suddenly announce you'd pick some random patient?" Sloane's tone turned curious.

When Emilia kept quiet, Sloane clutched her hand in alarm. "Don't tell me you still care about him. Is this some trick to win him back? Please tell me you've got over him!"

Emilia let out a soft laugh. "Rest assured. Three years of being a fool was plenty for me. Ever since I walked out on the Mitchell family, I haven't once thought of returning."

Relief washed over Sloane, and her shoulders relaxed as though a weight had lifted.

"So what's really going on, then?" she asked, eyes bright with curiosity.

Lowering her voice, Emilia leaned in and explained, "I've managed to pick up a lead-whatever I'm searching for might be with the Dixon family. I need a disguise to get close."

Sloane's mouth fell open. "Wait, you're saying the other piece of-" She stopped herself mid-blurt, quickly whipping out her phone to type instead. "Are you saying the other half of the treasure map is in the hands of the Dixon family?"

Emilia gave a slow nod. "That's the hunch, but I can't say for certain yet."

"As long as this isn't about crawling back to that bastard, I'll let it go. But if you even waver, I swear I'll cut you off!" Sloane warned, her voice firm.

A genuine laugh left Emilia. "I won't make the same mistake twice."

"Good. That's the Emilia I like to see." Sloane's lips stretched into a smile as admiration glowed in her eyes. "You shine brighter when you're working toward something real. Oh, and- are you going to tell your family what happened with the divorce?"

Emilia shook her head, answering softly, "No, let's keep it between us for now. I'd rather spare them the worry."

"Maybe that's for the best," Sloane remarked, a sly grin flickering as thoughts of the Mitchell family's foolishness crept in. "You know, if Rodger ever got a glimpse of your true identity, he'd be groveling in seconds."

With a cold edge, Emilia replied, "Then he'll be waiting at the end of the line, since there are numerous people doing so."

That got Sloane laughing hard. "That's exactly the Emilia I remember-fearless and confident! I wish I could see their jaws drop the day they discover who you really are. That's going to be a show."

Sloane kept talking animatedly, while Emilia listened with quiet focus, adding a word here and there.

...

A week drifted by.

The racetrack brimmed with people, but today, the crowd was thick with patients facing their final battles.

It wasn't an exaggeration to say the place looked more like a ward than a track. Each case brought its own grim weight.

"Have you ever seen anything like this? It's as if every critical patient in the country showed up today!"

"Even patients in comas were hauled in with entire medical teams. You can tell they belong to some wealthy family."

"Tsk! Asclepius really is influential."

"Yes! No one can deny his skill. He tackles the worst cases and somehow makes them walk out whole."

"With a name like Asclepius, you'd expect nothing less. People around here also call him a miracle worker, and they mean it."

People were discussing the various patients and the miracle doctor, Asclepius.

Sebastian whispered, "Rodger, is he really as extraordinary as everyone claims? Or is this reputation nothing but a lie?"

Rodger's eyes hardened, and he replied, "Stop doubting. If he weren't the real thing, the President might have..."

The unfinished sentence told Sebastian enough. He murmured, "So the rumors about him curing the President are true?"

Rodger's reply came flat and cold. "They're true."

Out of the corner of his eye, Rodger spotted a familiar silhouette-Emilia.

That woman again. She just couldn't leave him alone, even following him into a place like this.

Annoyed, Rodger surged forward and caught her by the wrist. "Why are you here, Emilia? What scheme are you trying to pull this time?"