The Unlucky Turn by Mark Twain 28
Callahan’s steps faltered slightly as he caught a glimpse of a slender back out of the corner of his eye. White shirt, trousers, medium-short hair-clean, professional, and walking with a brisk, decisive gait. It looked familiar. He frowned, unable to recall where he had seen her, so he didn’t dwell on it and walked straight to the ward. Pushing the door open, he found Dante humming a tune while reading the paper.
Seeing Callahan enter, Dante immediately put on a stern face. “You finally decided to visit me?”
Thinking about how Leilani had missed him by just a few minutes, Dante felt a wave of regret.
Unaware of what scheme the old man was cooking up, Callahan kept his expression blank. “You look like you’re in good spirits.”
“Of course!” Dante raised his chin proudly. “My granddaughter-in-law has brilliant medical skills. A few needles and I’m fixed!”
Callahan’s temple throbbed. “What granddaughter-in-law?”
“The girl treating me!” Dante smiled. “You must have bumped into her at the elevator just now.”
Callahan paused, remembering the familiar figure he had just seen in the elevator lobby. “What’s her name?”
This actually stumped Dante. Although this was Leilani’s second treatment, he had never asked for her full name. However, hearing Marlon and Tilda talk, the girl was a descendant of Paulina Cheney. Her last name should be Cheney!
Dante scratched his head. “I think her last name is Cheney… That’s what Marlon and Tilda call her. I don’t know her full name. I have to ask her next time she comes.”
Cheney? Callahan’s eyes flickered. He remembered the girl being harassed by the Sloan family downstairs at Celestial Heights the other day… Clive had called her “Leilani Sloan.”
It probably wasn’t the same person. He gave a faint “Mn” and didn’t ask further.
Dante, however, got energized and praised her endlessly. “That girl gets more pleasing to the eye the more you look at her! Great medical skills, steady personality, and she’s beautiful too! If you married her…”
Seeing that Dante still hadn’t given up on rushing him into marriage, Callahan interrupted him. “Rest well. Stop thinking about nonsense.”
Dante glared angrily. “How is this nonsense? You’re twenty-eight and don’t even have a girlfriend. Can you blame me for being anxious?”
Callahan didn’t bother arguing. He walked to the window and lit a cigarette, his gaze sweeping downstairs inadvertently. The figure in white was walking toward the hospital gate. Her back was straight and thin, standing out clearly in the sunlight. He narrowed his eyes, feeling something was off.
Dante was still nagging behind him. “That girl is coming back in three days. You have to meet her then! I guarantee you’ll like her!”
11:23
Callahan exhaled a ring of smoke, his tone indifferent. “Not interested.”
The night was deep. Leilani sat at her desk, the lamplight falling on the ancient pendant in her hand. This was the keepsake Paulina had left her.
The crescent-shaped pendant was white and translucent, carved with intricate vine patterns. At first glance, it looked ordinary, but holding it in her palm, she could feel a faint coolness.
Leilani ran her fingertips over the surface and suddenly noticed a microscopic seam along the edge. Her eyes narrowed. She used her fingernail to gently pry it.
“Click.”
A secret compartment popped open on the back of the pendant!
Leilani opened it gently and found a yellowed slip of paper hidden inside. The paper looked old. Written on it was a string of numbers: 9582831.
Leilani frowned. She couldn’t figure out what it meant. She checked the pendant over and over again
but found no other clues.
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11:23
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