Chapter 380

Elissa was used to being sized up by patients because of her age, so she paid it no mind. "Mr. Cross, allow me to take your pulse and see what's going on."

At her words, Cliff's parents immediately gestured for her to sit, instructing a nearby housekeeper to bring tea and snacks.

Elissa sat beside Mr. Cross and, without asking any questions, gently placed her fingers on his wrist. The room fell silent as everyone waited for her verdict.

When she finally drew her hand back, Mr. Cross was the first to speak. "Well?"

"It's treatable," Elissa stated simply. "We can use a combination of herbal formulas and acupuncture. However, my schedule no longer permits house calls for the treatments. You will need to come to my clinic for the acupuncture sessions."

House calls were time-consuming and draining. She was reluctant to take on too many, especially for people she didn't know. She had made an exception for the Wilkinsons for strategic reasons-she needed the connection, and Rex's involvement had lowered her guard. More than that, she felt a genuine warmth toward Suzanne. Helping her never felt like a chore.

Mr. Cross, however, seemed unbothered. "That can be arranged," he said with a faint smile. "As long as it's treatable, I'll be eternally grateful."

Cliff's father looked at Elissa, surprised. "Are you certain? What are the chances of success?" He had heard his son praise her skills endlessly, but he'd always been skeptical that someone so young could be as brilliant as Cliff claimed. His original plan had been to take Mr. Cross to see Mr. Blaine, but his friend, wary of troubling the elderly master, had asked if Mr. Blaine had any gifted protégés instead.

Elissa considered for a moment. "Eighty percent."

In truth, she was being conservative. Her mentor had taught her to always leave a margin of uncertainty when speaking to patients. A cure depended as much on the patient's cooperation as it did on the doctor's skill.

Mrs. Riley clapped her hands together, delighted. "No wonder Cliff always says your skills are far superior to his. It seems medicine truly is a gift."

Elissa simply smiled. After writing out a prescription and scheduling Mr. Cross's first acupuncture appointment, she prepared to leave.

Mr. Cross rose at the same time. "It's getting late. I believe I will leave with Dr. Drummond."

At Rivercross Residence, the atmosphere was tense. Ian delivered his latest report.

"DK Pharmaceuticals, from Meridia, has begun establishing a branch here in vistapeak City We're hearing their CEO is coming personally to oversee the launch."

"Our intelligence suggests this CEO is a Veridian national who left for Meridia

years ago and founded the company there."

Rowan's eyes narrowed. "That's quite a coincidence," he said, his voice dangerously soft.

DK Pharmaceuticals had been

making aggressive moves lately, drawing a lot of attention. It was peculiar that after years of ignoring the Veridian market, they were suddenly making a major push right after Orion Stone had vanished from prison. But the real red flag was that the last trace of the criminal syndicate they had been tracking for years had led them directly to Meridia. One coincidence was chance; two suggested a pattern.

"It is," lan agreed. "I've already tasked my team with monitoring DK's activities. As

for the family estate, there's still no movement."

"Be patient," Rowan said. "A long game requires it." He paused, his tone shifting. "What about Vistapeak Gardens?"

"Vistapeak Gardens?" lan blinked,

then realized Rowan was asking

about Elissa. He cleared his throat a

mischievous glint in his eye as he

embellished his report. "Nothing

much to report on Ms. Drummond, Except that her relationship

sis

with

Frank seems to have warmed up

considerably. They're often having dinner together, visiting each other's places."

He leaned in conspiratorially. "If you ask me, you might want to start saving for another wedding gift."

Before the words were fully out of his mouth, Rowan's head snapped up, his gaze sharp enough to cut glass. "Dinner together?"

"That's right," lan said with a shrug. "Frank has been very attentive lately. You can ask around if you don't believe me."