?Chapter 100:


    Across from her, Rosanna, feeling lighter after her earlier discovery, nced sideways and asked, “Mom, how do you think Maia even knows Dr. Cullen?” The question nagged at her. After all, Elvira had just arrived in Wront today. Coming straight from Drakmire, how could she possibly be tied to Maia? No matter how she turned it over in her mind, Sandra couldn’t find a logical answer.


    Before she could dwell on it any longer, her phone buzzed sharply in her pocket. She snatched it up, answered, and within seconds her face drained of all color.


    rmed by her reaction, Rosanna stepped closer. “Mom, what’s wrong?”


    nkly, Sandra stared at her, as if still processing the words she had heard. “It’s Jarrod,” she finally said. “He’s in serious trouble.”


    Inside the Primary Healthcare Center, Elvira sat across from Kathie, conducting a quick but thorough examination. “Your lungs have been carrying damage for years. Treatment will help, but what you need even more is time to rest and heal.”


    Standing beside them, Maia gave a small nod. That diagnosis matched what she had already suspected.


    With the examination done, Elvira wasted no time arranging for Kathie’s admission into a private VIP ward.


    When all the paperwork was finished, Maia found herself walking beside Elvira toward the outpatient building. It was not exactly voluntary. Elvira had insisted she apany her.


    “You’ve earned a doctorate from Norwyn Medical School. It’s really a pity you’re not working as a doctor,” Elvira said, casting a sideways nce at Maia. Norwyn Medical School — the very name carried weight. It was the kind of ce doctors around the world could only dream of attending.


    Getting admitted to Norwyn was a triumph in itself. Earning a doctorate from there? That was the kind of achievement few in the world could even dream about.


    Even with Maia’s prison sentence hanging over her, Zoey’s influence had shifted the odds in her favor.


    g?lnσν????s, the heart of storytelling


    Thanks to Zoey’s careful arrangements, prison life barely touched Maia. She could even slip beyond the prison walls in secret, though strict rules forbade her from ever exposing her real identity.


    It had been years ago, during a street-side emergency, when fate had thrown Elvira and Maia together for the first time — an encounter that sealed an unexpected friendship.


    Back then, Elvira had learned a hard truth: no matter how good you were, there was always someone better. For the first time, she realized that there were geniuses whose talents eclipsed even her own.


    Back then, Maia had only been studying medicine on her own for two years, yet her medical abilities were already matching Elvira’s. Fast forward to now, and Maia had a doctorate from Norwyn Medical School tucked under her belt. Her medical skills had undoubtedly soared past Elvira’s. Oddly enough, though, Maia showed no interest in practicing medicine, leaving Elvira to wonder why she had even pursued it in the first ce.


    Walking beside her, Elvira shot a quick nce at Maia’s calm, unreadable expression before slinging an arm around her shoulders with a grin. “By the way, my brother wanted me to pass along a message.”


    The sudden mention drew the slightest flicker of annoyance in Maia’s usually indifferent gaze. “Can I pretend I didn’t hear that?”


    “Nope.” Elvira’s eyes gleamed with mischief. “He said… he’s craving your BBQ ribs.”


    A blink of surprise crossed Maia’s face. “That’s it?”


    Grinning, Elvira nodded. “That’s it. What else did you think he’d say?”


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