It was clearly a calcted attempt to win her over.


    "Cntro?" Jimmie, who had been enjoying the gossip, suddenly went still. If he remembered correctly, Juniper''s second brother absolutely lovedtro and mangoes. They used to fight overtro all the time when they were kids, arguments that the second brother always lost because his crying was never as loud as Juniper''s.


    "Also..." Shanley paused, then added, "He''s a year older than me."


    Jimmie''s face was nk. Who asked about his age?


    "Shanley, didn''t you run a background check on Harold?"


    "I did," Shanley said, sensing the change in Jimmie''s tone. "Harold mentioned that Juniper seemed familiar to him. Given the previous mistaken-brother incidents..." He''d nearly alienated everyone, so he was being extra cautious this time.


    "I looked into it thoroughly. Harold is from Australis, but his records from birth to the present arepletely intact. He has parents, a sister, and a wife. There''s no way he was adopted or joined the familyter."


    Otherwise, he wouldn''t dare give Harold such an attitude.


    "Alright," Jimmie said. He trusted Shanley''s work; he never missed a detail. Perhaps their second brother was still somewhere else in Australis.


    ...


    At that same moment, in ab on the outskirts of Era City, Harold sneezed. Finishing his work, he went to the break room, removed his whiteb coat, and unbuttoned his shirt. A prominent scar was visible on the left side of his chest, near his heart. He touched it, trying to recall how he got it, but his mind drew a nk.


    "Dr. Houston," his assistant said, knocking before entering. "Your medical report is here."


    Harold took it and immediately


    turned to the sections on his brain and heart. His heart was fine. However, there was a small shadow in the left hemisphere of his brain. It had been there for over a decade, supposedly from a fall he took as a child. It was the likely cause of his amnesia. He had considered having it removed, but the location was incredibly delicate, requiring absolute precision. The slightest mistake could leave him paralyzed. Since it didn''t affect his daily life, he had abandoned the idea.


    He had, however, heard of a legendary physician known as "Nocturne," who could work miracles with acupuncture, even saving


    stroke patients. Unfortunatelyel.ne


    despite his discreet inquiries over the years, he had found no leads on Nocturne''s whereabouts


    "There''s one more thing..." the assistant hesitated.


    "What is it?"


    "Your father wants you to return home immediately," the assistant said carefully. "He said if you don''t give him a grandchild this year, he''s going to demolish yourb."


    "Then let him Harold said, his


    expression hardening. His voice was low andced with a strange


    emotion. "I told him from the


    . I married the woman he


    begin studied the medicine


    chose for nge. I


    he forced upon me. What do from now on is none of his business."


    The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. His father was like a cold- blooded animal, treating him with indifference his whole life. He felt less like a son and more like a pawn. He sometimes wondered if he was even his real son.


    As the thought crossed his mind, Harold froze. It was a terrifying idea, but... he didn''t really look much like his father.