The meeting with the Damaris family was important, so Roxanne dressed up to show her sincerity. That afternoon, she arrived at the café earlier than the agreed time.
Shortly after, she spotted Jack leading an elderly man into the café. The grey-haired man who resembled Jack was skinny and wearing a traditional outfit.
It only took one look for her to guess how they were related to each other.
Shocked, Roxanne got up hurriedly. She waited until they both came to a stop in front of her before giving the elderly man a polite bow.
The man gave her a kind smile and observed her carefully.
Roxanne had put on light makeup and tied her hair up to reveal her delicate features and swan-like neck. She looked beautiful and demure, dressed in a simple but elegant long dress.
Sensing his gaze, Roxanne stood in her spot and allowed him to observe him as a smile played on her lips.
A while later, the old man looked away and gestured at Jack.
“Dr. Jarvis, sorry to keep you waiting.” Jack helped the old man into a seat across from Roxanne, then introduced them to each other. “This is my grandfather, the head of the Damaris family. You can call him,”
“Call me Old Mr. Damaris,” Hector Damaris interjected cheerfully.
He seemed kind and friendly, so Roxanne flashed a warm smile. “Hello, Old Mr. Damaris,”
Hector nodded genially and went straight to the topic. “I asked you out today for a talk as Jack told me you did a great job at the medical consultation yesterday.”
Roxanne nodded obediently to indicate that she was listening:
“ Jack told me that the acupuncture skills you used seemed old school and differed from everyone else’s. Where did you learn them from?” Hector gazed at her curiously.
Roxanne wasn’t about to lie to him, so she replied honestly, “My mentor was
interested in ancient medicine, so I was lucky enough to have read some related books in his house. After that, I worked hard and received some help from my mentor to develop the acupuncture treatment myself.”
Hector nodded thoughtfully as he shot Roxanne an approving look.
Roxanne mentioned that her acupuncture skills were derived from ancient medicine books and that she received help from Harvey, but Hector had been in the industry long enough to know that one would only succeed if one worked hard enough.
It was clear that Roxanne had worked hard to develop her own unique acupuncture skills.
“Before the medical consultation, Old Mr. Queen would lavish praises on you whenever he contacted me. After the medical consultation ended, Jack came to me and told me you’re a rare and talented doctor. Now that we finally got to meet in person, I realize they are telling the truth,” Hector commented.
Roxanne glanced at Jack subconsciously, for she had no idea he would mention her before Hector.
Jack merely smiled in response.
“I love researching, that’s all. There are many great traditional medicine doctors in the country, so I might not be as capable as them. Old Mr. Damaris, I don’t deserve your praise.”
Hector waved his hand. “You might not have that much experience, but I’ve been in this industry long enough, and my judgment is always accurate. You’ll be the cream of the crop internationally one day.”
Roxanne was touched to hear that and thanked him gratefully, “I do hope so, Old Mr. Damaris!”
Hector responded with a joyful grin.
After having some small talk, Hector cut to the chase and said, “I heard from Alfred that you’re interested in the Damaris family’s plan to set up the research institute and thinking of collaborating with us, aren’t you?”
Hearing that, Roxanne perked up in an instant. Wearing a look of solemnity, she stated earnestly, “I’ve always been interested in traditional medicine. I’m more than happy to know that the Damaris family will set up a research institute specializing in this field. Not to mention, your family has been leading in the field all this while. Thus, I wish to grab this opportunity to collaborate with your family as I believe it’ll boost my advancement in traditional medicine too.”
Hector scrutinized Roxanne for quite a while with a smile. Apparently, he was utterly pleased with her explanation.
Roxanne put up a good front, but she could not help having her heart in her mouth.
She knew that she should not let the chance slip away that round. Even though Hector was undoubtedly satisfied with her, she was still worried that things might go south.
However, there was still no response from Hector after a while. Clenching her fists, Roxanne looked into his eyes with determination. “Old Mr. Damaris, I hope you can give me a chance. I’ll put in the effort and won’t let you down!”
Only then did Hector nod gradually. “Of course, I’ll give you a chance.”
Buoyed up by his words, Roxanne was flushed with joyand at a loss as to what to do. She had to tighten the clench of her fists to get a grip on herself.
“You did well during the medical consultation, but I can’t help feeling regretful.” Hector switched the topic abruptly.
There was a slight change in Roxanne’s countenance; her heart skipped a beat. She could not wrap her head around his stance.
Sensing her anxiousness, Hector flashed her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. Since I’ve mentioned that I’ll give you a chance, I won’t take back my words. I’m actually feeling regretful for not being able to see how well you displayed your skills with my own eyes. Anyway, I hope there’ll be a chance for me to witness that during our collaboration in the near future.”
Roxanne heaved a sigh of relief and nodded agreeably. “Sure, Old Mr. Damaris, thanks for giving me this chance. It’s an honor to be able to collaborate with the Damaris family, I’ll prove myself for sure!”
Hector began taking a fancy to her as time elapsed. Seeing how she swallowed her pride, he could not resist chuckling. “There’s no need for formality. After all, I’m closely acquainted with Alfred. He keeps reminding me to give you more opportunities too. Just treat me as if I were him.”
Feeling a little awkward, Roxanne pursed her lips and smiled.
Hector added casually, “I’d met your professor long ago. Even though he’s been overseas throughout these years, he’s contributed a lot to Chanaea with the medicine from his research. Now that I think about it, it’s been quite a while since I last met him. I wonder how he’s been doing lately.”
Roxanne could sense that Hector was trying to let her feel more relaxed. She smiled gratefully. “Professor Lambert has set up a research institute overseas. Apart from that, the one I’m currently working for was set up by him too. I bet he’ll be overjoyed once he knows I have the opportunity to collaborate with the Damaris family.”
Hector nodded slightly. “Let’s have a meal together when he’s back.”
Roxanne agreed at once. “I’ll convey your message to him.”
They chatted for the whole afternoon till it started to turn dark gradually. Feeling a bit tired, Hector returned to the topic. “Jack is in charge of the research institute. If anything arises in the future, you can liaise with each other directly.”
After exchanging contact numbers with Roxanne, Jack held onto Hector’s arm and left with him.
Alfred was well aware that Hector had met up with Roxanne earlier that day. After dinner that night, he gave Hector a call to have a grasp of their collaboration.
Meanwhile, Jonathan was seated alongside him. After knowing that the Damaris family had agreed to collaborate with Roxanne, he notified Lucian without hesitation
in the meantime, Lucian had just put Estella to sleep when he received Jonathan’s call. “Yes?”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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