Jack was vexed with the woman in his rearview mirror. It has only been several days since I last met her. How did she become so sharp-tongued?
Jack’s anger dissipated as his gaze swept past the aroma lamp hidden under the passenger seat. His eyes continued to gleam with hostility. Soon, this mouth won’t be able to utter a single word. At that thought, Jack felt exhilarated.
“Don’t you ever forget that it was my idea to develop this medicine, Ms. Jarvis. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have gotten so far in the research.”
He kept his composure and started engaging her in small talk to delay the time. Roxanne thought the car smelled of essential oil but quickly dismissed the idea since she could not locate the source. She ended up assuming the faint fragrance was Jack’s car perfume.
She nodded gently upon hearing Jack’s comment. “That’s true. If you hadn’t mentioned anything about it, I wouldn’t have had the courage to begin the research. Anyhow, I depended on my own strengths and capabilities to develop the medicine and bring the idea to fruition.”
Initially, Roxanne was rather dubious about the whole matter too. She debated multiple times if she should brand the medicine under the Damaris family name because Jack was the one who proposed it first.
However, Lucian rejected her idea without any hesitation. He justified that Jack merely gave a passing comment and had not involved himself in any parts of the research process. The success of the medicine was solely owed to Roxanne’s efforts.
He truly believed that Jack could have proposed that idea to anyone, but only Roxanne could have created the medicine.
If I were to listen to Jack and give him credit for the medicine developed, does it mean that I could also do the same and share a crazy idea with any Tom, Dick, and Harry, then request to be credited when the idea came true in the future? Obviously, this is absurd!
The medicine should be exclusively branded under Roxanne’s name along with her research institute. After Lucian knocked some sense into Roxanne, the latter became more confident and assertive when defending her idea in front of Jack.
That made Jack absolutely furious. If it were not for the fact that the aroma lamp had not completely burned out, he would have opened the door and kicked Roxanne out of the car.
“Ms. Jarvis, you’re truly… eloquent and full of wit. Why didn’t I realize your talent in the past?” teased Jack. Roxanne smiled but said nothing.
Then, a brief moment of silence filled the air. Suddenly, Jack gazed at Roxanne and asked, “If I were to give in and sell the medicine at two hundred and seventy-one per box, would you be willing to work with Damaris Group?”
For some reason, Roxanne felt Jack’s tone sounded a bit peculiar, as though he had a hidden agenda. However, she could not pinpoint what it was. “No thanks. I’m sticking to my decision,” she expressed her opinion without thinking twice.
Immediately, Jack’s expression turned grim. By then, the aroma lamp had already extinguished itself. “Then, there’s nothing else for us to talk about. You may leave now, Ms. Jarvis,” Jack uttered coldly.
Roxanne nodded as she opened the door. Before stepping out of the car, she could not help but leave him with a heartfelt reminder. “Mr. Damaris, I used to respect you a lot because you upheld the Damaris family’s record of benevolence to good causes.
I admired your superb medical skills and passion for saving lives. However, I didn’t expect your ambition to be so different from mine. I thought that doctors should prioritize the needs of their patients, but all you cared about was making a profit.”
She sighed softly before getting out of the car. The livid Jack watched her leave with an expression of sullen resentment.
Afterward, Roxanne visited a nearby restaurant for lunch. Perhaps she had wolfed down her food too fast or was exhausted from work, as Roxanne fell into a daze and nearly fainted at the entrance.
Luckily, one of the restaurant employees grabbed her in time and helped her to regain her footing. After saying thanks, Roxanne headed back to the research institute.
She felt rather unwell for the rest of the afternoon. Yet, she pushed herself to complete all the required tests on the medicinal herbs. It was already nightfall when Linda came to check on her.
“Dr. Jarvis, is there anything else I can help you with?” Linda followed the distinctive work culture from abroad and adhered strictly to the working hours. She would not take the initiative to work overtime if it was not necessary.
Before knocking off, she would usually check. on Roxanne if she was still in the research institute. If the latter did not need her help, Linda would leave work first. Roxanne shook her head and said, “Nope, I’m about to leave as well.”
Right before walking away, Linda noticed Roxanne’s pale face. “Are you suffering from work fatigue, Dr. Jarvis?”
Genuinely feeling a little unwell, Roxanne said, “Perhaps. It’s a busy period for me, but things will be fine once the pharmaceutical manufacturing process is back on track.”
Linda was getting worried. “If the medicinal herbs are all good to go, I can take care of the rest. You should rest at home for two days, Dr. Jarvis, for you don’t look very good.”
Upon hearing that, Roxanne hesitated for a few seconds. Yet, in the end, she rejected Linda’s offer. “It’s okay, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”
After putting away all the tools used for testing, Roxanne grabbed Linda’s hand and ushered her to the door. “Come on, let’s leave together. I’m ready to call it a day.”
Linda said nothing and followed her out of the research institute. As soon as they got out, Roxanne saw Lucian waiting for her by the car. He hurried over the moment he saw her coming out. Linda flashed him a polite smile before leaving. “You’re here? Why didn’t you tell me earlier…”
Right after Linda left, Roxanne felt slightly lightheaded and swayed on her feet. Frowning, Lucian quickly strode toward her and grabbed her by the arm. “What’s wrong?”
At that moment, she knew she was unwell. Despite that, she tried to keep calm so as not to make Lucian worry. “It’s nothing serious. I overworked myself lately, but I’ll be fine after getting some rest.”
Lucian scrutinized her intently. Moments later, he said with a gloomy look on his face, “You don’t look well.”
Roxanne recalled Linda saying the same thing. too. Do I really look that terrible? As she looked up, she was met with his gaze, and she could see how worried he was. “It’s nothing. I’m a doctor myself, so I would know if I were sick.”
She sent Lucian a comforting smile and added, “It’s getting late. I bet the kindergarten has dismissed the children. Let’s go pick them up now. With that, she went ahead and walked to the car. Lucian observed her from the back as his expression grew increasingly grim.
It was not his first time seeing her knackered and bushed due to work. Yet, he had never seen her so exhausted to that extent.
Not only did she look pale, but her lip color had also gotten a few shades darker. She looked completely drained of energy!
The only conclusion he could arrive at was that Roxanne had fallen ill. She’s just trying to force herself to appear strong because the pharmaceutical manufacturing process is finally showing some positive progress.
At that thought, Lucian swiftly made his way to the driver’s seat and drove off. “I’ll get Cayden to pick the kids up. Let’s go to the hospital.”
Roxanne resisted right away when she heard where he was taking her to. “I’m fine. How could I be sick when I was perfectly okay when I left the house in the morning?”
As she spoke, she checked her pulse in front of Lucian in hopes of proving herself right. She could tell she was unwell, but she did not take the symptoms seriously.
All she wanted was to assure Lucian. Hence, she took her time to check her pulse thoroughly. Lucian slowed the car down while watching her from the rearview mirror.
As time ticked away, the tension in the atmosphere became more and more palpable. Roxanne’s fingers were still placed on her wrist as a solemn look appeared on her face. Something is wrong with my pulse!
She tried to check further but to no avail, and it caused her to be perplexed. “How are you? Any discomfort?” Lucian could not wait any longer. Roxanne snapped back to her senses and gazed at him.
Judging by his tone, she knew how worried he was. The man clenched his jaw tightly. How he wished he could fly her to the hospital immediately!
Seeing so, her worries gradually disappeared as a warm and fuzzy feeling crept up on her. She gave him a comforting smile. “It’s not a big deal. I merely overworked myself. I’ll be fine after having some traditional medicine for two days.”
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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