Chapter 9

NOAH

I promised my family I would make time for them. After Hannah’s checkup, I headed straight to my house in Atherton.

My initial plan was to spend the whole day with my family, but I texted my sister to let her know what happened today and that I would be late.

Fortunately, the tests were completed before it got dark, so I could still spend some time with them.

I brought the dog with me since Hannah and her mom forgot to pick it up. I’ll leave the dog in Atherton because I have a business trip tomorrow. I already arranged for someone to take Milo so my family can care for him while I’m away.

While I was taking a shower, I heard my phone ring. I asked my sister, who was in my room, to answer it for me, just in case it was a call from the hospital.

“Who called?” I asked my sister after finishing my shower.

She grinned. “It’s a woman,” she teased.

“I told her you were in the shower and that you’d call her back. She didn’t tell me her name,” she added.

I grabbed my phone to check who called. The number wasn’t saved, so it might have been a patient or a guardian. I dialed the number while drying my hair with a towel.

It took a while before she answered. “Hello, may I know who’s calling and why did you call?” I said as soon as she picked up.

My sister leaned closer. “Be gentle, Noah. You’re being too harsh,” she said in a playful tone.

I shook my head. The girl didn’t respond right away, so I spoke again. “Hello?” I said, my voice more insistent.

“It’s me, Dr. Morgan,” she finally replied. “I just wanted to ask about the dog my daughter saved earlier.”

I froze for a moment as I heard her soft voice. She sounded like Emma, but maybe I was just imagining it because I’d been thinking about her a lot lately. Still, their voices were so similar.

“I took the dog to my place,” I replied flatly.

“Are you free tomorrow? Can I pick up the dog? My daughter really likes the dog…” she asked.

“I won’t be available tomorrow,” I said. “I have a business trip. I’ll contact you next week.”

“Okay,” she murmured. “Sorry to bother you.”

“May I know your name so I can save your number?” I asked before the call ended.

“Olivia,” she said softly.

“Olivia… Hmm, okay.”

“Is she your patient? She sounded young and pretty. Is she single? Next time she calls, be nice to her. Is this her dog?” My sister fired off a series of questions as soon as the call ended.

I tossed my phone onto the bedside table and went back to drying my hair.

“Madison, when did you become so gossipy?” I asked, not wanting to answer her.

“I’m just concerned about you,” she replied innocently.

I smiled faintly and threw the towel on the sofa. My short black hair was tousled, slightly falling over my forehead.

“I didn’t know you had X-ray vision now. You can tell if someone is pretty just by listening to their voice. Since you have that talent, why don’t you quit our company and work at a special center? You’d be a great fit with your new ‘powers,’” I said sarcastically.

Madison ignored my remarks. “Is she pretty?” she asked instead.

“Ugly,” I said simply, sitting on the sofa and opening my laptop to check some medical records.

She gave me a knowing look. “She must be pretty,” she concluded, then passed by me and sat next to me.

“Olivia is a nice name. Do you have her picture? Let me see.”

My forehead furrowed as I turned to her. “When did you become like Mom?” I said.

She just grinned at me.

I sighed. “She’s not my patient, okay? Her daughter is. Hannah, her daughter, has congenital heart disease.”

“Oh, is she married?” The disappointment in her voice was evident.

“Why don’t you just meet Isabel? After all, her family is close to ours,” Madison suggested after realizing she couldn’t push me on Olivia.

“I’ve already met her. We even exchanged numbers,” I told her.

“So you can tell Mom that I’ve already done what I promised her,” I added.

I knew this was why my sister was here—she needed information to pass on to our mom.

Madison looked at me intently, then grabbed my phone from my bed and started scrolling through the messages we exchanged.

“Noah, are you busy today? I have two concert tickets.”

“Busy.”

“Noah, I have a friend who has a heart problem. Can I consult you about it?”

“Registration.”

“Noah, I heard you’re off this Saturday. Let’s watch a movie together.”

“On duty.”

My sister slapped me on the shoulder. “What kind of conversation is this, Noah Ezekiel?”

I chuckled. “At least I replied.”

“Can you make an effort to get to know her? Mom promised you that after you got married, she’d give you more shares in the company, and your future wife would get a share too,” she said, trying to convince me.

I shook my head. “I’m content being a doctor. I don’t need more shares in the company. You and Lucas are already doing a great job running it.”

“Tss… I know you like being a doctor, but I also know that if you wanted to, you could easily run the company. You just don’t want to hurt Lucas,” my sister said, a knowing look in her eyes.

She had a point. We never treated Lucas as anything less than a real brother. That’s why I’d never fought for the CEO position.

“But Mom wants you to settle down. She’s doing this not just for herself, but for you too,” my sister said, her voice filled with genuine concern.

I simply nodded in response.

“Can you at least tell me what your ‘type’ is? If you don’t like Isabel, we can introduce you to other daughters of our family friends,” she pressed, still not giving up.

“Big breasts, slim waist, long legs, fair skin. Oh, and I don’t like girls who are too thin or too glamorous, and they can’t be too short either. Preferably around 168 cm,” I said, listing off the usual traits I tell to others.

She started listing girls who might meet my standards, and I couldn’t help but smirk. But my smirk quickly faded when she mentioned a name.

“Emma Cooper.”

My expression soured, and I felt a tightness in my chest. I slammed my laptop shut and pointed to the door. “Leave,” I said, my voice cold and steady.

OLIVIA

A week had passed in the blink of an eye. We secured another major client, and I was determined to close this deal. Once it’s finalized, it would be a huge help with my daughter’s surgery, in addition to the deal I closed with Mere and Line.

“Hey, guys, have you heard the news about Isabel?” Jessica asked as we wrapped up our team meeting.

“What’s the scoop?” Ella asked, her curiosity piqued.

“Isabel has a boyfriend,” Jessica replied, her tone dripping with intrigue. “From what I’ve heard, it’s an arranged marriage. The guy’s family comes from a powerful background in the US, particularly in California. And get this—the family lives in Atherton.”

Everyone’s eyes widened in amazement. Who wouldn’t? Atherton is an exclusive, affluent town in California, famous for its luxurious homes, sprawling estates, and high-profile residents.

I couldn’t help but think of Noah. His family also lives in Atherton.

I may not approve of Isabel’s work ethic, but her personal life is none of my business.

“If Olivia could charm someone as powerful as Isabel’s boyfriend, then I wouldn’t have to work so hard. I could just live off you,” Jessica teased, shaking my arm playfully.

I smirked at her. “Just so you know, I already have a child. So, you can forget about that dream.”

Even if Hannah weren’t part of my life, what Jessica was suggesting still felt impossible. I’ve never seen myself as attractive or charming. Even though I get compliments from people—sometimes even strangers—after losing weight, I still struggle to see myself that way.

Maybe it’s because of the humiliation I faced when I was overweight. It left me with an inferiority complex and chipped away at my self-confidence.

“So what if you have a child?” Jessica insisted, lifting my chin to meet her gaze. “What the world really lacks now is natural beauty.”

She smiled, her tone light and teasing. “If I were a man, I’d definitely be into a girl like you—gentle, beautiful, and naturally stunning.”

Then, without missing a beat, she casually placed her hand on my waist. “And your waist… it’s so slender. How do you manage to keep your body like that?”

I gently patted her hand and chuckled. “Alright, enough of this. Let’s wrap up this meeting, apply what we’ve discussed, and finalize everything in our next one.”

Since it was already lunchtime, we all decided to grab a bite together. As we sat down at the restaurant, I remembered to check my phone—it had been on silent during the meeting.

But when I saw Noah’s missed call, I suddenly lost my appetite.