Chapter 1

Later, the Caesar family crest became a white rose.

Brianna

The day my mother was diagnosed with leukemia, I stood outside her hospital room, clutching my acceptance letter from Ronaldo Medical School.

My father hunched over the bed, staring at my mother's pallid face. It was the first time I'd ever seen him cry.

His weathered hand took the acceptance letter from me. His eyes flickered with excitement, then quickly dimmed into sorrow.

"Brianna, you've always been our pride and joy. But we don't have the money anymore..."

"Your mother wants to go home..."

Watching my mother struggle for breath in that hospital bed, I understood this wasn't a discussion—it was a notification.

My mother was saying goodbye. She didn't want to be a burden to this family anymore. Didn't want to hold me back.

She wanted to leave the hospital, save the money, and let me finish my education.

Which meant she was giving up on her own life.

But I'd fought tooth and nail to get into medical school precisely so that one day I could cure my mother. There was no way I'd agree to this.

Truth was, I'd known she was sick since that night three years ago.

That evening, my mother collapsed in the kitchen. Scalding soup spilled all over her, but she didn't even flinch.

I screamed, held her, called her name—but she lay there like a beautiful wax figure, giving me nothing.

After that, I wanted to quit school. I wanted to earn money, do whatever it took. I wanted to save her...

When my mother found out what I was thinking, she slapped me. Hard. So hard I hit the floor.

"Brianna, I don't need you to do this for me!"

"I want my daughter to have her own future, not be dragged down by me!"

"I didn't bring you into this world so you could throw away your life for my sake!"

I'll never forget the determination in her eyes that day.

Her determination meant I would finish my education, no matter what. I would become an excellent doctor.

So when faced with my father's helplessness, I gripped that acceptance letter tighter.

"No, Father."

"Let Mother stay in the hospital. I'll figure out the tuition myself."

I had to finish my education. I had to get into the top cancer center. I had to specialize in the leukemia division. I had to save her.

Walking out of the room, the hospital corridor reeked of disinfectant, thick with sorrow and despair.

The atmosphere was suffocating. One more second and my tightly wound nerves would snap, shattering what little composure I had left.

I kept my head down and walked forward, trying to digest the grief.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!"

A man's voice. I looked up. A massive swelling bulged from his forehead, bruising darkened his eye socket, and his nose was still bleeding.

Clearly someone extremely strong had punched him and sent him crashing to the ground.

When I didn't respond, he slammed his shoulder into mine and began complaining angrily to his companion.

"A lunatic and an idiot on the same damn day!"

"Cole, that psycho—I hurt him a little while treating his wound, so he hit me again? I'm the team physician for his goddamn football team! A senior physician! You understand? There's nobody more qualified than me at this entire university! And he dared to hit me!"

"I quit! Let him find someone else!"

The short man beside him, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, responded with professionally polite smile:

"I can double the pay."

But the injured man clearly wasn't going through this for the first time. He shook off the shorter man's hand violently.

"To hell with double pay! How many times has this happened?"

Watching him leave, I knew God was helping me. This was fate. I had to seize this opportunity.

I ran up and blocked the man with the gold-rimmed glasses.

"Do you need a team physician? I think I could do it."

"I was the football team physician at Blade High School. This year I got into Ronaldo Medical School with top marks."

The man looked me up and down.

"Holden. Pleased to meet you."

"I need an experienced physician."

"Miss, if you want to try, come to our physician examination tomorrow at this time."

He handed me a business card.

The card was warm in my palm. I could see the future. I could see hope.

...

"Holden! I told you I don't need a team physician!"

Cole. Through the examination room door, I heard a teacup shatter.

"Stop bringing me physicians! For every one you bring, I'll beat them down! I'll beat them until nobody dares to be my physician!"

It was almost a breakdown, that roar.

Every candidate waiting for the examination trembled at Cole's fury.

Perhaps the pay was too good—nobody left the waiting room.

They all sat quietly in their seats, waiting for the miracle of being hired.

One, two...

Not a single person was hired. Inside the examination room, there was only endless arguing and screaming.

Then they'd emerge with bloodied heads.

This was the twentieth one.

"That guy's a lunatic!"

Judging from his wounds, Cole hadn't held back.

I clutched Holden's card, my body already trembling involuntarily.

Before coming here, I'd asked around. Cole Caesar—Ronaldo's star football player.

But with a violent, unpredictable temper. Since he joined the team, they'd gone through five physicians in one year.

This was the examination for the sixth.

"Honestly, I thought the last physician was pretty good—one of the university's ace doctors. Holden poached him from the hockey team. But somehow Cole still wasn't satisfied."

"Who knows? Total freak!"

Football team members, probably.

They seemed to notice me. One of them stopped, looked at me, eyes full of barely concealed mockery.

"You here to audition for team physician too?"

I nodded seriously.

"Yes."

Hearing my answer, the two burst out laughing like I'd told the funniest joke in the world.

"A girl?"

"Don't go crying to mommy when you get beat up!"

I gave a cold laugh. Of course I wouldn't. My mother had taught me strength and courage.

Ignoring their flippant tone, I walked past them into the examination room.

Inside, the lighting was dim, but I could make out Cole's silhouette in a chair.

I almost doubted he was human.

The dominating presence, the shocking muscle definition—he was just too massive...

"Scared speechless?"

The two players from before.

"Just go home, little girl."

Honestly, my legs were weak. I was already calculating whether one of Cole's punches could put me in the hospital.

"Look, she's shaking! Hilarious!"

"Come on, at least she's standing. The last girl passed out from fear."

Listening to their conversation, my back was drenched with sweat.

I was trying to build myself up mentally, trying to make eye contact with Cole, introduce myself.

But an oppressive force made it hard to breathe. My throat couldn't produce a sound.

"Cole hates timid people the most! The way she looks right now is exactly what Cole hates."

Before I could speak, Cole was already in front of me.

I could almost feel his fist about to smash into my face.

"Think Cole's gonna hit her? How far will she fly?"

"Should we call an ambulance in advance? Hahaha..."

I shut my eyes tight, bracing for the weight of his fist.

"You're hired."