Chapter 427

Ethan Roscente's phone buzzed incessantly the moment he stepped off the plane.

"Hey, old man." He answered lazily.

"You brat!" Dr. Xavier Heilbronn's booming voice crackled through the receiver. "I'm back in the country! And only for that special case—certainly not to breathe in this smog!"

Ethan chuckled. "Where are you now?"

"Seattle General!" Xavier huffed. "I'm flying to Africa tomorrow. I must meet that little girlfriend of yours tonight!"

Ethan paused mid-step. "This urgent?"

"Obviously!" Xavier's volume spiked. "I've waited two years! If I don't see her today, consider our master-disciple relationship over!"

The line went dead.

Rubbing his temples, Ethan turned to his assistant. "Change my flight to Seattle."

Zachary hesitated. "But the board meeting this afternoon—"

"Postpone it." Ethan strode toward the departure gate without looking back.

Three hours later, Seattle Central Station.

Ethan's phone rang again as he boarded the car.

"Moving at a snail's pace?" Xavier's voice pierced his eardrum. "Where are you?"

"Just got off the train." Ethan checked his watch. "Half an hour to the hospital."

"And the girl?" Xavier pressed eagerly.

The image of that stubborn face flashed in Ethan's mind, his lips quirking. "She's... a bit hard to persuade."

"I don't care!" Xavier turned petulant. "If I don't meet her today, I'll tell her about your childhood bedwetting incidents!"

Ethan's expression darkened. "You wouldn't dare."

"Try me!" Xavier crowed victoriously. "Oh, and bring flowers. Girls love that."

Another abrupt disconnect.

Ethan stared at his phone, thoughts drifting to the woman currently entangled in Sebastian Valdemar's overseas scandal. His gaze turned stormy.

"Stop by a florist," he instructed the driver.

Thirty minutes later, Seattle General's VIP suite.

Xavier lounged with a newspaper when the door burst open.

"Where is she?" He craned his neck toward the empty space behind Ethan.

Hand in pocket, Ethan waved his phone. "On her way."

"You'd better not be lying." Xavier eyed him suspiciously.

Ethan smirked. "Weren't you just threatening to disown me?"

"Hmph!" Xavier tossed the newspaper aside. "If this is a trick, I'll take that Valdemar boy as my apprentice tomorrow!"

A glacial glint entered Ethan's eyes. "Go ahead. Try it."

His phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, Ethan's mouth curved. "She's here."

He turned to open the door while Xavier hastily straightened his lab coat, fidgeting like a nervous schoolboy meeting his crush's parents.

The door swung open.

Ethan's face darkened at the empty hallway.

A cool female voice floated from the phone. "Mr. Roscente? You needed me? I'm on set."

Xavier leaned in and exploded. "You didn't bring her?!"

Ethan's grip tightened on the phone, his tone deceptively gentle. "You have thirty minutes to get to Seattle General. Or else—"

"Or else what?" The woman shot back defiantly.

Ethan's chuckle sent chills down the spine. "Or else I'll tell the press why Mrs. Roscente spent last night away from home."

Dead silence.

Xavier's eyes lit up, ears practically perking.

Three seconds later, through gritted teeth:

"...I'm on my way."