Josh took a sip of his tea and asked casually, "By the way, how is your uncle’s condition?"
Ash and Leah exchanged a glance.
"My sister studied medicine," Ash said in a low voice. "Leah, you tell him."
"The doctor said the surgery was very successful, but..." Leah paused. "The prognosis for this disease is never good. The five-year survival rate is only... less than five percent."
She lowered her head, her nose stinging as she fought back tears.
"I heard there’s a new medication in Country A called the P Drug," Josh said. "Even the president is using it, and the results are quite good."
Leah looked up. "You know about the P Drug?"
"Of course. It’s very well-known in Country A, but only a select few can get their hands on it." Josh paused. "I have a lot of connections over there. I can ask around; maybe I can get some."
Leah’s eyes lit up, catching a glimmer of hope.
After all, Josh had just returned from Country A. If he pulled a few strings, could he really get it? She would naturally continue to press Kian on his end, but having multiple avenues was always a safer bet.
"Man, let me thank you in advance, then." Ash raised his cup. "A toast to you, with tea instead of wine."
Leah also raised her cup. "Thank you, Josh."
Josh smiled faintly. "You don’t have to be so formal with me."
After lunch, Ash had to go to the factory to handle some work, and Leah had her own errands to run. Their aunt would be at the hospital that afternoon, so they weren’t too worried.
Josh mentioned he was heading in the same direction and offered to drive Leah back. He was driving the same Toyota SUV from last time.
Not long after they hit the road, Leah received a phone call. It was from Kian’s secretary, Diana Carter.
"Miss Sinclair, Mr. Hawthorne emphasized the matter you requested last time to me again this morning." Diana’s tone was rather poor; it seemed she had been reprimanded by Kian.
"Mhm, I’m listening," Leah said, putting on the airs of the Young Madam.
"If there’s something I haven’t done well, wouldn’t it be more direct for you to communicate with me personally?" Diana demanded.
A cold smirk tugged at the corners of Leah’s lips. "Secretary Carter, if our communication were smooth, then of course."
There were a few seconds of silence on the other end of the line.
When Diana spoke again, her attitude had softened slightly. "I promised Mr. Hawthorne that I will definitely help your uncle get the P Drug within a week. You can rest assured now, can’t you?"
Leah showed no sign of weakness. "Fine. I’ll give you a week at most." She paused, then added coldly, "Also, from now on, please address me as Mrs. Hawthorne. Or, Young Madam."
With that, she hung up. When she looked up, Josh was gripping the steering wheel steadily, his eyes focused on the road ahead.
Leah stuck out her tongue. "Sorry you had to hear that."
"Sorry for what?" Josh asked in return.
"Don’t you think it’s ridiculous for me to put on the airs of a Young Madam like that?"
"I think the person on the other end was the ridiculous one," Josh replied evenly.
Leah paused for a moment, looking up at his profile.
"I can guarantee that Secretary Carter won’t even know what hit her when her time comes," Josh stated.
Leah was slightly taken aback. She hadn’t expected someone as gentle as him to say something so ruthless.
"’A small state that refuses to act humbly is doomed to perish. How much more so for a mere person?’" Josh’s tone was perfectly calm. "She is nothing but a secretary, yet she actually believes she’s more important than you, the boss’s wife. A person like that—"
He didn’t finish his sentence, but Leah understood what he meant.
She lowered her gaze. Truth be told, she wasn’t confident that she was more important to Kian than Diana, his trusted secretary. But...
"Thank you."
Leah suddenly realized that having a friend was truly wonderful. Her classmates and friends all had their own careers, while she had become a housewife. Without common topics and mutual support, her relationships had faded over the past two years.
"I really envy my brother for having such a good friend like you," Leah murmured softly.
Josh steered with one hand and used the other to unlock his phone. "Add me on WhatsApp. If you ever need anything, just let me know."
Leah stared blankly for a second, then smiled, her eyes curving into little crescents.
"Okay." She scanned his QR code and added him on WhatsApp.
Contact Name: Josh Sterling (Brother’s Friend).
***
It was only a little past two in the afternoon when Leah returned home. The moment she opened the door, she froze.
Kian was sitting on the living room sofa in a relaxed posture, yet his presence made the house—which had been empty for days—suddenly feel unfamiliar. Since the charity gala, he hadn’t been home.
He had claimed that the company had several major projects lined up recently, requiring him to work and hold meetings with senior executives until the early hours of the morning every day. Commuting home was a waste of his time, so he had rented an executive suite long-term at a five-star hotel across from the company.
It was certainly a respectable excuse.
"Why are you back?" Leah asked as she took off her shoes.
Kian’s voice was cool and detached. "Tomorrow is Saturday. Grandmother asked us to go back to the old estate for dinner tonight. She wants to eat your Napoleon cake."
"Oh, I see." Leah paused. "Are we going right now? Don’t you have official business to handle this afternoon?"
"I’m the CEO. Can’t I give myself a day off?" Kian raised an eyebrow.
Leah pursed her lips. "Let’s go, then."
She turned and was just about to put her shoes back on when Kian walked over. Standing at over six feet tall, he loomed beside her, enveloping her in his shadow as he looked down at her.
"Aren’t you going to change your clothes?" His tone softened slightly.
"Is this not okay?" Leah looked down at her casual top and trousers. "I have to bake pastries later, so it’s more convenient to wear this."
"You just came back from the hospital. Don’t pass any sickness on to Grandmother," Kian said gently.
"Oh, right." Leah felt as if she had just woken from a dream. "I’ll go change. Wait for me."
Kian watched as she trotted into the bedroom in her cotton slippers.
He hadn’t been home for quite some time, and they hadn’t spoken in ages. It was nice to talk occasionally, even if it was just about trivial, everyday things. After all, they were still husband and wife.
Leah changed into a sleeveless dress, paired it with the Chanel jacket her grandmother had given her, used a curling iron to give her hair some volume, and quickly applied some light makeup.
Grandmother was very good to Leah, treating her granddaughter-in-law as if she were her own granddaughter. In the Hawthorne Family, Grace Gilmore was the only one who genuinely liked her.
Tilting her head to put on a pair of pearl stud earrings, Leah walked out and asked, "Will this do?"
Kian looked at her.
She was already elegant and lovely without a trace of cosmetics, but with a bit of light makeup, she was downright stunning.
Back in high school, Kian had never gotten along with Ash, who was in the class next door. He looked down on Ash, but he also knew that he had a very cute younger sister who was the prettiest girl in the junior high division.
She would often come over to bring her brother desserts and coffee, standing there to watch him finish before she would leave. Many of the boys in Kian’s class would press their faces against the windows to steal glances at her.
He never looked.
He knew she liked him. He was the type of person who completely disregarded anyone who threw themselves at him.
Leah was locked in Kian’s steady, unreadable gaze.
"Is it no good?" Leah’s attitude was cool. Even if it wasn’t good, she wasn’t going to change.
"It’s fine. Let’s go." Kian’s gaze landed on her pearl stud earrings.
She had bought these earrings herself and had worn them for many years. When she married into the family, the Hawthornes hadn’t given a bride price. Over their two years of marriage, he had never bought her any expensive gifts, and she had never reached out her hand to ask for them.
Only daughters from poor families would treat making a virtue out of frugality as a strong point.
Kian stood up and walked over to Leah. To her bewilderment, he raised a hand and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
"There’s a jewelry exhibition in Portshire next month. I’ll go with you," Kian said with rare gentleness. "It’s about time you learned how to spend money. That is your right as Mrs. Hawthorne."
Leah pursed her lips.
She didn’t care about that.
"Sure," she said, forcing a smile. "We’ll see."