Chapter 56: Rachel Faulkner’s Mind
Vivian Lowell heard the commotion, put down what she was holding, and walked out of the kitchen.
Rachel Faulkner was in the living room with a man. The man wore a white coat and carried what looked like a medical bag. He must be the Dr. Miller she had mentioned.
’Didn’t Julian say he was fine and didn’t need a doctor?’
’So why did Rachel bring a doctor back with her?’
’Besides, how did she even find out Julian was sick?’
Just as she was wondering, Rachel Faulkner spotted Vivian Lowell emerging from the kitchen and hurried over. Her eyes lit up when she saw the porridge and poached shrimp on the counter behind Vivian.
"Vivian, I’m so hungry. Can I have some?"
"..."
Vivian instinctively took half a step back. "Um, Rachel, Julian is sick. He has a bit of a fever, and I just gave him some fever-reducing medicine."
"This is just some light food I made for him. Ms. Shaw is already making tonight’s dinner, and it’s all your favorite dishes."
"Why don’t you wait a little longer?"
Vivian Lowell had no intention of letting Rachel Faulkner eat the food she made for Julian Faulkner.
Julian was sick. Vivian wouldn’t have come downstairs to cook for the whole family for no reason; it was obviously to take care of Julian. As for Rachel...
’Could she really have not realized that?’
Vivian couldn’t be sure.
For her part, Rachel didn’t seem to mind Vivian’s refusal. "It’s fine," she said. "I see there’s fruit. I can just have some of that first."
"Dr. Miller, why don’t you go upstairs with Vivian and check on Julian."
The moment she finished speaking, Dr. Miller started walking toward Vivian.
Vivian frowned, still feeling resistant, and asked, "Dr. Miller, are you Julian Faulkner’s private physician?"
A flicker of embarrassment crossed Dr. Miller’s face at her question.
Meanwhile, Rachel, who had taken a couple of steps toward the sofa, turned to look back at Vivian when she heard the question.
Rachel’s smile was a little stiff. "Vivian, no. He’s just a doctor friend of mine."
With that, Rachel shot a look at the doctor.
The doctor immediately understood Rachel’s signal. He pulled a business card from his pocket and offered it to Vivian. "Hello, Ms. Lowell."
"I’m a doctor at Concordia Hospital."
Vivian glanced at the card but didn’t take it, sizing up the man before her. For some reason, a wave of familiarity washed over her.
The card read: Jordan Quinn.
’I feel like I’ve seen this man before.’
’But where?’
A memory sparked in Vivian’s mind, and she suddenly recalled.
He was the man from the bar the other night, the one she’d glimpsed trailing after Rachel Faulkner. He hadn’t been wearing a white coat then.
And his overall demeanor hadn’t seemed like a doctor’s in the slightest.
"Alright."
Vivian said quietly to Jordan Quinn, "Follow me upstairs. But President Faulkner is fine, so he probably won’t need an examination."
With that, Vivian turned and headed upstairs, and Jordan Quinn followed.
Just then, Rachel called out, "It doesn’t matter! Since Dr. Quinn is already here, he might as well give Julian a check-up. Julian is always so busy; a little preventative care can’t hurt."
Vivian pursed her lips but said nothing.
She had a hunch.
There was some ulterior motive behind all of this from Rachel.
Lost in thought, Vivian led Jordan Quinn to the second floor. She pushed open the door and entered, only to find that Julian Faulkner was no longer asleep on the sofa.
Instead, he was up and sitting at his computer, in the middle of a video conference with his team—just as Vivian had suggested to him earlier.
Seeing that Julian was busy, Vivian said to Jordan Quinn, "Please have a seat for a moment. President Faulkner is busy."
"Alright."
Jordan Quinn complied, sitting down on the sofa. Vivian poured him a glass of water, then sat down herself near Julian, watching him from afar.
The video conference didn’t last long, ending after about half an hour.
Julian had clearly known Vivian was there. He looked up and asked, "Who is he?"
Julian was asking about Jordan Quinn.
Vivian explained what had happened downstairs. As she spoke, Jordan Quinn stood up, pulled another business card from his breast pocket, and attempted to hand it to Julian.
"President Faulkner, I’m a doctor from Concordia Hospital. My name is Quinn—"
Before Jordan Quinn could finish, Julian cut him off. "Thank Rachel for her kind gesture, but I’m fine. I don’t need a doctor. Besides—"
"I get regular physicals. My health is excellent."
Julian’s words were hardly polite. In fact, it was clear he wanted Jordan Quinn to leave.
Jordan Quinn’s expression soured.
A doctor from Concordia Hospital—usually, the moment he announced his title, people treated him with the utmost respect.
Everyone is only human; we all get sick eventually. Who could really claim they’re in perfect health and will never fall ill?
Forging a good relationship with a doctor from Concordia gave people a sense of security, even if they never needed to use it. Jordan Quinn was used to being eagerly welcomed.
He never expected this.
That Julian Faulkner, of all people, would treat him this way.
And yet, there was nothing Jordan Quinn could do about it.
The man was the president of a major corporation famous throughout Aethelburg, and indeed all of Veridia. He certainly didn’t dare to offend Julian Faulkner.
"Very well, President Faulkner. If you find you need anything, please feel free to contact me."
With that, Jordan Quinn placed his business card on Julian’s desk—whether he wanted it or not—then turned and left.
Watching Jordan Quinn leave, Vivian sighed and whispered, "That Jordan Quinn seems like a real schemer."
"I wonder how Rachel even got him to come over. I told him downstairs that you’d taken medicine and were fine, but he still insisted on following me up!"
In truth, Vivian was saying this deliberately.
Because of what she’d seen that night, Vivian found Rachel’s behavior odd. At the very least, she could point out how peculiar Jordan Quinn was and make Julian a little more cautious.
’And if Rachel didn’t actually have any ill intent?’
’This way, I won’t cause any misunderstanding between him and Rachel.’
Julian, however, paid her words no mind.
He picked up the business card, glanced at it, and tossed it into the trash.
A moment later.
Vivian turned, retrieved the meal she had just prepared from the coffee table, and placed it in front of Julian.
"I just went downstairs to make these for you. It’s porridge with minced meat and some shrimp. It’s light, but very nutritious. Since you’re sick, this will be good for you."