Vera Xavier and the others waited outside the operating room for another three hours before Zachary Preston was wheeled out by a nurse.

Vera rushed over to the surgeon. "Doctor, how’s my dad?"

"The surgery was a complete success. We’ve removed the blood clot in the patient’s brain. As long as he follows the rehabilitation plan, he should be able to live a normal life." The doctor, exhausted after five straight hours of surgery, was visibly tired.

Vera quickly thanked him. The surgeon glanced at Nathaniel Nathan, who was standing to the side, and asked with a smile, "When did you get to Crestfall?"

Although the surgeon was a neurosurgery expert from Veridia, he was surprisingly young—definitely not a day over thirty.

Nathaniel’s expression was placid. "Where else would I be but Crestfall?" 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

The surgeon paused, taken aback by his answer, then chuckled. "That really doesn’t sound like something you’d say."

He then turned to Vera and asked, "Your sister?"

Before Nathaniel could answer, the surgeon grinned. "Your sister is gorgeous. How about you introduce me sometime?"

In that instant, Vera felt the temperature around them drop several degrees. Her sixth sense told her it would be much safer to stand closer to Nathaniel.

’This is strange,’ she wondered. ’Aren’t neurosurgeons who can perform such difficult operations supposed to be serious and aloof? Why does this one seem... different?’

’And judging by his conversation with Nathaniel, they seem to be old acquaintances.’

She couldn’t help but glance at the surgeon again. Only then did she notice that even his surgical scrubs couldn’t hide his handsome features—thick, long eyebrows, slender eyes, a distinguished nose, full lips, and fair skin. The overall impression was one of a roguish, playboy-like charm.

’Based on his looks alone, I really can’t connect him with the title of neurosurgery expert.’

So she asked him, "Did you really perform my dad’s surgery? Are you actually a doctor?"

The smile froze on the surgeon’s face.

Nathaniel said coldly, "Aren’t you supposed to head back to Veridia tonight? You can get lost now."

The surgeon was speechless.

’Young Master Nathan, isn’t it a little harsh to cast me aside now that I’ve done my part?’

Vera said politely, "Take care, then. We won’t see you out."

’If he doesn’t leave now,’ she thought, ’I’m going to freeze to death from Nathaniel’s icy glare.’

The surgeon was choked into silence, an amused glint appearing in his eyes as he looked between Nathaniel and Vera.

Her grandparents also thanked the surgeon. His confident prognosis had been a huge relief to them. All that mattered was that Zachary was okay.

After the surgeon left, Zachary Preston was taken back to his hospital room. His head was wrapped in thick gauze, and he had yet to wake up from the anesthesia.

Looking at Zachary Preston lying in the hospital bed, Vera was filled with a storm of conflicting emotions.

In her past life, Zachary had never suffered a brain hemorrhage. She didn’t know if this was a direct result of her rebirth, but she knew that a butterfly effect had been set in motion ever since she came back, and many things had changed.

She took a deep breath, telling herself that no matter how things turned out, she would do everything in her power to protect the people she cared about.

That night, she had planned to keep watch over her father, but Nathaniel told her to go rest. "You have exams tomorrow. If you don’t get some rest, where will you find the energy to take them? I’m waiting for you to become the provincial top scholar again and make me look good."

Her grandparents added, "Just focus on your exams. We’re here with Zachary, so you don’t need to worry."