Whitney mentally rolled her eyes at Julia's stupidity and couldn't be bothered to argue.
"I'm getting food. Are you coming or not, Sloane?"
There was no way Sloane was going to turn her down.
The university administration had specifically asked her to take good care of Whitney.
Whitney's family dominated the medical equipment industry overseas. Not only were they loaded, but they could also hook the medical program up with state-of-the-art tech.
It was far smarter to suck up to Whitney than to waste time bickering with Claire and Julia.
"Let's go, Whitney. I'll show you the best spots."
The moment Sloane and Whitney walked away, blessed silence washed over the table, and Julia let out a massive sigh of relief.
She wasn't totally brainless. By getting rid of Sloane, she could finally interrogate Claire about Sloane's grandfather and find out if the man actually had the skills to save her life.
"Aren't you going to eat?"
Claire eyed her empty hands in mild disbelief.
"Oh, right! Wait for me!"
Having survived at Cabinda University for over a month, Julia was perfectly capable of navigating a lunch line.
She quickly returned with a tray identical to Claire's and dropped into the seat across from her.
Claire chose not to comment on the copycat meal.
"Spit it out. What do you want to ask?" Claire said, already halfway through her lunch.
"Can Sloane's grandfather actually cure my condition?"
Claire had nailed it.
There was literally no other reason Julia would voluntarily hang out with someone like Sloane.
They were from completely different worlds; how else would they have ended up together?
Claire had never bothered to look into Sloane's grandfather.
"Who exactly is her grandfather?"
She honestly knew nothing about Sloane.
She only knew her dad was Vice President Sterling.
Sloane was practically the resident princess of the medical program.
She was constantly surrounded by yes-men.
She was undeniably talented, but someone like her had won the genetic lottery from day one.
"His name is Dr. Solomon Sterling."
When Julia saw that Claire didn't even know Sloane's grandfather, her doubts flared up again. Could this guy really save her?
But the moment she dropped the name, everything clicked for Claire.
Dr. Solomon Sterling was one of Hale's closest friends.
Claire had actually tagged along with her mentor to visit him in the past.
When it came to medicine, Dr. Sterling Senior and Hale were both absolute masters
in their respective fields.
If Julia needed a heart specialist, she had absolutely hit the jackpot.
"Dr. Sterling Senior has successfully
cured several severe heart
conditions. He has profound
expertise in cardiovascular
treatments."
"You definitely found the right guy."
Oddly enough, Claire's validation made Julia slump in disappointment.
Because getting anywhere near the
esteemed doctor was impossible e
They could only try to cont
granddaughter, Sloane.
But Sloane was a total fake, not nearly as genuine as Claire!
"So what do I have to do to get an appointment with him as fast as possible?"
Claire instantly understood her
frustration. Securing an audience et
with Dr. Sterling Senior was notoriously difficult.
He spent most of his time traveling with high-profile government officials.
Since those VIPs had their own heart issues, he was practically on call for them 24/7.
This drastically reduced his availability for public consultations.
Getting him to take a look at you was a herculean task.
"It's going to be incredibly difficult to get to him," Claire said honestly.
Julia furrowed her brow. "Is going through Sloane really useless?"
"I have no idea. I don't really know Sloane," Claire replied smoothly.
"I only know Dr. Sterling Senior. I can't speak for his granddaughter."
"So I can't give you a solid answer on that."
She was telling the absolute truth.
Julia twisted her hands in her lap, clearly agonizing over her options.
"Could you contact him directly for me?"
Since Claire knew the doctor, why couldn't she just pull some strings?
Julia's logic was remarkably simple.
"It's going to be a long shot." Claire was willing to at least try reaching out to Dr. Sterling Senior.
But she absolutely wasn't going to make Julia any promises.
He was swamped; there was no guarantee he'd even have the time to see her.