"Will it really be difficult for me to get pregnant in the future?"
Melanie fell into a long, heavy silence before finally finding her voice.
"Yes, your body needs time to heal," Claire replied smoothly.
"Along with the acupuncture, you'll need to take specialized medication."
"If you refuse the traditional remedies, achieving a full recovery will be nearly impossible."
"Besides, if your chronic anemia continues, it will severely impact other aspects of your health."
"You're still young, so don't treat your body like it's disposable."
Melanie hesitated. "Do you think I don't respect myself... getting pregnant at such a young age?"
Even though Sundara had a booming adult entertainment industry, society's expectations for everyday women were ruthlessly strict.
If she went to a regular doctor and the news leaked, she would face endless scrutiny and harsh judgment.
Yet throughout the consultation, Claire's expression remained perfectly neutral, completely unbothered by her medical history and entirely devoid of any judgment.
It made Melanie incredibly curious.
"I only care about your medical condition, nothing else."
"Your body is your own, and you certainly don't need anyone else teaching you how to cherish it."
"You're a grown woman with your own sense of right and wrong, and perfectly capable of making your own decisions."
"My only job is to make sure you fully understand your current health situation." Her body was her own?
Melanie felt that Claire's rspective completely contradicted Solenia's traditional values.
"Doesn't Solenia have that old saying about every piece of your body belonging to your parents?"
It was true that one's body was a gift from their parents.
But ultimately, a person had to be the master of their own flesh and blood.
"Melanie, you hardly strike me as the type of girl who blindly follows her parents' every command."
Claire rarely misjudged people; her intuition was razor-sharp.
Melanie might project an image of absolute perfection, but people like her usually used that flawless facade to hide their true nature.
Deep down, Melanie had a fiercely dominant personality.
Just like how Claire had initially tried to avoid her, but Melanie had relentlessly pushed until she got exactly what she wanted.
How could someone with that kind
of relentless drive actually be a
e little angel who hu
her parents every word? every word?
on
Beneath Melanie's gentle, obedient exterior definitely beat the heart of a rebel.
"What makes you think I'm a rebel?" Melanie asked, her fingers tightly gripping the hem of her skirt.
She was wearing a short skirt paired with a heavy overcoat, looking exactly like countless other young women from Sundara.
But her eyes couldn't hide the truth.
Claire didn't bother offering a lengthy explanation. "Do you agree to my treatment plan?"
"If you don't, you're more than welcome to find another doctor."
Claire's blunt rejection left Melanie with zero room to negotiate. "I agree!"
"But I don't know how to brew traditional medicine."
Melanie was genuinely worried that Claire might just walk away.
After all, Claire had a track record of ditching her.
"That's not an issue. When you take the prescription to the pharmacy you can 'pay them a little extra to brew it for you and seal it into individual doses
"All you'll have to do is heat up a pouch before you drink it."
Claire pulled a pen and a notepad from her bag, quickly scribbling down the prescription.
"That'll be a thousand dollars."
That was simply the going rate for one of Claire's custom formulas.
She was also giving Melanie an acupuncture session, which
theoretically should have cost
more but she decided to throw the first one in for free.
"Each acupuncture session after this will be five hundred dollars."
She had no qualms about taking a foreigner's money.
Melanie clearly wasn't strapped for cash, so she undoubtedly wouldn't bat an eye at the price.
"The first session is on the house, just so you can feel the results for yourself."
Melanie hesitated. "Are we doing the session right here?"
Sure enough, the money wasn't her concern at all.
"Where else did you have in mind?"
"Could we go to your place? I really don't want to do this out in public," Melanie requested.