"Why are you looking for her?"
Sloane frowned slightly. "It's nothing serious. A friend of mine hasn't been showing up for classes this semester."
"Claire knows her, so I wanted to see if she had heard anything."
Sloane hadn't been able to reach Meiko Fujii. Remembering that Claire and Meiko had crossed paths, she figured Claire might have some intel.
Sloane wasn't harboring any malicious intent; she was just frustratingly naive when it came to judging character.
At that exact moment, Claire was following Caleb into the Lewis residence.
Caleb's mother was an incredibly elegant, gentle woman. She greeted Claire with a
warm smile, fussing over her comfort like a favorite neighbor.
People like her made it effortless to let one's guard down.
Claire had heard that Professor Lewis taught at the University of Foreign Languages. Spending so much time around students gave her a refined, approachable aura that made her incredibly popular.
"You can just call me Professor Lewis." She was genuinely warm, constantly offering Claire different snacks.
Chatting with her felt remarkably relaxing.
Claire naturally leaned into the comfortable dynamic, addressing her respectfully.
"Caleb mentioned your medical skills are phenomenal. My husband is impossibly stubborn."
"We've begged him to see a proper doctor, but he refuses. He throws his entire existence into his work."
"This has been going on for a long time. We've had doctors come to the house, but the medicine only works while he's taking it. The second he stops, he's back to square one."
"He just won't listen to reason. It's heartbreaking to watch his health deteriorate and his hair go white day by day."
"He ignores medical advice, and I've asked so many people for help..."
"When Caleb brought back your prescription, I immediately had the herbs brewed for him."
Honestly, Professor Lewis hadn't expected much.
But to her shock, Claire's remedy had actually worked.
"So, since he finally has a free evening today, I told Caleb to bring you over immediately."
"I know it's incredibly last minute, so I hope you're not offended, Claire."
How could Claire possibly be offended?
She offered a reassuring smile. "Clarence
is a pillar of this countret
thing he does is for the people.
It's an absolute honor to treat him
"His health impacts all of Solenia. I would never turn down the opportunity to help."
The young woman was incredibly
eloquent. It was obvious she wasn't
trying to suck up to the Lewis family; she held genuine respect Clarence
Clarence's political achievements spoke for themselves.
Professor Lewis hadn't cooked dinner herself-they had a housekeeper for that-but she brought out an array of snacks fo Claire to enjoy.
Clarence finally arrived home at seven o'clock.
Dinner was already set, waiting only for him.
"Apologies, dear. I got held up."
He had been scheduled to leave at six but ended up working an extra thirty minutes.
He rarely had an evening free to spend with his family and had promised to be
home early, but unexpected crises always arose.
Seeing a young girl in the living room, Clarence paused in surprise.
"Who is this?"
Had his son finally brought a girlfriend home?
Was he being rude by staring?
Professor Lewis quickly stepped in to introduce her. "This is the brilliant doctor Caleb told us about."
"You know those herbal remedies that finally let you sleep through the night? She prescribed them."
"We invited her over tonight to properly check your pulse, and you are not allowed to make excuses this time!"