Sloane Sterling couldn't shake her unease. What kind of illness could possibly
stump Claire? Her grandfather, Dr. Sterling Senior, had praised Claire as a peerless medical genius, and it gnawed at Sloane.
Yet, she was powerless against the younger girl.
While her grandfather didn't care about campus drama, her father certainly did.
Lawrence Sterling had already warned her not to cause trouble, making it clear that Claire was highly favored by the faculty.
This was hard for Sloane to swallow.
Her father had easily seen through her petty tricks and made his disdain for her campus antics obvious.
Sloane felt wronged; shouldn't her dad be on her side? Why was he defending someone else?
It felt just like when her grandfather acknowledged Claire over her.
She argued that she bore no ill will toward Claire, claiming it was just a coincidence that her acquaintances clashed with her.
But Lawrence didn't buy it.
Having worked in education for years, he could spot student drama from a mile away.
He was only holding back because she was his daughter.
"I wonder what illness Meiko's teacher has?"
Sloane finally asked, her competitive streak getting the better of her.
Claire looked at her in silence.
"What is it?" Sloane pressed. "Can't you figure out the cause?"
If that was the case, Sloane might actually feel a little better.
Though Sloane was good at hiding her feelings, Claire easily caught the subtle shift in her eyes.
This girl was overthinking things again.
"It's not that I can't find the cause. You need to stop getting involved with Meiko Fujii."
Claire's brow furrowed. She was being as clear as possible; couldn't Sloane take a hint?
"Whatever illness her teacher has, it's none of our business!"
"Why?" Sloane couldn't understand She looked at Claire, her eyes fulkof
disaal Claire, even if
cant
cute him, you shouldn't say thats
"A healer's heart is something we medical students should always remember."
"Even if her teacher is from Sundara, as long as there's no deep-seated vendetta we should treat him like any normal patient: .net>
Sloane actually liked Sundara culture.
Because of her grandfather's position, she didn't show it much.
Becoming friends with Meiko had allowed her to learn more about it.
Which was why she had asked around when Meiko disappeared.
She truly thought Meiko saw her as a real friend.
Claire sighed inwardly. Sloane seemed naive, but she definitely had a manipulative side.
Yet right now, she was being incredibly dense.
"The government has forbidden anyone from treating him," Claire stated bluntly.
Sloane finally froze, processing the words.
What? The government forbade it?
That meant this person was involved in something massive!
Even death row inmates received medical care.
For the authorities to step in and deny treatment meant the situation was extraordinarily severe!
Sloane opened her mouth but couldn't force a single word out.
"Sorry, just pretend I never asked."
She silently vowed never to ask about Meiko Fujii again.
There wasn't exactly an official decree forbidding treatment.
But Claire phrased it that way to
warn Sloane off. If the authorities et were involved trying to play h
Meiko was a terrible idea.
As Sloane left the library, a cold sweat broke out on her back.