Claire looked so young, but you could tell right away she was skilled. Her eyes were calm, and there was something steady about her, like nothing could shake her.
"Yes, that was me," she said with a nod. "I only used acupuncture to ease her pain. As soon as thirty minutes are up, I'll take the needles out. It won't interfere with whatever else you guys need to do."
She explained everything in this relaxed, confident way.
Rankin watched her, clearly interested. "You're amazing. It's not easy to stay this calm when you're so young, especially when there's an emergency. Actually, I used to have an old friend back in Solenia who practiced traditional medicine too. He was an incredible doctor. There's something almost magical about the methods you use in Solenia—I always admired him for it."
"Your friend... he must be pretty famous, right?" Claire hadn't expected to hear something like this. No wonder Rankin didn't mind the acupuncture at all.
"He was very well known. His name is Abbott. Do you know him by any chance?”
Claire's face lit up with surprise. "Of course, I know him. Dr. Abbott is legendary. My teacher is actually a close friend of his."
Rankin gave a little laugh, shaking his head. "What a coincidence." He genuinely hadn't expected there to be any connection, but now he looked at Claire with warmth, like she was part of his circle already.
After they got to the hospital, Rankin reminded the staff repeatedly not to touch Claire's needles by accident. He even made it clear no one was allowed to say a bad word about her, looking after her like an affectionate elder.
Claire removed the needles with Rankin watching closely. Once that was done, she stepped aside, not interfering with the rest of the treatment. Rankin took over from there, and under his care, Julia stabilized very quickly.
When Elvis heard Julia was going to be okay, he gave Claire a look full of gratitude.
"Claire, thank you. If you hadn't helped in time, and something had happened to Julia, I'd never forgive myself."
Really, it was more than just guilt. The two families had always been close, and something like this could've torn them apart. That was the last thing Elvis's family wanted.
"Honestly, if you hadn't been arguing with her over me, she probably wouldn't have had the heart attack," Claire replied, her tone gentle, almost pitying.
With a childhood friend like Julia sticking around, it was no wonder Elvis felt trapped. Freedom probably seemed like a distant dream to him.
"It wasn't you it was my fault." Elvis lowered his head, looking completely defeated. This whole situation had followed him for years, like a shadow he couldn't escape. There were even moments he wondered if he should just give in already.
He tried to change the subject. "Hey... that medicine you used... how much is it? Is it hard to get?"
He sounded eager, desperate for a solution—anything to keep Julia safe in the future.
"You can buy it in Solenia. I don't have any extras right now, so I really can't give you more. It's honestly not expensive."
Claire did actually have two more of the pills, but she kept quiet about it. If she gave both to Elvis, she'd be empty-handed next time someone urgent needed help.
“All right, I'll have someone track it down in Solenia.” Elvis's family had plenty of money and connections. It shouldn't be that hard to find.
"Yeah,” Claire replied, not saying much else. She didn't seem interested in dragging the conversation on.
At first, the bodyguards weren't
willing to let Claire leave. Julia's older brother had rushed over as soon as he heard she was in trouble, flying in the moment he could. When hę arrived and saw Dane heo, immediately went over and greeted him like they were old buddies. As soon as he found out Claire was a
friend of Dane's, he relaxed, treating
her with kindness.
When he learned Claire had actually given up her life-saving medicine and jumped
in to help Julia, he thanked her personally, clearly grateful.
Connections really did make all the difference. Claire couldn't help but think that without Dane backing her up, Julia's brother would never have been so polite. Just look at Elvis, still holding his cheek after getting punched. Julia's brother seemed intimidating, but when he spoke to Claire, he was surprisingly
easygoing, almost friendly.