Chapter 4 The Young Successor

The man, Rodger Gilbert, turned to face Eileen at an unhurried pace, his eyes sharp with scrutiny. "So you're the person Patricia mentioned before?"

His gaze traveled over Eileen from head to toe. "You look far too young."

Eileen did not reply at once. Her eyes swept across the office instead.

The room had been furnished with quiet luxury. Beyond the towering glass windows, the whole city sprawled beneath them. The person who owned this place was clearly a man of immense money and influence.

"I am Patricia's student," Eileen finally said.

A trace of astonishment crossed Rodger's face. "Patricia's student? She never had any students before."

Eileen exhaled softly as her mind slipped back to four years ago.

Not long after she was sent to prison, a fight broke out one day.

A group of tall female inmates had cornered an elderly, gray-haired woman and were trying to snatch away her meal.

Eileen had only just arrived back then, yet she interfered anyway. She was beaten badly for it.

From that day forward, the elderly woman, Patricia, treated her with kindness and began teaching her all kinds of things.

From defending herself to difficult medical principles, from the use of herbs to acupuncture, Patricia passed on everything she knew without reservation.

Throughout those four years, Patricia never received visitors and almost never mentioned anything about her past.

Eileen had once asked her why she had landed in prison. Patricia had merely smiled in that unreadable way of hers and said she had chosen to come there.

One month before Eileen's release, Patricia's condition took a sudden turn for the worse.

Before dying, she handed Eileen a phone number and told her to reach out to its owner after leaving prison. She also warned her to be careful.

Eileen gave Rodger the short version. "Before she died, she left me your number and told me to come find you."

Rodger fell into deep thought after hearing that.

The office grew still, and the only sound left was the steady ticking of the clock on the wall.

"In the medical field, Patricia was called Healer Enigma. Five years ago, my mother came down with a strange disease. Even the finest hospitals could do nothing for her. Later, I paid an enormous price to bring Patricia to treat her."

Rodger rose from his seat and walked over to the window, standing with his back turned to Eileen.

He continued, "Patricia said she could heal my mother, but she needed time to prepare the medicine. On the third night after the treatment began, she suddenly gave me something, asked me to keep it safe, and said she had urgent business to handle. After that, she disappeared without a trace. I did not dare touch the item she gave me. I could only keep using the prescriptions she had left behind to keep my mother's condition stable. But for five years, her condition has only worsened. And now, she..."

A spark of hope lit Rodger's eyes. "Are you really Patricia's student? Can you save my mother?"

"I can try," Eileen said evenly. "But I need to check on the patient first, and I also need to see the thing Patricia left with you."

Rodger drew in a deep breath, as though weighing a major choice.

After a brief pause, he grabbed his phone and called someone. "Get the car ready. We're going to the hospital now."

Twenty minutes later, a luxury car came to a stop outside the city's most exclusive private hospital.

Rodger brought Eileen straight to the VIP area on the top floor.

Along the way, every member of the medical staff greeted Rodger with clear respect.

"My mother's attending doctor was specially brought in from abroad. Even he has no solution," Rodger said quietly as the elevator climbed. "You are my last hope."

Eileen said nothing.

Patricia had taught her a lot of things, but the thought of facing an illness even top experts could not treat still left her uneasy.

The moment the elevator doors opened, a neatly dressed middle-aged woman hurried toward them.

"Rodger, why are you here so late? Your mother had another episode earlier. The doctor said-"

She suddenly stopped talking the second she noticed the young woman standing beside Rodger. She knitted her brows. "And this is?"

"Honey, this is Dr. Flynn. I brought her to treat my mother," Rodger replied.

Rodger's wife, Amy Gilbert, gave Eileen a slow once-over, noting her plain clothes and worn appearance. Disdain flashed through her eyes.

"A doctor so young? Where exactly did you find her? Is she even reliable?"

Before Eileen could say anything, Rodger spoke first. "She is Patricia's student."

"Patricia? The one who vanished five years ago?" Amy looked surprised, but suspicion quickly returned. "How do you know she isn't a fraud? Plenty of swindlers prey on rich families like this."

Pain tightened Rodger's expression. "My mother does not have much time left. Even the specialists have stopped trying. This could be our final chance..."

"That is precisely why we cannot act recklessly," Amy said with firmness. "She has to prove she is capable of doing this."

Eileen finally opened her mouth. "Mrs. Gilbert, the dull ache in the knuckle of your right little finger is an early symptom of rheumatism. You should stay away from the cold to prevent your condition from getting worse."

Amy dropped her eyes to her hand in shock. She did have that problem, yet she had never told anyone about it.

Before she could speak, Eileen continued, "And those migraines of yours, especially when stress hits, are caused by an issue in your cervical spine."

Amy's expression changed at once. She stared at Eileen in shock.

"H-how do you know that?" she asked.

"Observation. Now, may I see the patient?" Eileen said.

Amy hesitated for a brief second, then moved aside. "I am still not completely convinced. I will stay and watch the entire process."