Book 1: She Becomes Glamorous After the Engagement Annulment

Chapter 20

Chapter 58: Justin, Actually, You Can Also Have A Daughter!

The Carefree Pill.

Nora said silently in her mind.

However, when she thought of how her mother had instructed her to stay low-key and avoid being too showy, she casually said, “I bought them at Guardian Pharmacy. They said it

invigorates and refreshes the mind. I didn’t ask the specifics.”

In other words, she had bought them without much thought.

Sheena said sharply, “That’s some sheer dumb luck, huh! Didn’t I say? You’re so young; even if you do know a bit of medicine, it’s not going to be this grea—”

Melissa couldn’t stand listening to her anymore.

She interjected and said, “Sheena, no matter what the case is, we still ought to thank Nora!”

Sheena said mockingly, “Thank her? Do you need me to get down on my knees and bow down to her, or set off some fireworks to celebrate, then?”

She was obviously being sarcastic, but the corners of Nora’s lips quirked upward and she replied seriously, “No, you don’t have to.”

Her voice was low and husky, which lent it a sense of calmness and steadiness. She said, “You should apologize to my mother now.”

Sheena immediately felt her cheeks burning.

She clenched her fists and straightened her back. She avoided Nora’s gaze and said, “Why should I? Mom only became blind because she was so angry at your mother for running away from home! Isn’t it only right for you to cure her? Also, we’re in this state because your mother just up and left back then! She’s the sinner of the family! Why should I apologize to her?!”

Simon sighed. Then, he ordered harshly, “Shut up, Sheena!”

Sheena felt that she must have misheard him. Shocked, she looked at him and asked, “Simon, are you actually yelling at me because of a stray like her?!”

Simon replied, “She’s no stray; she’s Sis’ daughter and my niece! She’s an Anderson! Apologize to Sis now!”

“You—” Sheena shouted angrily, “Are you determined to go against me? Fine, you don’t need me to help you manage Harmonia Pharmacy anymore, do you?”

“…”

Simon was stunned.

Sheena had always been the one in charge of Harmonia Pharmacy’s manufacturing department during all these years. It was indeed also because of her that the business hadn’t gone bust yet.

But what she just said…

Was she threatening him?

At the sight of Simon’s silence, Sheena immediately knew that her threat had been effective. She straightened her back and sneered, “You have to suffer the consequences if you make a mistake! Sis made a mistake by

eloping back then, which caused our reputation to plummet! So, why should I apologize to her? Does she have the cheek to accept my apology?”

Smack!

Sheena, who was close to the bed, was stunned when Mrs. Anderson’s slap landed on her cheek, and she looked at her in disbelief.

Mrs. Anderson, who was trembling all over, shouted angrily, “Your elder sister must have had her reasons! I forbid you to say that about her!”

Sheena took a step back. With a wry smile, she held her hand to her cheek and said, “You can shut me up, but can you shut up those people outside? Her mother was a woman of loose morals who eloped with another man, and it held back Ian Smith for life!This is the biggest scandal among the wealthy families in all of New York in the past two decades!”

Simon said sternly, “Sis had her reasons!”

“What reasons did she have?!”

Sheena yelled hysterically, “We even found love letters in her room! She eloped! When will all of you stop lying to yourselves?!”

She turned to Mrs. Anderson and Simon and said, “I’ll say one last thing—it’s either her or me in this family. Pick one!”

“…”

The room fell silent.

A silent Nora turned and said, “I’ll leave.”

However, a large warm hand held her shoulder before she reached the door, and Simon’s slightly tired voice reached her: “Nora, where are you going? This is your home.”

He didn’t dare to look at Sheena when he spoke, but his decision was already obvious.

Sheena looked at Mrs. Anderson and then at Melissa—both of them turned away.

Toward the end, she looked at Simon and said, “Fine! Okay! The Andersons and the Myerses are fighting it out now, but you’re actually driving me away at a critical moment like this because of that no-good girl?

“Fine! I’ll leave!”

Sheena turned and started to walk out, but found that no one was stopping her. When she reached the door, she stopped. A moment later, with her eyes red, she sneered, “You’re all partial toward Sis, and have forgotten that I’m the one who has led Harmonia Pharmacy over the past twenty years to where it currently is!

“In that case, don’t blame me for hardening my heart! Simon, I’ll wait for Harmonia Pharmacy to be completely crushed by the Myerses! I’ll wait for the day it closes down!”

After saying that, she turned and strode off.

Melissa frowned. “Has Sheena lost her mind? How can she bring herself to say such a thing after just a few heated words? She’s almost 50, yet she’s still so impulsive!”

Then, she looked at Simon worriedly. “We’re at a critical point of the Andersons and the Myerses’ fight for market share now. What do we do if Sheena really goes on strike?”

A troubled Simon rubbed his temples. “We’ll just do whatever we can and take it one step at a time!”

Seeing how worried they both looked, Nora asked, “Uncle Simon, Aunt Melissa. Is there anything I can help with?”

Simon sighed and replied, “No, it’s fine, Nora. You can just stay home with Cherry.”

What the Andersons needed the most at the moment wasn’t a contest of skill in commerce but an actual bona fide formula for a pill!

Thanks to Nora’s mother’s Carefree Pill, the Myerses had leaped to stardom among the wealthy circles in New York. If she, as well as the formula, were still around…

The ones stealing the show would have been them now.

Sigh!

A troubled Simon and Melissa left the house after deciding that they would head to Harmonia Pharmacy to think of a solution.

As for Nora, she gave her grandmother a detailed explanation on how to use the ointment next. Then, she spent some time accompanying her while she adjusted to life with a sense of sight again. After she went on the right track, Nora went downstairs.

During brunch, Sheril suddenly rushed into the villa.

Her eyes were shining. At the sight of Nora, she flew straight up to her and exclaimed, “Nora! Is this pill the Carefree Pill?!”

“…”

At the same time.

The Hunt Corporation’s office building towered into the sky in the center of New York.

On the top floor, Justin was currently in the midst of work.

An extremely troubled Chester paced about in the hallway with a million thoughts in his mind.

His little nephew had said that once the Smith woman cures Grandma, he would tell Justin the truth!

But why did he feel like Justin was still unaware of the fact that he had a daughter?

He mustn’t hide it from his brother anymore.

During this recent period of time, he had been terribly troubled every day over how he should tell Justin the truth, leading to him having trouble eating and sleeping.

He wasn’t even having fun killing mobs in the game anymore!

His little nephew wanted the two of them to form a family.

But in his opinion, this was simply impossible!

Justin hated Pete’s mother so much.

Wouldn’t it be too much of him if he hid the truth from him?

Justin was his elder brother!

After doing enough ideological construction and also coming to terms with the possibility that there might not be anyone carrying him in the game anymore in the future, Chester took a deep breath and pushed open the office door.

Justin was in the midst of reviewing documents.

His brows were drawn together coldly, and even the beauty mark at the corner of his eye seemed to exude a serious aura.

He looked up when he heard the door open.

Upon making eye contact, Chester immediately said, “Justin, actually, you can also have a daughter!”

Chapter 59: Go To Nora And You’ll Have Both A Son And A Daughter

“…”

The office was quiet.

Sean, the executive assistant, gave his glasses a push. Then, he walked over and closed the door, cutting off the gossipy gazes of those in the secretary’s office outside but also arousing everyone’s intense curiosity.

Chester weakly tried to tempt him. “Think about it, Justin. A soft, tender, and adorable daughter—don’t you want one?”

The way he described it caused the sight of Pete playing with Barbies to flash across Justin’s mind. A sharp glint instantly flashed in his eyes and with a warning tone, he asked, “What are you thinking of doing?”

Was he thinking of having Pete undergo some kind of outraging operation?

Chester was so scared that he cowered and stammered, “J-J-Justin, really! You can also have a daughter! I-if you go to Nora, you’ll be able to have both a son and a daughter!”

Justin, “?”

His first reaction was to breathe a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he hadn’t brought up Pete…

But immediately after, he realized what he meant… But going to Nora… And having a daughter…

If he got into a relationship with that woman, her daughter would indeed have to call him Daddy. Wouldn’t he have a daughter, then?

He frowned and subconsciously barked, “Don’t be ridiculous!”

How could he possibly help someone else raise their kid?!

A wave of irritation suddenly surged up in him, causing him to become infuriated at the sight of Chester’s cowering appearance. He immediately pointed to the door. “Get out.”

Chester wanted to say more, but as soon as he said his name, Justin barked angrily, “Get out!”

“…”

A terrified Chester rushed out of his office. His legs were even shaking as he wiped the non-existent perspiration on his forehead.

However, his eyes were bright and shiny.

He had already told Justin the truth. He was the one who didn’t believe him, so he couldn’t blame him when he found out in the future… Right?

Time to hurry home, look for his little niece, and have her carry him in the game!

He left without any psychological burden.

However, the low pressure in the office didn’t ease.

Justin’s eyes were downcast, but he suddenly couldn’t process the words on the documents anymore.

It wasn’t really a big deal to raise someone else’s daughter. At the most, he could just have a nanny raise her instead.

However, he had always been a cold and unfeeling man and found relationships highly troublesome.

Cultivating feelings with that woman was already troublesome enough. If one added an additional daughter to it…

Wait a minute, when had he agreed to cultivate feelings with that woman?

Justin’s eyes—which had always been cool, rational, restrained, and wise—appeared to be at a loss at this moment.

A short while later, he let out a short scoff of laughter. He felt as if he was being unreasonably worried.

What did whether or not that woman had a child, and whether or not she had made mistakes in her youth have anything to do with him?

All he had done was having her treat someone’s illness and owe her a favor, that was all.

He would just find an opportunity to return the favor and that would be it.

At the Andersons.

Sheril’s eyes were shining beneath her double eyelids. “Nora, where did you get the formula?”

Nora was about to make up something when Sheril asked excitedly, “Did my aunt leave it for you?”

“…”

Seeing that she had already found a good excuse for her, Nora nodded.

Sheril immediately became so excited that she grabbed her hand. “The Myerses released the Cooling Tablets, which are even more effective than our Vitality Water, this year. In addition, they also produced a Carefree Pill and saved the elderly Mrs. Hunt. This has already become a legend in the industry!

“Harmonia Pharmacy’s footfall has seen a visible decrease recently. Most of the drugstores and hospitals that we worked with have also returned the goods and replaced them with the Myerses’.

“If your mother really left behind the Carefree Pill formula, then there’s hope for the Andersons!”

Nora raised an eyebrow.

So that was what the Andersons were currently going through.

She cast her eyes down and said, “Wait a moment.”

She went upstairs, found a piece of paper in the room, and wrote down on it the Carefree Pill’s formula and things to take note of during the manufacturing process. After that, she went back down and handed it to her. “This is the formula.”

Sheril got up hurriedly. She looked somewhat grave as she said, “Y-you’re giving me the formula just like that, Nora?”

As a medical practitioner, Sheril knew just how important a formula is.

However, Nora replied casually, “Yeah.”

Seeing how trusting she was of her, Sheril gritted her teeth and took the formula from her. She said, “I’ll give it a go, then. Nora, this pill is very difficult to make. My aunt tried so hard to make them last time, but only succeeded in making five in the end. Don’t tell Dad and Mom about this for now, lest it gives them hope and then disappoints them again.”

“…”

She had already improved the formula, so there definitely wouldn’t be any problem.

But seeing her so nervous, Nora nodded.

The anxious Sheril ran out again. She must hurry and get the pills manufactured! This way, her parents wouldn’t have to go around begging for help to improve sales anymore!

The next day, when Nora woke up and went downstairs for breakfast, she found Simon and Melissa sitting on the sofa with awful looks on their faces.

A healthcare conference was being held today, and all relevant personnel in the industry would be attending.

They had previously agreed to have Sheena and Simon attend together. She was to be in charge of technology while Simon was to be in charge of sales. He had called Sheena and said a lot to placate her, but the other party had sneered, “Didn’t the Andersons not need me anymore? Since all of you like Nora so much, you can have her go with you instead!”

No matter what happened internally, a family must always unite when facing external foes. In spite of that, she was being so stubborn.

Melissa had always been even-tempered, but even she was rather incensed. “If she doesn’t want to go, then so be it! I’ll go with you instead!”

Simon nodded.

After the two finished speaking, they saw Nora come downstairs.

Melissa took the opportunity to say, “Let’s go together, Nora!Today’s conference will also benefit you in many ways.”

Nora thought for a moment before she said, “Okay.”

The conference was held in Hotel Finest’s conference hall. While they called it a conference, it was actually more like a small banquet. People could discuss and seal a lot of business deals here.

However, the three of them were stopped by the service staff at the door. “Sorry, the QR code for your invitation is wrong, so you can’t enter.”

Simon frowned. “But this is what they sent us!”

The service staff replied, “This year’s conference is held by the Myerses. They said that this is a high-end medical conference, so they aren’t inviting doctors with little or bad reputations anymore and reissued the invitations. You’re not allowed to enter now.”

Simon was furious. He clenched his fists with an infuriated look on his face.

The Myerses were obviously making things difficult for them!

But if they didn’t go in today, they would be expelled from the medical industry!

At the sight of him keeping quiet, disdain welled up in the service staff.

Nobody doctors trying to worm their way in to get acquainted with the guests in high-end conferences like this were a common sight. He had seen a lot of them before.

Thinking that the three in front of him were also people like that, he said loudly, “If you don’t have an invitation, please stand aside and avoid blocking the guests behind.”

His words attracted the attention of everyone around them.

The circle was only so big; everyone knew everyone very well. Simon immediately felt his cheeks burn, and he felt terribly embarrassed.

He was about to say something when a voice interrupted him: “Wait a minute.”

Chapter 60: My Daughter Looks Like Her Father

Justin had a lunch meeting here at noon.

On the second floor of Hotel Finest, the conference hall was on the left and the restaurant on the right.

As soon as he walked out of the elevator, he heard the commotion at the entrance of the conference hall. He originally wasn’t paying much attention to it, but when he glanced over, he spotted a familiar figure.

His footsteps paused for a moment.

When he heard the service staff chasing them away impatiently, he frowned and said to Sean, “Let’s go over and take a look.”

No matter what, the Andersons were, after all, acquaintances with the Hunts. The previous generation of the two families had been closely acquainted with one another; how could he allow others to bully and humiliate them?

Sean nodded. “Yes, sir.”

But when he was about to walk over, he heard that deep and clear voice going “Wait a minute.”

Nora picked up her cell phone. Her fair and slender fingers tapped a couple of times on it and she opened her email inbox. Sure enough, there were a few invitations lying within.

As the most prestigious surgeon around, organizers of various conferences held in different countries would send her token invitations.

Sure enough, the organizers of a formal conference like this one had also sent her one.

However, she needed a bit of time to find the invitation from her junk mail…

At this time, someone beside her spoke. “Miss Smith?”

Taken aback, Nora lifted her head and looked over—it was a woman that looked about 30 years old. Her curly hair rested on her shoulders and she was wearing formal business attire.

She frowned. After a moment’s hesitation, she asked, “You are?”

A displeased Tina York frowned. They had obviously met in the hospital before, but she was actually pretending not to know her.

However, she had been wondering why Justin had brought a young doctor over that time. After much ado, it turned out that she was actually from the Andersons.

The Andersons were gradually falling into decline day by day. They were solely relying on formulas from twenty years ago and selling medicines based on them. They must have been at the end of their tether and told that nobody doctor to operate on Mrs. Hunt as a last-ditch attempt, right?

Unfortunately, all that credit had gone to her instead!

At the thought of that, her displeasure quickly dissipated. She smiled and seemingly said as a kind reminder, “Everyone’s a distinguished individual here. Since the Andersons haven’t received an invitation, if you make a fuss here, it won’t reflect well on you, either…”

A single line from her made everyone queuing behind start speculating in low voices:

“My goodness, I thought the Andersons just forgot their invitation, but the truth is they actually didn’t receive one?”

“The Myerses’ market share has expanded. There’s basically no one buying the Andersons’ drugs now. Sigh! To think they’ve been reduced to the point where they can’t even get an invitation anymore!”

“They can’t blame anyone else for that. What can anyone do if they don’t improve themselves? I heard the drugstores and hospitals working with them have returned their goods recently and switched to the Myerses'.”

“If I were them, I’d have quickly sneaked off with my tail between my legs by now. What are they still doing here?”

The speculations made Simon’s expression change again and again, and he felt as if he had never been any more embarrassed.

After Tina kept quiet for a while, she sighed and said, “Everyone’s here for a good time today. If you simply have to go in… Uncle Simon, if you promise you won’t disturb the others, I’ll bring you in!”

“Won’t disturb the others”… The way she put it, it was as if they weren’t fit to be seen in public!

Simon felt as if someone had given him two tight slaps. Just as he became so infuriated that he turned to leave, a cool voice said, “No, it’s fine.”

Nora stared at Tina coldly and said, “The Anderson's receive a lot of invitations, so I took a while to find it and ended up causing a short delay. Sorry about that, Uncle Simon and Aunt Melissa.”

She raised her cell phone and presented the QR code to the service staff. “Can we go in now?”

“This way, please!”

Only then did the three of them from the Anderson's finally enter the banquet hall.

At the door, Tina was stunned. She clearly remembered that her teacher hadn’t sent an invitation to the Andersons. Had she remembered wrongly?

Nearby.

Sean, who had taken a couple of steps toward the Andersons with the intention of helping them out of the embarrassing situation, was taken aback.

Then, he looked back at Justin. “They don’t seem to need any help anymore.”

Justin, “…”

It had momentarily slipped his mind that that woman was Anti, so how could she possibly not have an invitation?

However, her line of “The Andersons receive a lot of invitations” sure was interesting.

Justin suddenly turned and started walking toward the conference hall. The usually reticent man said, “I’m just going over to see if there’s a chance for me to return the favor I owe.”

Sean, who was following closely behind him silently, was rendered speechless.

Boss, you don’t need to explain anything! An explanation is no different from a cover-up!

As a professional secretary, however, Sean quickly reported on the Andersons’ affairs. “… The Andersons can’t sell their drugs at all. If this continues, I’m afraid they’ll go bust soon.”

Although Justin didn’t reply, he nevertheless looked rather thoughtful when he heard the report.

All the Hotel Finest service staff knew their boss, so Justin entered the conference hall straightaway.

The place’s layout was arranged like a small banquet. Most of the male guests were in suits and formal shoes while the women wore formal dresses.

Only that woman was dressed in a white T-shirt and a pair of jeans, yet she was still eye-catching among the crowd.

Justin narrowed his eyes slightly and walked over. As soon as he approached, he heard Melissa ask, “Nora, where did you get the invitation?”

The young woman replied casually, “Oh, I was helping with the treatment of Mrs. Hunt’s illness before, right? Although I wasn’t of much help, Mr. Hunt was still pretty nice.”

Sure enough, Melissa misunderstood her words. “Oh, so Mr. Hunt gave it to you! He must have also wanted you to come over and broaden your horizons.”

Justin, “…”

That woman really was using him as a scapegoat for everything, wasn’t she?!

A mischievous smile suddenly formed on his lips and he said in a low voice, “Uncle Simon, Aunt Melissa.”

The three walking in front immediately stopped and turned around. Upon seeing him, Melissa immediately said gratefully, “Thank you for giving Nora an invitation, Justin. Otherwise, we really wouldn’t have been able to enter today.”

Justin glanced over and saw the discomfited girl touching her nose awkwardly.

But after that, she looked down quietly and calmed down. Those docile cat-like eyes of hers were raised slightly, and she had a seemingly amused look on her face as if she wasn’t the one lying just now.

Her mental resilience was first-class.

In an equally seemingly amused manner, Justin replied, “You’re welcome.”

Simon’s purpose in attending the banquet was to sell his company’s drugs. When he spotted a regular customer who wanted to return their goods in front, he hurriedly said, “Justin, you guys go ahead and have a chat first. I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

He started walking over after saying that.

A look of worry came over Melissa’s countenance.

Justin observed Nora out of the corner of his eye.

She had almond-shaped eyes and a small but high-bridged nose. Her lips were rosy and plump, and looked very attractive.

For some reason, he suddenly thought of what Chester had said the day before: “You can have a daughter if you go to Nora.”

A daughter…

He suddenly asked, “Miss Smith, what does your daughter look like? Does she resemble you?”

Nora glanced at him.

Cherry actually didn’t look like her. Seriously speaking, she instead bore a 70% resemblance to the man in front of her. Thus, she answered, “No, she resembles her father instead.”

“Oh?” Justin suddenly became interested. “Do you have any photos?”

Nora glanced at him and replied, “Yes.”