Chapter 571 - Don"t Regret
Seeing the rare gentleness on Lucas"s face, Maddy couldn"t help smiling and sighing emotionally. "It seems you really love your wife and daughter! Your wife must be beautiful, huh?"
Lucas nodded. "Yes, but her beauty isn"t the only reason I love her. She"s also a very good woman. Once you meet later, you"ll like her too."
The mention of Cheyenne put a gentle and blissful smile on Lucas"s face.
Maddy smiled in relief. This isn"t bad either!
Ten minutes later, the two of them arrived at the entrance of the hospital in Orange County.
As soon as they got out of the car, Jordan, who had been guarding outside the hospital, immediately greeted them with a smile on his face. "You"re finally here, Maddy!"
Maddy smiled at him. "Jordan, I"m surprised you"re still sticking to Lucas! It"s been more than a year since we last met. You"ve grown more handsome!"
Jordan"s face, which had always been somewhat roguishly handsome, was a little rosy as he got shy, which was rare of him. "Nah, Maddy, you"re the one who"s getting prettier and prettier!"
The two complimented each other before smiling and following Lucas into the hospital. Lucas didn"t lead them straight to William"s ward but instead proceeded to the director"s office.
Previously, Lucas had told the director that he would invite a highly-skilled expert to help treat William.
The director had plenty to consider and couldn"t just casually agree to let someone treat William. Otherwise, in case something untoward happened to him, it would be difficult for the hospital to s.h.i.+rk responsibility.
But after Lucas introduced Maddy to the elderly director, the director grinned widely in joy from ear to ear.
"What? You… you are that famous medical expert. I didn"t expect you to be so young. You"ve got a promising future!"
The director"s eyes were s.h.i.+ning, and he looked as though he had finally met his idol. He eagerly dragged Maddy away to discuss some issues that had puzzled him for a long time.
"Dr. Stone, I"d like to ask you about cardiovascular resuscitation…"
Maddy barely had time to say anything before she was pulled away by the director, who proceeded to bombard her with questions. She couldn"t refuse and could merely turn around to look at Lucas resentfully.
Lucas responded with a helpless shrug.
Although he had always known that this elderly director was extremely concerned about all kinds of conditions and patients and was a truly respectable old doctor, he didn"t expect him to be so eager as to drag Maddy away and bombard her with questions before she could even greet him properly.
Looking at the two people in the office using medical jargon they couldn"t understand, Lucas dragged Jordan out of the office.
"Haha, Maddy is still as impressive as ever! Even the elderly director is full of praise for her." Jordan stared at her through the gla.s.s window with a proud expression on his face.
Lucas looked at Jordan and suddenly said, "Jordan, if you don"t express your feelings this time, Maddy is going to marry someone else."
"What?!" Jordan exclaimed in astonishment immediately, as if he had been struck by lightning.
Jordan"s face turned pale immediately, and he asked in a fl.u.s.tered manner, "Maddy is going to marry someone? Who? When?"
Seeing him finally getting anxious, Lucas stopped trying to agitate him and said seriously, "Although she hasn"t married anyone yet, Maddy"s family is already arranging a marriage alliance for her. So if you don"t seize the opportunity, you"ll miss your shot with her forever."
As a companion who had spent a lot of time together with Jordan in the Falcon Regiment, Lucas had naturally long discovered that Jordan had feelings for Maddy.
However, Jordan had been keeping his feelings for her well hidden in his heart, and he had never revealed them to Maddy before.
As Jordan"s best friend, Lucas had to remind him at this time.
He wasn"t trying to scare Jordan, but he was stating facts.
When they were having a casual chat on the way to the hospital, Maddy had told Lucas with a bitter smile that her family was urging her to get married and was looking for a marriage partner for her.
After all, Maddy was already in her thirties.
Her talent and achievements in the field of medicine were extremely high, and she was well known in the international medical community. But in the eyes of conservative people with backward mindsets, a woman"s value was not reflected in her career but her marriage, children, the wealth of her husband, and so on, which was really sad and ridiculous.
In particular, Maddy"s family was a big family in DC, and most women born in families like hers had already gotten married in marriage alliances in their twenties. They were treated as goods and married off to the scions of other wealthy families, leaving many green with envy.
Thus, a woman like Maddy, who was in her thirties but had yet to get married, had already become an anomaly in the eyes of many people.
While Maddy was talking about these things, a trace of self-deprecation and misery had appeared in her eyes.
Lucas knew that if a smart and independent woman like Maddy was really forced to marry a man she didn"t love due to the pressure put on her by her family, she would be reduced to an ordinary woman who stayed home to serve her husband, which was destructive to her.
So Lucas decided to tell this to Jordan, who had a crush on Maddy.
If Jordan could be brave enough to take that step, and if Maddy also happened to fancy him, they wouldn"t have to face such a tragedy.
But Jordan stayed silent for a long time and finally said with a self-deprecating smile, "I… How am I worthy of her?"
Jordan clenched his fists tightly and said with agony, "She"s from the notable Stone Family in DC, while I… am just an orphan without a high status or powerful background. Even if I love her, there"s absolutely no way I can marry her, and confessing my feelings to her will only get us both in trouble."
Indeed, he had long had a crush on Maddy since a few years ago when he got severely wounded on a certain battlefield and was rescued by her. He had gradually fallen in love with her even though she was five years older than him.
But after he nervously and expectantly asked his other comrades about Maddy"s family, his heart that was beating wildly from the b.u.t.terflies slowly sank.
Jordan was no longer an ignorant teenager who only knew to be rash when it came to love. He already knew that, as much as he wanted it, it was impossible for them to be together when there was such a huge difference in their family backgrounds.
Looking at Jordan"s brooding expression, Lucas opened his mouth a little and seemed to want to persuade Jordan. But he didn"t end up saying much. Instead, he patted him on the shoulder and said, "Maddy will be staying in Orange County for some time.. While she"s here, think about it carefully. You only live once, and no matter what, don"t make a choice that you"ll regret!"