The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Chapter 209

When Ashley arrived at the hospital room, she saw Tristan obediently lying in bed, listening intently as Calista briefed him on his recovery and gave him

instructions to follow

Calista, dressed in a white lab coat and sporting a pair of golden–rimmed glasses, looked elegant and sophisticated.

She held a tablet in one hand and looked at Tristan with a firm yet authoritative gaze as she spoke, displaying a unique commanding charm,

Tristan, on the other hand, was looking at her with unusually soft eyes. There was even a trace of a smile playing on his lips. It was such a stark contrast to his usual brooding and intimidating demeanor

Ashley couldn’t help but shake her head in amazement.

Calista had somehow managed to tame Tristan, who was normally as wild and unpredictable as a rabid dog

“Dr Pendleton.” Ashley greeted her with a warm smile as she entered the room and placed a basket of fresh fruits on the table in front of Calista. “Some fruits for you. They’re all your favorites. Eat them to replenish your vitamins.”

“Thank you” Calista replied, taking the basket with one hand

“How’s Tristan’s recovery? Ashley glanced at Tristan who immediately resumed his brooding expression as he met her gaze, as if his earlier soft demeanor towards Calista was a mere hallucination

“He’ll be able to walk again. He just can’t participate in any strenuous activities.“Calista answered while adjusting her glasses and setting her tablet down. “He needs to stay away from any rough sports or heavy exercises

Ashley couldn’t help but feel a bit of schadenfreude. She wondered if Tristan would still take part in Arabella’s schemes against her now that he was semi–disabled Would he have ended up in this state if Arabella hadn’t persuaded him to provoke Percival?

Tristan, however, seemed to have already accepted this outcome.

“It’s okay. I’m grateful I can still walk, at least I’m not bedridden for life. And it’s all thanks to your excellent skills, Dr. Pendleton. I don’t know how to thank you enough”

“As a doctor, it’s my duty to heal and save lives. You don’t need to thank me” Calista replied indifferently “Besides, the Brooks family has paid a hefty sum for this.”

laughed out loud at Tristan’s

was indeed a straightforward

just a few words, she had brushed off any potential sense of obligation Tristan might

carry the fruits for her “Calista, I can

to the nurse, and left the room

Calista’s office, Ashley helped unpack

idle chatter, Ashley brought up Arabella. “Calista, did you hear about the latest scandal involving my

She wasn’t particularly interested in gossip.

had met Arabella when she visited Tristan at the hospital She had also heard about Arabella’s various scandals when she was in Riverwood She thought of Arabella as nothing more than a pretty face with no brains, an individual not worth

she heard that Tristan had been beaten up because of

showed Calista the news. “And she has the audacity to claim that Percival is the father

playboy Paul from the Ellington family. She deemed these mediocre people, including Ashley,

worth her attention

be if the once chippled Percival, against all odds,

article, she paused when Percival’s picture popped

smirk “Can you believe that my cousin once thought Percival would be her knight in shining armor? She’s delusional She’s only managed to

was too focused on the video of Percival Her eyes

bus arms

asked in a tone that was hard to

Ashley’s eyes That’s Vivienne Percivals fiancee, and

only focused on the term “fiancée.”

educational background?”

think she has a double Ph.D in medicine and biology from Elite University Ashley replied, not quite understanding why Calista was asking about Vivienne. “She’s quite impressive She finished her studies when she was just sixteen

she, Ashley, had just graduated high school at

was

just received. She then asked, “So after earning her dual Ph.D., she chose to teach

by Calista’s