Chapter 217: Elena Ward's Fingers Tapped Lightly on the Desk

Elena Ward's fingers tapped lightly on the desk, the faint scent of antiseptic lingering in the clinic. Sunlight streamed through the window, glinting off the metal buttons of her white coat.

"Dr. Ward, your acupuncture is miraculous!" A soldier with strained back muscles had just left, and Elena was jotting down notes in the medical record when the door burst open.

She looked up to see two well-dressed women standing at the entrance. The older one, in her fifties, wore an elegant navy-blue suit, pearl earrings glowing softly in the sunlight. The younger woman sported a fashionable ceremonial dress, her hair in voluminous waves, lips painted a bold crimson.

"Hello, who's here for treatment?" Elena closed the medical record.

"Treatment?" The younger woman scoffed, striding forward in her high heels. "We're not here for that."

Elena arched a brow, fingers absently tracing her pen. This didn’t bode well.

The older woman gently pressed her companion’s arm, her voice calm but firm. "Dr. Ward, I presume? I'm Sylvia Stone, Adrian's mother."

Elena’s heart skipped a beat. Adrian’s mother? She set the pen down smoothly, her gaze shifting between the two.

"And this is Valerie Mercer, Adrian’s fiancée," Sylvia continued, watching Elena’s reaction closely.

The clinic fell silent except for the ticking of the wall clock. A dull ache settled in Elena’s chest, but her expression remained composed. She rose slowly, her coat swaying slightly with the movement.

"What a coincidence," she said with a faint smile. "I’m also Adrian’s fiancée."

Valerie Mercer’s face flushed red. "That’s a lie! Adrian and I have been engaged since childhood!"

Elena adjusted her sleeve cuffs calmly. "Then you should ask Adrian why he proposed to me." She emphasized the word proposed deliberately.

A flicker of surprise crossed Sylvia’s eyes. She hadn’t expected this gentle-looking doctor to be so sharp-tongued.

"Dr. Ward," Sylvia’s tone darkened, "young love is one thing, but marriage isn’t a game. Our family—"

"Aunt Sylvia," Elena interrupted, her gaze steady, "this is a new era. Adrian should decide for himself who he marries."

Valerie Mercer stomped her foot. "Aunt Sylvia, look how arrogant she is!"

Elena almost laughed. The scene was straight out of a soap opera—she never thought it would happen to her.

She picked up the appointment slip and slid it toward them. "If there’s nothing else, I have another patient to see."

Sylvia’s expression tightened, clearly not expecting to be dismissed so bluntly. She gave Elena a long look before steering Valerie Mercer out.

The moment the door closed, Elena exhaled sharply, her fingers twisting together. That idiot Adrian—dragging me into this mess!

She pulled out her phone, debating whether to call and confront him. Then she reconsidered—this was a conversation best had face-to-face.

Outside, Sylvia and Valerie Mercer’s figures gradually disappeared. Elena watched them go, already planning how to deal with the troublemaker later.

The clinic door opened again, revealing a soldier leaning on a crutch. "Dr. Ward, is now a good time for acupuncture?"

Elena immediately switched to her professional smile. "Come in."

She picked up the silver needles, but her thoughts drifted elsewhere. Adrian, you’d better have a damn good explanation.