Chapter 866

Lena wanted to sleep early, but the more she tried, the harder it was to fall asleep. She tossed and turned until dawn and only managed a short while of sleep. Naturally, she woke up late.

Rushing downstairs in a flurry, she saw Aaron calmly eating breakfast in the dining area.

“Good morning, Uncle!” she greeted as she hurried toward the door.

“Your car has a flat tire,” Aaron said nonchalantly, stopping her in her tracks. Without even looking up, he continued cutting his steak with precision. “I’ve contacted a repairman, but it’s too early for them to come over.”

In other words, there was no way she could drive to work this morning. But she had already arranged with Nate to conduct an examination on the pregnant woman whose fetus had an underdeveloped heart. They needed to finalize the surgical plan and decide on the team. Being late would be unacceptable.

“Then I’ll call a cab,” Lena said, quickly coming up with a solution.

“It’s rush hour—good luck finding one,” Aaron replied, placing a neatly cut piece of steak onto the plate opposite him. “Come over and eat breakfast. I’ll drive you.”

Lena glanced at the time. She was already running late, and sitting down for breakfast would only make it worse. But while she could skip breakfast, she couldn’t exactly stop Aaron from eating his.

“Uncle, I’m really in a hurry. How about I take your car, and you have someone come pick you up instead?” she suggested tentatively.

“I happen to have business at your hospital,” he said casually, leaving Lena no choice but to obediently return to the table.

Since she was already destined to be late, she decided to eat her breakfast in peace. Picking up her phone, she quickly messaged Nate: [Running 30 minutes late.]

The breakfast spread was as balanced as ever: thinly sliced steak, boiled eggs, warm milk, and a small plate of fruit. Low-fat, low-sugar, and high-nutrition—a meal designed to avoid weight gain. Ever since moving in with him, Lena had felt like her meals were curated by a professional nutritionist. In truth, it was all thanks to Aaron’s meticulous planning.

She couldn’t help but steal a glance at him. His skin was flawless—fair and smooth, without blemishes, acne, or excess oil. Such perfect skin was undoubtedly the result of excellent self-care inside and out.

Chapter 66

Even as a woman, she found herself envious, even a little ashamed. With her erratic schedule, frequent night shifts, lack of proper sleep, and haphazard meals that often involved takeout, she had never eaten as nutritiously balanced a meal as he prepared.

In comparison, she felt like she was living far too roughly. This was exactly why her parents wanted to force her to move back home.

“Running late but still not eating properly?” Aaron’s calm voice cut through her thoughts. His gaze remained lowered, yet he had clearly noticed her stealing glances.

Lena’s cheeks flushed red, and she quickly lowered her head to focus on eating.

Before leaving, she took a quick look at her car and confirmed the flat tire. She couldn’t understand it; she had driven home without any issues last night. How had it gone flat so suddenly?

That day, perhaps because she had started late, Lena felt unusually busy. It wasn’t until after her shift ended that she finally had time to discuss the surgery with Nate.

The surgical team included not only Lena and Nate but also nurses, physician assistants, and Nate’s assistant. Surprisingly, however, the assistant wasn’t Retta.

Although Lena didn’t like Retta personally, she trusted her skills. Curious, she directly asked Nate, “Why didn’t you ask Professor Roane to join us?”

Nate remained silent. She didn’t know that during his recent two-day return to the country, he had skipped an important patient consultation with his mentor’s friend to spend time with her. His mentor had been displeased, and Retta had lashed out, accusing him of being overly concerned with personal matters. Their relationship had since soured.

Sensing something amiss, Lena didn’t press further. She simply said, “I hope the assistant you’ve arranged is the best for this.”

“I can guarantee that,” Nate assured her.

“Since we’ve finalized the process and team, we should conduct at least three simulation surgeries,” Lena suggested firmly.