Chapter 86

After exchanging contact information with Gary Buckman and discussing the job offer at the medical school, Brynn got into a car and left the Pacific Hotel. As she sat in the car, watching the scenery pass by outside the window, her thoughts involuntarily drifted back to several years ago. If only master were still around…

Just as she was sinking into sadness, her phone suddenly rang. She answered—it was Dominic.

“Hey, babe, miss me?”

Hearing Dominic’s sweet, playful words, Brynn couldn’t help but laugh immediately.

“How long have you been gone? Why would I miss you?”

On the other end of the line, Dominic let out a deep sigh. “Sigh, yeah, how long have I been gone, and you’re already brushing me off, huh?”

“I didn’t say anything…”

“Right, you didn’t say anything, but we’ve been talking for three days straight, and I haven’t heard you miss me or care about me,” Dominic said, his voice laced with a hint of hurt. “My heart… feels so cold.”

His words were said so seriously that Brynn couldn’t tell if he was joking or genuinely feeling upset. She hesitated for a moment, about to offer some words of comfort or explanation, but before she could speak, Dominic’s deep laugh rang out. His low, magnetic laugh was so pleasant to hear, and it made Brynn’s ears inexplicably turn red.

“Sweetheart, I’m just messing with you. You didn’t think I was serious, did you?” Dominic’s tone returned to its usual gentle warmth.

Brynn breathed a sigh of relief. “You scared me. I really thought you…”

“Thought I was mad at you?” Dominic smoothly picked up where she left off. “Silly, how could I be mad at you? I’m just imitating a friend of mine. He’s always been a bit… out of line.”

“A friend? Who, do I know him?”

“Yeah, Declan.”

Brynn’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding. The last time I saw Mr. Harper at that banquet, he seemed pretty composed. How could he…”

‘Be so childish.’

“He’s pretending,” Dominic laughed, breaking the serious image his friend put on in public. “Behind closed doors, he’s the least formal person.”

Brynn couldn’t help but imagine the scene and ended up laughing out loud. Meanwhile, Declan, who was dining and drinking with friends, suddenly sneezed three times. Afterward, he sniffled and mumbled to himself, “Who’s thinking about me? Am I catching a cold?” But this little interruption didn’t faze him. After a brief moment to compose himself, he happily went back to his repast.

Back with Brynn and Dominic, after a few more casual exchanges, Brynn brought up something about her work.

“By the way, there’s something I should tell you. I… I’ll probably be starting work at the Panacea Medical School.”

Dominic paused for a moment. “Wait, how did you suddenly get into medicine?” Previously, Brynn had worked in finance at the Everett Group, and he had assumed she would continue in that field. He had even planned to help her get a commercial building for her own studio, waiting for the moment she needed a place, so he could arrange for it to be rented to her at a low price.

“About this…” Brynn cleared her throat. “You know how I was online after helping at the hospital, right? After clearing things up, the dean of a medical school saw my character and skills and personally invited me.”

“Ah, I see,” Dominic nodded, but still felt something was off. “What’s the name of the medical school?”

Brynn thought back to Gary’s words. “I think it’s called the Panacea Medical School.” The school’s name comes from “Panacea,” meaning a universal cure, symbolizing the hope that students will become skilled healers who can treat all ailments.

“Panacea…” Dominic squinted slightly. Earlier, when investigating the Divine Doctor, his people had looked into the Panacea Medical School. But all they found was that the Divine Doctor only had an honorary title there, using a fake name—Bamford.

‘What a coincidence…’

His earlier suspicions began to resurface. Dominic casually asked, “I’ve heard that this medical school has deep ties with a certain Divine Doctor. Brynn, you’ve been in finance all this time, but now you’re switching to medicine…. Is there any connection between you and this Divine Doctor?”

Brynn’s heart skipped a beat. She hadn’t expected Dominic to immediately associate her with the Divine Doctor. She hesitated for a few seconds before quickly denying it. “No, you’re overthinking it.” Her master’s situation was too strange and involved too much. Dominic was just an ordinary person, and she didn’t want to pull him into it.

“I see…” Dominic replied, still a little skeptical. He was about to probe further when there was a knock on the door. The assistant saw him on the phone and immediately started to back out of the room. After the last incident, his staff knew better than to interrupt the President and the First Lady while they were on the phone.

Dominic knew his assistant wouldn’t disturb him unless it was urgent. He spoke softly into the phone, “Babe, I have to take care of something. I’ll call you back later.”

Brynn didn’t think much of it and responded, “Okay, take care of it.”

Once the call ended, Dominic furrowed his brow and looked at his assistant. “What’s going on?”

The assistant quickly approached and responded in a rushed tone, “Mr. President, we’ve just received word from the old manor, Mrs. Johnson and Miss Zoe are missing!”