Chapter 8

Serena's scar was swiftly fading before their very eyes. In less than 30 seconds, it was completely gone. Even the thread from her stitches had disappeared. The skin on her calf was completely flawless and breathtaking once more.

"W-What on earth happened?"

The interns who'd been mocking Cassian earlier were now gaping in shock. Even Eric was flabbergasted. It was his first time seeing something like that, despite being in the medical field for decades now.

"How did you do it?" Eric couldn't resist asking.

"Didn't you see what I did?" Cassian replied.

"Was it really a Madiora enchantment?" Eric questioned, still feeling disbelieving.

"I already told you that Madiora enchantments aren't just old superstitions. They're a truly wondrous form of the mystic arts," Cassian said with a straight face.

"But—"

"Are you ever going to stop?" Serena snapped in irritation, cutting Eric off. "You can leave now. You're not needed here anymore."

"In that case, I'll get going now, Ms. Landon. Do let me know if you need anything."

Before leaving the room, Eric shot Cassian an icy glare. Once they were out in the corridor, the interns were furious.

"Dr. Watkins, Cassian was clearly just pulling a con job. Vermin like him should be driven out of the hospital!"

"He's right. A rotten apple spoils the whole bunch. If Cassian stays on here, sooner or later, he'll cause trouble for the entire hospital."

"You're Ms. Landon's attending physician, Dr. Watkins. If anything happens to her, you'll be held responsible for it."

"Silence!" Eric snapped, his expression grim. "Does anyone know where Dr. Goff Jr. is?"

"I saw him heading over to the nursing assistant station when I came for my rounds," one of the interns said.

"Got it. Get back to work, all of you."

Seeing the dark look on Eric's face, the interns scrambled off without making any further remarks. Eric stood still for a while before heading toward the nursing assistant station.

…

Back inside the room, Serena was studying Cassian carefully with her large, soulful eyes. He felt extremely uncomfortable under her gaze.

"You've been such a great help to me. I'm wondering how I should repay you. Why don't I give you a kiss?" Serena offered as she fluttered her pretty eyelashes.

Flushing red, Cassian hastily said, "Please stop, Ms. Landon."

"What do you want me to do then? Shall I offer myself to you as payment?" Serena suggested before blowing him a kiss and winking at him.

Heart leaping out of his chest, Cassian quickly averted his gaze. She was impossible to deal with.

"No way. Why do you get shy so easily? Have you never interacted with a woman before? That's unlikely. Since you're a doctor, I'm sure you talk to women all the time."

Grinning, Serena asked, "Is it because I'm prettier than all the women you've ever met before?"

Cassian's face turned even redder. He had to admit that was true. Serena was the most beautiful woman he'd ever met. Just a look from her was enough to make one swoon. It seemed like all men would find it hard to reject her charms.

"Oh, alright. I'll stop teasing you," Serena said. "Allow me to introduce myself, Cassian. My name is Serena Landon."

Serena?

Cassian looked at her. She was as pretty as her name, but…

He let out a sigh.

"Why are you sighing? Do you not like my name?" Serena asked in confusion.

"I think the name Siren Landon suits you more," Cassian blurted out before instantly regretting it.

What a fool he was! What if she got upset and refused to hire him as her nursing assistant?

However, Serena wasn't angered by her comment. Instead, she laughed and replied, "You're quite smart. Everyone calls me Siren Landon."

"Really?" Cassian asked. "That's not the right name for you either."

"Why not?"

"Because you're far more attractive than a siren."

Giggling, Serena eyed Cassian keenly and asked, "What do you want me to do? Just come out and say it."

Cassian felt a little embarrassed. He didn't expect Serena to see right through him at once.

"I want to be your nursing assistant, Ms. Landon."

"Is that all?" Serena was a little taken aback.

Nodding firmly, Cassian explained, "I was an intern doctor in the surgical department. Someone framed me, so I got demoted to a nursing assistant. If I can't even become your nursing assistant, then I'll be out of a job."

Serena was puzzled. "With your expertise, it won't be a big deal even if you lose this job."

"I love being a doctor. I want to become a doctor who makes a great contribution to society," Cassian solemnly declared.

Serena studied Cassian for a moment. With a look of approval, she smiled and said, "I like men who have ideals. From now on, you shall be my nursing assistant! Do I need to sign a contract?"

"I'll bring it over at once!" Cassian said before jogging out of the hospital room.

"What an interesting young man," Serena remarked with a laugh.

Getting her phone out, she called her assistant, Jessica Dunham, and said commandingly, "Jessica, there's a nursing assistant here at Rivershire Hospital named Cassian York. Look into him. I want all his details in three minutes."

"Understood, Ms. Landon," Jessica replied.

In less than three minutes, Serena received all the information she requested. After going through it carefully, she had a slight frown.

"He was born out of wedlock, huh, and his girlfriend got stolen from him? Plagiarizing a patient's medical records? Oh, my. He's got quite a lot going on in his life!"

All of a sudden, there was a knock on the door, pulling Serena out of her thoughts. She looked up and saw a young doctor coming in. "Who are you?"

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Landon. My name is Shawn Goff. I'm a surgeon here at this hospital. I heard you're interested in hiring Cassian as your nursing assistant?" Shawn asked.

As he spoke, he kept stealing glances at Serena.

"What are you trying to say?" Serena asked coolly.

"I want to tell you that you can't hire Cassian to be your nursing assistant."

"Why not?"

"There's a lot you're unaware of, Ms. Landon. Cassian was originally an intern doctor with the surgical department. However, he's not dedicated to his job at all. He slacks off during working hours, and he even plagiarized my work. Someone as irresponsible as he is shouldn't be hired, or else—"

Shawn hadn't finished yet when Cassian returned.

"What are you doing here?" Cassian questioned, his expression darkening when he saw Shawn.

"You don't have a say in where I can be," Shawn retorted arrogantly.

Smiling, Serena chimed in, "He was telling me that you're not dedicated to your job, that you slack off during working hours, and that you even plagiarized his work. He says you're irresponsible and warns me not to hire you."

Cassian was fuming. "Why must you keep picking on me, Shawn?"

"Because your very existence pisses me off. Is that reason good enough for you?"

Shawn turned back to Serena and said, "Do think carefully about what I told you, Ms. Landon."

Still smiling, Serena asked, "And if I insist on retaining him as my nursing assistant?"

Startled, Shawn said, "If you insist on retaining Cassian as your nursing assistant, Ms. Landon, then the hospital won't be responsible if anything happens."

"If something does happen to me, do you think your hospital can handle the responsibility?" Serena questioned, her smile abruptly vanishing as she gave off a domineering air.

The way she carried herself now made her seem like a queen, and it shocked Shawn. He had never felt such an imposing presence from even the president of the hospital himself. He couldn't help but wonder who she was.

"Cassian," Serena called out.

Cassian looked over at her.

"Allow me to teach you a lesson about society today. In this world, don't assume that if you compromise, the other person will as well. Most of the time, the more you back down, the more others think you're a pushover, and they'll cross the line even more. You give an inch, and they'll take a mile. As they say, it's the nice ones that get pushed around."

Cassian had a thoughtful expression.

After a few seconds, Serena asked, "Do you get what I'm saying?"

Nodding, Cassian replied, "I do."

"What are you still waiting for then?"

Taking a deep breath, Cassian glared icily at Shawn. Pissed off by the look in Cassian's eyes, Shawn hollered, "What are you looking at, you bastard with no father—"

Immediately, he was silenced when a slap landed across his face.