The Drifter's Memoir of a Second Life

As the days passed peacefully and fulfillingly, I gradually became convinced that the Grants wouldn't ever cross paths with me.That was until one day, when my assistant Claire knocked on my office door and told me, "Dr. Simpson? You have a consultation. It's a Mr. Harry Grant, who wants our most expensive specialist to examine his younger sister."My heart couldn't help skipping a beat at the mere mention of that name, but I took a deep breath to compose myself and said calmly, "Show him in." A tall, well-dressed man soon entered.Though Harry's youthfulness seemed to have faded, his mature appearance was somehow more handsome and elegant.Nonetheless, those dark, captiving eyes of his were filled with shock and disbelief when he saw me.It was natural, as he could never have imagined that the medical expert he'd been desperately seeking for would be me, the little girl he had deliberately abandoned twenty years ago.Still, he finally found his voice after a long pause, his to

At 3 PM, all four members of the Grant family appeared at my office punctually.Despite not having seen her for twenty years, Susie was just as I remembered—a delicate maiden who would win over anyone's heart.And this time, Harry was a hundred times nicer, even apologizing, "I'm sorry, Dr. Simpson… I was brash before, and I apologize."My father Mick and my mother Wanda stood gingerly nearby, watching me with a myriad of emotions.But I wasn't bothered as I stared at Susie and said, "Everyone else, please step out while I examine the patient."As soon as the door closed and no one could look inside, Susie's paleness faded as she glared at me in venomous jealousy.She studied me from head to toe and eventually smirked in contempt. "Oh, Yvie… Wait, is it Ruby Simpson now? I'm surprised you're that lucky, sucking up to the Simpsons after we kicked you out. Impressive."I simply watched her in amusement as I calmly said, "Please cooperate. Take your shirt off."My indifference ang

Harry's fingers were stiff even as he picked up that weightless sheet of paper and read through the numbers before glancing at Susie's ashen face.He had never imagined that the same Susie whom he had cherished and protected for so long, even murdering his own biological sister for it, had been deceiving him from the very beginning.She had certainly taken them for a ride!"Why? Why would you do this, Susie?" he asked hoarsely, his eyes narrowed in clear pain and disappointment.Wanda was clutching her chest too, demanding angrily, "Yes, Susie! Why on earth did you feign your illness? Why did you lie to us?!"Susie, pushed past her limit, finally broke down in tears. "Why? Because I'm afraid! I'm afraid that you'll no longer want me after you find your real daughter! I'm afraid you'll give all your love to someone else!"She pointed at me and then at Harry, her sobs heart-wrenching as she hollered, "I just wanted her to stay away from us! What's so wrong about that?"I looked on

One day, I was just leaving work when Yannick called me. "There's a charity gala tonight, and Grandpa is asking you to represent the family. A dress has been sent to your apartment.""Yeah, got it."I've never been interested in such social events, but I'd never say no to Grandpa Carl.By evening, I put on that tailored silver dress and a little makeup before arriving at the banquet hall punctually.All eyes quickly turned on me as I was representing the Simpsons, with countless immediately approaching to greet me and make small talk.I responded effortlessly, always keeping a formal and distant smile.Still, I was just chatting with a magnate when Susie appeared before me, wearing a cheap dress that made her stick out like a sore thumb, her hair a mess and with a look of utter misery.Heaven knows how she slipped in, but she was glaring fixedly at me with maniacal jealousy and resentment."Yvie Grant!" she screamed shrilly, drawing everyone's attention right away. I frowned

Harry took a long time to recover, and I heard that the first thing he did after waking up was ask where I was.But the nurse told him I was gone and relayed my message that we were strangers.He was silent then and talked a lot less since then.Even though he was very cooperative with treatment and bore with unthinkable pain of skin grafting and disinfection, he never made a sound.He would sit by himself alone, staring outside for days on end, with no one ever figuring out what he was thinking.As for Susie, she was sentenced to jail, as the evidence against her was solid.It was a premeditated assault and disrupting public order, and she was to be jailed for ten years.Mick and Wanda were seated in the public gallery during the verdict, and though Susie kept calling out to them, neither responded at all.Meanwhile, I had a breakthrough with the new medicine I'd developed—all three phases of clinical trials passed with flying colors, and there were minimal side effects.The