“Ha… You and Iverson are all the same. He must have sent you here to scam Rachel.”


    “No, I—”


    “You must be up to no good. You operated on the scumbag, and that makes you just as guilty as he is. Get lost! Don’t harass me and Rachel again!” Rachel’s mother red and shouted angrily at Be.


    Before Rachel’s mother could m the door, Be reached her hands to grab the door frame anxiously. “Mrs. Mead, I’m really here to help Rachel. Please give me some time to exin.”


    The furious mother grabbed a packet of openedundry powder on the windowsill and threw it at Be’s face.


    Breaking out in a sweat, Be could not shy away in time.


    Suddenly, a powerful grip pulled her away, and she was enveloped by raw masculinity.


    Be could feel the firm grasp around her waist and Justin’s heavy breathing near her ear.


    She was reeling from the shock when she heard a thud.


    The packet ofundry powder hit the back of Justin’s head, and the powder sprayed all over his head, shoulders, and back. His ck suit was ruined.


    “M-Mr. Salvador, are you okay?” Turning white, Ian went to check on him.


    With her heart racing, Be shakily brushed off the powder on his head.


    “I’m okay. All that matters is Be’s safety.”ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    Seeing that Be was perturbed, Justin curled his lips and held her cold hand. “Are you scared, Be? You have be timid.”


    “I was worried about you, dummy!”


    Feeling sorry and angry, Be pped him on the chest. “Do you think I would only think about myself?”


    Fortunately, Rachel’s mother simply threw a bag ofundry powder.


    What if it was pots and pans? What if it was a brick? What if it was a knife?


    How could she not be scared?


    Justin grinned. He felt warm and cozy inside because of Be''s love and concern.


    A thunderous m was heard behind them.


    The Meads'' door was shut tight, leaving them out in the cold.


    "Sigh. Mr. Salvador, Young Madam, I think we won''t be achieving anything today. She won''t even talk to us." Frustrated, Ian hung his head down in dejection.


    "The timing is uncanny." Be rubbed her temples. "We had hope, but since James revealed my surgery on Charles and tarnished my reputation, I must be no better than the Iversons in the Meads'' eyes."


    She smiled wryly. "Ha... Well, I can''t say James tarnished my reputation because I did perform the surgery. I''m an aplice."


    "Don''t say that, Be."


    Justin wrapped her in his arms and offered a consoling look. "You are a doctor, and your duty is to save lives. You were focused on helping your patient get better. You couldn''t stop thinking about what would happen to others. Besides, your family was on good terms with the Iversons. You didn''t know about Charles'' true colors. I don''t think you made the wrong choice, even if the public has a different opinion. It''s not your fault."


    "Even so, only we know the truth. What''s the point? I don''t care about my reputation, but my bad reputation impedes our n from moving forward." Be rested her forehead on Justin''s shoulder, her voice reflecting frustration and dejection.


    "It''s okay. We''ll take it one step at a time."


    Justin ran his hand along her back andforted her. "Don''t give up. Be optimistic. Let''s head back and see how else we can go about this."


    ...


    Left without a choice, the trio returned to the vi.


    It was evening when they arrived back.


    The pair got out of the car hand-in-hand when a gentle and shy voice crept up from behind.


    "Be..."