THE BARGAINING CHIP

Note: [...] is a flashback scene.

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Knocking on the door, she then carefully turned the doorknob before pulling the door open. Once she was inside the room, three people looked at her before the only woman in the room smiled brightly.

"Oh! Dr. Lycia is here!" The woman exclaimed in her enthusiastic voice, and Lycia couldn't help but smile at her.

She had just finished talking to the hospital director, but the old man immediately kicked her out of his room after they came to an agreement.

["Yes, it's the Claytons who want you to work for them, Dr. Henderson. They want you to be their son's personal doctor for three months."

Lycia had been holding herself back so she wouldn't put too much pressure on the crocodile skin under her butt, but she finally stopped what she was doing and let her butt hit the sofa completely.

'I think it's the madam who still insists on making me a doctor for her son,' she frowned as she recalled how stubborn that woman was.

Even if she had explained the situation to the family of three, the woman was still stubborn, and she even made that kind of request to the director.

Lycia could only sigh heavily at the thought, but she knew that she had no power to fight the woman.

"But I'm just an emergency medicine doctor, sir," replied the young doctor. "If they wanted a personal doctor for their son, maybe they could hire Dr. Collins because I have assigned Dr. Collins as the doctor in charge of their son. And, what do you mean by saying that I have to work for their son for three months, sir? Are they planning to keep their son in this hospital for three months?"

It was a ridiculous idea she thought, but she ended up asking the director the question.

No one wanted to spend their time in the hospital, but the Claytons wanted their son to stay in the hospital for three months? It was unbelievable, and Lycia couldn't help but shake her head at the thought.

"It's not like that, Dr. Henderson," replied the director. "The Claytons want you to work as their son's personal doctor because they want to bring their son home."

The fact that the Claytons wanted to monopolize her was a shock to her, but Lycia was even more surprised when she heard the director's next explanation. "What?" She reacted in disbelief. "But the reason behind the memory loss is still unknown, sir. Why did they want to bring their son home so soon?"

"I don't know the reason, Dr. Henderson. But other doctors have checked the patient's condition, and they found nothing wrong with the patient. That's why we let the patient go home under the doctor's supervision, and the doctor is you, Dr. Henderson."

Resolute and firm. The director spoke with his authority, not in the least to make Lycia say no to what the director had just said.

The way the director uttered the last sentence was like an order, and Lycia knew she had no room to reject the idea.

"So, I have to be Mr. Davel Clayton's personal doctor for three months, sir? Why should I accept the arrangement?" Even if Lycia was the helpless one here, she still tried to bargain because she knew that the hospital was also taking advantage of this arrangement.

"You'll get double pay. The hospital will still pay you, and you'll also receive payments from the Claytons," replied the director.

Money could always be such a tempting bargaining chip, but Lycia wasn't tempted by it as she said, "I will receive the double salary, but I also want you to give me the scholarship to study abroad after I finish my work in three months, sir. And you have to pay for accommodation and daily necessities when I'm abroad too."

The director seemed speechless after hearing the condition coming from the young doctor's mouth. Perhaps the old man had expected a more diplomatic answer, and he was surprised that Lycia only wanted to get a scholarship to continue her studies.

"You are very unique, Dr. Henderson," commented the director. "But a full scholarship isn't a big deal for me. Finish your job first, and you'll soon be flying overseas to continue your studies."]

That was how they finally came to an agreement, and after they finished talking, the director immediately told her to visit the special patient in the VIP ward.

And here was Lycia now, standing in front of three people who were staring at her with various gazes.

"You came into this room, so I assume you have agreed to be our son's personal doctor?" It was the older man who had just spoken, and Lycia felt like jumping into a pit when she realized that it was indeed a cunning plan devised by the Claytons.

"I talked to the director, and he told me to stop working at this hospital starting tomorrow, sir. I don't have a place to work, so I think I can only answer your question with a yes," Lycia replied.

Maybe she sounded a little sarcastic, but because she said those words with a smile, what she just said turned into a friendly answer.

The couple laughed at her response, but when she caught a glimpse of the white-haired young man on the bed, she could see the man's expression remained calm. The expression made her frown. 'He doesn't like having me as his personal doctor? His mother must have forced him to accept me,' she thought before immediately feeling bad.

She remembered how Davel had turned her down when she was about to continue cleaning his body, and the man probably didn't like her presence.

"Dr. Lycia will only start work tomorrow, but Davel will be discharged from the hospital today," Davel's mother suddenly spoke to Lycia again, and the latter took her eyes off the young man. After getting the doctor's attention, the woman continued, "Would you mind following us to our residence today, Dr. Lycia?"