Alyssa sat at her desk, letting out a small sigh as the relentless heat of July outside seemed almost tangible, even in the air-conditioned office. Guangdong City was like a massive oven these days, the kind of heat that could make you feel like you were melting just by stepping outside.

She was not made for this weather. Two months back, she had returned from R Country and found herself immediately thrown into the role of deputy director in the cardiac surgery department at the City First Hospital. It wasn't exactly her choice, but here she was.

Alyssa had always been a stickler for time. When it was time to clock out, she'd make sure to leave on the dot. Today was no exception.

She was just about to unbutton her white coat when—

"Bang!"

The office door swung open with a force that made her flinch. Her hand froze mid-air, startled by the intrusion.

"Ryan Parker, have I been too nice to you lately?" Her voice was cold, her eyes narrowing as she glared at Ryan, who had barged in uninvited, panting like he'd just run a marathon.

Ryan didn’t even glance at her expression. He was in too much of a hurry. Grabbing her wrist without preamble, he blurted out, “Dr. Scott, it’s an emergency! Life and death kind of emergency. Dr. Clark isn’t here, and you’re the only one we can count on in the department!”

Before she could respond, Ryan was already pulling her out of the office and toward the patient wards.Alyssa Scott glanced at the room directory on the wall. “Ryan Parker, my shift’s over. Go find the on-call attending.”

“No can do, Dr. Scott. This one’s all you. She refused a male doctor and specifically asked for the female attending. That would be you.”

Alyssa stared at him in silence for a beat. Seriously? Was this the price for being a woman?

Ryan wasn’t letting go of her arm. If anyone could be this shamelessly casual with her, it was him. He was only a resident but acted like they were old buddies.

At 26, two years older than her, Ryan still gave off a vibe way less mature than Alyssa, whose composed presence always made her seem senior.

He didn’t even mind being a resident doctor while she was already an attending. No, Ryan saw it as a privilege. After all, geniuses were rare, and somehow he’d landed under one. Working with Alyssa these past two months, he’d picked up a lot.

Her skills were sharp, her knowledge rock-solid, and every operation she handled? Impeccable. It was no wonder she’d become the heartthrob of the cardiology department—their very own goddess in scrubs.

Except, there was one thing that constantly annoyed him—she was out the door the second her shift ended. It was like staying at the hospital any longer would cut into her paycheck.

And yet here he was, clinging on with a persistence that put superglue to shame, dragging Alyssa all the way to the VIP wing.As soon as he entered, he called out, "Sorry to keep you waiting, our Deputy Director Alyssa Scott is here."

If only he had turned around, he would’ve seen Alyssa’s face looking anything but pleasant.

After two months working together, everyone in the cardiothoracic department knew she absolutely hated working overtime. The moment her shift ended, she’d disappear like clockwork.

Now that she was already at the door of the patient’s room, there was no backing out.

She shot Ryan Parker a glare, clearly saying, "You better watch out later!"

Then, in the blink of an eye, her expression softened into a professional smile as she stepped into the room.

Feeling guilty, Ryan rubbed his nose awkwardly and obediently followed her inside. He thought to himself: Fine, later I’ll just give her all my secret stash of snacks as an apology.

As Alyssa entered, her eyes immediately landed on the patient sitting on the bed. The woman was wearing a mask and sunglasses, wrapped up like she was avoiding a storm.

Well, she’s definitely dressed the part.

But Alyssa wasn’t even slightly curious about the patient’s identity. Gossip wasn’t her thing.

"Hello, I’m Alyssa Scott from the cardiothoracic department, but you can call me Dr. Scott," she introduced herself, polite yet to the point, and promptly got to the matter at hand, asking about the patient’s condition.

What she didn’t notice, was the man seated on the couch in the corner of the room. As her name left her lips, his head shot up, and for the first time in four years, his eyes found her. From his angle, he could only see her profile. She was wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses.

Her profile was exquisite, with smooth and flawless lines. Her slightly wavy long hair was tied neatly behind her.

At that moment, Sophie Mitchell took off her sunglasses and mask.

A stunningly beautiful face revealed itself to everyone around.

The others instantly recognized who she was, showing no surprise at all.

But Alyssa Scott?

She froze for a few seconds when she saw that face. Her eyes narrowed slightly, her expression unreadable.

It’s her?

Which means… is he here too?

At this thought, Alyssa felt an intense, piercing gaze land on her. She turned to look at the sofa to her right.

There sat a man in a classic black suit and white shirt—perfectly handsome, yet distant and intimidating. He exuded a cool, unapproachable aura that seemed to keep everyone at arm’s length.

But honestly, with that face sculpted like a masterpiece and those sharp, commanding phoenix eyes, there was only one word to describe him.

Hot.

That’s it. End of story.

Unfortunately for her, that man happened to be her lawful husband—Ali Bennett.

Four years ago.

The Scott and Bennett families arranged their marriage, and she became his wife.

But on the second day after the wedding, they went their separate ways. They left for different reasons—her for further studies abroad, labeled as "academic advancement," and him under the guise of managing a subsidiary overseas.

Different destinations, separate paths.

Four years apart.

Well, no, not exactly.

A year ago, their paths had actually crossed.

But he? He had no idea it was her.

Her gaze flickered briefly toward him, then quickly shifted away.

Turning instead to Sophie Mitchell, she asked, “So, Ms. Mitchell, what seems to be the issue?”

Sophie Mitchell had one of those angelic faces—beautiful, with a kind of calm elegance that didn’t feel overly pretentious. When she smiled, it was pure, as though untouched by the typical chaos of life.

“Dr. Scott, you know who I am?” Sophie’s lips curled into a smile, her tone carrying a hint of teasing.

Alyssa Scott smiled faintly in return, raising an eyebrow. “Of course. Isn’t your name right here?”

She gestured at the chart she had just taken from another doctor.

For a fraction of a second, surprise flashed across Sophie’s eyes, but it disappeared just as fast.

The few doctors familiar with Alyssa exchanged glances with each other, silent but subtly acknowledging the unspoken tension. Alyssa Scott asked a few basic questions, then skimmed through the test results from Sophie Mitchell's admission. She explained plainly, "Based on the results, there doesn’t seem to be any major issues. The heart palpitations and dizziness you're experiencing are likely due to prolonged sleep deprivation and consuming too much coffee recently."

"Does this mean our Sophie needs to stay in the hospital?" her manager asked quickly.

"Not at all. Just take the prescribed medication and ensure she gets enough rest at home," Alyssa replied without hesitation.

The manager still looked a bit uneasy and pressed, "But Sophie had a major surgery a year ago. Could it be related to that?"

"Not a problem," Alyssa stated firmly, her tone confident. "I reviewed her previous medical records before coming here. There's no connection to this. In fact, she's been recovering exceptionally well."

Truth be told, Alyssa had every reason to be confident. After all, she had performed the surgery herself. The procedure was straightforward—a competent surgeon could’ve handled it. But back then, Ali Bennett had gone to great lengths and spared no expense to get Alyssa for it, emphasizing how much he cared.

If someone throws money your way, you take it. She wasn’t about to say no.

Her words seemed to put the manager at ease for the time being. Alyssa added, "I have other matters to attend to soon—Doctor Parker will follow up with you from here."

With that, she prepared to leave. She was already way past her usual clock-out time.

But—"Sophie, you look familiar. Have we met before?" Sophie Mitchell asked softly, her eyes filled with curiosity as she looked at Alyssa Scott.

Alyssa paused mid-step.

Maintaining her usual professional demeanor, she replied with a faint smile, "Miss Mitchell, it's not surprising if you've seen me before. I have a pretty common face."

"Pfft!"

Ryan Parker, standing off to the side, couldn't help but let out a laugh.

If Alyssa's face was "common," then what hope was there for other women? Sure, Sophie Mitchell was beautiful, but Ryan privately thought Alyssa had her beat.

Alyssa shot him a sharp look, then turned and walked away.

Just as she was stepping out of the room, a saccharine voice floated toward her. "Ali, you see? I told you I was fine, but you insisted on dragging me here. You even wasted your time on me—I really feel bad about that."

There was a touch of petulant charm in that voice.

Alyssa? Yeah, that wasn’t in her skill set.

She gave a sharp "hmph" under her breath, gave a little shake of her shoulders, and bolted.

Back in her office, she grabbed her things and got ready to head home for the evening.