Chapter 70: Defying Fate

Lorna came downstairs and saw Bernard munching away.

"Where did Clara and Eloy head off to so early?" Lorna asked, gripping the stair railing, looking puzzled.

"Clara wanted to hit the amusement park, so I told her to take Eloy along." Bernard wiped his mouth with a napkin, set down his utensils, and glanced at her.

"Come on over and eat. After breakfast, I’ve got a surprise for you." Bernard's eyes twinkled with amusement.

"Where? Is there a gift?" Lorna asked, sitting down and sipping her milk.

"If you come, there will be." Bernard handed her a napkin and then mysteriously headed upstairs.

Once they were ready, Bernard drove Lorna to Fortune Studio.

Lorna stood at the door, peering inside at Marc. They locked eyes.

"What are we doing here?" Lorna asked Bernard.

Bernard grinned and walked to the store next to the studio, pulling out a key.

'No way!' Lorna thought, her mind racing.

"Come on in." Bernard opened the door and held it for Lorna.

"Bernard! You bought it?" Lorna's face lit up with surprise. She had only mentioned once that the cakes from this shop were amazing.

"Didn't you say their cakes were the best? Now you own the place. The original pastry staff will stay on, so whenever you want a treat, just pop next door." Bernard looked at Lorna, who was practically bouncing with joy.

"Bernard, thank you! Love you!" Lorna, a dessert fanatic, especially loved small, sweet cakes, was over the moon now that she owned a cake shop.

"This cake is really good!" A sticky voice came from the table next to them.

While they were being all lovey-dovey, Marc had already snuck in and was helping himself to a piece of cherry mille-feuille.

Bernard's eyes darkened, feeling a bit annoyed. Just as he was about to say something, Marc butted in.

"Lorna, when are you gonna teach me to make those little paper figures? And how should I address your husband?" Marc asked, munching on his cake.

"Just call me Bernard," Bernard said.

"Okay, Bernard." Marc finished his cake and headed back next door.

Bernard handed the cake shop key to Lorna. "Lorna, I gotta get to work."

Lorna nodded with a smile and waved cutely. "See you!"

After Bernard left, Lorna picked out two new-flavored small cakes from the shop, planning to take them home for Ivan to try.

She went back to the studio and gave Marc some tasks, asking him to memorize the runes and the names, prices, and effects of the magic scrolls in the display case.

While Marc was curiously memorizing stuff, a thin man with a dazed look walked into the studio.

Lorna immediately recognized him as ill because a sick person's luck vortex always had a yellowish-brown hue.

"Hello, can I get a reading?" Ethan Martinez asked Lorna, his eyes vacant.

"Sure, do you want to use your birthday or a word?" Lorna took out a birth chart.

"I'm an orphan and was trafficked, so I don't know my exact birthday." A flash of pain crossed Ethan's eyes at the mention of his birthday.

Lorna put down the birth chart and took out a piece of paper and a pen.

"Then let's use a word. You can write any word, and leave the rest to me." Lorna looked at Ethan with sincere eyes.

She could tell that the man in front of her had great potential but was currently in a tough spot.

"What should I write?" Ethan picked up the pen, hesitated for a moment, and slowly wrote the word "illness."

Ethan looked at Lorna.

The moment Lorna saw what he wrote, she already had an idea.

She smiled slightly, and Ethan's eyes showed a glimmer of hope.

"Miss, what does it mean?"

"I noticed you were really hesitant while writing. It seems like you're in a tough spot and feeling pretty confused and lost," Lorna said slowly.

Ethan, seeing that she had nailed his situation, got more excited and waited for Lorna to continue.

"You wrote the word 'illness,' which tells me you've recently been diagnosed with something that's left you feeling crushed."

"That's right! I was diagnosed with ALS yesterday. This disease is a death sentence; soon, I won't even be able to walk or breathe." Ethan's emotions grew more intense, tears welling up in his eyes.

"But your writing was firm and strong, indicating that you often practice writing, which also suggests there's still hope." Lorna calmly delivered the good news.

"Hope? Do you mean I can still recover?" Ethan stared intently at Lorna.

"Don't rush. Did you notice you made a mistake in your writing?" Lorna pointed to the word on the paper.

One letter was wrong.

Ethan saw it and was momentarily stunned. "So what?"

"So, your illness could be a misdiagnosis or something. In any case, your illness is not fatal." Lorna was very certain about this. The luck of a dying person would have black in it, but Ethan's luck vortex was yellowish-brown with hints of gold.

"Really? Are you serious? I still have hope?" Ethan became extremely excited.

Ethan's phone rang.

"Hello," Ethan answered the call. As time passed, Lorna watched his dark expression burst into joy, and she smiled.

It seemed the hospital had discovered a misdiagnosis.

Ethan hung up and excitedly told Lorna, "You're amazing! The doctor said an intern mixed up the blood samples and entered another patient's results as mine! So I don't have ALS. I'm not going to die!"

The hospital had asked Ethan to return for a re-examination.

However, Lorna could tell that Ethan was likely fine.

"Miss, you haven't finished, have you?" Ethan asked, noticing Lorna's expression.

Lorna nodded and smiled.

"But it's good news. Illness is connected to pain and death, but the opposite of death is life. Something you've been wanting to do will be a big success soon," Lorna told him directly.

Ethan looked incredulous. "Miss, I thought not having a serious illness was already very lucky."

Lorna chuckled, listening as Ethan finally began to tell his story.

Ethan, an orphan since childhood, only completed elementary school with the orphanage's support.

He made a living by collecting garbage, slowly saving money to pay for his middle school tuition. He was fortunate to meet a middle school teacher who took pity on him and covered his school expenses for three years.

Ethan managed to finish middle school, but his grades were not ideal. When he was about to enter high school, he realized he preferred doing business and making money.

So Ethan dropped out of school, using the money he had saved over three years to buy a second-hand bicycle.

At sixteen, after graduating from middle school, he began secretly learning the skills of a rotisserie chicken shop.

The shop owner had long noticed Ethan but never chased him away. Gradually, Ethan learned to make rotisserie chicken and even improved the recipe.

Perhaps it was talent; he saved some money by selling chicken and found a job opportunity in a big city.

Ethan wanted to see the world, change his fate, and become a respected person.