Chapter 57 Encountering Alaric First
His deep eyes looked at her with an unusual seriousness.
Cordelia was momentarily speechless, then smiled wryly. "I was just about to tell you to drive safe."
She hadn't expected that before she could even say it, they'd get into an accident.
Alaric nodded slightly. "Sure thing."
"You should go ahead to work first."
Cordelia nodded, turned, and walked toward the hospital entrance.
As she reached the hospital doors, she stopped and glanced back. Alaric saw her turn and waved before getting back into the car.
Cordelia pressed her lips together, and before she could look away, she saw Janet approaching from the side.
Janet stood a short distance away, her eyes curiously examining Cordelia, then the spot where Alaric had been standing.
She looked confused, clearly puzzled by Cordelia and Alaric's behavior.
Cordelia gave her a brief glance before turning toward the elevator.
Janet hurried to catch up.
"Dr. Stone, did Alaric just drop you off?"
When Janet had been in the hospital before, Alaric often visited and occasionally brought Cordelia along. She'd always thought it was just convenient.
But today, Alaric had left immediately after dropping Cordelia off, without any intention of visiting Delphine.
In her mind, Janet conjured up a scandalous forbidden romance.
Cordelia nodded calmly.
Janet swallowed, her questions stuck in her throat, unable to process them.
She stared intently at Cordelia in silence.
The elevator doors opened, and Cordelia stepped inside.
Janet followed, hesitating for a long time before softly speaking.
"Dr. Stone, I remember you have a boyfriend, right?"
Cordelia didn't answer, standing quietly in the elevator, showing no interest in small talk.
She knew Janet had mistaken Dominic for her boyfriend.
She and Dominic were just friends; there was no need to explain to Janet.
Seeing Cordelia's silence, Janet bit her lip and softly asked, "When are you and your boyfriend planning to get married?"
Cordelia frowned, her gaze slowly settling on Janet.
"Ms. Martin, are we that close?"
Janet was taken aback by Cordelia's calm tone, standing stunned in the elevator.
When they reached the department, Cordelia walked out first.
Janet trailed after her, tempted to speak, yet restrained by the realization that her thoughts about Cordelia and Alaric were mere conjecture.
Besides, she had only asked about Cordelia's boyfriend, and Cordelia had already reacted.
She felt her guess must be right, but without evidence, it was better not to say too much to Cordelia.
With Rufus's situation still unresolved, Cordelia continued her routine check on Delphine.
As Cordelia stepped into the room, Delphine's face brightened with a radiant smile.
"Cordelia, you're here."
Cordelia nodded, her expression gentle, as she walked to Delphine's bedside to examine her.
Janet watched Cordelia's kind demeanor, so different from her guarded coldness in the elevator.
She sighed inwardly and looked at Delphine.
"Mrs. Jennings, do you know Dr. Stone?"
Delphine nodded. "Yes, we do."
"Cordelia is an exceptional young woman. If you hadn't met Alaric first, Cordelia might have been his first love." Delphine teased.
Janet felt her scalp tingle at this revelation.
She stared at Cordelia in shock for a long time.
Cordelia noticed Janet's startled expression and smiled.
"Mrs. Jennings, your joke seems to have scared Ms. Martin. Those youthful, impulsive days really aren't worth mentioning."
Delphine nodded in agreement, then pointedly looked at Janet.
"After all, Alaric is married now, and those past things truly aren't worth mentioning."
Janet, aware of Delphine's disdain for her past actions with Ruth, felt a pang of embarrassment.
Delphine had gone through hardships with Allan, breaking free from family constraints, and saw Janet's willingness to leave for money as a mockery of love.
Despite Janet's good behavior in front of them, Delphine could only subtly criticize her.
Janet bit her lip, her face pale.
Delphine's words dismissed not only Cordelia's past feelings for Alaric but also Janet's relationship with him.
Janet took a deep breath, remaining silent.
Cordelia also didn't respond, focusing on Delphine's checkup with a gentle tone.
"Mrs. Jennings, please don't talk for now. Let me finish the examination."
Delphine nodded, cooperating fully.
After the checkup, Cordelia gave some instructions and left the room.
Janet watched Cordelia leave, frowning, and quietly asked Delphine.
"Mrs. Jennings, what did you mean when you said if I hadn't met Alaric first, Dr. Stone would have been his first love?"
Delphine saw that Janet still cared about Alaric and hadn't let go.
"It's all old news. Since Dr. Stone said it's not worth mentioning, why bring it up?"
Janet, embarrassed, softly said, "I'm just curious."
Delphine glanced at her and calmly replied, "The year Aurora was seriously ill, Cordelia often visited her. She admired Alaric and greatly respected Aurora. She even vowed to become a doctor because of Aurora."
Janet was deeply shocked, her eyes filled with disbelief.
"You mean Dr. Stone became a doctor because of Ms. Rivera?"
Delphine nodded.
Janet took a deep breath, recalling the year she and Alaric first got together.
She had chosen a finance major.
Alaric had asked her why not medicine.
What had she said?
She said she wanted to be close to him, so she chose finance.
Delphine, feeling sleepy from her medication, gradually closed her eyes to rest.
Janet, her expression stiff, wanted to ask more but saw Delphine had already fallen asleep.
She took a deep breath, stood up, and went to get a cup of water to calm herself.
Standing by the water cooler, her hand trembled as she held the cup, unable to steady her emotions.