Leticia, standing nearby, found the conversation between the two increasingly irritating.
She stepped forward and said sarcastically, "Hassan, don't rush to thank her. Grandpa has been sick for so long, and no one has been able to cure him. Now Miss Jones comes and solves it just like that? I don't believe it. I need to check on Grandpa."
With that, she forcefully pushed past Deanna and followed Mr. and Mrs. Walsh into the room.
Hassan frowned deeply, his eyes filled with displeasure. He turned to Deanna and apologized, "I'm sorry, my cousin has been spoiled by her parents since childhood. Please don't take it to heart."
"It doesn't matter, you should go in and check on Old Walsh too," Deanna replied calmly.
Hassan nodded and entered the room. As soon as he stepped in, he was hit by a foul odor in the air.
Mr. and Mrs. Walsh stood by the bed and smelled the stench. Knowing its cause, they said nothing. Leticia, however, couldn't stand it the moment she entered.
"What is that smell? Why is it so awful?" she exclaimed, covering her nose with her hand.
Mr. and Mrs. Walsh and Hassan looked at her with displeased expressions.
Ernest scolded lightly, "If you can't stand it, leave. No one is forcing you to stay here."
Hearing this and seeing the disapproval on her parents' and cousin's faces, Leticia quieted down. But when she saw her grandfather looking more lethargic than ever, she found an outlet for her frustration and turned to Deanna.
"Miss Jones, is this what you call cured? My grandfather looks worse than ever. Are you just pretending to treat him because you think we don't understand medicine? Let me tell you, if anything happens to my grandfather because of your treatment, I won't let you off!"
Deanna looked at her speechlessly, wondering how this woman's mind worked.
Mr. and Mrs. Walsh and Hassan remained silent, also noticing Old Walsh's deteriorating condition and waiting for Deanna's explanation.
Old Hughes stood nearby with a grim expression but said nothing. He wanted to give Deanna a chance to handle it herself, though his impression of his old friend's granddaughter couldn't be worse.
Old Walsh lay in bed, wanting to scold his embarrassing granddaughter but unable to speak due to his earlier vomiting fit. He could only glare angrily.
Leticia didn't notice her grandfather's glare and smugly thought she had found a reason to trouble Deanna. She pressed on, "Why aren't you saying anything? Feeling guilty?"
"Guilty of what?" Deanna scoffed coldly, looking at her disdainfully. "Miss Walsh, it's a pity you are brainless. And worse, you keep reminding everyone of this fact. Do you know how much trouble you're causing me?"
Hassan couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Old Hughes also couldn't suppress a smile, thinking that Deanna's insults were sharp yet clean.
Mr. and Mrs. Walsh's faces darkened; after all, Deanna was talking about their daughter. But they had no grounds to scold Deanna since their daughter had provoked her first.
Leticia was furious at Deanna's words, her chest heaving with anger.
"You wretch! Who are you calling brainless?" she shouted, raising her hand to slap Deanna.
Luckily, Hassan intervened just in time. He grabbed Leticia's hand and threw it aside forcefully, scolding angrily, "Have you had enough?"
"What do you mean enough? This wretch insulted me first!" Leticia felt extremely wronged and glared at Deanna with hatred.
Deanna frowned deeply, her expression darkening.
Before she could say anything, Old Hughes suddenly spoke with a tone full of sarcasm. "Old Walsh, is this the kind of upbringing your family has? I've learned something new today-a so-called lady who can't stop calling others wretches."
His words left no room for Old Walsh's dignity.
Old Walsh lay in bed, his face turning red with anger. He clutched the sheets and rasped out, "Apologize!"
But even those two simple words made him cough violently as if he would cough up his lungs.
Mr. and Mrs. Walsh rushed forward to comfort him anxiously. "Dad, don't speak anymore. We'll handle this; we won't let Dr. Deanna be wronged."
"Yes, Dad, please calm down," Ernest also urged, clearly angry at his daughter.
Old Walsh managed to calm down a bit after hearing their words. He glared at Leticia and signaled Mr. and Mrs. Walsh to deal with it quickly.
Mr. and Mrs. Walsh turned to Leticia with stern faces and ordered, "Apologize to Dr. Deanna!"