Chapter 36 : Do I Know You?
Looking back at them, Allison slowly picked up her notebook, stood up, and walked to the bedside with a docile expression. “Madam, are you feeling any discomfort?”
Madam Berry’s eyes narrowed as she looked Allison over from head to toe. Allison could vaguely sense the old woman judging her with a silent hostility.
As expected, Madam Berry frowned. “Do I know you?”
“No, ma’am. But you knew my father, Nelson. He treated you five years ago.”
The old woman remembered. Years ago, she had suffered unbearable headaches, and no doctor could help. It had been Nelson who finally cured her.
“He passed away, didn’t he?”
“Yes. But before he died, he asked me to finish the treatments he couldn’t complete. A few days ago, I went through his notes again and realized your symptoms would flare up soon. That’s why I came last night.”
At her words, not only did Madam Berry’s expression stiffen, but even the maids looked at Allison with clear disbelief.
That sounded ridiculous. Her father had been dead for five years. What, had he sent her a message from the afterlife?
Plenty of people had tried to get close to Madam Berry, but none had ever come up with something this absurd.
Allison remained composed. “Madam, if you recall, my father once said your condition could not be cured in a single treatment. It would need to be reassessed in five years.”
Jareth observed Allison carefully, trying to figure out if she was putting on another act.
After all, she did have a history.
Madam Berry’s eyes flickered slightly. It was hard for her to remember exactly what Nelson had said back then. Once the symptoms were gone, who would bother paying attention to follow-up warnings?
Jareth paused, then his eyes sharpened. “So this illness is going to come back?”
Allison replied quickly. “It will. And it will be worse than before.”
Jareth frowned, and his expression darkened.
But Madam Berry waved her hand, clearly impatient. “Everly, pay Ms. Rogers for her visit. Let her go home and rest.”
Her face was cold. It was clear she did not like Allison.
“Madam,” Allison tried to reason with her, “I’m not exaggerating. Your condition hasn't been fully cured—”
But Madam Berry quickly interrupted her. “How old are you? Do you really think you’re the only one in the capital who can treat me?”
“I have other choices, dear!”
At that point, Allison could no longer insist on staying. She gave a small nod and followed the maid, Everly, out of the room.
As they walked away, Allison asked softly, “Miss, if you don’t mind me asking… did I do something to offend Madam Berry?”
She remembered coming to this house as a child with her father. Back then, Madam Berry had been warm toward her. She had even given her a small gift. Why had everything changed so suddenly?
Everly did not have a real answer. “I don’t know either. Madam is usually in a good mood. Maybe you were just unlucky today.”
As Allison walked out of the Berry residence, she paused and added, “Here’s my contact information. If there’s any emergency, feel free to reach out.”
Even though Madam Berry had clearly disliked her, Everly had seen Allison work through a frightening night, and she secretly admired her. She accepted the note.
But when she looked at it, she was confused. Most people left a phone number. Allison had written an email address instead.
Allison did not head home right away. She walked slowly down the street, still bothered.
Why had Madam Berry reacted so harshly towards me? Allison wondered.
Could it be because she had rejected the arranged marriage with the Berry family’s grandson? Was the Madam taking offense on his behalf?
But from what she had heard, Madam Berry did not get along with her son’s family at all. Even last night, when she was critically ill, not a single member of the Berry family had appeared. Jareth had been the only one who really cared.
So what was Jareth’s connection to Madam Berry?
Allison was still lost in thought when a startled voice rang out nearby. “Hey, watch out!”
Someone bumped into her. Her grip loosened, and her bag fell to the ground.
“Allison?” Nigel looked at her in surprise, then quickly reached out to balance a middle-aged man. “Mr. Todd, are you okay?”
Gabriel Todd waved a hand to show he was fine. Then he turned toward Allison and stared at her carefully. “What did you just call her, Mr. Rogers?”
From behind Gabriel, Sherrie hurried forward and shot Allison a nervous look.
She had been using Allison’s name in public, and now Nigel had slipped up.
Gabriel Todd was a major pharmaceutical tycoon, someone Sherrie had long wanted to work with. The last thing she needed was for the identity swap to be exposed. “Mr. Todd, my brother was calling me,” she interrupted quickly.
Realizing his mistake, Nigel quickly corrected himself. “That’s right.”
Gabriel looked back and forth between the two of them. Something about their explanation felt off. He did not pursue it further. Instead, he bent down and picked up the canvas bag Allison had dropped.
As he did, an old notebook slipped out and fell open on the pavement. His eyes narrowed when he saw the pages.
He leaned down for a closer look. A pale, slender hand suddenly grabbed both the notebook and the bag from his hands.
Gabriel looked up and saw Allison standing stiff and guarded.
“You…” Nigel started, then stopped himself. He had almost slipped again.
He quickly changed his tone. “Do you have any manners?”
Turning to Gabriel, he offered an apologetic smile. “Mr. Todd, she’s just a distant cousin. A little unstable. Please don’t take it personally.”
To make sure Allison said nothing else, Nigel pinched the inside of her arm behind his back. It was subtle, but the warning was sharp.
The sudden pain brought tears to Allison’s eyes, but she stayed silent and refused to react.
Sherrie, smiling brightly, invited him. “Mr. Todd, shall we continue our discussion over here?”
Once Gabriel walked away with Sherrie, Nigel turned back with a scowl. “Sherrie and I have work to do. Carlos will take you home.”
Allison gripped her bag tightly and looked up at the grand hotel behind them. Nigel and Sherrie stood proudly, dressed in luxury, using the Rogers family name to mingle with people like Gabriel Todd.
And her?
Introduced as a mentally ill distant cousin. Even after saving someone’s life, all she received was coldness.
Status really was everything.