Noah

I lifted my foot and accidentally stepped on a pink plush rabbit-round and chubby, pale pink, with long floppy ears. I picked it up and put it back where it had been on the table.

I'd bought that toy for Emma back in college.

That day, I'd been wandering through the mall when I saw her growing visibly frustrated at a claw machine. I stopped and watched her for a while, saw how hard she was trying. She came so close so many times, but the toy always slipped and fell.

A faint smirk tugged at my mouth as I walked over to the token machine.

"Need some help?" I asked.

She turned around, eyes widening when she saw me.

"No," she said. "I'm just killing time."

I raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "All right. Mind if I give it a try?" I said casually.

She nodded. "Sure." Then she stepped aside to let me play.

I dropped in a token and won the plush toy she'd been chasing-with a single try.

"Wow!" she exclaimed.

I bent down, picked up the toy, and handed it to her. "It's ugly. I don't like it. You can have it," I said indifferently.

"It's not ugly at all. It's really cute," she said, stroking the toy. "Are you sure you don't want it?"

"Yeah. It doesn't suit me," I replied, trying to convince her.

She smiled. "Then I'll keep it. Thank you."

My interactions with Emma had always been like that-few and far between. She refused everything I tried to give her, but I always found excuses that left her no choice but to accept.

I knew how much she liked that toy, which was why I was genuinely shocked when she returned it to me.

When my sister handed me the package Emma had mailed back, something twisted painfully in my chest. The timing couldn't have been worse. My father and I had been in the middle of a heated argument. I'd come home on holiday, and he insisted I give up my studies in the UK and take over as CEO of the family business.

That only strengthened my resolve to become a doctor.

Especially after my brother Lucas started working at the company and openly stated that he wanted the CEO position. I didn't want to compete with him. We had a good relationship, and I didn't want business rivalry to destroy it.

While driving to the hospital one day, a little girl suddenly ran out in front of my car. I slammed on the brakes.

I jumped out immediately and rushed over to her. She looked up at me in terror, clutching a small puppy in her arms.

I knelt down and asked gently, "Are you hurt?"

I carefully lifted her up to check her for injuries. She seemed fine-just a few scrapes and bruises on her palms from breaking her fall.

Shaking her head, she continued holding the puppy tightly. "I'm fine, Dr. Morgan. But could you please check if the puppy is hurt?" she asked, looking at me pleadingly.

I frowned.

She looked familiar.

"Hannah," I murmured to myself.

I remembered her. She'd come to me for consultations before, though our schedules rarely aligned-I often saw her and her mother seeing other doctors instead.

"You're only worried about the dog?" I couldn't help scolding her. "Do you realize how dangerous that was? If I hadn't braked in time, you could've been hit by my car."

I looked around, wondering who she was with and why her guardian would allow her to dash out like that.

Hannah bit her lip, about to speak, when a woman shouted her name.

"Hannah!"

I turned and saw a woman running toward her. She wrapped Hannah tightly in her arms, clearly relieved once she realized her daughter was unharmed.

"Mom, I'm fine-and the puppy is fine too," Hannah said, showing her the dog.

Her mother noticed the bruises on Hannah's palms. As she hugged her again, a tear slid down her cheek.

She looked up at me, her face pale, still visibly shaken. I understood her reaction-any parent would be terrified to learn their child had nearly been hit by a car.

She seemed to want to say something, but hesitated. Maybe she was afraid I'd scold her too.

I spoke immediately, softening my tone. "Ms. Evans, there's no need to be nervous. I don't mean any harm. If I really did something wrong, I hope you'll tell me directly."

She bit her lip but didn't respond.

I stepped a little closer, lowering my voice. "Ms. Evans... have we really never met before?"

She shook her head at once. "We've only met at the hospital-and at Battery Park."

I studied her for a few seconds. When I saw no hesitation in her expression, I nodded and opened my car door.

"Get in. Let's go. I'll take you and your daughter to the hospital for a checkup."

"No... that's not necessary. I don't want to trouble you. I can take her myself," she refused firmly.

I frowned. There was something odd about her reaction. Normally, parents in situations like this would insist on going to the hospital-and hold the driver responsible.

"I'm a doctor," I said firmly. "A lot of accident victims look fine on the surface, but have dangerous internal injuries. If anything happens, I'll take responsibility."

"Hannah is my patient," I added.

Still hesitant, she had no real choice. She got into the car with Hannah and the puppy, sitting in the back seat.

I glanced at Hannah's mother. She looked much younger than her actual age-certainly not like the mother of a six-year-old. Her skin was very fair, even more so in the blue dress she was wearing. There was something inexplicably familiar about her, especially when I looked into her light brown eyes.

After we arrived at the hospital, I asked a nurse to assist Hannah with a series of tests.

She needed chest and abdominal CT scans. Since she was under my care, I accompanied her into the CT room.

"Dr. Morgan, your daughter looks exactly like you," one doctor joked.

"What?!" I exclaimed in shock. "She's not my daughter."

"Sorry, but you two really do look like father and daughter," the doctor said, puzzled.

Ms. Evans spoke up immediately. "You're mistaken. Hannah's father passed away a long time ago."

Passed away?

I looked at Ms. Evans, a deep sense of loss flashing through me. Just moments ago, a part of me had hoped Hannah might be my daughter. But Emma was gone-no one could be carrying my child.

Because after her, I hadn't slept with any woman.

I turned back to Ms. Evans. She looked tense.

"There's radiation in here," I said gently. "You can wait outside. I'll stay with her. Don't worry."

She nodded and stepped out.

As Hannah underwent the scans, whispers drifted around us.

"Who's the little girl with Dr. Morgan?"

"Is she his girlfriend's child?"

"Is that Dr. Morgan's type?"

"I don't think so. Didn't he say when he rejected Ava that he liked women with big breasts, fair skin, and long legs?"

"Really? I didn't know Dr. Morgan had such crude tastes."

"Most men do. Remember how much Ava did just to work in the same department as him-and how she completely lost it when he rejected her?"

"We should stop speculating. She's probably just a relative. The girl looks about five or six, and Dr. Morgan is nearly thirty. It's unlikely she's his child."

Hearing them whisper while Hannah was being examined, I could only shake my head. There was no point explaining anything.

The tests took several hours. Fortunately, everything came back normal-only bruises on her palms and knees bore witness to the accident. Knowing my young patient was truly fine, I finally felt relieved.

"Thank you for your help, Dr. Morgan," Ms. Evans said.

I handed her a business card. "This is my card. If Hannah needs anything, contact me anytime."

She looked conflicted, so I added, "Hannah's condition means emergencies can happen at any time."

"Thank you, Dr. Morgan," she said at last, taking the card.

I watched her walk away. For a moment, her silhouette overlapped with Emma's in my mind.

Was she really not Emma?

I had to find out.

I immediately asked William to help me hire a private investigator.

OLIVIA

"Mom, we forgot to get Coco."

I furrowed my brow. "Who's Coco?" I asked, a bit confused.

"It's the puppy I saved earlier. I named her Coco," Hannah explained.

We weren't too far from the hospital, and I could have asked the Uber driver to go back, but I didn't. I had been so anxious the whole time we were with Noah, especially in the hospital when almost all the medical staff kept commenting on how much my daughter resembled him.

"Hannah, don't ever do that again, do you understand? It's too dangerous," I scolded her, remembering the stunt she pulled to save the puppy.

I knew how kind and caring my daughter was, but I didn't want her to risk her life. I couldn't imagine what I would do if something happened to her.

"I know, Mom. I'm sorry. But the car wasn't going fast. It didn't hit me. I was just startled, that's why I fell and got these bruises," she reasoned.

"I don't care. It's still dangerous. Don't ever do that again, promise me," I said, my voice serious.

Hannah bit her lip and nodded. "Promise, Mommy."

"But... Mom, what about Coco? We left her in Doctor Morgan's car," she asked again, her concern for the puppy still evident.

Even though Noah gave me his number, I had no plans of contacting him again. Besides, Margareth would definitely not agree to keep a dog in the house-dogs can be noisy and might disturb her and the neighbors.

"Hannah, we can't keep Coco. Margareth might not like having a dog in her house," I explained.

Hannah lowered her head, looking disappointed. I knew how much she wanted a dog; she loved playing with them whenever we saw one on our walks in the park.

"After your surgery, I'll work hard to buy a house for us. Then, I'll get you a dog," I promised, hoping to comfort her.

"But that's not Coco," she muttered sadly.

When we got home, the disappointment was still visible on her face. I decided to distract her by playing with her so she could forget about the dog.

"Mom, did you hear the doctors and nurses saying I look like Doctor Morgan? It makes sense since he looks like Dad too," Hannah suddenly brought up.

I froze in my seat. "Hannah, listen to me, sweetie... Don't let anyone know that Doctor Morgan looks like your dad, especially not the people at the hospital," I told her firmly.

She looked at me with innocent eyes. "But why, Mommy?"

I sighed. "Because people might misunderstand, and it could affect Doctor Morgan's reputation. He's unmarried, and we can't put him in that kind of situation."

Hannah nodded and returned to her drawing. I glanced at it-she'd drawn a dog, one that looked strikingly similar to the puppy she had saved earlier. It wasn't perfect, but I could tell what she was trying to depict.

I couldn't bear to see the sadness on my daughter's face as she finished her drawing. So, I made a bold decision. I was going to call Noah.

I grabbed my phone, excused myself from Hannah, and went to the balcony to make the call about the dog.

"Hello, who's this?" a woman's voice answered.

I froze for a moment. It was a woman. My mind went blank, and I couldn't find my voice.

She said "Hello" a few more times before I regained my composure.

"Sorry, wrong number," I muttered quickly.

I was about to hang up when she spoke again. "No, you're not. You're calling Noah, right? He's in the shower. I'll tell him to call you back later."

"Okay, thank you," I replied quickly, then ended the call.

I sat in the chair on the balcony, trying to clear my thoughts. It was getting late, and Noah was still with her. She was probably Noah's girlfriend.

The woman's voice was warm and calm, which made it clear that Noah had a good relationship with her. She didn't even question why I was calling him so late.

It was no surprise that Noah had a girlfriend. Besides being good-looking and having a successful career, he also came from a great family.

I took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh air. I raised my head, letting my gaze drift toward the sky.

I knew I shouldn't let it bother me. Noah and I were a thing of the past. We were never actually in a relationship. If I hadn't blackmailed him, he never would have agreed to sleep with me.

I was pretty sure Noah had long forgotten that night-that one time in his life when he'd slept with a fat, ugly girl like me. I was nothing but a stain on his reputation.

As I stood up, a wave of dizziness hit me. My blood sugar was probably low, a result of the hypoglycemia I developed after giving birth. It flared up whenever I was overly tired, anxious, or stressed.

I almost dropped my phone when it suddenly rang, and I saw the caller ID. It was Noah.

I took a deep breath before answering.

"Hello, may I know who's calling and why did you call?" Noah's voice came through the line.

Before I could speak, I heard a woman's voice in the background.

"Be gentle, Noah. You're being too harsh."

I gripped the phone tighter, clenching my jaw. An image of Noah and the woman in his bed flashed in my mind.

I couldn't believe Noah was calling me while she was right there, probably flirting with his girlfriend.

"Hello?" Noah asked again, his voice more insistent.

"It's me, Dr. Morgan," I finally managed to say. "I just wanted to ask about the dog my daughter saved earlier."

There was a brief silence before Noah answered.

"I took the dog to my place," he replied flatly.

"Are you free tomorrow? Can I pick up the dog? My daughter really likes the dog..." I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

"I won't be available tomorrow," he said. "I have a business trip. I'll contact you next week."

"Okay," I muttered, pursing my lips. "Sorry to bother you."

Just as I was about to end the call, Noah's deep voice came through the receiver again. "May I know your name, so I can save your number?"

"Olivia," I replied, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Olivia... Hmm, okay."

After the call, I went back to the living room where my daughter was. She looked so sleepy, her eyes barely open. I picked her up and carried her to her room, gently patting her to sleep. I placed her favorite pink rabbit doll in her arms, tucking her in.

As I was tidying up her things, I noticed her finished drawing. I sighed.

I couldn't wait for next week. But for now, I would just buy my daughter a new dog tomorrow.

NOAH

I promised my family I would make time for them. After Hannah's checkup, I headed straight to my house in Atherton.

My initial plan was to spend the whole day with my family, but I texted my sister to let her know what happened today and that I would be late.

Fortunately, the tests were completed before it got dark, so I could still spend some time with them.

I brought the dog with me since Hannah and her mom forgot to pick it up. I'll leave the dog in Atherton because I have a business trip tomorrow. I already arranged for someone to take Milo so my family can care for him while I'm away.

While I was taking a shower, I heard my phone ring. I asked my sister, who was in my room, to answer it for me, just in case it was a call from the hospital.

"Who called?" I asked my sister after finishing my shower.

She grinned. "It's a woman," she teased.

"I told her you were in the shower and that you'd call her back. She didn't tell me her name," she added.

I grabbed my phone to check who called. The number wasn't saved, so it might have been a patient or a guardian. I dialed the number while drying my hair with a towel.

It took a while before she answered. "Hello, may I know who's calling and why did you call?" I said as soon as she picked up.

My sister leaned closer. "Be gentle, Noah. You're being too harsh," she said in a playful tone.

I shook my head. The girl didn't respond right away, so I spoke again. "Hello?" I said, my voice more insistent.

"It's me, Dr. Morgan," she finally replied. "I just wanted to ask about the dog my daughter saved earlier."

I froze for a moment as I heard her soft voice. She sounded like Emma, but maybe I was just imagining it because I'd been thinking about her a lot lately. Still, their voices were so similar.

"I took the dog to my place," I replied flatly.

"Are you free tomorrow? Can I pick up the dog? My daughter really likes the dog..." she asked.

"I won't be available tomorrow," I said. "I have a business trip. I'll contact you next week."

"Okay," she murmured. "Sorry to bother you."

"May I know your name so I can save your number?" I asked before the call ended.

"Olivia," she said softly.

"Olivia... Hmm, okay."

"Is she your patient? She sounded young and pretty. Is she single? Next time she calls, be nice to her. Is this her dog?" My sister fired off a series of questions as soon as the call ended.

I tossed my phone onto the bedside table and went back to drying my hair.

"Madison, when did you become so gossipy?" I asked, not wanting to answer her.

"I'm just concerned about you," she replied innocently.

I smiled faintly and threw the towel on the sofa. My short black hair was tousled, slightly falling over my forehead.

"I didn't know you had X-ray vision now. You can tell if someone is pretty just by listening to their voice. Since you have that talent, why don't you quit our company and work at a special center? You'd be a great fit with your new 'powers,'" I said sarcastically.

Madison ignored my remarks. "Is she pretty?" she asked instead.

"Ugly," I said simply, sitting on the sofa and opening my laptop to check some medical records.

She gave me a knowing look. "She must be pretty," she concluded, then passed by me and sat next to me.

"Olivia is a nice name. Do you have her picture? Let me see."

My forehead furrowed as I turned to her. "When did you become like Mom?" I said.

She just grinned at me.

I sighed. "She's not my patient, okay? Her daughter is. Hannah, her daughter, has congenital heart disease."

"Oh, is she married?" The disappointment in her voice was evident.

"Why don't you just meet Isabel? After all, her family is close to ours," Madison suggested after realizing she couldn't push me on Olivia.

"I've already met her. We even exchanged numbers," I told her.

"So you can tell Mom that I've already done what I promised her," I added.

I knew this was why my sister was here-she needed information to pass on to our mom.

Madison looked at me intently, then grabbed my phone from my bed and started scrolling through the messages we exchanged.

"Noah, are you busy today? I have two concert tickets."

"Busy."

"Noah, I have a friend who has a heart problem. Can I consult you about it?"

"Registration."

"Noah, I heard you're off this Saturday. Let's watch a movie together."

"On duty."

My sister slapped me on the shoulder. "What kind of conversation is this, Noah Ezekiel?"

I chuckled. "At least I replied."

"Can you make an effort to get to know her? Mom promised you that after you got married, she'd give you more shares in the company, and your future wife would get a share too," she said, trying to convince me.

I shook my head. "I'm content being a doctor. I don't need more shares in the company. You and Lucas are already doing a great job running it."

"Tss... I know you like being a doctor, but I also know that if you wanted to, you could easily run the company. You just don't want to hurt Lucas," my sister said, a knowing look in her eyes.

She had a point. We never treated Lucas as anything less than a real brother. That's why I'd never fought for the CEO position.

"But Mom wants you to settle down. She's doing this not just for herself, but for you too," my sister said, her voice filled with genuine concern.

I simply nodded in response.

"Can you at least tell me what your 'type' is? If you don't like Isabel, we can introduce you to other daughters of our family friends," she pressed, still not giving up.

"Big breasts, slim waist, long legs, fair skin. Oh, and I don't like girls who are too thin or too glamorous, and they can't be too short either. Preferably around 168 cm," I said, listing off the usual traits I tell to others.

She started listing girls who might meet my standards, and I couldn't help but smirk. But my smirk quickly faded when she mentioned a name.

"Emma Cooper."

My expression soured, and I felt a tightness in my chest. I slammed my laptop shut and pointed to the door. "Leave," I said, my voice cold and steady.

OLIVIA

A week had passed in the blink of an eye. We secured another major client, and I was determined to close this deal. Once it was finalized, it would be a huge help with my daughter's surgery, in addition to the deal I closed with Mere and Line.

"Hey, guys, have you heard the news about Isabel?" Jessica asked as we wrapped up our team meeting.

"What's the scoop?" Ella asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Isabel has a boyfriend," Jessica replied, her tone dripping with intrigue. "From what I've heard, it's an arranged marriage. The guy's family comes from a powerful background in the US, particularly in California. And get this-the family lives in Atherton."

Everyone's eyes widened in amazement. Who wouldn't? Atherton is an exclusive, affluent town in California, famous for its luxurious homes, sprawling estates, and high-profile residents.

I couldn't help but think of Noah. His family also lived in Atherton.

I might not approve of Isabel's work ethic, but her personal life is none of my business.

"If Olivia could charm someone as powerful as Isabel's boyfriend, then I wouldn't have to work so hard. I could just live off you," Jessica teased, shaking my arm playfully.

I smirked at her. "Just so you know, I already have a child. So, you can forget about that dream."

Even if Hannah weren't part of my life, what Jessica was suggesting still felt impossible. I had never seen myself as attractive or charming. Even though I got compliments from people-sometimes even strangers-after losing weight, I still struggled to see myself that way.

Maybe it was because of the humiliation I faced when I was overweight. It left me with an inferiority complex and chipped away at my self-confidence.

"So what if you have a child?" Jessica insisted, lifting my chin to meet her gaze. "What the world really lacks now is natural beauty."

She smiled, her tone light and teasing. "If I were a man, I'd definitely be into a girl like you-gentle, beautiful, and naturally stunning."

Then, without missing a beat, she casually placed her hand on my waist. "And your waist... it's so slender. How do you manage to keep your body like that?"

I gently patted her hand and chuckled. "Alright, enough of this. Let's wrap up this meeting, apply what we've discussed, and finalize everything in our next one."

Since it was already lunchtime, we all decided to grab a bite together. As we sat down at the restaurant, I remembered to check my phone-it had been on silent during the meeting.

But when I saw Noah's missed call, I suddenly lost my appetite.