Crystal Nash fought down the chill in her heart, showing no intention of backing down.

The two of them faced off at the door, the atmosphere tense.

Just then, a car pulled over to the side of the road.

Hugh Hale got out of the car, his brow furrowed as he took in the scene.

"Kaden?"

Crystal’s expression softened slightly when she saw Hugh. "Hugh, you’re just in time. Tell him Wren doesn’t want to see him."

Kaden turned to look at Hugh, his expression filled with impatience.

Hugh sighed. "Kaden, calm down. Wren really isn’t in the country. She’s gone abroad."

"Abroad? Where?" Kaden demanded.

"I don’t know the exact address," Hugh answered honestly. "I only know she’s in Eldoria. Kaden, give her some space. You both need time to cool off and think."

"I don’t need to cool off, and she doesn’t need to think. Hugh, you know how it is. Women love to get a little jealous."

"Jealous? Haha, Kaden Xavier, you can’t seriously believe Wren left you just because she was jealous, can you?"

"And why not? She went after Seraphina time and again, trying to embarrass her. I was willing to overlook all that. But Seraphina is pregnant, and pregnant women are already emotionally volatile. How could she provoke someone in her condition!"

Kaden was convinced he’d done nothing wrong. He only wanted to protect Asher Lynch’s last bloodline.

Crystal scoffed. She crossed her arms, unwilling to waste another word on him, and turned to go back inside.

"Hugh, tell me. Where is she?"

"I really don’t know. She didn’t tell us, only that she went to Eldoria. If you’re that desperate to know, you can investigate it yourself."

Facing his old friend, this was all the advice Hugh could offer.

’Besides, hadn’t he already agreed to the divorce the other day?’

’So why was he acting so desperate to see Wren now?’

Kaden’s gaze darkened. "Fine."

Hugh opened his mouth to say something, but ultimately held his tongue, deciding not to mention the divorce.

’Maybe he’s just looking for Wren to finalize the settlement terms?’

Back at the office, Kaden Xavier immediately summoned Assistant Lynch. "Find out if my wife has gone to Eldoria."

Assistant Lynch quickly returned with an update. "Mr. Xavier, I’ve confirmed it. She is indeed in Valeria; she arrived this week. On another note, there’s an auction in Veridia this weekend featuring several fine collectibles. Would you be interested in attending?"

A glint of light flashed in Kaden’s eyes.

’An auction... Perhaps I can buy a gift to placate Wren. That way, she won’t be angry anymore.’

"Good."

"Arrange the trip," he said decisively. "And schedule a pre-flight check for tomorrow. I’ll be the pilot."

"Understood," Assistant Lynch replied respectfully.

...

「The final day of the academic conference.」

During a break in the conference, Leo Crowe hurried over.

Wren noticed him and looked up.

"Wren, an old friend of mine just arrived in Veridia, so I need to go pick him up," Leo Crowe said. "You guys head back to the hotel to rest. We’ll all have dinner together tonight."

"No problem," Wren replied with a smile.

After Leo Crowe left, Julian Hawthorne turned to Wren, his expression stern. "I need to speak with you. Follow me."

Wren’s heart clenched. Her intuition told her this was serious.

They went back to Julian Hawthorne’s room.

"Professor," Wren began tentatively.

"What are your plans now?" Julian Hawthorne asked, his expression solemn.

"Professor, I want to return to Moonwater Villa," Wren said, a trace of nervousness in her voice. "To continue my training under you."

Julian Hawthorne snorted coldly, his attitude detached. "Moonwater Villa is too small a temple to house a great deity like you."

"Professor, I’m sorry, I..."

"You married Kaden Xavier without a backward glance, and this is where it got you. You deserve every bit of this." Julian Hawthorne’s words were piercing; he made no effort to soften them just because Wren was a woman.

Wren lowered her gaze, her fists clenched tightly.

’She knew it was true. She deserved it!’

’And she was willing to pay the price.’

Seeing Wren standing there meekly with her head bowed, Julian Hawthorne took out a file and tossed it onto the table in front of her.

"Perform this surgery. Otherwise, don’t ever claim to be my student."

Wren took the file and scanned it quickly, her brow furrowing more and more as she read.

It was a case file for a patient with a rare congenital heart disease, complicated by multiple organ dysfunction syndrome.

The patient was a seven-year-old girl. The surgery was extremely high-risk, with a success rate of less than thirty percent.

"Professor, this is..."

’Wren didn’t understand what her professor was getting at.’

"This is your test," Julian Hawthorne said bluntly. "If you can successfully perform this surgery, I will agree to let you come back and study with me."

Wren stared at him in shock, her composure faltering. "But Professor, I haven’t performed a major operation like this in a very long time. I..."

"This is the condition. It’s also an opportunity. Of course, you can choose not to do it, in which case you needn’t bother coming back," Julian Hawthorne stated, utterly uncompromising.

Wren gripped the file, the papers in her hand feeling as heavy as lead.

’She knew this was an incredibly high-risk task.’

"When is the surgery?" she heard herself ask.

"Two weeks from now, at The Capital First Hospital."

Julian Hawthorne said, "The patient’s family has already consented to the operation, but they need a chief surgeon. If you’re willing, I will recommend you."

Wren felt a wave of dizziness wash over her.

’Two weeks to prepare for such a complex surgery... it was an almost insane proposition.’

"I’ll need the patient’s complete medical history and all test results," Wren said, her voice now calm. "Also, I’d like to consult with doctors who have handled similar cases."

A flicker of approval crossed Julian Hawthorne’s eyes. "The information is all here. Furthermore, I’ve already contacted several international experts who are willing to provide remote consultation."

Wren took a deep breath and said with firm resolve, "In that case, I accept this challenge."

"Very good," Julian Hawthorne said. "Starting now, you have two weeks to prepare. I’ll be in Veridia for two more days, so you can ask me any questions you have."

"Okay."

’She had to succeed.’

As Wren left Julian Hawthorne’s room, she ran right into Leo Crowe, who was just returning from outside. The person with him made her stop in surprise.

"Dr. Shaw, what are you doing here?!"

"Junior Sister, you know each other?"

Mason Shaw smiled faintly and said in a gentle voice, "Miss Wynter and I have met once before. I didn’t expect our paths to cross again so fortuitously."

The corner of Wren’s mouth twitched.

’She wasn’t some naive girl who would fall for a line like that.’

’Only yesterday, she’d told Mason Shaw she was Julian Hawthorne’s student, and today he shows up here with Leo Crowe.’

’His motive was obvious.’

"Third Senior Brother, I’m not feeling very well, so I’m going to head back to my room."

"Junior Sister, what’s wrong?" Leo Crowe asked with concern. "Did the professor give you a hard time again?"

Wren shook her head. She didn’t want to discuss important matters in front of an outsider.

’She trusted Leo Crowe, but that didn’t mean she trusted Mason Shaw.’

"Well, then..."

"Junior Sister." Shaun Quinn appeared suddenly. His deep-set eyes swept over the smiling Mason Shaw before he frowned. "I need to talk to you."

"Okay. Third Senior Brother, I’ll go with him now."

"Alright. After you’re done talking with Second Senior Brother, go back and get some rest."

"Okay."

With that, Wren followed Shaun Quinn into his room.

Mason Shaw watched Wren and Shaun Quinn’s retreating backs, a thoughtful expression on his face.

’Was it his imagination?’

’Why did he get the feeling she was avoiding him?’