CHAPTER 127: CHAPTER 127: EUROPEAN HEADQUARTERS

Late at night, the master bedroom was lit only by a dim bedside lamp.

Jean Ellison sat leaning against the bed, the light from her phone reflecting off her pale yet exceptionally calm face.

Jesse was sleeping soundly beside her, breathing evenly.

She opened the chat with Leah Sutton, their last exchange lingering on Leah’s cold threat and her own firm response.

Her fingers hovered over the screen for a moment, then she began to type, each word struck slowly and resolutely.

"I’ll think of another way for the IVF, but it won’t be free."

She pressed send and then waited quietly.

A few seconds later, Leah replied with a question mark.

Jean continued typing, laying out her terms clearly.

"I want to be transferred to the Headquarters, the European Headquarters, bringing Jesse with me. You need to use your Sutton family’s resources and connections to ensure this goes smoothly and provide me with a position and salary that sufficiently match."

She paused, adding in a well-reasoned and indisputable explanation.

"You’re right, Jesse is of the Holden family’s bloodline. She deserves the best living conditions and educational resources. Europe is more suitable for her growth, and it can avoid unnecessary trouble and risks to the greatest extent."

After sending this message, there was a brief silence from the other side.

It seemed Leah was also weighing her options.

Jean did not rush, just waited quietly.

She knew her terms were sudden, but she caught Leah’s weak spot.

Leah needed her willing cooperation and, more so, Jesse to be out of the Holdens’ sight.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, Leah replied, her tone still bearing her usual scrutiny.

"Quite the appetite, European Headquarters? Do you know what that means?"

Jean typed expressionlessly.

"I know, that’s why it’s a transaction. You help me achieve what I want, and I’ll help you with what you need, a win-win."

Leah: "Why should I believe that once you’re in Europe, you won’t contact Justin Holden anymore? The distance is long, and if you change your mind, what can I do about it?"

Jean had anticipated this question and replied promptly.

"You might not trust me, but it’s your only option for now. Forcing me into a corner here does you no good. Letting Jesse and me leave makes things simpler. With distance, there’s less contact, and the exposure risk naturally decreases. As for ensuring compliance with our agreement, don’t you have ways? Like the backup of that report."

She threw the choice back to Leah, also implying that she was open to a certain degree of surveillance and restraint.

This time, Leah replied quickly, seemingly having made up her mind.

"Fine, I agree. I’ll start the process soon to get you a position at the Headquarters, but you better remember what you’ve said. If you play tricks, even in Europe, I have ways to make you and your daughter pay the price."

Jean looked at the screen, reading the threatening acceptance, feeling no relief, only a heavier burden.

She took a deep breath and typed the final two words.

"Deal."

Then she turned off her phone screen and tossed it onto the bedside table.

The room turned completely dark, with only the faint light from outside filtering in.

She turned to her side, looking at her daughter’s peaceful sleeping face, gently touching her cheek.

Leaving for an entirely new place, cutting off all ties here.

This might be, for now, the best way she could think of to protect Jesse.

The next morning, Justin Holden had just finished a long international video conference when there was a knock on the office door.

Zoe Holden pushed the door open, her face wearing her usual smile.

"Justin, you done with work? You forgot about making time this morning, didn’t you?"

Zoe walked to his desk, tapping her fingers as a reminder.

Justin looked up at her, rubbing his temples, his face showing a hint of fatigue: "What is it?"

He truly didn’t recall Zoe making any prior arrangements.

"What else could it be? It’s a serious matter, of course." Zoe sighed, her tone concerned, "I scheduled a comprehensive health check-up with Senior Doctor Thorne for you. It was hard to get an appointment. You remember Elder Thorne, right? Very close with our grandfather, hardly sees patients personally nowadays."

Justin frowned: "A health check-up? I have a routine check-up every year, I’m healthy, there’s no need to specially..."

"It’s necessary!" Zoe interrupted, her tone becoming heavier, "What you’re getting are routine check-ups, not the same. Elder Thorne looks more thoroughly and focuses more on your overall health."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over his face, hinting at something, "Besides, you’re almost thirty, and about to get married. Having a comprehensive check-up in advance is being responsible for yourself and for your future partner, isn’t it?"

Justin’s expression instantly turned cold, his voice lowering: "I told you, I’m not getting married."

Zoe seemed not to hear his denial and continued to persuade with emotional appeal.

"Justin, don’t be so stubborn. Mom and Dad are getting older, don’t you care if they’re constantly worrying about you? At their age, what if something happens because of the stress? Just do it to ease their minds, would you?"

She stepped forward, softening her tone, with a sisterly concern and nagging.

"Moreover, bringing you here for the examination was mom’s idea. She knows you’re busy and found it hard to speak directly to you, so she asked me to arrange it. Senior Doctor Thorne is very skilled and absolutely reliable. Just consider it for the family’s peace of mind and cooperate, okay?"

Justin Holden looked at Zoe Holden in silence, his jawline tense.

He disliked this feeling of being arranged, especially when it involved private medical examinations.

But Zoe Holden brought up their parents, and the concern in her voice didn’t seem fake.

In the end, he didn’t say anything more, which amounted to consent.

Zoe Holden immediately broke into a smile, "That’s more like it. Come, the car is waiting downstairs."

The private hospital’s VIP floor was serene and elegant, almost devoid of other patients.

Senior Doctor Thorne, around seventy, was energetic and amiable.

The examination process was meticulous and lengthy, ranging from a basic physical checkup to detailed inquiry, even including some reproductive health consultations and preliminary checks.

Although Justin Holden cooperated, his expression remained cold throughout, speaking sparingly, and only giving brief answers when the doctor inquired.

Zoe Holden waited outside the whole time, and as soon as she saw her brother finishing all the examinations, she hurriedly approached him, "How was it? What did Senior Doctor Thorne say?"

"Everything is normal."

Justin Holden gave a terse, concise response, clearly not wanting to elaborate, and walked straight towards the elevator.

Zoe Holden followed behind, breathing a slight sigh of relief, unable to help herself from nagging again, "It’s good everything’s normal, just good. But Senior Doctor Thorne must have some advice on adjustment, right? I’ll have the assistant get the detailed report later..."

The two took the exclusive elevator downstairs and left the hospital.

Shortly after Justin and Zoe Holden’s car left the hospital’s underground parking lot, Leah Sutton appeared on the same VIP floor of the hospital.

She was dressed discreetly today, wearing sunglasses, and walked straight to Senior Doctor Thorne’s office.

The young nurse at the door seemed to have been informed ahead of time, letting Leah in without much inquiry.

Senior Doctor Thorne had just seen off the previous "patient" and was sorting through medical records. Upon seeing Leah Sutton, he was slightly taken aback, "Miss Sutton? How come you..."

Leah Sutton removed her sunglasses, her face adorned with a poised yet distant smile, and got straight to the point, "Elder Thorne, sorry to disturb you. I came today to inquire about in vitro fertilization."

Senior Doctor Thorne looked even more puzzled, "In vitro fertilization? Miss Sutton, you mean..."

Leah Sutton took a sealed document bag from her handbag, placed it on the table, and pushed it towards him, her tone as calm as if discussing an ordinary business matter.

"I know you have a complete set of reproductive health test samples and data for Justin Holden here. I hope to use his sperm, along with the egg I provide, to carry out in vitro fertilization."

Senior Doctor Thorne’s face changed instantly upon hearing this, and he stood up abruptly, his gray eyebrows tightly knitted, "Miss Sutton, this is sheer nonsense. Does Mr. Holden know about this? It doesn’t comply with regulations and violates medical ethics."

Leah Sutton seemed to have anticipated his reaction and remained unperturbed.

She put her sunglasses back on, hiding the emotions in her eyes, her voice maintained a calm yet undeniably pressuring tone.

"Elder Thorne, please don’t rush to refuse. Justin and I are in a relationship, and both of our parents not only consent but are pleased with it. It’s just that..."

She paused just right, her tone carrying a hint of unspeakable helplessness and bitterness.

"It’s just that I have some physical issues, making natural conception difficult. Justin is too busy with work, and his nature is proud. I don’t want him distracted by this, nor do I want outsiders to know and hurt each other’s dignity. So, I wish to do it privately and beg you to keep it confidential and help us with this favor."

At that moment, the office door was gently pushed open, and Zoe Holden, who should have already left, returned, as if she had forgotten something.

She happened to catch Leah Sutton’s last words.

Zoe Holden’s expression shifted multiple times, casting a complex look at Leah Sutton, then at Senior Doctor Thorne, who was visibly shocked and troubled.

She promptly walked in, closed the door, and with a composed smile, sought to smooth things over, "Elder Thorne, please don’t mind her. Leah is out of options, and this is indeed difficult to speak about. Girls can be shy and don’t want the whole world to know. For the sake of the relationship between our families, could you extend us some courtesy? The expenses are definitely not an issue."

As she spoke, Zoe Holden naturally took a thick, open envelope out of her handbag, discreetly yet clearly slipping it into the pocket of Senior Doctor Thorne’s white coat.

Senior Doctor Thorne’s face turned even more grave. He wanted to refuse, but Zoe Holden’s gaze stopped him.

Zoe Holden lowered her voice, her tone carrying the plea and the characteristic grace of high society.

"Elder Thorne, family scandals shouldn’t be exposed. This concerns the future of both children and the reputations of the two families. Consider it doing a favor for the Holdens and the Sutton family, and please keep it confidential. We will remember this favor."

Senior Doctor Thorne looked at the two women before him, one seemingly helpless yet actually manipulative, the other with a smiling face yet offering bribery and applying pressure.

In his many years of practice, he was well aware of the filth behind these affluent families, and with Zoe Holden present—she, being Justin Holden’s sister, counted as immediate family—her words represented the intentions of the Holden family.

Ultimately, he let out a heavy sigh, as if drained of all his strength, and collapsed back into his chair, refraining from looking at the burning envelope in his pocket, and neither outright refusing nor agreeing.

He simply, silently locked Justin Holden’s medical report in his drawer.

Leah Sutton and Zoe Holden exchanged a knowing glance.

"Then we’ll leave it in your hands, Elder Thorne."

Leah Sutton put on her sunglasses again, hiding all her emotions, her tone reverting to its usual elegant coldness, and turned to leave the office.

Zoe Holden exchanged a few more polite words with Senior Doctor Thorne, then hurriedly followed.

Inside the office, only the old doctor remained, staring at the locked drawer, his expression gloomy, speechless for a long time.