Chapter 656 - 652: The Fitting

Soon, Cecilia Sterling and Emeric Grant arrived as well.

"Mr. Grant."

Cecilia stepped forward to greet him and express her thanks. "We’ve really put you through a lot of trouble."

"No trouble at all, no trouble at all." Mr. Grant waved his hands dismissively, his smile exceptionally warm. "It’s nothing worth mentioning. Everyone, please follow me inside. We just need to get you registered and handle the admission procedures."

And so, the large group followed Mr. Grant into the hospital.

As they walked, Mr. Grant introduced the hospital to them. It was a high-end private hospital with a stellar reputation throughout the country. While the prices were steep, its medical resources and team of physicians were among the nation’s best.

The environment, facilities, and service were all first-class.

Mr. Grant led them directly to the hospital room.

It was a private, high-end VIP room with its own bathroom. The room also had a balcony, and the floor-to-ceiling windows offered a direct view of the garden behind the hospital.

The outer area was a living room, complete with a sofa, coffee table, and a table with chairs. Family members staying overnight could sleep in the living room.

The other basic facilities were just as comprehensive.

"There are two buttons by the head of the bed. The red one calls the nurses’ station, and the blue one rings a bell in the living room to call for family. It’s very convenient."

The environment here was just like a five-star hotel. Yvonne Sterling’s heart was filled with unease as she whispered, "This must be very expensive."

"Don’t you worry about the money. You’re here for treatment, and what treatment doesn’t cost money?" Jasmine Sterling patted her sister’s hand reassuringly.

Before long, a young nurse came to the room to help Yvonne Sterling with her admission paperwork.

After everything was in order, Mr. Grant took the documents from the nurse’s hands to look them over. Finally, he spoke up, "This discount is wrong. Use my authority to apply the maximum discount."

"Of course, Director Grant."

Hearing this, Cecilia quickly interjected, "Mr. Grant, I already told Emeric that while we’re bringing my aunt here for treatment, we insist on paying the full, regular fees."

Although Mr. Grant was a deputy director, the hospital wasn’t his, after all.

’If she received a huge discount... money wasn’t an issue for her, and she didn’t want to—nor did she need to—owe such a huge favor over it.’

"Oh, come on, we’re all family here. Don’t worry about such things," Mr. Grant said with a cheerful laugh.

Before Cecilia could say anything more, Emeric took the initiative to explain. "Dad, I already promised Cecilia. Didn’t I tell you about this?"

"Er..." Seeing his son’s expression, Mr. Grant had no choice but to nod. "Fine, we’ll do it your way."

"You’ve already helped us so much, Mr. Grant. I’m incredibly grateful. Thank you," Cecilia said with a smile before turning to the young nurse. "I’ll go with you to pay the fees."

The nurse glanced at Director Grant. Seeing no reaction from him, she nodded. "Alright, please follow me."

Emeric followed them out. "My dad just loves to make decisions for other people."

"I know. He means well, and I appreciate the thought."

With that, Yvonne Sterling was officially admitted. The next morning, she would undergo a series of comprehensive examinations, after which the hospital would formulate the most suitable treatment plan based on the final results.

「In the blink of an eye, it was February.」

The Lunar New Year was approaching, and Lorcain was already blanketed in snow, with daily temperatures hovering around twenty degrees below zero Celsius.

It was not only cold but also extremely dry.

Ethan Sterling’s esports team was still making no progress. Having failed to form a proper roster, they missed this season’s winter tournament. However, Ethan wasn’t anxious. He continued to send recruitment invitations to Helen White every few days.

The preliminary round of the Intercollegiate Physics Olympiad concluded before the winter break. The five-person team from Lorcain Tech miraculously all advanced to the next round—a first in the university’s history. Cecilia Sterling placed first in the city, while Elias Warner had the lowest score of the group, just barely scraping past the cutoff line to advance.

Due to a change in the schedule, the second round, which was usually held half a month after the preliminaries, would now be held after March.

That day, at Locke Entertainment.

Lily Sterling rushed into the company, only to find the conference room was already full.

But it wasn’t a meeting. The Golden Magpie Award ceremony was fast approaching, and ever since Lily had received her nomination, Connie had been leveraging her fashion connections to have two custom gowns made for her for the event.

One for the red carpet, and one for the main ceremony.

"Connie."

"Lily, come here. Let me make some introductions." Connie called Lily over and first introduced her to the number one designer for Cathay’s haute couture brands. "This is Ms. Leila Smithson."

Leila Smithson’s name was not only renowned in international fashion and entertainment circles but was also legendary among fan communities. If an idol wore one of her haute couture designs, their fans would brag about it for three years straight.

Lily Sterling was both flattered and overwhelmed; she had long admired Leila Smithson. "It’s an honor to meet you, Ms. Smithson."

As an artist possessing both fame and talent, Leila Smithson was inherently arrogant. She had initially looked down on Lily Sterling. Despite two nominations, Lily was, in the end, just a newcomer.

Her designs were worn only by A-list superstars, both domestic and international. Even someone like Heather Keaton had to practically beg for the chance to wear one of her creations.

Connie had tried to persuade her for a long time, to no avail.

But in the end, someone had thrown an astronomically priced check at her head, leaving her no choice but to agree.

’Because the number on that check was large enough to buy her principles.’

’People say money can make ghosts turn millstones, right?’

’She had no idea if ghosts would do it, but for that check, she sure as hell did!’

Leila Smithson first looked Lily over with arrogant eyes before extending her hand, her fingertips barely brushing Lily’s in a handshake.

’Her raw materials are pretty good,’ Leila thought, ’but her presence isn’t strong enough. Luckily, this design isn’t focused on projecting power, so it should accentuate her good points.’

"Enough chitchat. Let’s try on the dress," she said.

Hearing this, an assistant standing nearby quickly came forward. "Ms. Sterling, please come with me to try on the gown."

Lily Sterling nodded and followed the assistant to Connie’s office next door. Yuna saw this and went along to help.

They pulled all the curtains down, locked the door from the inside, and even turned off the security camera, all to maintain the gown’s secrecy.

The assistant brought out an enormous box. When she lifted the lid, a shimmering, azure-blue gown was revealed, causing Lily’s eyes to widen instinctively.

The assistant carefully lifted the dress out. "Ms. Sterling, let me help you try it on."

Lily Sterling looked down at her own heavy winter clothes and asked uncertainly, "Do I have to take everything off?"

"Of course!"

"It’s okay, Lily. No one can see from outside," Yuna whispered.

Lily Sterling nodded, quickly taking off her clothes and starting to change.

But the result...

"Hm?" Leila Smithson listened to her assistant’s report, then looked suspiciously at Lily. "I made this exactly to the measurements I was given. Did you gain weight?"

Lily blinked, embarrassed. "M-Maybe."

Leila Smithson rolled her eyes and said icily, "I don’t care what method you have to use. Shove yourself into it!"