Chapter 138
The door to the examination room closed softly behind her.
Yet the strange "presence" she had brought with her didn't fade immediately.
It lingered in the air—
like someone who had already left, but still occupied the room somehow.
Ethan powered down the monitoring equipment, slid the thick envelope into his drawer, and pushed it shut.
Then he rubbed his brow and let out a long breath.
That hadn't felt like treating a patient at all.
It had felt more like a high-level negotiation.
The other party presented terms, obtained the result she wanted, then left satisfied and impeccably polite.
No wasted emotion.
No unnecessary words.
Not even a single sentence of meaningless small talk.
Ethan stepped out of the office and headed toward the reception desk, fully intending to vent to Helen a little.
Helen was sitting there quietly organizing documents.
Only when he approached did she finally look up.
The two exchanged a glance.
Then neither of them spoke.
No commentary.
No hints.
Not even a simple "Yeah… I saw that too."
Ethan stood there for several seconds, waiting.
Nothing.
After confirming Helen had absolutely no intention of starting the conversation, he finally gave up and asked first:
"She left?"
"Mhm." Helen nodded calmly. "Just now."
—And that was it.
Ethan blinked.
That's all?
No sarcastic analysis?
No psychological profile?
Seriously, Helen?
There was that one time a girl misspelled a single word while filling out paperwork at reception, and you spent your entire lunch break holding a coffee cup while analyzing her spelling habits, educational background, and concluding:
"This girl clearly grew up without anyone taking her seriously."
You talked for twenty straight minutes.
And now a stunning corporate powerhouse walks in looking like she's on her way to sign a billion-dollar merger deal—
and all you have is:
"Mhm. She just left."
Ethan held it in.
For about two seconds.
Then failed completely.
"From a medical standpoint," he began casually, "her recovery this session was actually very good. Another two or three treatments and she'll probably be fully cured."
Helen's gaze lingered on his face for a brief moment.
Very brief.
But long enough for her to confirm something:
Ethan was very obviously not trying to discuss the patient's medical condition.
She sighed quietly and finally set down the documents in her hand.
"Very beautiful career woman, huh?"
Direct hit.
Ethan answered almost immediately:
"She really is beautiful!"
Then he frowned slightly and added,
"But don't you feel strangely uncomfortable around her?"
His speech unconsciously sped up.
"That discomfort wasn't because she was rude."
"If anything, it was the opposite!"
"She was too polite."
"Polite to the point of being flawless. No openings, no gaps."
"When I was sitting there, it didn't feel like I was examining a patient."
"It felt like I was the one being evaluated."
"The way she looked at me wasn't like she was looking at a doctor."
"It was more like…"
'Is this person worth a long-term partnership?'
Helen nodded along cooperatively.
"Mhm. Sounds like she keeps herself in work mode at all times."
"And she's extremely efficiency-oriented."
"Exactly! Way too efficiency-oriented!"
Ethan couldn't help continuing.
"Her emotional control is more stable than anyone I've ever met."
"So stable that I started wondering if she even has a contingency plan for being nervous."
He looked genuinely baffled.
"Can someone like that even date normally?"
"Does her boyfriend have to submit weekly reports or something?"
Helen finally laughed softly.
"So," she asked casually, "you don't like her because she wouldn't make a good girlfriend?"
"Of course not."
Ethan refuted instinctively—
then paused.
He thought about it seriously, and his tone slowed.
"…Actually, now I'm not even sure myself."
"Have you considered," Helen said calmly, "that maybe she simply doesn't want people seeing the part of her that exists as a 'woman'?"
"Maybe the only thing she wants to show the world…"
"…is the strongest, most reliable, most professionally capable version of herself."
Ethan nodded.
"I don't think there's anything wrong with that."
Then he frowned again.
"But she can't possibly act that strong all the time in her personal life too, right?"
"Maybe that is her survival method."
"…What?" Ethan blinked, not fully understanding.
"Nothing." Helen replied softly. "You were just temporarily affected by her presence."
Ethan thought for a moment before slowly nodding.
"Yeah."
"It's that feeling where…"
"…she hasn't actually done anything, but you instinctively straighten up and focus completely around her."
After saying it out loud, Ethan stopped himself.
As though he were trying to determine whether that feeling itself was the problem.
Helen didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she followed his logic one step further.
"So," she said lightly, "if you were choosing someone for a business partnership…"
"You'd choose her, right?"
Ethan answered without hesitation.
"Absolutely."
"If it's work-related, she'd be a perfect partner."
"And if it were dating?" Helen continued.
Ethan opened his mouth—
paused for a second—
then laughed helplessly and shook his head.
"Definitely not. That sounds exhausting."
Helen nodded, as though confirming some internal conclusion.
"Then perhaps," she said quietly, "that's exactly the effect she wants."
Ethan frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"She wants people to see the side of her that is dependable. Competent. Worth cooperating with."
"As for the rest of her…"
Helen didn't finish the sentence.
She only gave a small shrug.
"…she may not intend to let anyone close enough to see it."
The moment those words landed, Ethan suddenly understood.
He realized the discomfort he'd felt wasn't entirely because of her.
Somewhere deep down, he had unconsciously judged her by appearance.
As though a beautiful woman was supposed to feel warm, approachable, emotionally inviting—
not someone who only wanted to discuss work.
He had forgotten that some people choose their position from the very beginning.
She had never stepped outside the boundaries of professionalism.
The problem wasn't her.
It was that he had placed the wrong expectations onto her.
Helen lowered her head again and resumed organizing the files, her tone returning to its usual warmth.
"Feeling better now?"
Ethan let out a long breath.
"Much better."
"And I think I figured it out."
"Thanks, Helen."
"She left you a promise, didn't she?" Helen asked.
"Yeah." Ethan nodded. "A favor from the Harrington family. Not from her personally."
"Maybe she hasn't become a core member of the family yet."
Helen gently closed the folder in her hands and set it aside.
"Ethan," she said calmly, "if she weren't important to the family…"
"…do you really think they'd offer someone a favor on her behalf?"
Ethan froze for a second.
Then the realization hit him.
"Oh."
"…Right."
"Of course," Helen added smoothly, "there's also the possibility that the family deliberately sent someone 'less important' to establish goodwill with you."
Ethan laughed.
"Alright, I get it."
"So that girl is actually very important to her family."
He glanced at the clock.
"Any more patients coming in?"
"Not for now. You can rest for a bit."
"Good."
Ethan casually picked up a small cupcake and headed back toward the examination room.