"I am not going to call to account here today, " said Leila with her face drawn into a frown. After pausing for a moment, she continued, "Actually, I am here to inquire about a person and I hope with all my heart that you could help me."
Upon hearing this, Burke frowned. He stared at Leila for a few seconds before asking abruptly, "Is this why you called me here today?" He was very clearly stunned by her straight forward nature.
Shocked by his reaction, Leila reached out to the freshly baked marbled meat and dipped in generously barbecue sauce and wrapped it in a crunchy lettuce. She then pushed it against his lips with a smile almost seductively and said, "No, you misunderstood me. I just had this sudden urge to dine with you today. After all, we were classmates in high school and have known each other for a long time. For me, you are not just a friend but are like one of my family members. We all work in this city away from home. And you are the only one I can trust."
Right after saying this, Leila sighed and continued, "I know the hospital rules and regulations that bound you. But..." She paused strategically and finally said, "I always felt like I was different from others for you, and almost special I would like to believe."
He stared at Leila who seemed both upset and yet disappointed. Burke was unable to bear her looking like this, after all she was right. She had always been special to him. He hesitated for a quite a long while, but finally replied, "Leila, now that you are well aware about the regulations of the hospital, then you must know that we can't disclose any information about patients as it violates their privacy. If it ever comes to light someday, I will be held criminally responsible and risk losing my medical license. With such a big risk looming over my head I am really sorry. I can't do anything to lead there."
Leila was now getting agitated after realizing that she came all the way to meet him in person but only to be rejected. She never thought that Burke would decline her request. As she grew impatient to leave, Leila forced herself to calm down. If it weren't for Autumn, how could she come to him?
After cooling down, Leila smiled to hide her anger and disappointment.
"I understand. I know the patients' privacy should not be compromised with. But I really care about her and I am growing increasingly scared and anxious by the minute." Leila smiled subtly pretending to hide her concern and continued, "You also know that it was Autumn who introduced me to Shining Company and helped me get a job. I heard from Mr. Lu that she is sick. I also asked Mr. Lu about her health condition, but he didn't find it important to tell me. I just want to know what happened. Perhaps I could help her in someway. After all I do owe her a great deal."
"Do you want to know about Autumn Zhao?" Burke asked with a smirk.
"Yes, I do." Leila nodded slightly almost like she was really worried. "Autumn is my benefactor. Now she is sick and I am really worried about her. I just want to know about her health condition. Of course, I mean no harm to her."
Leila revealed a bitter smile, gazed at Burke and said, "But if it is not convenient for you to release this information then please let's just forget it. It doesn't matter. I can completely understand."
Upon hearing this, Burke responded helplessly, "Leila, if you want to know about Autumn Zhao's condition, then I am afraid I really cannot possibly help you even if I could. It is beyond my reach as I also have no idea about it."
"How come?" Overcome with confusion, Leila asked, "I inquired and found out that she had all of the physical examinations and tests conducted in the hospital where you work. So why could you not possibly help me?"
"There might be something you didn't hear." Burke smiled helplessly and explained, "Autumn is the granddaughter of Doctor Zhao and he did all physical examinations personally. He is the only one who knows all about her case clearly. No one can access any information about her except Doctor Zhao."
"Is there no other way to find out something about her condition?" Stunned by Burke's revelation, she didn't expect things to take such a drastic turn. If Burke couldn't do her this favor, then there was nothing she could do.
"Why are you so curious about what's wrong with her?" Confused, Burke finally poured out his growing doubt about her intentions.
Leila was amazed by his guts to ask such a blatant question, but she reacted almost immediately, "I just told you that I really cared about her. And I just want to know if I could help her. There are no two things about it."
"Well, with that said..." Burke hesitated for a few moments after considering what he was about to say and responded, "I heard that Autumn will return to the hospital tomorrow again for some intensive physical examinations. I will be sure to keep an eye on her for you."
"Really? "Then I would be so grateful to you for this favor. Thank you, Burke." Leila smiled as she heard Burke's generous offer.
However, as she returned home, Leila still couldn't feel at ease. Rather she was growing more impatient and anxious now that the information about Autumn was kept confidential, it was difficult for Burke to stumble upon it, so she knew that she could only get it by herself.
The next morning, Leila headed straight to the hospital. At around nine o'clock, Charles drove to the hospital with Autumn. Seeing them there, Leila hastily evaded them and followed them from far behind.
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