Dumped Then Claimed By A Billionaire (Nerissa and Owen) novel Chapter 20

Chapter 20 Regret

Luke’s heart was a whirlwind of emotions, and his face burned with embarrassment.

No one knew how deeply he regretted what had happened.

If only he could turn back time, he would have treated Nerissa with respect and never acted like a clown in front of her, jumping around like a fool whenever she was near.

The car stopped in front of the apartment building.

Outside, Luke quickly stepped forward and respectfully opened the rear door. “Ms. Jamison, please.”

Nerissa didn’t hesitate and confidently took the seat in the back.

The moonlight was beautiful that night.

Soft silver beams filtered through the window, casting a gentle glow across her profile.

Luke could clearly see her face reflected in the rearview mirror.

For a moment, Luke felt her features looked strangely familiar.

‘She reminds me of someone, he thought, ‘Nerissa?’

His eyes widened in surprise. ‘Could she be Owen’s ex-wife? No, no, that’s impossible, he wondered.

Owen’s ex-wife was also named Nerissa, but she wore heavy makeup, had poor taste in clothes, and looked at least twenty- seven or twenty-eight years old.

But this girl looked no older than seventeen or eighteen, with flawless beauty and an aura that was completely different. So there was no way she could be Owen’s ex.

Shaking off the absurd thought, Luke spoke again. “Ms. Jamison, I’m truly sorry about earlier. I judged you unfairly. Please don’t hold it against me.”

Nerissa was looking down at her phone, but gave a slight nod.

Luke drove while continuing, “By the way, Ms. Jamison, my name is Luke Merritt. You can just call me Luke.”

In Aosthorne, aside from his elders, very few people could call him by his first name. Now, Nerissa was one of them. Luke had completely accepted her.

He finally understood what his mother meant by not judging people by their apparent age.

The car sped along.

The ten-mile journey took about ten minutes.

Lennox had been transferred to the ICU.

Riley and Ethan stood outside the ICU doors.

Neither spoke; the atmosphere was tense until Luke came jogging up. “Mom, Dad, I brought Ms. Jamison.” Riley turned first.

When she saw Nerissa, shock flashed in her eyes.

Nerissa was far younger than Riley had imagined.

She was bright-eyed, flawless-featured, wearing simple white and black clothes.

Despite no makeup and a bare face, Nerissa possessed an otherworldly beauty, more striking than many top actresses. “Ms. Jamison,” Riley said, slightly dazed, stepping forward to take Nerissa’s hand, eyes red. “My son said some inappropriate things earlier. I’ve already scolded him. Please, you have to save Lennox.”

“Mrs. Merritt, don’t worry. I will do my best,” Nerissa replied calmly. “Let me first check on Mr. Stratford’s current condition.” “Thank you so much, Ms. Jamison,” Ethan added quickly. “If you can bring Lennox back, you’ll be a hero to our whole family.” A nurse stood nearby, ready with sterile gear. Nerissa put on the protective suit and entered the ICU.

Lennox lay on the hospital bed.

His thin lips pressed tightly together. Even in a Successfully unlocke

like an ancient emperor.

Successfully unlocked! presence that commanded respect and fear,

Nerissa reached out and applied acupuncture needles.

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Chapter 20 Regret

Through the ICU glass, Ethan furrowed his brow and spoke with concern, “Riley, Isn’t Ms. Jamison a bit too young?”

Throughout history, legendary healers only became famous in their fifties or sixties, but Nerissa looked like she hadn’t even finished high school.

Ethan worried if she could really save Lennox.

“Superficial. What does age really prove?” Riley’s eyes were red as she looked at Ethan. “Levi may be old, seventy or eighty, and losing his mind, but he can’t even tell the difference between excessive internal heat and depletion.

“If Lennox and Luke had listened to Ms. Jamison earlier, Lennox wouldn’t be lying in the ICU right now.”

Luke’s face was full of guilt as he quickly said, “Dad, Mom’s right. Some people are naturally gifted in medicine. Even though Ms. Jamison is young, she’s definitely more skilled than Levi.”

Ethan didn’t say much in response but remained deeply worried.

After all, the patient lying in that bed was the head of the Stratford family.

If anything went wrong with Lennox, it could send shockwaves through the entire business world.

Before coming to the hospital, Ethan had already arranged everything. Otherwise, at this moment, reporters would be camped out all over the place.

At that moment, the ICU doors opened.

Nerissa stepped out.

Riley and Luke rushed over immediately. “Ms. Jamison, how is Lennox now? You have a way to save him and wake him up, right?”

Nerissa said, “Mrs. Merritt, please don’t worry. Although Mr. Stratford is still unconscious, his condition isn’t too serious. The internal organs haven’t been damaged. With timely acupuncture treatment, he can recover and wake up.”

‘Not too serious? Internal organs untouched? Wake up?’ Rhys Calderon wondered.

Every word Nerissa said left Rhys stunned, doubting everything he thought he knew.

He instantly felt like his over twenty years of medical training had been for nothing. ‘She’s got some nerve, he thought.

Lennox’s depletion had already severely affected his lungs, a critical organ. Like a delicate network, even a slight mistake could cause respiratory failure during treatment.

‘That’s why no doctor in the hospital dared operate on him,’ wondered Rhys.

Not even Rhys himself would perform the surgery.

But Nerissa acted as if Lennox’s lung condition was no more serious than a simple cough, and acupuncture was the solution.

If acupuncture were truly that effective, all the years of medical advancement would be meaningless.

It was sheer ignorance paired with bravado.

Riley let out a deep sigh of relief. “Then I’m counting on you, Ms. Jamison. Whatever it takes to save Lennox, I’m willing to do it.”

Rhys immediately turned to Riley, disbelief shining in his eyes. He clearly hadn’t expected her to trust Nerissa.

He wondered, ‘Is this really Mrs. Merritt?’

Riley was known as one of Kindowen’s rare, remarkable women, decisive, brilliant, a top university graduate, and founder of a nationwide cosmetics empire.

‘How could such a legendary woman fall for the nonsense of a mere child? It’s truly disappointing,’ Rhys thought skeptically. Nerissa looked over at Luke. “I need a sealed, sterile room to perform acupuncture on Mr. Stratford. Also, no one else can be present during the procedure.”

Riley thought, ‘She doesn’t want anyone around because she’s afraid they’ll see she’s all show and no substance. Girls these days have no discipline; they think a pretty face can get them shortcuts.’

Rhys frowned slightly and stepped forward. “Ms. Jamison, may I ask if you have a medical license?”

Medical licenses are difficult to obtain; even Rhys had to pass rigorous exams after university.

‘Nerissa is barely old enough; how could she possibly have a license?’ he wondered.

Nerissa said nothing and lowered her head, rummaging through her bag.

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Chapter 20 Regret

Rhys snorted coldly ‘She doesn’t have a medical license and still tries to put on a show? How ridiculous, he wondered.

“Ms. Jamison, practicing medicine without a license is illegal. You could face legal consequences. Before our hospital reports this, you’d better leave quickly and save yourself the embarrassment.”

In the next second, Nerissa pulled out several booklets from her bag. “This is my medical license, this is my pharmacist certification, and this is my traditional medicine certificate. Dr. Calderon, do you have any other questions?”

For most people, passing a few certification exams might be tough, but for Nerissa, it was easy

So on the very first day after time traveling, she took the fast-track exams and obtained all these certificates.

Rhys was stunned, staring at the credentials in disbelief.

‘She actually has them, he thought.

Rhys was considered a rare talent in the medical field and had earned his license on the first try after university. But Nerissa presented so many certificates at once, which made him feel a bit unsettled.

Frowning deeply, Rhys said, “Even if you have those certificates, what does it matter? Mr. Stratford’s condition is the most severe I’ve encountered in my career. Simple acupuncture won’t cure him. In fact, it might worsen his condition, causing irreversible damage.

“Not just you, Nerissa, even I, a PhD graduate from Moriotoge University, wouldn’t dare perform surgery lightly. I advise you to think twice before risking lives just to show off, and potentially ruining your future.”

He deliberately emphasized his PhD from Moriotoge University.

‘I’m a doctor. Who does Nerissa think she is? What a joke, Rhys thought.

Nerissa’s expression remained calm and unfazed. She didn’t get angry but simply looked at Rhys, her gaze-settling on his name badge. “Dr. Calderon, how did you conclude that my medical skills are incompetent and that I’d recklessly harm a patient?

“Is it because of my age? Or my face?”

“A famous author once said, ‘Geniuses and beauties are destined to shine brightly attracting attention, envy, and slander.

“I admit I’m young and attractive. But since you’re a high-achieving scholar who studied abroad, you should know better than anyone to acknowledge others’ excellence instead of belittling or envying them.”

Though young, Nerissa’s presence was no less commanding than Rhys’s fifty-plus years. Her logic was sharp, each word hitting hard, leaving no room for argument.

‘Talented? Belittling? Envy? Me, jealous of you? Jealous of an unknown nobody like you?’ Rhys felt insulted. ‘How ridiculous.’

He had tried to warn Nerissa against breaking the law, but instead of gratitude, she mocked him.

Riley spoke up next. “Dr. Calderon, you’ve seen the world. How can you dismiss Ms. Jamison’s skills without knowing the full story? There’s always someone better out there.

“If you can’t save him, why assume Ms. Jamison can’t? I believe in her.”

Nerissa was their chosen healer. Now that she faced doubt and ridicule, she naturally had to defend herself.

Rhys furrowed his brow.

He never denied that there are always people more talented and skilled.

But a mere child had no right to say such things in front of him.

Trying to suppress his anger, he spoke solemnly, “Mrs. Merritt, I’ll put it this way: if Ms. Jamison can wake Mr. Stratford, I will acknowledge her as my master from now on.”

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