I Stopped Waiting and Started Loving novel Chapter 245

Dressed in a simple white T-shirt, denim shorts, and sandals, Bonnie strolled through the estate's private gardens with Quentin.

He wore a premium black linen shirt with the top buttons casually undone, projecting an effortless, commanding grace.

His tall frame matched her pace perfectly, deliberately slowing his stride so they could walk side by side.

*Ring, ring—*

Her phone buzzed in her bag.

Pulling it out, she saw the caller ID. It was Nathaniel Thorne.

She answered immediately. "Master Thorne."

"Bonnie!" Nathaniel's voice boomed over the speaker, sounding entirely too cheerful. "Your fellow apprentices are all flying into Harlow City this weekend."

"I was thinking of hosting your welcoming banquet at the Celestial Grand Hotel. I'll invite a few old friends to bear witness. How does that sound?"

She froze. "The Celestial Grand Hotel?"

Sensing the shift in her tone, he asked, "What's wrong? Is there an issue?"

She sighed helplessly. "Master Thorne, Seraphina Miller is holding her mentorship banquet with Gideon Graves at the Celestial Grand Hotel this Sunday, too."

Hearing that, Nathaniel's temper immediately flared. He clicked his tongue in disgust.

"What are the odds of that? How repulsive."

"Fine, we'll pick a different hotel. I'm not rubbing shoulders with that crowd."

Gripping her phone, she stared at their elongated shadows stretching across the pavement under the streetlights and carefully considered her words.

"Master Thorne, actually... could we just keep things low-key?"

"Low-key? Why on earth should we be low-key? You are Nathaniel Thorne's final apprentice!"

"Master Thorne, please, hear me out," she said gently.

"Right now, I don't have a degree, I don't have my medical license, and I don't even practice out of a proper clinic. If you throw a massive banquet to announce me as your apprentice, the entire medical community will scrutinize me. They wouldn't dare question you to your face, but behind your back, they'll say you've gone senile, that you've lost your touch, or even accuse me of sleeping my way into your favor."

"I don't want to ruin your reputation because of my baggage. And I definitely don't want you getting into shouting matches with those people just to protect me. I want to wait until I have my license and pass my grad school exams. Once I have the credentials to back it up, I'll stand proudly by your side."

"By then, no one will be able to question your judgment. You can announce to the whole world, loud and proud, that I, Bonnie Hayes, am your apprentice."

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