Chapter 583: Once Doormat Now Untouchable
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Chapter 583
If this had happened before, Julian would have darkened at
once. This time, however, he merely coughed lightly, almost
without realizing it.
Sydney assumed Raymond was joking. She curved her lips into
a smile and teased him. "Raymond, you're suddenly so friendly.
I'm not really used to it."
Among Julian's circle of friends, Raymond had always liked her
the least. After knowing each other for so many years, they were
not even connected on social media.
When she added Caleb and the others back then, she had
mentioned it to Raymond in person, only to receive a flat
rejection.
Raymond's gaze flicked over and caught the faint, barely
concealed schadenfreude in Julian's eyes. He shot him a
sideways look, then replied sourly, "Maybe only Jules can make
you call me Ray willingly.”
The remark carried a sharp edge, though that kind of jealousy
was not really his place.
Whether it was Raymond himself or the Huttons as a whole, they
owed Julian their thanks for protecting Sydney all these years,
----
both openly and in secret. Otherwise, with Eloise's methods,
Sydney might not even be alive now, much less accomplished
what she had in medicine.
Still, it sat poorly with him. This was his sister, his own flesh and
blood. Yet in the past, even speaking to her required first
gauging Julian's expression. It was completely unreasonable.
As that irritation stirred again, Alan and Marcus stepped out of
the elevator in quick succession. Alan looked worn from travel,
his steps hurried and anxious.
Sydney's eyes reddened at once. “Alan...”
Alan did not waste words. He only patted her shoulder. "Come.
Let's go see Eliana."
"Okay." Sydney turned to Julian. "Then I'll head back to the ward
first."
"Go."
Only after the three of them had walked away did Julian turn
back to face the brother he would take a knife for.
Raymond was already staring at him, resentment nearly spilling
from his eyes. "You knew early on, didn't you?"
The question came out abruptly, but Julian understood. "!
guessed.”
----
“And you didn't say a word to me?" A restless heat rose in
Raymond's chest. The smoking area was nearby. He strode over,
pulled out a cigarette, and lowered his head to light it.
Before the blue flame reached the tip, a long, well-defined hand
reached over and snapped the cigarette in half. What remained
between Raymond's lips was only a broken stub.
Raymond glared at him. "What are you doing?"
"Secondhand smoke lingers.” Julian's tone was serious. "Sydney
doesn't like the smell. And she's pregnant.”
Raymond deflated at once. He tossed both the cigarette and the
lighter into the nearby trash bin. "Got it.”
Next time he came to see his sister, he would shower and
change properly.
Then something clicked. His face brightened with sudden
delight as he looked at Julian. "How did | almost forget? I'm
going to be an uncle!”
The baby in Sydney's belly would be his first niece or nephew.
Julian snorted softly. "You didn't say that before.”
“What did | say before?" Raymond froze, then remembered.
----
When he first learned the child was Caleb's, he had cursed Caleb
in private, right alongside Julian. He rubbed his nose. "That
doesn't matter. It really doesn't.”
As long as the child carried his sister's blood, the father was
irrelevant.
Julian was not surprised by the change in attitude. If anything,
he felt relieved for Sydney. She now had a family that would truly
love her.
“Is the paternity test coming back soon?"
“Within the next couple of days,” Raymond replied.
Julian nodded slightly and glanced toward the ward, warmth
almost overflowing in his eyes. "The sooner, the better.”
He could tell that she longed for family more than anyone. At a
moment like this, having real family by her side would make
things easier, even if only a little.
"Don't worry. I'm more anxious than you." Raymond snorted. "If
my sister hadn't stopped me earlier, | would have already..."
Julian shot him a look. "Listen to Diana."
Only when the results came back would everything truly be
settled.
----
“What kind of attitude is that?" Raymond puffed out his chest,
looking like someone who had just turned his life around. "Don't
use that old attitude with me anymore."
Julian raised a brow. "Then what kind do you want?"
“For example, make muffins for me once in a while. Bake
something."
Julian smiled faintly. "When Sydney is willing to call you Ray or
brother, I'll do more than bake. I'll even clean your stupid kitchen.
Raymond surrendered at once and snapped, “And whose fault is
that? Every time | talked to her before, you'd pull a face."
Inside the ward, Alan carefully checked Eliana's pulse. When he
looked up and saw Sydney and Marcus standing stiffly nearby,
he shot Marcus a glare. "What are you standing there for? Bring a
chair so Sydney can sit.”
“Okay,” Marcus replied.
Sydney only wanted to hear the diagnosis. “Alan, I'm fine."
“Are you sure you're fine?" Alan withdrew his hand, his
expression darkening. "As a physician, you're responsible not
----
only for your patient's health, but also for your own. You want
Eliana to wake up, yet you don't take care of yourself. If she
wakes and sees you like this, she'll worry. Do you understand?"
“| understand." Sydney's eyes burned as she obediently sat
down. Then she asked, "How's Eliana?"
She desperately hoped her own lack of skill was to blame.
Perhaps Alan had a better solution.