"Wicked woman! Who exactly sent you to harm my son? Wolf's ambition, crazed beyond measure!" Mr. Varley roared in anger.
"My poor Anthony! How did he end up marrying such a malicious woman like you? You've barely been a day into this mocked widowhood, and you can't hold it together. Do you intend to emulate that venomous woman Jinlian Andrews?" Mrs. Varley was equally furious.
"Exactly, we wanted an auspicious bird to bring luck to the young master, not a harbinger of misfortune like you!" Steward Varley added fuel to the fire from the side.
At this moment, inside the inner hall, Florence was absent and the little one had been sent away, leaving no one to speak on behalf of Sarah Sullivan.
Sarah Sullivan's expression was indifferent: "The person lying in bed now is my husband in name. Keeping a mocked widowhood is better than being a true widow. I haven't harmed him; I'm treating his illness."
Hearing Sarah Sullivan's words, each member of the Varley family displayed expressions as if they had seen a ghost.
Mr. Varley slammed the table heavily: "Utter nonsense! Treating Anthony's illness? Just you? Our family has already invited renowned doctors from home and abroad! What they can't do, you think you can manage? Letting you into the Varley household was to make you a mascot! Do your part and don't cause us trouble!"
Mrs. Varley was so anxious that tears welled up: "What kind of medical knowledge could a wet-behind-the-ears young girl have? My Anthony is already pitiful enough and you still want to abuse him..."
As she was about to continue berating Sarah, Victor Quinn, graceful as ever, walked in.
Victor Quinn, in his thirties, was dashing and distinguished.
Not only was he the favored disciple of the famous Miracle Healer Kemnis in Huston, but also a distant nephew from Mrs. Varley's side.
Raised by the Varleys, it was the Varley Clan that funded his education and cultivated his talents.
Due to such close ties, Victor Quinn had the complete trust of the Varley family, acting as their exclusive private physician.
Since Anthony fell into a coma, all his treatments and care were organized and overseen by Victor Quinn.
"Victor, how is your cousin? Has he been poisoned?" Mrs. Varley asked anxiously.
"Oh my, this young girl claims to know medicine? Isn't that a joke? If I hadn't discovered in time, who knows what mistake she might have made," the steward seized the chance to take credit.
"My cousin is fine; just now, this sister-in-law was indeed administering treatment. I observed that all the acupoints were precisely targeted, so the two of you can rest assured," Victor Quinn said gracefully.
The Varley couple both heaved a sigh of relief, only the steward was left with an embarrassed expression, having acted the fool.
"How's the treatment going? Will my Anthony wake up?" Mrs. Varley looked at Sarah Sullivan with hope.
Now she truly wished for a definitive answer from Sarah Sullivan.
"I still have no idea," Sarah Sullivan stated truthfully.
The Varley family was all faced with disappointment.
"Hmph! If you're incompetent, don't use the young master as a guinea pig..."
The steward was about to say something to redeem his face but was cut off by a cold look from Sarah Sullivan: "When is it the turn of a steward to jump around while we're having a family conversation? Is this the so-called etiquette of a wealthy family like the Varleys?"
Her words left the Varley couple stunned, and the steward's face turned red with embarrassment.
Though he was merely a servant, in front of the chancellor, even the seventh-rank officials count for something. The steward's status in the Varley family was something that many wealthy clans in Huston would desperately seek to curry favor with.
Hence, he was consistently arrogant and domineering outside.
The steward knew that the Varley couple didn't like this new daughter-in-law, so he spoke without reservation, not expecting Sarah Sullivan to publicly slap his face.
"Alright, you may leave," Mr. Varley waved his hand, dismissing the steward.
Before leaving, the steward shot a resentful look at Sarah Sullivan, but she remained utterly indifferent.
"You should also leave, wait for Florence to return, and then arrange your ceremony, enter the bridal chamber tonight," Mrs. Varley said to Sarah Sullivan.
Sarah Sullivan nodded, turned, and left.
"The two of you take care of your health. I'll follow and see, also remind my sister-in-law of some patient care dos and don'ts. Her intentions are good, but she's still young; let's not have any mishaps," Victor Quinn smiled as he spoke.
"Victor, you've worked hard during this time. Since Anthony's incident, you've been running around tirelessly and lost quite some weight, which I've witnessed," Mr. Varley said emotionally.
"Uncle, saying that makes it sound distant. I was raised in the Varley home; the two of you nurtured me, and I am so close with my cousin that there's no distinction between us. Now that he's in trouble, how could I not go all out? I only regret that my skills are shallow and I can't make my cousin wake up sooner to alleviate the two of you's worries."
Victor Quinn spoke with deep emotion.
"Compared to my cousin's remarkable talents, I, Victor Quinn, am but mediocre. If a life could be swapped for another, I'd willingly lie there in a vegetative state in his stead, without so much as a furrowed brow! That's what I owe the Varleys. If one doesn't know gratitude, how are they different from beasts?"
This moved Mrs. Varley to tears once more: "Victor, I truly haven't doted on you in vain."
...
"Sister-in-law, wait a moment,"
Victor Quinn caught up with Sarah Sullivan in the winding corridor, as she was returning to the backyard.
Sarah stopped, looking back at Victor Quinn: "Sister-in-law is sister-in-law, what makes me small?"
This left Victor Quinn momentarily speechless, then he smiled dashing: "Sister-in-law certainly knows how to jest."
Sarah turned her head, not looking at Victor Quinn, and continued walking leisurely: "Marrying a vegetable isn't that amusing."
Victor Quinn was once again at a loss for words.
He shook his head on the spot, thought for a while, and still chose to catch up, walking alongside Sarah Sullivan.
"Sister-in-law, you have worked hard; being willing to marry my cousin under such circumstances requires such sacrifice and devotion? I truly admire your feelings for my cousin—"
Victor Quinn half-spoke, and he heard Sarah Sullivan's placid voice: "You might be admiring the wrong person. I have no feelings for your cousin; I only have feelings for money."
Victor Quinn was left wordless.
He realized that this sister-in-law had a knack for killing conversations.
Watching Sarah Sullivan's graceful figure fade into the distance, recalling her striking beauty, a face that could captivate the world.
An ambiguous complexity emerged in Victor Quinn's eyes.
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