**Audrey's POV**

"That will be all," Scarlett said, giving me one last glance. "I'll be waiting for your good news."

She smirked and walked toward the elevator, her heels clickingagainst the floor.

Andrew hesitated for a moment. "Miss Sinclair," he mumbled before hurrying after Scarlett. I watched him catch up and offer his arm as they stepped into the elevator together.

Dr. Evans stood in the doorway clutching the fruit bags I'd brought,watching the elevator until the numbers started changing. Only then did her shoulders relax as she turned to me with a smile.

"You didn't have to bring anything," she said. "I've been your doctor for months now. Helping you was the right thing to do."

"It's not much," I said with a small smile.

Dr. Evans sighed and handed me a towel. "You're drenched. Did you take the stairs?"

"Yeah," I admitted, following her inside and sinking onto her sofa. I wiped my face, trying to catch my breath.

"What was Scarlett doing here?" I asked, watching Dr. Evans carrythe fruit to her kitchen.

Her hands paused briefly. After a moment, she sighed. "It was about her

daughter."

"A parent's worry," she added vaguely.

My mind flashed to the conversation fragments I'd overheard -something about vegetative patients. Had to be about Rachel. What else would bring Scarlett to a cancer specialist's apartment?

"What's wrong with her daughter?" I asked.

Dr.Evans pressed her lips together, glancing at me with hesitation.

"Her daughter has... some health issues," she finally said. "I can't really say more."

I nodded, not pressing further. Dr. Evans sat beside me and handed me a file from the coffee table.

"Here's information about the doctors comning to New York next week," she said. "Your mysterious benefactor's boyfriend arranged it. You should prepare to meet them - they might find a treatment approach for you."

I opened the file and scanned the first page. My eyes widened at a familiar name.

"Dr. Harrison Clarke?" I gasped.

Dr. Evans looked surprised. "You know Dr. Clarke?"

"Yes! I met him once. We worked together for a while."

My mind raced back to that time - Harrison Clarke had led the team that awakened Blake from his vegetative state. I couldn't believe I was seeing his name again.

"I didn't know Dr. Clarke researched gastric cancer too. I thought he specialized in vegetative patients."

"He's been practicing for fifty or sixty years," Dr. Evans explained. "He's studied many complex conditions. Recently he's focused on vegetative states, working on patient recovery breakthroughs."

She looked thoughtful. "I'm surprised someone could bring a physician of his caliber here. That's quite a connection."

I looked down at the file as realization hit me. "Is that why Scarlett Rose came to see you? Because Harrison Clarke is coming to NewYork?"

Dr. Evans shook her head. "I can't say. She didn't tell me much."

She met my eyes directly. "But Andrew Jensen mentioned his client has a new request."

"What request?" I asked.

Dr. Evans brought me a mug of hot water. "His client wants you to have an actual episode."

I took a sip, trying to process her words. "An episode? The client wants me to get sick on purpose?"

"Yes," Dr. Evans confirmed. "She wants you to show real physical symptoms. It will be more convincing to her boyfriend."

"Since she's faking her symptoms, if your records are also fabricated, they might discover the deception."

She leaned forward. "But you don't need to put yourself through that. We could just record some false data. The client would never know."

I shook my head firmly. "No. This person is bringing in a world-class specialist to help me. That's an incredible kindness. If she needs me to demonstrate real symptoms, I won't deceive anyone."

**Scarlett's POV**

I slid into the car, immediately grabbing my sanitizer spray. As I disinfected my hands, I turned to Andrew with a frown.

"You know Audrey Sinclair?" I demanded. "You never mentioned this before."

Andrew looked down, awkwardly smiling. "I didn't know her before.We've known each other less than a month..."

"How did you meet?"

Andrew fell silent for a moment. Finally, he sighed.

"Audrey Sinclair is the one who signedI the agreement with Laurel to share medical information."

I froze mid-spray, my eyes widening. "Audrey Sinclair is the woman sharing medical information with Laurel? That means..."

Andrew nodded. "She has late-stage gastric cancer. Less than two months to live."

I sat there, completely stunned.

*How is this possible? Audrey Sinclair dying of cancer?*

*But she's always seemed so energetic... No wonder she agreed to divorce Blake so easíly.*

*Itall makes sense now."

I reached for my phone, finding Laurel's number. She needed to know this.

"Ma'am," Andrew shouted.

I looked up to find him watching me intently.

"If you tell Miss Rose about Audrey Sinclair's identity... do you think she'll still let Blake arrange treatment for her?"

His words hit me hard. My finger hovered over the call button.

"Harrison Clarke and his team arrive next week," he added quietly.

My hand slowly lowered as I thought it through.

*I only just learned that the specialist Blake arranged for Laurel's "cancer"is the same Harrison Clarke who woke Blake from his vegetative state.*

*I came to Dr. Evans hoping she could secretly arrange for him to examine Rachel while he's here.*

*If I tell Laurel that patient is Audrey... With Laurel's jealousy,she'd immediately demand Blake cancel everything.*

*Then Audrey would die without treatment, and Rachel would lose her chance too.*

I set my phone down with a heavy sigh.

"I'm keeping this from Laurel for Rachel's sake," I said firmly.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed Andrew's subtle relief.

**Blake's POV*

"Mr. Parker, I can't thank you enough!" Victoría exclaimed, her hair a mess as she attacked her steak.′′Ifyou hadn't helped me, I'd be beggng on the streets after my wallet was stolen!"

I glanced up from my phone with a frown.

"Your sister wouldn't help you?" I asked flatly.

Victoria's face instantly hardened at the mention of her "sister."

"Audrey Sinclair told us she's cutting ties with our parents and with me!"Victoria fumed. "I saw the news about youir divorce and worried she might do something stupid. That's why I rushed to New York to find her."

She stabbed her steak. "But she's blocked our father's number and mine too. I've been here two days trying desperately to contact her. And now my wallet's stolen..."

She looked up at me with exaggerated vulnerability. "Blake darling, if it weren't for you, I'd truly be homeless."

My eyebrows snapped together. I set down my phone and fixed her with a cold stare. "Who taught you to call me that?"

Victoria bit her lip."Jsaw people online calling you that."

I frowned.

*Laurel always calls me Blake darling. I've never particularly liked it, but she insisted it sounded intimate, so I let it slide.*

*When Laurel mentions me in interviews, she always uses "Blake darling."Her fans have picked up the habit online.*

*But they only use it on social media. No one would dare say it to my face.

*Victoria is the second person after Laurel with the audacity to call me that in person.*

"Call me by my name," I said coldly. "I am your brother-in-law, after all."

Annoyance flashed across her face. "But you and Audrey are divorced.How does that make you my brother-in-law?"