Lemira wavered.

Rowan's tone was incredibly soothing. "You can trust my medical expertise. I can help you, and I want to help you. I won't ask for a single thing in return."

Lemira looked up at him. "Business is business. I won't let you work for free."

"Just tell me. What do you need?"

He already had a pretty good idea of what she was going to ask.

Lemira explained, "A friend's mother is sick. It's a strange condition, and it's progressing aggressively. The current diagnosis from her doctors is that she needs a kidney transplant."

"And what do you want me to do?"

"I want you to examine her. Find out the root cause of the illness and see if it can be managed with medication. Unless it is absolutely a last resort, I want to avoid a transplant at all costs."

As she finished, she scrutinized Rowan's face. For a fleeting second, his expression shifted into something odd-something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

But he smoothed it over instantly. "Of course. That's a piece of cake for me. This friend... it's Mrs. Amanda, isn't it?"

Lemira nodded.

"Don't get the wrong idea, I just pieced it together," he added smoothly. "Even though I haven't been in Lyria, I've kept tabs on what's been happening. Orion Everhart lied to you, yet you're still willing to go this far for him. That's my sister for you."

Lemira barely reacted to the flattery.

She replied, "I'll coordinate with the Everhart family and set up a time that works for everyone."

"Perfect. I'll do a preliminary exam, and if necessary, I'll fly my team in to manage her treatment."

Lemira's jaw tightened. "How much will this cost?"

Rowan laughed outright. "I just told you. I'm doing this to help you. I won't take anything from you, especially not your money."

Lemira frowned. She despised being indebted to anyone.

She argued, "They're two different things. Your team is putting in time and resources; they deserve to be compensated. Medical research burns through cash."

"It does, but I have a line of billionaires eager to throw cash at me. You're my sister. I'm supposed to spend money on you, not the other way around."

Rowan pulled her car door open. "As much as I'd love for you to stay, I know you won't. Get some rest, and drive safe."

Lemira stared at the open door, a storm of conflicting emotions brewing inside her.

She didn't know if she should hold this timeline's Rowan accountable for the atrocities of her past life.

She slid into the driver's seat and gave him a final glance. "I'll be going now." "Call me anytime."

Rowan stood in the driveway, watching her taillights disappear into the night, his gaze turning dark and unfathomable.

Now that he was back, he would never let her leave the family.

She would always be a Langston.

Lemira drove back to her apartment. As soon as she walked in, her phone buzzed with a friend request.

Note: It's Rowan.

Lemira

her explosive falling out with

deleted all of them on WhatsApp. .net

fantily, she bad blacked and henet

The only she had left was a group chat they had forced her into-one

that excluded Evelina and one ins

contained the brothers Conte .net

She had intended to leave it, but with the ongoing lawsuit, she had held off.

After a moment of thought, she accepted the request.

Since he was going to treat Mrs. Amanda, she couldn't completely shut him out. Rowan's message came through immediately. "Made it back to campus?" "Yes, I'm back."

She didn't correct him about being at her apartment. He didn't need to know her exact whereabouts.

Staring at the chat window, she felt a profound sense of disorientation.

The butterfly effect of her rebirth

had altered the trajectory of so

many things, but she never evel d

to change Rowan this, drastically

Walking into the bathroom to shower, Lemira twisted around to look at her lower

back in the mirror.