Josie's words helped piece my shattered self-esteem back together.

"But seriously though, are you not considering marrying into my family?"

She asked me this countless times before.

Josie and I met when she was hospitalized. The hospital director personally took on her case, and I was his assistant.

However, as I had a gentle demeanor and gave painless injections, Josie stubbornly insisted that I be her attending physician instead.

That was the start of our unbreakable bond.

At the time, I was already dating Logan.

Josie would sigh in regret every day and say, "I should've gotten sick a few months earlier. You were still single then. I could've brought you home as my sister-in-law!"

The innocent bystander in all this was Simon Lawson, Josie's older brother, who flew back from abroad to visit her at the hospital. His expression would darken each time she brought it up.

Thanks to her relentless matchmaking, my relationship with Simon started off tense. Whenever we ran into each other, I kept my head down while he lifted his chin, both of us behaving awkwardly.

We simply pretended not to see the other.

Simon recently returned from studying abroad and joined our hospital. By some coincidence, his office was right next to mine.

The arrival of this high-IQ, aloof, and impossibly handsome doctor sent the entire hospital into a frenzy. The female staff suddenly found every excuse to pass by his office. Even sick leave rates mysteriously plummeted.

Meanwhile, I practically held in my bladder at work, terrified that too many hallway trips would increase my chances of bumping into him.

When I stayed silent, Josie got excited.

"You're not saying anything… Are you actually considering it? Well? Is it my brother or my dad?"

I hesitated and replied, "If those are my only two options, I'd rather pick your dad."

Josie lit up. "Great choice! Honestly, I thought the same. My dad's older, so he'll kick the bucket sooner. That way, you'll inherit everything in no time, and we can spend our days partying!

"My brother, on the other hand… He's too disciplined. He sleeps early, eats healthy, and is way too fit. I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to keep up."

For a moment, I was at a loss for words.

…

The next afternoon, Josie showed up at the hospital to pick me up from work. As we passed by Simon's office, she grabbed my hand and marched right in.

"Simon, are you working late today?"

Simon looked up from his computer.

Simon was six-foot-three, had sharply defined brows, a straight nose, and a pair of deep, cold yet mesmerizing eyes. Overall, he was ridiculously stunning.

He glanced at me briefly, his expression indifferent. "No."

Dr. Wilson, who was sitting across from him, raised his head in surprise. "Dr. Lawson, weren't you—"

Simon shot him a sharp look, and Dr. Wilson promptly swallowed the rest of his sentence.

Josie pressed on. "Then are you going out for dinner?"

Simon seemed to consider it for a moment before replying, "I could."

He then stood up and began tidying his desk.

Josie beamed. "Perfect! Since you're going out, I'm bringing Tara home for dinner. It'd be awkward for her if you were there."

Simon froze. He slowly lifted his head to look at Josie, a dark glint flashing in his eyes.

"Then why don't you just take her out to eat somewhere else? It's not like our home-cooked meals are that great," he said with a stormy expression.

Their family's cook, Maria Danver, used to be their gardener. But when she got older and couldn't handle the physical labor anymore, she applied for a job in the kitchen.

Her cooking was… well, very healthy.

Josie tiptoed closer to Simon and whispered in his ear, "I'm bringing her home to introduce her to Dad. Hehe, you're getting a stepmom! Are you excited? Surprised?"

Simon slowly straightened up and gave Josie a deadpan look. A few seconds later, he grabbed her by the collar and started dragging her toward the CT room.