Chapter 5

Sylvia didn't look back. She walked straight toward the grand ballroom doors, leaving them with nothing but a view of her back — distant and untouchable.

The security guards escorted Jade's family out of the hotel.

The night breeze hit them, and Luna's face burned like she'd been slapped dozens of times. "Mom! We just got kicked out like that?"

Jade clenched her teeth. "We'll talk at home."

She glanced back at the blazing lights of Platinum Haven Hotel, her eyes dark and cold.

Sylvia — how on earth did she get in there?

Meanwhile, Sylvia returned to the ballroom.

Linda rushed over and grabbed her arm. "Sylvia, what took you so long? I thought you got lost and was about to send someone to find you."

"Long phone call." Sylvia smiled lightly.

Linda didn't press further and pulled her back to the main table.

Allan had fully recovered and was in good spirits. He grabbed Sylvia's hand and said, "Sylvia, I knew it — you're better than all those overrated doctors out there."

"Oh, by the way, did you happen to see Benjamin earlier? He stopped by to drop off a gift and left. Too bad you two didn't run into each other."

Allan looked genuinely disappointed. Sylvia had no particular interest in Benjamin and didn't give it much thought.

Then, without warning, the ballroom doors burst open from outside.

An elderly man with white hair, dressed in a gray suit, rushed in, with two breathless assistants trailing behind him.

The entire room froze.

"Isn't that Professor Petrov?"

"What's he doing here all of a sudden?"

"Sylvia!" Ivan spotted her immediately and rushed over. "Please, reconsider! Your talent comes once in a hundred years — it's beyond measure. I'm begging you — be my student!"

Every eye in the room went wide.

The entire room was stunned.

Ivan Petrov, the legend of cardiovascular medicine, chasing after a girl in her early twenties, begging her to be his student?

Disbelief flashed across Nora's face. She forced out, "Professor Petrov, are you sure you have the right person? She only went to a community college."

Ivan's expression darkened. He turned to Nora, his voice going cold. "What did you just say?"

That look sent a chill down Nora's spine. She didn't dare say another word.

Ivan turned back to Sylvia, eyes full of hope. "Sylvia, just say yes. I'll teach you everything I know."

At that moment, Adrian's phone buzzed. He glanced down, and his pupils shrank slightly.

He hesitated, then quietly turned off the screen and looked over at Sylvia with a complicated expression.

Allan was grinning from ear to ear, slapping the table. "Spotted that fake right away — that's my granddaughter!"

The elders around them chimed in one after another. "Sylvia, Professor Petrov came all this way himself — just say yes."

"Exactly, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. People would kill for this chance."

Everyone was pushing her to agree.

Ivan nodded eagerly, practically desperate for her to say yes on the spot — he looked ready to run three laps around the hotel if she did.

Sylvia let out a soft sigh. "I really don't have time. I'm too busy."

Ivan panicked. "Then I'll wait! Whenever you're free — any time works!"

"I don't know when that'll be." Sylvia turned to Allan. "Grandpa, you should get some rest."

Allan chuckled warmly. "Alright, alright. Whatever you say."

Ivan still wasn't giving up, but Sylvia had already stopped looking at him.

He gritted his teeth, took a pen and paper from his assistant, and quickly wrote out a prescription, handing it to Linda.

"This is a recovery formula for Allan. I'll prepare the medicine myself and have it sent over tomorrow."

Linda took the prescription, still processing what had just happened, as Ivan took a few steps after Sylvia.

"Sylvia! Where do you live? I'll come find you tomorrow."

Sylvia didn't look back — she slipped away as fast as she could.

Who would've thought that the towering giant of the medical world could be this relentless?

The next morning, the sun blazed overhead.

Sylvia came downstairs after getting ready and immediately noticed two strangers in the living room.

One had sharp, intense features and carried himself with the same commanding presence as Richard — only younger and colder.

The other was lounging on the couch scrolling through his phone, wearing a blue casual outfit and a limited-edition sports watch on his wrist.

Linda was chatting with both of them.

When she heard footsteps and saw Sylvia coming down, she jumped up and pulled her over. "Sylvia, this is your older brother George, and this is your second brother Manuel. They heard you were back and drove through the night to get here."

Their eyes landed on her. George Martinez set down the documents in his hand, pulled out a black card, and held it out to her. "Sylvia, a welcome gift — no limit."

Sylvia blinked. That generous?

"Thanks, George, but I don't need money."

Before she could finish, George pressed it into her hand. "Take it."

Linda backed him up. "George is giving it to you, so just take it. It's their first time meeting you — of course they want to give you something."

"Thank you, George."

Manuel Martinez bounced up from the couch with a grin and shoved the helmet in his hands toward her. "Sylvia, this is my championship helmet — it's yours."

Sylvia recognized it immediately — the limited-edition helmet from last year's international championship. Only one existed in the entire world.

"This is way too valuable."

"Too valuable? You're my little sister." Manuel waved it off like it was nothing. "I heard you're into racing — want me to take you out on the track?"

Just then, Allan came down the stairs with his cane, a lawyer following close behind. He smiled and waved Sylvia over. "Sylvia, come here."

Allan settled into the head seat and nodded for the lawyer to slide the documents in front of Sylvia. "These are the core family trust shares held by the direct Martinez bloodline. Nora grew up in the Martinez family, but she was never part of the core trust succession — so even your parents and I had no right to touch this portion. But all of this belongs to you."

Nora had just come down the stairs. When she heard those words, her feet stopped cold.

Trust shares? She had spent so many years in the Martinez family and hadn't gotten even 1% — was it really just because she was adopted? Allan was being completely unfair.

Sylvia frowned. "Grandpa, I can't accept this."

"You're a Martinez. This was always meant to be yours." Allan gave her no room to refuse. George nodded in agreement, and Manuel chimed in, "Come on, Sylvia, just take it. This is Grandpa showing you how much he loves you."

Nora dug her nails into her palm.

Eighteen years. She had spent eighteen years building her place in this family — and it was all going to crumble because that girl came back?

She took a slow, deep breath and buried the jealousy raging inside her. She put on a gentle, caring expression and said softly, "Grandpa, Sylvia just came back to the family. She's not familiar with the family business yet. Transferring this many shares so suddenly might be hard for her to manage. Why don't you let me stay by her side for a while and help her get settled in first?"