The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 414 The Evil Thoughts

"I am not going to call to account here today," said Leila with her face drawn into a frown. After pausing for a moment, she continued, "Actually, I am here to inquire about a person and I hope with all my heart that you could help me."

Upon hearing this, Burke frowned. He stared at Leila for a few seconds before asking abruptly, "Is this why you called me here today?" He was very clearly stunned by her straight forward nature.

Shocked by his reaction, Leila reached out to the freshly baked marbled meat and dipped in generously barbecue sauce and wrapped it in a crunchy lettuce. She then pushed it against his lips with a smile almost seductively and said, "No, you misunderstood me. I just had this sudden urge to dine with you today. After all, we were classmates in high school and have known each other for a long time. For me, you are not just a friend but are like one of my family members. We all work in this city away from home. And you are the only one I can trust."

Right after saying this, Leila sighed and continued, "I know the hospital rules and regulations that bound you. But..." She paused strategically and finally said, "I always felt like I was different from others for you, and almost special I would like to believe."

He stared at Leila who seemed both upset and yet disappointed. Burke was unable to bear her looking like this, after all she was right. She had always been special to him. He hesitated for a quite a long while but finally replied, "Leila, now that you are well aware about the regulations of the hospital, then you must know that we can't disclose any information about patients as it violates their privacy. If it ever comes to light someday, I will be held criminally responsible and risk losing my medical license. With such a big risk looming over my head I am really sorry. I can't do anything to lead there."

Leila was now getting agitated after realizing that she came all the way to meet him in person but only to be rejected. She never thought that Burke would decline her request. As she grew impatient to leave, Leila forced herself to calm down. If it weren't for Autumn, how could she come to him?

After cooling down, Leila smiled to hide her anger and disappointment.

"I understand. I know the patients' privacy should not be compromised with. But I really care about her and I am growing increasingly scared and anxious by the minute." Leila smiled subtly pretending to hide her concern and continued, "You also know that it was Autumn who introduced me to Shining Company and helped me get a job. I heard from Mr. Lu that she is sick. I also asked Mr. Lu about her health condition, but he didn't find it important to tell me. I just want to know what happened. Perhaps I could help her in someway. After all I do owe her a great deal."

"Do you want to know about Autumn Zhao?" Burke asked with a smirk.

"Yes, I do." Leila nodded slightly almost like she was really worried. "Autumn is my benefactor. Now she is sick and I am really worried about her. I just want to know about her health condition. Of course, I mean no harm to her."

Leila revealed a bitter smile, gazed at Burke and said, "But if it is not convenient for you to release this information then please let's just forget it. It doesn't matter. I can completely understand."

Upon hearing this, Burke responded helplessly, "Leila, if you want to know about Autumn Zhao's condition, then I am afraid I really cannot possibly help you even if I could. It is beyond my reach as I also have no idea about it."

"How come?" Overcome with confusion, Leila asked, "I inquired and found out that she had all of the physical examinations and tests conducted in the hospital where you work. So why could you not possibly help me?"

"There might be something you didn't hear." Burke smiled helplessly and explained, "Autumn is the granddaughter of Doctor Zhao and he did all physical examinations personally. He is the only one who knows all about her case clearly. No one can access any information about her except Doctor Zhao."

"Is there no other way to find out something about her condition?" Stunned by Burke's revelation, she didn't expect things to take such a drastic turn. If Burke couldn't do her this favor, then there was nothing she could do.

"Why are you so curious about what's wrong with her?" Confused, Burke finally poured out his growing doubt about her intentions.

Leila was amazed by his guts to ask such a blatant question, but she reacted almost immediately, "I just told you that I really cared about her. And I just want to know if I could help her. There are no two things about it."

"Well, with that said..." Burke hesitated for a few moments after considering what he was about to say and responded, "I heard that Autumn will return to the hospital tomorrow again for some intensive physical examinations. I will be sure to keep an eye on her for you."

"Really? "Then I would be so grateful to you for this favor. Thank you, Burke." Leila smiled as she heard Burke's generous offer.

However, as she returned home, Leila still couldn't feel at ease. Rather she was growing more impatient and anxious now that the information about Autumn was kept confidential, it was difficult for Burke to stumble upon it, so she knew that she could only get it by herself.

The next morning, Leila headed straight to the hospital. At around nine o'clock, Charles drove to the hospital with Autumn. Seeing them there, Leila hastily evaded them and followed them from far behind. She saw that they went directly to the director's office, so she sneakily went there quietly.

The director was waiting for them in the office and had pushed all appointments of other patients for later. There were only three of them waiting in the office. Leila sat down on the bench outside the office, in an attempt to hear something from inside.

After finishing the physical examinations, Charles held the director's arms and eagerly asked, "How is she now? She had a relapse last night."

"Don't worry. I can tell that the baby is fine just by looking at the type-B ultrasonic." The director stopped for a while and said to them.

After hearing this, Charles held Autumn's hands tightly with relief and a cheerful expression.

"But..." After taking a long look at them, the director said, "Even though the baby is fine, I cannot be certain that something bad would not happen to this little baby. And also I observe that the baby is smaller than normal fetuses of the same age. Perhaps you need to provide the embryo with more nourishment to ensure optimal growth."

After saying this, the director put down the exam report and said, "I know you are the granddaughter of Doctor Zhao, so I have to be frank with you. I still strongly suggest you not to keep this baby, after all you are still quite young and can try again when you are in a better condition. And your present health condition is not very stable and ideal for having a child..."

"I know and I understand the risks." Autumn interrupted the director calmly and said in a firm tone, "Now that I have decided to give birth to this child, I will not change my mind. Please don't try to persuade me like this. I thank you for your concern about my health and the kind-hearted advice, but I have made my decision and do not want to consider otherwise."

After hearing this, the director heaved a sigh and said, "Well, now that you are sure about what you want to do, I hope you and the baby will be fine and will lead a healthy life. But remember that you have to take physical examinations frequently. What's more, you have to maintain a good mood and avoid any stimulation altogether. Or there is no way your baby can be saved and moreover even your life will be at risk."

Autumn nodded slightly acknowledging the risks and said to the doctor gratefully, "Thank you. I will keep it in mind. Now we shall head back if that is all."

"Okay, take care." Leila hid away as she heard the noise inside and them approaching the door. The doctors warning keep cropping up in her mind. 'She could not be jarred or the baby and Autumn would be at risk. This sounds great!' Leila thought to herself.

Her mind was brimming with evil thoughts.

Just thinking about this opportunity, Leila burst into a sneer. 'What could happen if she gets irritated?' Leila wondered with a wide smile.

"Leila?" Just then Burke's voice suddenly broke her out of vivid imagination and startled Leila. After spotting Charles leaving with Autumn, Leila chuckled to herself. But she didn't expect to be caught off guard by Burke. She patted her chest to calm it down and complained, "Burke, you scared me to death! Why are you sneaking around like this?"

"Hey, I also have a question for you. What are you doing here?" Confused and puzzled, Burke looked at Leila and felt weird about her unannounced presence.

"I... I came here for you." Leila found an excuse almost immediately.

"But my office is on the other side of the building. You knew that. So what are you doing here in this part of the wing?" Burke said as he pointed in the opposite direction to show his cabin.

Leila felt awkward as she heard this and said, "I honestly forgot and was lost when you ran into me."

Luckily, Burke did not ask about again but said, "That aside, why did you come to meet me today?"

"I..." Leila hesitated as she was unable to explain her situation. A few seconds later Burke suddenly changed the topic himself and said, "Well, you asked to learn something about Autumn yesterday right? She was here just a moment ago."

"Is that so?" Leila decided to dissimulate and asked, "Where is she now?"

"She left the premise just about now." Burke went on with his eye brow furrowed. "So I have inquired for you. It turns out that she was drugged by someone deliberately over the past few months. She also ingested this drug which caused some mental disorder. It is said that she couldn't be jarred. However, she is pregnant now. Her husband and her family members all suggested her not to keep this baby, but Autumn insisted on giving birth to this baby. It is quite a risk to her health and the baby."