"Doctor Miles, does the child know?"
The room sank in silence.
"Not a bit" The old man finally answered as he retreated to his desk.
"How about Feather Healthcare Corporation? Does she know anything about it?" Mister Cheng inquired further, very adamant to know more. Being the General Manager, he of course wanted to know what lies ahead for the corporation they all worked so hard to sustain.
"She soon will. However, for now, I want her to enjoy her youth. I don't want to ruin her days," Doctor Miles answered. He understood why Mister Cheng was curious about all this and he had no intention of keeping him blind to everything. He afterall was a very loyal associate and had been of very good help over the past few years.
"Doctor Miles, she is your only heir. Your blood is running through her veins. There is no more Dugmoch left to take over the corporation you tried so hard to put up all these years" He added, trying to persuade the good doctor to reconsider his prejudices.
"You are right. She is my grandchild. My biological grandchild. As her grandfather, I am not going to force her to do things she doesn't want to do. If time comes that she will discover about Feather Healthcare Corporation and refuses to take it, then no one should force her to," The doctor reasoned, almost like pleading with his associate to leave her granddaughter from all of it.
The corporation he built with his only son is very important to him. He will do everything to keep it in a good state. However, his son's only daughter is more important than anything else, especially that she was the only thing that was left of him.
"But Doctor Miles…"
"General Manager Cheng, I only have one granddaughter. I want her to live a free and happy life. So, let my granddaughter make her own destiny. Also, she doesn't have an interest in medicine. I must say however she is very good at botany just like my wife Sarah, " He added, trying to convince his associate to give up the idea.
"The child doesn't have interest in medicine? That's a shame. It's unfortunate to know that their generation won't have a doctor as great as you," Mister Cheng was more frustrated than he was earlier with Doctor Miles' recent revelation.
Doctor Miles' skills as a doctor are without equal. He was hoping he could pass on these skills to his only grandchild. Frustrated, he sank into the seat just in front of Doctor Miles' desk and started to pull out the documents he brought over.
"As much as it frustrates me, I can't force things on her. The child is very brilliant, she's not easy to tame. However, Mister Cheng, do not worry. I have found a student who can continue my legacies in the future. So, let my granddaughter be whoever she wants to be" Doctor Miles answered unapologetically as he witnessed his General Manager getting frustrated..
"You found an apprentice?"
"A great one. The Rivendell Academy sent me a student to mentor with. He had been training with me for the last five years" The great doctor replied with confidence.
"And who is this student of yours?"
"The youngest Montreal child," He replied proudly. General Manager Cheng has been very loyal to him for a long time and his concerns are certainly for the better. So, he intended to let him know about his apprentice knowing it will make General Manager Cheng worry less.
"That kid? I heard he was brilliant. However he is also prone to making scrapes. Just yesterday in CGC's memorial, he left his father in a serious mess" Mister Cheng commented, recalling yesterday's commotion. He attended the CGC's memorial yesterday and witnessed everything.
"The kid is just a child. Children are prone to making scrapes. But his potential surpassed me. He can be greater than me in the future" The doctor assured him.
"But a Montreal cannot take over Feather Healthcare Corporation. He is not in any way related to you" Another concern rose in Mister Cheng's mind. Although there was no question about the youngest Montreal's capability, knowing that he was not related to Doctor Miles disqualifies him to succeed him. Besides, Director Zhanglou, the head of the Montreals was a man greedy of power and so having a Montreal to take over Feather Healthcare would be troublesome.
"The corporation will live even without an heir. That's what you are here for," The doctor said nonchalantly about his manager's concerns. He already made up his mind a long time ago and conversations like this cannot change anything anymore. With the intention of ending their current conversation about heirs, he put his attention to the documents Mister Cheng brought him and scrutinized them one by one.
"But we can't hide your granddaughter forever. You said it yourself, the child is very brilliant. You can't keep homeschooling her"
"Who said she's homeschooled?" The doctor asked without departing his eyes from the data on the document he was currently studying on.
"Is she not? Then to what institution does she go to? I'm afraid the institution she goes to does not fit the kind of brain she has. She is after all your grandchild. She must have inherited some of your extraordinary intelligence" Being with the Dugmoch for years, Mister Cheng is very familiar with every inch of the family's characteristics and he knew they were all a family of geniuses.
"She was admitted to the Rivendell Academy" Doctor Miles responded as he put down the documents and gave Mister Cheng a proud look. He knew this news would shock his pal and sure his expectation did not disappoint when he saw Manager Cheng dropped jaw.
"What? How was that possible?" The man blurted in disbelief. "For many generations, there was no girl that got admitted to Rivendell. Everyone even thought Rivendell is a boy's school"
"I know. But she got admitted. The only girl student after so many years," The doctor responded with great pride. He himself did not hope for it previously and yet Xhemin exceeded all his expectations. When she got admitted to Rivendell, it also came as a huge shock to him and so he understood if Mister Cheng would not believe him outright.
"How was it possible for her to pass all the tests of Rivendell Academy? They said a girl cannot surpass the extensive physical training in there" Mister Cheng asked in thorough incredulity.
"I don't know. Though I admit I trained and taught her early, I didn't think it was enough to get an admission to Rivendell Academy. However she was really strong physically and can compete with boys her age when it comes to strength. She can even flow a field on her own .This ranch is even her legacy"
Manager Cheng furrowed his brows at the doctor's revelation. All these times he was wondering how the doctor managed to put up a cost-effective ranch, provided that the Dugmoch's never once had a ranch.
"I was wondering how you managed to pull over a successful ranch with the little time that you have. It was the little Miss after all" He gasped as realizations dawned on him.
"This ranch is her playground. I was even forced to buy the neighboring lands because the old one that we have is not enough for her"
"She is one of a kind indeed. I can't believe we have a girl attendee in Rivendell Academy for this generation" The manager exclaimed, trying to brush off some sweat in his head. He felt like he had enough revelations today. Although he visits the Dugmoch's yearly, it was only then that he and Doctor Miles had talked about these things. It seemed that for many years, they had avoided the conversation for reasons he understood. Glad that today the doctor had been very open about it when previously he would drop the conversations about this before he could even ask for more.
"We do and she's my granddaughter. Good thing Rivendell Academy upholds the privacy of their school and their students. I don't have to worry about my granddaughter being known, " The doctor confirmed. In their country, only two elites were known to have attended the Academy; those were the youngest Montreal and the Diamond Prince. Unknown to everyone, another elite is also admitted, and she is a girl. The only girl after so many decades.
"Rivendell is home to extraordinary children with extraordinary and sensitive backgrounds. Of course, they have to uphold the privacy of each student that they have" Mister Cheng thought of it. Everyone knew the kind of students Rivendell has. Aside from the fact that most are males, most of them also were sons of royalties, prime ministers and well-known scientists all around the world. Thus, Rivendell Academy had been very careful in protecting their privacy.
"True and good thing I am known by my first name, Doctor Miles, not Doctor Dugmoch. Otherwise it would be too obvious from what family the child belongs to" The doctor added.
"I'm still afraid that with the kind of profile she has, time will come that it will be too impossible to hide her anymore" The manager blurted another concern, unable to hide his fears.
"I was hoping she would marry off one of the foreign students in Rivendell, so she can find a reason to live abroad. But if destiny will pull her back to the past, I'm hoping it will be at the time she is old enough to protect herself. But as much as I can, I'm going to keep her and the life she has right now" The doctor responded with a sign. The only thing he really could do right then was hope that everything would be easy for his grandchild.
"I understand and I—"
"Grandad?" Xhemin suddenly flew inside her grandfather's study room without warning. This alarmed the two adults who certainly did not anticipate her sudden appearance.
How long has she been outside the door?
How in the world did they not hear her footsteps when she stepped down the stairs?
Did the child hear their whole conversation?