She removed the mask, gradually revealing her face, crisscrossed with scars.
George Standford furrowed his brows, clicking his tongue as he examined Sophie’s half-scarred face.
William Guillen threw all gentlemanly demeanor out the window and forgot about manners as well. Since there were no outsiders present, he didn’t need to restrain himself.
He dropped all pretense. "Old Mr. Standford, is it a deal or not? Just say something."
Staring at someone like that without saying a word is really creepy!
If Thomas Shannon hadn’t known beforehand that Standford was a doctor specializing in repairing facial injuries, he would have long since found him intolerable and likely shot him full of holes.
"You little brat, get out of here! Seeing you gives me a headache!" George Standford clutched his forehead, his face contorted in pain.
William Guillen was speechless. This young master gets a headache seeing *you* too!
Thomas Shannon’s eyes darkened slightly. "Lan Singh, why don’t you step out first?"
"Alright, I’ll go down then."
Anyway, he had already said everything he needed to; the rest was up to George Standford to decide.
Leaving the conference room with a flourish, William Guillen went downstairs.
Once William Guillen had left, George Standford huffed. "This girl isn’t Shawna’s goddaughter, is she?"
Now that he’d been found out, Thomas Shannon didn’t intend to hide it any longer. "Mr. Standford, you are truly clever."
"Darling Shawna treasures her son so much, she barely has enough time for him. How could she possibly have the inclination to adopt a goddaughter, and then weep for her to the point of being unable to eat? That’s complete nonsense!"
George Standford wasn’t easily fooled. He stroked his chin pensively. "This face... it’s not impossible to repair, it’s just..."
Sophie Sullivan’s heart was in her throat. She anxiously pressed, "Just what, exactly?"
"Just that it’s difficult."
"Then... can it be healed?"
George Standford snorted. "It can undoubtedly be healed. The question is whether or not I’m willing to perform the surgery for you."
Not a single surgery personally conducted by George Standford had ever failed.
It all depended on whether he was willing to do this particular operation.
"Mr. Standford, what would it take for you to perform the reparative surgery for her? You can name your conditions," Thomas Shannon said calmly.
Since they had gone to great lengths, and appealing to him on behalf of William Guillen’s mother hadn’t worked, Thomas Shannon had no choice but to let Standford state his conditions directly.
"I have two rules. I don’t treat nobles, and I don’t treat tycoons. Young Master Shannon, you hit both marks."
Sophie frowned. "Do you resent the rich?"
Standford exploded, his face fierce, his eyebrows bristling. "What’s wrong with resenting the rich, huh? Is there a problem with it?"
"You don’t look like someone without money. Why resent the rich?"
"You don’t look like some ugly oddity either. So why did you get disfigured?"
This old man’s skill at retorting was truly something else.
Sophie conceded defeat. "Alright, you’re formidable!"
"HUMPH!" George Standford huffed, his tone full of tsundere.
"Mr. Standford, how about I give you a suggestion?" Sophie approached him slyly.
He eyed her suspiciously. "What suggestion?"
"Him!" Sophie’s slender index finger pointed at Thomas Shannon. "He’s rolling in money. Just name your price. Demanding an exorbitant sum wouldn’t be a problem either."
"Do I look like someone so devoid of principles?"
"To me, you look like a philanthropist who robs from the rich to help the poor."
George Standford turned his head, sizing up Sophie seriously. "You, girl, have quite a sharp tongue."
"So, will you consider it? Will you help me with the reparative surgery?" Sophie smiled, her eyes twinkling brightly.
"Not up for discussion."