"They say a surgeon has to have nerves of steel, the heart of a lion and the hands of a woman. These men had been claiming that you perfectly fit the description and are even more than that. Do you think you deserve their praises?"

Sia quirked her lips up. Her answer was confident but there was no arrogance or c.o.c.kiness in it.

"Actions speak louder than words. I wouldn't be standing here if I didn't deserve it." Her gaze travelled over the people in the room. She went back to looking at the man and continued with a slight smile, "With that said, nothing can subst.i.tute experience. I don't have the tenth of the experience of these men, so I am lucky I have them to learn from."

The man was far from apathetic. There was usually an indescribable chilliness about him. But the moment he heard her response, the chilliness was gone, replaced with a hearty laugh.

"Confident but not arrogant, competent but not inappreciative. Girl, you sure are as unique as those men claim you to be."

She gave him a light smile,

"Aren't we all unique in one way or another?"

The man raised his eyebrows, his interest was picked.

"Would the meaning of the word 'unique' even exist if everyone possessed it?"

Her gaze became a bit unfocused, but she continued looking at the man,

"It exists because people are too lazy or too occupied with their own business to discover the uniqueness of the others. So, they find it surprising when they do take the time for another person and notice the other's uniqueness.

However, what is your own opinion, sir?"

The man laughed once again. He usually found talking to others boring: most of the people were too warped because of the stereotypes of the society. They were too scared to talk, too scared to risk, too scared to contradict. They were simply too scared of too many things.

But here she was, unperturbed by the barriers of society: a young woman with a voice of her own. Her beauty and presence demanded attention from the moment one looked at her. But the moment she opened her mouth to speak, her thoughts called for more: for respect and awe. Others would consider her naive, but he saw maturity, integrity and courage in her. And that was what leaders were made from.

"I see potential in people, but most of them ignore their potential and leave it unattended: too afraid to stray away from the waves. It's a pity how people want to become something they are not and in this process they lose who they truly are."

His voice was filled with regret and disappointment. From the day he was born he was surrounded with people who knew nothing but to fawn at him and run away with their tails between their legs whenever he was angry at them. No one ever dared to argue with him, making his life bland and boring.

The next moment his train of thoughts was interrupted by the girl's melodious voice. He wondered whether she would stay as decisive the moment she learned of his true ident.i.ty.

"People make the society and while some choose to become ostracised by its standards, some are not given the choice at all. It's true that many lose their uniqueness along with their own self, but that doesn't mean there are no traces of it left in them. I think those people have their essence hidden somewhere deep down, waiting for someone to find and explore."

She recovered her focus and her answer was given in all seriousness: she didn't mind if people found her to be a hypocrite. This was what she thought, and the principle she followed. This was why she loved exploring people around her: she always had something to learn from others.

Unbeknownst to her, every answer she gave to the man made him more and more impressed. He chose to skip all the tests he was thinking of and directly jump to the last one. He was just scared she would disappoint him like everyone else did.

"I guess you are right Siana. I hope you don't mind me calling you with your first name. I don't like calling you doctor because it reminds me I have some health issues."

"Of course I don't. But, avoiding whatever issue you have is not going to help you solve it. So, I hope you will tell me how I should address you and how I may be of help to you."

Looking at her smile, the man simply hoped she wouldn't become like the doctors here, who were too nervous to do their job properly.

"I am Jason Herondale. Call me however you wish. As for my problem, your colleagues should be better at explaining it."

He looked attentively at her reaction. Her eyes widened, her face filled with astonishment. This was the usual expected reaction. What mattered, was her response and he was in for surprise.

Unlike others who would tremble at the mention of his name, she once again sized him up from head to toe in an obvious manner. After she was done giving him a look over, her face bloomed with a mischievous smile. She held her chin with her hand in contemplation and finally responded,

"Eh? I never expected the most influential man in the world to be so low-key and so humble. Aren't you supposed to have all the best doctors attend to you in your own luxurious hospital when you are ill?" Her smile changed into a small pout, "You have just succeeded in breaking the persona I had created for you for years Mr. Jason. "

Jason and his son were completely taken aback by her response. The girl's way of thinking was unlike anything else they had ever seen. This time Jason was not the only one to laugh, his son couldn't help but laugh too. Siana Illes... truly an interesting character.

While they laughed she smiled back at them. Jason Herondale, a man whose one word was enough to shake the world. True that she was surprised to know that the man she had been talking to was no other than the mysterious Jason Herondale. There was no one who didn't know the man's name. The Herondale family had centuries of a history. They were considered the most ancient family still existing with their history of more than two thousand years. Many of what was currently known about the ancient times and the past events came from the archives of this family. The riches they had could not be counted by today's standards. Their wealth was simply invaluable. Everyone dreamed of making connections with this family, but no one dared to do so. Moreover, they usually kept a low profile and meeting them was something almost impossible even for the rulers of different countries.

She wasn't scared of the man in front of her. No, she respected him. He was the head of the family that had the most number of orphanages around the world. They were the ones that developed various strategies to help homeless people all around the world. In simpler words, they were human activists that she looked up to since she was young.

But, it was no wonder those people found her reaction out of ordinary. After all, they wouldn't be the most influential family if they didn't have the power to back it up. They shook the world 20 years ago when their private army stopped the war that had claimed so many lives. Of course they weren't harmless, however, she appreciated their merits that outnumbered their rumoured demerits.

The man finally came back to his senses and said in a stern way,

"Siana, don't you dare change in future."

Sia quirked her lips in a lopsided smile, and said leisurely,

"No way. The only thing constant in life is change. I still plan to grow as a person, so don't make me give you empty promises."

Cold sweat streamed down the foreheads of the doctors around her. No one could blame them: this was the way people usually behaved around the Herondales. No one dared contradict the them, but the girl did so in such a matter-of-factly manner. They considered her their little angel and they were scared that her words might provoke these giant men. But they couldn't stop her. The girl was just too daring.

Though their worries were not unfounded, when it came to this girl, they turned to be completely irrelevant. On the contrary, her answer once again intrigued Jason: the girl was truly a never-seen pearl he came across by an accident. She continued to amaze him. She was nothing like anyone else he had ever encountered before. He lost the number of geniuses he had seen long ago. Everyone working for him was a genius at something. But none of them shone as brightly as she did. In his eyes, bearing-wise, these geniuses would fade next to her.

Her expectant, but slightly amused way of looking at him, made him break into a sincere smile that had always been reserved for his family only.

"You win Dr. Siana. I just hope you'll allow me to be your friend and see your growth in future ."

She chuckled at his request. She then lifted her lips into a sly smile, ready to surprise the man with her abnormal answer once again.