Restaurant.

Phoebe and Rachel sat at the dining table, taking advantage of Leonard's absence to argue with each other.

"I can't believe your dad thinks I'm a lesbian and that I'm the father of your baby! I actually thought he was kind and was considering letting you leave early," Phoebe complained.

"Hey! That's not the point!"

Rachel waved a hand in front of Phoebe's face to refocus her. "I just lied to my dad! I'm not actually going to marry Ross. What do I do now?"

"Relax."

Phoebe waved dismissively. "You're a grown woman, and you're already pregnant. What's he going to do? Make you eat your baby the way he used to threaten to make you eat an entire pack of cigarettes when you smoked?"

Rachel glared at her.

"Alright, alright."

Phoebe chuckled. "Just tell him the truth later."

"Weren't you listening?"

Rachel looked horrified. "Didn't you see the way he gritted his teeth when he thought his first grandchild might be illegitimate? It was terrifying!"

"Hah! I have an idea!"

Phoebe clapped her hands. "If you're too scared to tell him, just let your baby do it! Wait until the kid grows up and suddenly appears in front of your dad—what a surprise that'll be!"

"That's not a surprise; that's a heart attack waiting to happen!"

Rachel rolled her eyes.

"How about letting Adam tell him?"

Phoebe grinned. "They're best friends, after all. Plus, they work together at the hospital now."

Rachel's eyes lit up.

That sounded a lot better than leaving a voicemail.

Better him than her, right?

"Good news for you."

At that moment, Leonard returned from his phone call, looking pleased. "I just spoke to Adam. He said there's a good chance he can book The Plaza for your wedding reception!"

"…!"

Rachel's smile froze.

Adam was clearly taking Leonard's side. There was no way she could count on him to break the news.

"Looks like someone played their cards better," Phoebe teased.

"What are you two whispering about?" Leonard asked, confused.

"Nothing…"

Rachel considered looking for another ally, but when she met Phoebe's amused gaze, she took a deep breath and blurted out, "Dad, I lied about the wedding."

"What?!"

Leonard's voice echoed through the restaurant.

Rachel shrank back, especially when she noticed people around them turning to stare. She covered her face and whispered, "Dad, keep your voice down…"

"Why?! Why aren't you getting married?! Is it because that idiot Ross doesn't want to?!"

Leonard's voice only grew louder.

"Yes!"

Rachel's eyes lit up as she played the victim. "It's Ross!"

"That bastard!"

Leonard shot to his feet. "I'm going to kill him!"

"Don't kill him, just yell at him a little!"

Rachel called after Leonard's retreating figure without much sincerity.

"That was smooth," Phoebe said, giving Rachel a thumbs-up.

"Did I do something wrong?"

Rachel asked indignantly. "If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be pregnant and dealing with my dad's pressure to get married! Why should I be the only one facing my father's wrath?"

"Fair point!"

Phoebe nodded in agreement.

The Next Day

4:30 AM.

"Bianca, Bianca."

Adam gently nudged the sleeping Bianca.

"What do you want?"

Bianca muttered without opening her eyes. "I can't do this anymore. Go wake up Iliad or someone else."

"…"

Adam paused for a second before nudging her again. "Time for work. Starting today, we're on a 5 AM to 7 PM schedule. Someone's probably already at the hospital.

You don't want all the good cases to be taken, do you? If they impress Dr. Snow first, they'll get to assist in surgeries while you just stand and watch."

"Argh!"

Bianca groaned into her pillow before jumping out of bed.

"Damned intern life!"

As medical interns, after surviving the initial shock and learning the hospital workflow, they had now entered their real training period.

Adam and the others had to wake up before dawn, rush to the hospital, and cheerfully wake up sleeping patients to ask about their condition.

At that hour, patients were understandably cranky.

But it had to be done. Interns needed to gather firsthand, accurate information before the residents did their rounds.

If an intern failed to get the right details and the resident made a mistake because of it, they'd be the one taking the heat—not the patient.

And when a resident decided to make life miserable for an intern? It wasn't hard.

On the flip side, doing a good job could make an impression. If an intern provided reliable reports, residents—and even attending physicians—would take notice.

That was how interns earned their spot in the operating room.

So, no ambitious intern showed up exactly at 5 AM.

Most were there by 4:30. Some even arrived at 4:00. Others just slept at the hospital to be first in line.

Adam's apartment was right next to the hospital, only a few minutes away—practically the same as living there.

But compared to hospital accommodations, plus a few personal reasons, Adam preferred going home every night.

Once they had washed up, Bianca rushed Adam to leave.

Not because she was afraid of being late, but because she was trying to avoid morning workouts…

Outside, it was still dark.

Even in a city that never sleeps, there were few people around besides the streetlights.

But once they arrived at the hospital, everything changed.

Doctors and nurses bustled about from all directions—some coming in, some going off shift. The energy level was almost the same as in the daytime.

That was a hospital for you.

"Boss, here's your breakfast."

A girl stood outside the hospital entrance, holding a packed meal. When she saw Adam, she immediately greeted him.

"Thanks, Lisa."

Adam smiled as he took it.

"It's my pleasure," Lisa said cheerfully. "If you ever have any special requests for breakfast, just let me know."

"I will. Now go get some rest."

Adam nodded as Lisa walked away.

"You really know how to enjoy life."

Bianca shook her head. "Breakfast isn't a big deal. You could just grab something quick, but you actually hired someone just for that?"

"Lisa isn't my assistant."

Adam walked as he explained. "She's Ada's assistant. I need to wake up early every day, but I can't make Ada suffer along with me. Lisa's a great cook, so I hired her."

To have a freshly prepared breakfast ready for Adam, Lisa had to wake up at 2:30 AM to start cooking.

The idea came from Juno and Karen.

Karen was an amazing cook and took great care of Juno. Adam was envious.

Karen was one of a kind, but hiring a personal chef? That was easy for a billionaire like Adam.

He wasn't about to start eating cold sandwiches for breakfast like most Americans.