As soon as he knocked, the answer to come in returned immediately.
“Doctor, I heard you called for me.”
She, who had been sitting in front of the computer, pointed to the sofa set in front.
“Ah, Elian. Come sit over here.”
Dr. Morgan, rising from her chair, approached the coffee bar opposite the desk.
“Want some coffee?”
“I’m fine. Thank you.”
“It was the day you had Ratna’s interview, right?”
“Yes.”
“The guardian’s satisfaction level is high. Of course, in my view too, the child’s emotional state has become quite stable. You did well, Elian.”
“It’s thanks to your guidance, Doctor. I’m learning a lot.”
The doctor, responding with a smile to his polite answer, operated the coffee machine. The small noise of the machine spread through the room. At the same time, the fragrant smell of coffee must have been spreading, but Elian couldn’t detect it.
The biggest purpose of Elian moving from Chicago to New York was to get close to the Lockhart family. But that wasn’t everything. The expectation of being able to train under Dr. Morgan was also one of the factors that drew Elian here. Dr. Celeste Morgan had been a figure Elian admired since the time he began dreaming of and preparing to become a counselor in earnest.
The doctor approached the sofa carrying a mug filled with coffee.
The glasses with bright blue frames suited her lustrous dark skin well. The blue horn-rimmed glasses with a long cord so they could hang around her neck were like her trademark.
Dr. Morgan, who took a sip of coffee, rested the mug on her lap and looked at Elian with serious eyes.
“There’s a case I’d like you to take on, Elian.”
Elian immediately showed interest with his expression.
“It’s a 6-year-old boy adopted two years ago. I understand he had been through two failed adoptions before. This would be his third adoption.”
“Is it a case related to post-adoption attachment?”
Dr. Morgan shook her head.
“It’s not that. The adjustment period was a bit long, but as time passed, the child’s emotional state improved very well.”
“Then…”
“Recently the adoptive father passed away, and the child’s anxiety behaviors have started again. That’s the reason for the counseling request.”
“Is the applicant the adoptive mother?”
The doctor shook her head again this time.
“From the time of adoption, it was a household with only an adoptive father. The guardian who applied is a legal sibling. An older brother with a large age gap. It seems like he has absolutely no grasp on how to handle the child’s situation because they’ve had almost no interaction with each other.”
Elian nodded slightly with a serious expression, barely perceptibly.
“It looks like quite a complicated case.”
“That’s right. That’s why I personally want to recommend you, Elian.”
“I’m not sure if my capabilities are sufficient. I’m still in training…”
Elian’s tone was cautious.
“For cases like this, experience is important, but perseverance and patience in dealing with children are most important above all. I think you’re the right person for this.”
Dr. Morgan, who took another sip of coffee, looked across at Elian with a faint smile.
“What do you say, will you do an interview?”
It seemed like it would be quite a difficult case. But he wanted to gain new experience. It was natural that he couldn’t grow as a counselor by only taking on cases he was confident about.
Elian, having made up his mind, looked at Dr. Morgan and nodded.
“If that’s your judgment, Doctor, I’d like to take it on.”
Her smile deepened. It was a smile that seemed to say she knew Elian would say that.
The doctor, removing her glasses to let them hang around her neck, looked at Elian with her large eyes sparkling with intelligence.
“However, it could be a somewhat difficult environment. Will that be okay?”
“Difficult, in what way…”
“The counseling client and guardian is a Lockhart.”
“……”
“Lorenz Lockhart.”
“Lorenz… Lockhart?”
Elian couldn’t help but ask in surprise.
For several months, no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t even get close to the vicinity of the name Lockhart. That name was like an impregnable fortress with walls built and a moat surrounding it. Yet in just one day, opportunities to approach both Lockharts had come one after another.
The doctor, rising from the sofa, walked to the desk and returned with a small piece of paper.
Elian received it somewhat bewilderedly.
“It might be burdensome because it’s a famous family, but if you focus only on caring for the child regardless of the counseling client’s social status, there shouldn’t be much of a problem.”
Elian agreed with the doctor’s words themselves.
He wanted to encounter various children and families in various environments and help them to the best of his ability. That’s why he had decided to become a counselor.
“If possible, they want to conduct the interview today.”
“The situation must not be good.”
Elian looked up at Dr. Morgan standing in front of him. His face couldn’t hide the bewilderment that everything was too sudden.
“The child is also showing signs of selective mutism, and apparently that started even before the adoptive father’s death. So they seem to be in a hurry too.”
The doctor, returning to her seat, picked up her mug again and added.
“And there’s one more condition.”
“What kind…”
“They want you to work live-in. Running a center in Manhattan, this kind of request isn’t extremely rare. You can definitely expect faster improvement than receiving counseling once a week.”
Live-in… that meant he could enter inside the Lockhart family estate.
Elian looked down at the business card in his hand.
Lorenz Lockhart.
It was unmistakably Lorenz Lockhart’s name.
Unconsciously, strength entered the hand holding the business card. He slowly raised his head and faced Dr. Morgan. Then, with a calm expression and tone, he conveyed his decision.
“I’ll do the interview.”
■
That night, Vincent came to Elian’s room with a pack of beer.
Vincent sat askew on Elian’s bed, using it as a sofa, and Elian occupied the chair in front of the desk.
Saying he’d been unable to focus on work all day because he was curious about the story of meeting Joshua Lockhart, the guy urged Elian on. However, that was now only part of the events. More things had happened than during the morning when he’d conversed with Vincent.
While the story continued to what had happened at the center, Vincent’s face gradually transformed as if becoming more and more dumbfounded. The speed at which the guy drank his beer also noticeably slowed.
Elian, who had been calmly continuing the story, also became slightly emotional at the last part. Whether due to anticipation or the effects of the beer, his cheeks flushed redder than usual.
“But, the client Dr. Morgan mentioned was Lorenz Lockhart.”
As soon as the name Lorenz Lockhart came out of Elian’s mouth, Vincent’s upper body bounced forward greatly. It was fortunate he didn’t spit out the beer he was drinking.
“Wha… what?”
The pupils of his dark brown eyes dilated.
“Who did you say?”
“Lorenz Lockhart.”
Elian fully understood his reaction.
Just Joshua Lockhart giving him a phone number was already an incredible event, and on top of that, to become entangled with Lorenz Lockhart too. Elian himself still felt bewildered as well.
“Yesterday Joshua Lockhart appeared at the bar and gave you a business card, and today… you met Lorenz Lockhart too… is that what you’re saying right now?”
Elian took a sip of beer that tasted almost entirely bitter and shook his head.
“No. I didn’t meet Lorenz Lockhart. I did the interview with someone called the head housekeeper.”
“What’s that about?”
Vincent, frowning, added.
“You’re someone who’s going to live-in and intensively counsel the child, but the head housekeeper conducts the interview instead? What about the great heir?”
“They said Lorenz Lockhart is on a business trip.”
“Ah, a business trip.”
Vincent, sneering in a tone that said he understood what that meant, took a sip of beer and scoffed.
