Chapter 1801

Karina glanced at the time and quickly gestured for Yvette to sit down as well.

However, barely had they taken their seats when a haughty woman marched up to Karina, her sharp gaze fixed on the chair she was sitting on. "You, get up. I want that seat!"

Karina frowned, studying the unfamiliar woman. She didn't recognize her from the hospital, but the designer jewelry around her neck and the branded bag on her arm screamed wealth. She seemed like the kind of entitled socialite who rarely had to fight for anything, let alone a seat.

Unsure if the woman was trying to pick a fight or genuinely wanted the chair, Karina pointed to the open seats nearby. "There are plenty of seats over there. Take one of those."

Then, she lowered her head, dismissing the woman entirely.

The woman's eyes widened in disbelief. "Excuse me? I said I want your seat. Get up. Now!"

Not content with words alone, she reached out to pull Karina up by force.

Karina, now genuinely angry, shook her off. "I was here first. There are empty seats all around. Why are you fixated on mine?"

The woman huffed, her tone dripping with disdain. "I like your seat, and you're going to give it to me. It's not like you're anyone important-just a lowly doctor."

She pulled out a card and shoved it into Karina's hand. "Here. Two hundred thousand dollars, no PIN. I'm not taking your seat. I'm buying it. That's more than your annual salary, isn't it? Take it and move."

Karina stared at the card in her hand. Its cool surface once represented everything she had longed for in the past. If this had happened during her financially struggling days, she might have agreed.

But now, all she could think about was how, years ago, she had almost made a grave mistake for a mere hundred thousand dollars. The memory of secretly photographing Wilfred for money flashed through her mind.

Her fingers tightened around the

card before suddenly releasing it. Karina stood, grabbed the woman's hand, and pressed the card back

into her palm. "I'm sorry, but evenet

though I'm just a low-paid doctor, I don't take money for nothing. And I'm not giving up my seat was here first. Please respect that. Thank you."

The woman's face turned red with

fury as she pointed an accusing finger at Karina. "You dare refuse me? Do you even know who I am? A mere doctor thinks she can defy me? I have you kicked out of this hospital, believe me!"

Yvette tugged at Karina's sleeve and leaned closer, whispering, "Karina, don't argue with her. That's Ava Jasper, the daughter of the Jasper family the wealthiest family in Atlantis. You don't want to mess with her."

The Jasper family?

Karina's mind flashed to Xavier Jasper, the albino patient she had recently worked with. Could they be related?

Ava seemed to take Karina's silence as defiance. Her voice rose, dripping with scorn. "Give me your seat, and I'll forget this ever happened. Otherwise, I'll make sure you're fired. Try me." Karina tilted her head, confusion flashing in her eyes. "Why are you so insistent on sitting here?"

Ava faltered for a moment.

Of course, it was because this seat was closest to the stage offering the best view of Wilfred.

"Why should I explain myself to you? Just answer-are you giving up the seat or not?" Ava snapped, her tone dripping with entitlement.

Karina's expression remained calm, her soft features making her look like someone easy to push around. With her gentle appearance, she seemed like the perfect target.

But the words she spoke carried a sharpness that cut through the air, firm and unyielding. "No."