Chapter 142



To ask her to take on such a challenging procedure was clearly intentional. It was a direct challenge, an attempt to place Belinda in a position she could hardly escape from, and by extension, to undermine Caiden.

Kylee shot a quick look at Belinda, a smile tugging at her lips. She believed there was no way Belinda could perform the surgery successfully. Expecting a resident doctor to perform a type-B aortic dissection solo was practically a setup for failure.

Kylee had not expected Turner to escalate things this far so quickly after her little provocation. The audacity of his move was impressive, to say the least.

Through it all, Belinda’s face remained perfectly neutral, her expression unreadable, as though the entire conversation had nothing to do with her.

Seeing this, the other doctors couldn’t help but admire Belinda’s composure. Her calmness was truly remarkable, especially given the circumstances.

“Isn’t the difficulty level of this surgery a bit high?” Caiden asked with a light chuckle, his voice laced with curiosity.

Turner nodded thoughtfully, his gaze steady as he responded, “It’s true that it’s a challenging procedure for any resident physician. But let’s not forget, this is the Grand Plains General Hospital—the best of the best. A little extra difficulty just makes the evaluation more worthwhile, don’t you think?”

Turner’s reasoning was well-articulated and hard to argue with.

“Alright, I agree!” Caiden suddenly declared, surprising everyone in the room. The other doctors exchanged incredulous looks. Caiden actually agreed? Was he out of his mind?

Turner’s eyes gleamed with triumph, but just as he was about to speak, Caiden cut him off.

“However…” Caiden’s gaze shifted, briefly meeting Kylee’s eyes before turning back to Turner. “Belinda cannot be the only one performing the surgery. Kylee needs to perform this surgery, too.”

Kylee froze, her eyes widening in disbelief. Why was she suddenly dragged into this? What did she have to do with it?

At Caiden’s words, Turner’s expression soured. “Mr. Rodgers, isn’t this a bit much? Kylee is just a contract intern here.”

Caiden smiled lightly, his expression calm yet filled with a subtle sharpness. “I think this is absolutely necessary for her to do that. Turner, look around this entire hospital—do you see any other department heads with a contracted intern by their side? In fact, isn’t Kylee the only one in our entire hospital with a situation like this?”

After a pause, he continued, “She has been here for over a year, has taken the qualifying exam twice, and still hasn’t passed. By the hospital’s rules, she should have been dismissed long ago. But out of respect for you, she was allowed to stay. Now, since you’re so eager to uphold the rules and fairness, shouldn’t the same principles apply to her? Am I wrong?”

Caiden’s words were deliberate, his tone cutting through the room. The Grand Plains General Hospital prided itself on its strict regulations, and Caiden’s words struck at the heart of those very rules.

Turner’s face froze, his confident expression faltering for the first time.

Turner couldn’t find a way to refute Caiden’s words. Kylee, meanwhile, shot Turner a look filled with panic and anxiety. She had only wanted to see Belinda fail—how had she ended up tangled in this mess? Desperately, she gave Turner several subtle glances, silently urging him to think of something, anything, to avoid accepting Caiden’s terms.

When Belinda noticed Kylee’s panicked eyes, her lips curled slightly into a smirk. Wasn’t Kylee just gloating a moment ago? What happened to that smug expression now? Ah, it was indeed easy to laugh at someone else’s misfortune until the tables turned.

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