Chapter 212



“Congratulations on completing the surgery, Belinda!”

“Thank you,” Belinda said with a smile and took her seat.

At that moment, Caiden spoke up, looking at everyone present. “In today’s competition, Belinda finished the surgery successfully, while Kylee failed on her end. In accordance with the terms we agreed upon, Kylee will be dismissed from the Grand Plains General Hospital, and Dr. Ortiz will donate his annual bonus and also hand over a month’s salary to me. And most importantly… Belinda is officially promoted to the position of attending physician now. Does anyone have any objections?”

No one voiced any objections, of course. After everything, only a fool would protest. Belinda had earned her place at the Grand Plains General Hospital fair and square and proved her outstanding skills to everyone in the competition.

To say that Turner’s and Kylee’s faces were grim now would be an understatement.

“Mr. Rodgers!” Kylee suddenly blurted out, unable to accept her fate. “Can you please reconsider this and not fire me? I really want to keep working here. I’m even willing to withdraw from the hospital exams in the next two years for this.”

“Just please, don’t fire me.”

At that moment, Kylee couldn’t care less about her pride. She just couldn’t bring herself to leave this hospital and pretend that everything was fine, even though she had agreed to the terms before.

Caiden smiled at Kylee, but his voice carried a hint of disdain. “Miss Wright, we all agreed to the terms of the deal before. Are you trying to go back on your word now that you’ve lost the competition? That isn’t very fair.”

The color drained from Kylee’s face. She said, “No, no, I’m not trying to go back on my word. I—I just… I just want to ask for a bit of leniency; that’s all.”

Caiden didn’t care for her pleas. He turned to Belinda and asked her directly, “What do you think, Belinda?”

Kylee’s expression froze as she turned slowly to look at Belinda. Who would have thought her fate at the Grand Plains General Hospital would one day rest in Belinda’s hands? The sheer irony of it all was almost too much to bear.

Belinda’s gaze lingered on her sister, a faint, playful smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.

“Kylee, you really want to continue to work at the Grand Plains General Hospital, don’t you?” she asked.

Pausing just long enough to let her words settle, Belinda continued, her tone edged with faux sincerity, “As your younger sister, how could I not help you right now?”

Kylee’s eyes widened in shock, her thoughts spinning. She had not expected Belinda to say anything like this.

Just as Kylee opened her mouth to respond, Belinda held up a hand, gesturing for her to remain silent.

“But…” Belinda’s voice turned steely, the playful edge fading. “A bet is a bet. Without consequences, the competition this time would be meaningless, don’t you think? After all, I can’t let people tarnish my name for nothing. So, here’s the deal: if you really want to continue to work at the Grand Plains General Hospital, you can. But you can only work here as an intern. No permanent staff position. And you’re barred from ever taking the entrance exam again.”

The room fell into stunned silence as if the air had been sucked out of it. For a long moment, no one spoke, the tension in the room evident.

When Kylee finally processed what Belinda had just said, her face darkened, the implications hitting her like a punch to the gut. To remain an intern indefinitely, barred from ever advancing, was a fate worse than being fired from the hospital.

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