Chapter 216



Just then, his phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID, he stepped aside to answer the call.

“Hello.”

“Baker, how did the competition between Belinda and Kylee go?” Holley’s voice came through the line, tinged with curiosity.

Baker’s jaw tightened, his voice laced with anger. “Belinda won.”

“What?” Holley’s shock was palpable. “Belinda won?” She blinked. How could this be possible? Belinda had promised her she would let Kylee win!

Baker said in a sarcastic voice, “None of us expected this outcome, but it’s the truth. Belinda won, and Kylee lost. And as if that weren’t enough, Belinda gave Kylee a choice—to stay at the hospital as an intern forever or leave entirely. Very generous, don’t you think?”

Holley fell silent, the weight of his sarcasm sinking in.

After a moment, she said, “I need to go. We’ll talk later.” Before Baker could reply, Holley ended the call. She immediately dialed another number, this time calling Belinda.

Holley waited for a long time, but Belinda did not pick up.

Holley called again, waiting as the tone droned on. Still, no answer.

Frustrated, she resorted to sending a message to Belinda. “Call me back when you see this message.”

Belinda, however, had seen it all—the calls, the message. She had ignored Holley’s calls deliberately. She knew exactly what Holley wanted to talk about, and at this moment, she had no desire to discuss anything remotely related to the competition with Holley.

Letting her phone sit untouched, she chose to ignore Holley completely.

That night, at the lavish Dream Club, Johnson hosted a gathering in Belinda’s honor. He had spared no effort, inviting a mix of colleagues and acquaintances to celebrate Belinda’s win this time.

Belinda arrived to find the private room bustling with people. She maintained a calm expression.

“Everyone, a toast!” Johnson announced with a broad smile, raising his glass high. “To Belinda, our newly promoted attending physician!”

“Congratulations!”

“Cheers to that!”

The room echoed with good wishes, though most of it felt hollow. Only a handful seemed genuinely happy for Belinda. The rest had only shown up out of respect for Johnson.

Ryan, seated lazily in a corner, swirled the drink in his hand. His lips curved into a sardonic smile as he spoke. “Funny, isn’t it? Belinda gets promoted, but it’s you, Johnson, throwing the party for her. Quite the head-scratcher.”

His remark drew a few questioning glances from the group.

Johnson was unfazed by Ryan’s words, his tone steady. “Belinda and I are close friends. Even Lucas knows that.”

At the mention of his name, Lucas looked up, his gaze calm. He said nothing, but he was indeed displeased. Why had Johnson organized this celebration for Belinda? To an outsider, it might seem like Belinda and Johnson were a couple!

Not that it mattered, Lucas reminded himself. He didn’t care about Belinda. Why should it bother him who arranged the celebration for her?

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