Chapter 217



“I see,” someone murmured, breaking the brief silence.

Another voice chimed in, “Mrs. Clark, you’re so young yet already an attending physician at the Grand Plains General Hospital. This is truly impressive!”

Ryan scoffed. He leaned forward, his voice laced with disdain. “Impressive? That’s an overstatement. Winning some glorified virtual surgery competition doesn’t mean anything. It’s laughable that Caiden promoted you because of that, Belinda. Has he lost his mind? Real surgeries aren’t simulations. Just because you completed this virtual surgery successfully this time doesn’t mean you’ll be able to do it in real life.”

He let the words hang and then added with a mocking edge, “Sure, you aced the entrance exam. Big deal. The real test is under the scalpel. When you start messing up real surgeries, Caiden will regret his impulsive decision.”

A tense silence settled over the room. No one rushed to Belinda’s defense. Many people believed Ryan had a point.

They also believed that virtual surgeries, no matter how realistic, weren’t the same as the real operating room. Many agreed with Ryan’s words, thinking Caiden had made a terrible mistake promoting Belinda.

Johnson’s face grew cloudy, but he chose to remain silent. He, for one, knew the full extent of Belinda’s medical skills. He believed Belinda was more than worthy of being an attending physician.

Even Lucas, observing from the sidelines, couldn’t entirely dismiss Ryan’s words. The challenges ahead for Belinda were undeniable.

Belinda, however, remained unruffled. She met Ryan’s gaze with a calm, cutting smile. “Mr. Adams, I suggest you focus on your own affairs. If you have spare time, remind your uncle Turner to pay the money soon.”

Ryan’s face darkened instantly, fury flashing in his eyes. Because of Belinda’s victory, Turner had lost a hefty sum: a year-end bonus and a month’s salary. That was a lot of money, and Ryan’s chest burned just thinking about it.

Turner was even more furious about this, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Before the tension could escalate, Johnson stepped in smoothly, saying, “Alright, let’s lighten the mood, shall we? No use sitting here like this. How about we play a game?”

“Good idea!” someone chimed in eagerly. “Let’s play Truth or Dare… and add some new rules to spice it up!”

Others quickly jumped on board.

“Sounds fun!”

“I’m in!”

With that, the atmosphere shifted, and the game began.

At first, the game started harmlessly. The dares were lighthearted, almost playful—things like doing push-ups over another person lying on the floor or performing an impromptu dance in front of everyone.

Everyone laughed, the mood was easy, and boundaries stayed intact. But as the night dragged on, the dares grew bolder, each round pushing the limits just a bit further. Now, the challenges included two people kissing for a full minute or someone performing a striptease for the group.

In one round, the dare called for two men to kiss. The unlucky player immediately forfeited. He grabbed three shots of whiskey and downed them in quick succession, the sound of playful jeers following him. The game continued.

“Who’s the King this round?” someone called out. “I am,” Vincent declared, his grin mischievous as he considered his options.

.

.

.