Chapter 228

Chapter 228

The glass wall reflected the intertwined figures of two people, with Victoria's fingertips leaving a faint mist on the cold surface. The lights from a passing cruise ship on the river in the distance brushed past the corners of her reddened eyes, like shooting stars streaking across the night sky.

"You totally lied to me!" she blurted out, biting down on Edward's shirt button in embarrassment. The crisp sound of her teeth hitting the sapphire cufflinks echoed as she continued, "How could they use see-through glass in a place like this?"

A low chuckle rumbled in her ears as Edward wrapped her in his coat, his fingers gliding over the smart glass control panel. "Bulletproof electrically controlled frosted glass, light transmittance 0.3%," he paused for effect, watching Victoria's eyes light up with indignation in his arms before casually finishing, "as long as the privacy mode is on."

Victoria's grip on his tie suddenly tightened, the silk fabric crumpling in her palm. Just as she was about to explode, she noticed a flash of silver on the rooftop of the building across, like a camera lens reflecting light.

"Looks like someone beat us to the flash mode," Edward remarked casually, glancing at the source of light and unbuttoning his suit vest with one hand. As the dark gray fabric unfolded, Victoria found herself enveloped in darkness tinged with the scent of cedar.

She heard the faint sound of a metal belt buckle tapping against the glass, mixed with his muffled whisper, "The light transmittance is definitely zero now."

Outside the glass wall, flashes of light flickered on and off. As Edward guided Victoria away from the revolving restaurant wrapped in his suit, she faintly heard the sound of shutters blending with the river breeze.

"Do we really not need to talk about this?" Her fingers gripped the hem of his shirt, which turned white.

Edward held her tighter, his warm lips brushing against her flushed earlobe. "Tomorrow, Skyline Enterprises is bidding for the Starlight City Medical Center. We happen to need some proof of compassion."

The glass mirror reflected the mischievous glint in his eyes as his fingertips smoothed down her upturned collar.

Victoria couldn't help but think that maybe she hadn't been idle after all.

She never imagined that the next day at work, the young nurses at the station huddled around the computer, chanting in unison as she walked by, "The dance behind the river-view glass wall lasted forty-seven minutes."

"It was forty-seven seconds!" Victoria blushed and slammed the medical records book on the table.

She felt a bit embarrassed but didn't take it too seriously.

"Dr. Neville is one lucky guy!"

One of the nurses she knew well approached her, almost bumping into her.

Victoria suddenly regretted showing up for work that day.

Just as she was thinking this, she heard a commotion.

"Doctor, please help my husband!"

The voice sounded familiar to Victoria. She looked up and saw the woman from the middle-aged couple who had visited her the day before, now crying out in distress.

But the man was in a much worse state than the day before.

While he had been uncomfortable previously, he had still shown some vitality. Now, he lay on the ground, his face pale, vomiting uncontrollably.

The air on this floor was thick with a foul odor.

Without hesitation, Victoria rushed over.

Before she could reach the man, reporters swarmed her, thrusting cameras and microphones in her face.

She furrowed her brow, growing increasingly uneasy.

Victoria hesitated, sensing something was amiss and attempting to step back.

But the woman wouldn't let her, grabbing Victoria's hand. "Doctor, why are you trying to bolt when you see us?"

"Don't jump to conclusions, yesterday..."

Victoria tried to explain, but the crowd wasn't interested in hearing her out.

Forced, Victoria snapped, "Let go of me!"

The woman persisted, "No, what if you try to escape?"

Victoria scoffed, "Escape? Where would I go?"

"I'm still part of this hospital, aren't I?"

Taken aback by Victoria's assertiveness, the woman recoiled, loosening her grip slightly without saying a word.

Ignoring the man vomiting on the floor, Victoria didn't want any part of this.

Initially, she had sensed trouble brewing and wanted to steer clear.

But the situation indicated that these people had come prepared, and she realized she couldn't evade them even if she tried.

Given the circumstances, she decided to confront it head-on.

Rather than facing their accusations, she wanted to assess the man's condition.

Victoria had always been meticulous in her patient care and confident in her medical skills. Yet, she couldn't rule out any oversights during treatment.

Unfortunately, the man didn't allow her the chance to approach.

Despite being on the brink of collapse from vomiting, he mustered the strength to push her away forcefully.

Caught off guard, Victoria tumbled to the ground.

Surrounded by onlookers, not a single person offered a helping hand.

The man struggled to speak, his words coming out in a labored manner. The woman wasted no time in launching into a tirade, "Darn it, are there any rules in this hospital?"

"Yesterday, when we sought treatment, there was a doctor on duty, yet only an intern was assigned to us."

"Now my husband is in this condition, and you still think it's okay to have an intern treat us!"

"An intern?"

"Oh my goodness!"

"How could this happen?"

"Isn't that against protocol? Who is qualified to treat patients directly?"

Reporters and bystanders chimed in, discussing the unfolding situation.

Victoria suddenly felt alienated.

Thankfully, hospital security swiftly intervened, and familiar nurses rushed to her aid, helping her up.

Terry personally approached, but the couple adamantly refused further treatment from them, expressing a complete loss of trust in the hospital and placing their faith in other medical facilities instead.

Their visit was for clarification.

They made it clear that this issue wouldn't be dropped.

Without causing a scene, they departed with the assistance of the reporters.

Initially perplexed, the hospital soon realized, upon witnessing the online uproar, that the problem hadn't been resolved but had escalated.

Furthermore, an online video emerged showing Victoria treating the man in isolation.

What transpired was evident from the video, which was not captured by hospital surveillance but by the patient himself.

Although the truth was apparent to keen observers, the situation had spiraled, requiring more than mere judgment.

Hospital administration promptly called for a meeting.

Terry, feeling remorseful, accompanied them, eager to defend Victoria, "This isn't Dr. Neville's fault."