Under the curious gazes, I was speechless.I couldn’t help but get mad at Alisha, and as if just realizing what she’d done, she covered her mouth and whispered, “Oopsies.”Ethan cleared his throat, breaking the awkward silence as everyone eagerly waited for our response. He replied, “Dr. Olivia and I are just friends. Stop jumping to conclusions.”Although nobody appeared to believe him, they all nodded concurrently. I didn’t expect Ethan to give them that response.It’s probably because he didn’t want to make me feel uncomfortable.The party continued, but my thoughts kept on straying. I managed to eat some of the food, and as I started sipping from my wine glass, I couldn’t stop.I didn’t know when I drank it all at once. That was a bad idea, because the wine seemed to have an effect on my mood, which worsened immediately.Everyone chatted heartily, and the whole room shook with laughter, but I couldn’t laugh along.Gradually, my mind traveled to the events that occurred earlier t
That Evening…Ethan took us to a five-star restaurant to celebrate.Alisha joined us, and also some of the nurses in the Cardiology Department. Although all the staff were invited, not all of them showed up, and most of the people present at the party were all the staff from the Neurology Department.“Don’t mind them, Dr. Olivia…” Alisha scoffed as she took her seat beside me. “They’re just ashamed to congratulate you after gossiping about you all day. Most of the ones that showed up are also shameless.”As Alisha whispered to me, my mind was on something else. The enormous round table was spread with various kinds of delicacies, and everyone occupied the chairs that surrounded it. The place was filled with a delightful aroma coming from the food, yet I had no appetite to eat anything.Despite not knowing the source of my gloom, I couldn’t help but feel a mixture of sadness and loneliness. “Olivia, what’s up? What’s bothering you?” Ethan leaned in and asked in a soft tone. He proba
Dr. Davison announced, “Well, I don’t think I should tell you much about Dr. Olivia’s contribution to this hospital. She’s among the rare talents who have sacrificed so much for this hospital. Everyone knows that every surgery she has ever performed is always successful… and recently, she stepped in to save this hospital’s reputation by performing a very rare and complex surgery. Who else deserves to be the new Head of the Cardiology Department if not her?”When it got to my turn, the round of applause didn’t come on time. However, there were gasps everywhere, and the silent hall broke into whispers and murmurs. Even the staff sitting in the same row didn’t hesitate to express their confusion out loud. “No way! He’s not referring to the same Dr. Olivia, is he?”“She’s the only Dr. Olivia in the Cardiology Department. Who else would he be referring to?”“But she’s the same Dr. Olivia who offended Theo Wellington, right?”“Did Dr. Davison mix up words and promote her instead of firing
For one thing, ever since I started working in this hospital, I’d never witnessed Theo appear in any meeting before. I brazen up and we found some seats in the front row.Everyone inside the hall was confused about the sudden meeting, and the whole place was filled with whispers of the hospital staff. “Attention, Everyone!” Dr. Davison took the mic and spoke into it. “Please settle down. We were all in the middle of work when this sudden meeting was decided. It will be brief and will only take five minutes, so we can all quickly return to our activities. This meeting should not be a hindrance to attending to any emergencies. Anyone who has a patient who’s in a critical condition is exempted.”Some of the nurses and doctors stood up and left after the clarification from Dr. Davison.Even though the meeting seemed to be very important, the patients’ lives were more valuable. It’s a good thing that he emphasized that importance. The hall was still filled to the brim, but the murmurs a
An announcement.What important announcement?Everyone was glancing at one another in confusion, wondering why this sudden news.Although it wasn’t a new thing for the hospital to call such important meetings, it was very rare.This kind of announcement had only been made twice before when I worked here some years ago. “Well, I won’t disturb you, Dr. Ethan. I’d better finish my food quickly and go prepare for the meeting. I know you’re planning the same.” The girl, who introduced herself as Cora, smiled at Ethan and picked up her food tray.From the moment she came and then left, she didn’t spare me a second’s glance. As if Ethan was the only person in this cafeteria, her gaze had been fixated on him.I smiled and picked up my juice box and sipped on it. “What’s so funny?” Ethan stared at me. “You look happy about the announcement.”I replied, “Not really. I’m only amazed that you’ve got an admirer soon. It hasn’t even been long since you returned.”“Who? She?” Ethan’s eyes darted i
Strangely, the question that Dr. Davison asked me wasn’t related to what I was afraid of.Although it was a weird question, I had thought that he’d summoned me because of the current gossip in the hospital.I came out of the office and walked into the same nurses gossiping outside.They gave me strange looks, and some of them even snickered and whispered hateful words. “I bet the hospital director has scolded her.”“Are you sure she’s not fired?”“Well, even if she’s fired, she brought it upon herself. Theo Wellington and Jessica are currently the most powerful couple in town. She was too brazen to offend them.”“I heard Dr. Olivia can perform complex surgeries because she possesses excellent skills. Was that the reason behind her arrogance?”“This should serve as a lesson to the other doctors who think so highly of themselves. Even Dr. Davison would think twice before going against Theo Wellington. Yet, she’s a nobody, and she dared to do that.”To all of them, Dr. Davison’s summons