Chapter 8

That afternoon, Sylvie printed her résumé and headed to Wellmont Hospital's traditional medicine department.

The director, Hector Zeller, sat behind his desk. He put on his reading glasses and went through her résumé. There wasn't a fancy degree on it or any professional licenses—just a few densely packed pages of case notes and treatment records.

But the more he read, the brighter his eyes became.

"You wrote these prescriptions for chronic insomnia and migraines?" he asked.

"Yes, Dr. Zeller." Sylvie stood straight, calm and composed.

"And this case of severe facial paralysis—are you telling me you got the patient back to normal in just half a month with acupuncture?" There was a hint of disbelief in his voice.

"Yes. I used my family's traditional acupuncture technique."

Hector put down the résumé and took off his glasses, the admiration in his gaze slowly turning into regret. "With achievements like these, why haven't you taken the licensing exam?"

Sylvie lowered her gaze, hiding the flash of darkness in her eyes. After Robert's death, his lifelong rival had gone out of his way to block every path she tried to take.

She could study and treat patients, but no matter what she did, she just couldn't get that license.

"Personal reasons," she said. After a beat, she added, "Dr. Zeller, I'm only applying for the assistant position in physical therapy. I won't be seeing patients on my own, and I won't break any regulations."

Hector studied her. The more he thought about it, the more he felt it was a waste. With skills and experience like hers, relegating her to an assistant position was like using a racehorse to pull a cart.

But the hospital had its rules. Without a license, no matter how much he wanted to take a chance on her, he couldn't make an exception.

"Alright, I understand your situation." Hector slipped the résumé into his drawer. "Go on home and wait for our call."

"Okay. Thank you, Dr. Zeller." Sylvie gave him a polite nod and turned to leave.

She followed the hallway toward the exit. As she passed one of the consulting rooms, a familiar sugary voice drifted out through the open door.

"My boyfriend's treating everyone to dinner tonight. You all better show up."

Sylvie's steps faltered. She glanced through the crack in the door. Michelle was inside. She wore a white coat and was surrounded by a few young doctors and nurses.

"Wow. Dr. Greene, you're so lucky!"

"For real. Your boyfriend's hot, loaded, and totally devoted to you."

"I heard he even bought you an apartment right next to the hospital so you can get to work more easily. The prices over there are insane!"

Michelle's face was lit with barely concealed smugness as she let out a coy little laugh. "He's just too clingy. He said it killed him seeing me take a cab every day, so he insisted on buying the place."

A fellow intern looked at her, openly envious. "You're only an intern. You haven't even graduated yet, and he's already locked in a job for you at Wellmont. That's a lifetime gig!"

Michelle lifted her chin ever so slightly, her tone full of entitled pride. "Well, I did save his life. When someone saves your life, the least you can do is devote yourself to them."

The room burst into laughter.

Out in the hallway, Sylvie's fingers slowly curled into tight fists.

"Sylvie?"

Michelle turned and caught sight of Sylvie standing at the door. Her smile froze, and a flicker of wariness flashed through her eyes. She hurried out into the hallway.

"What are you doing here? Are you here for me?" Michelle lowered her voice, her tone full of accusation.

Sylvie looked at her coolly and said, "Don't be so full of yourself."

She turned to leave.

"Sylvie Hart! Get back here!"

Michelle hurried after her, her heels clicking against the floor. When they reached a quiet corner of the hallway, she suddenly reached out and yanked Sylvie by the arm.

"Drop the act already." She gritted her teeth, her eyes a mix of jealousy and gloating. "You're here today because Joe took the job that was supposed to be yours and handed it to me, aren't you?"

Sylvie froze, her brows drawing together in a deep frown. "What are you talking about?"

Michelle sneered. "Still playing dumb, huh? Joe said that a woman who grew up in the sticks like you can handle anything. You can take any kind of hardship, and you can make money doing anything. But me? I'm different. I'm still a college student, and I can't suffer like that.

"It's because he cares about me that he recommended me for this vacancy at Wellmont instead of you. Besides, I'm just better at this than you are!"

Michelle took a step closer, her tone downright taunting. "I only needed a few needles to bring Joe's memory back and give him a second life. And you? You treated him for years and still couldn't get him to remember he was the heir of the Emerson family. You're not even qualified to compete with me for this job, much less for a man!"