Chapter 3

David's words left me uneasy for the rest of the afternoon.

Chief Hardy's phone went straight to voicemail every time I called.

The department group chat, on the other hand, was buzzing non-stop.

Dante posted a voice message. "Attention team. One more announcement. To boost efficiency, I've decided to cancel our weekly complex case review sessions. Just manage your assigned patients. No need to waste time putting slides together anymore."

The chat exploded with excitement.

"Finally! No more pulling all-nighters for slide decks!"

"Dante, you're literally my hero!"

I stared at my phone, rendered completely speechless.

This meant they could do whatever they wanted without a shred of accountability.

They saw it as freedom.

But I knew that, from a strict medical safety standpoint, this was a disaster waiting to happen.

After taking a deep breath, I texted David back. "Find out where Chief Hardy went this afternoon."

I put my phone away and headed toward the office to retrieve my personal belongings.

At the very least, I needed to get my floor rounds logbook back.

The back door to the office wasn't completely shut.

After cleaning, the janitor would sometimes wedge a small stone in the doorframe to roll the cart through.

I pushed the door open and stepped inside, only to realize that my desk was already cleared out.

Now, Dante's things took over the entire surface.

There was a black folder, a tumbler, and a framed photo of him with Chief Hardy.

In the picture, he stood right next to her with a bright smile.

I searched around the office and finally spotted a cardboard box tossed into a corner.

My personal items had been shoved inside in complete disarray.

I crouched down and flipped through my logbook.

Then I froze.

The most crucial pages of patient data had been torn straight out.

"Dr. Carver?" a voice called out from behind me.

I turned around to find Dante standing in the doorway.

"Who gave you permission to come in here?" His voice rose. "Didn't your access card get revoked?"

I held up the logbook. "Did you rip out my core patient data?"

He froze for a moment, then smirked. "Oh, that data? I already incorporated it into my clinical report. You're suspended anyway, so it's not like you need it. Leaving it here would just be a waste."

I snapped, "How dare you use my patient records without my permission?"

"Dr. Carver, that's not quite right."

He sat down on a nearby chair and crossed his legs casually.

"The patients belong to the department, and the clinical data comes from treatment, so it should be shared. You're currently under investigation, which puts the whole department at risk. I'm keeping it safe for the sake of the department."

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. Just as I was about to fire back, my eyes caught his computer screen, and I froze.

The core research paper I was getting ready to publish was sitting open right on his desktop.

My mind went completely blank. "Why do you have my paper?"

Dante said disdainfully, "Given your current situation, you can't publish it anyway. If I submit it under my name, I might even add you as a second author."

"I wrote that entirely on my own!"

"Sure, but you collected the case data here at the hospital," Dante argued.

He raised an eyebrow. "And you used department equipment. By academic standards, this belongs to the whole department."

My fists clenched tight as a realization suddenly washed over me.

A month ago, when Chief Hardy first brought Dante into the department, she introduced him to everyone. "This is Dante Nelson. Make sure to take good care of him."

She never mentioned where he went to school, nor did she speak of his credentials or background.

I hadn't thought much of it back then.

Looking back now, that was the first time I had ever seen Chief Hardy introduce a new hire without saying a single thing about their background.