Chapter 3

Over the next few days, I took voluntary leave.

Hashtags like "#RealHeiressSacrificesFakeHeiress", "#EvilSisterAmeliaBaxter", and "#TheScorpionandtheFrog" took turns trending on social media.

Meanwhile, my entire background was also dug up and exposed. Internet users even crafted a cliche narrative of how an uncultured country girl returned to her wealthy family and tried to destroy her sweet sister out of jealousy.

Meanwhile, Sonia's social media accounts were uncovered. They were filled with every bit of detail of how good she was to me, complete with loving captions that made me look even more despicable.

I didn't check my phone and just locked myself in my apartment, wiping down an old picture frame over and over again. Inside was a picture of William McKenna, my mentor. He was a gentle, refined man.

Three days later, the headlines flooded in.

"Devoted Boyfriend Saves the Day, Performs Miracle Brain Surgery on Girlfriend's Sister."

"A New Medical Legend: Dr. Oliver Lyons Successfully Completes High-Risk Intracranial Operation!"

In the reports, Oliver was portrayed as a hero. He faced the cameras and said emotionally, "I just did what I had to do. Amelia is my beloved, and her sister is considered my family too."

This statement made me, as the actual sister, look even more cold-blooded and heartless. The online attacks against me reached their peak.

Then, an even bigger story broke.

Domestic medical device giant Terry Medical Technology announced with great fanfare that it would enter into deep strategic cooperation with Oliver to jointly develop and promote an improved version of micro-dissection skills and related surgical instruments.

A week later, I received a call from the hospital director, Edward Porter. His tone carried an undeniable command as he said, "Amelia, there's a city-wide neurosurgery summit scheduled for 9:00 am tomorrow. The entire conference will be livestreamed. You're the patent holder for this technique, so you must attend."

I knew this wasn't an invitation. It was a summons—they wanted me to witness Oliver's success firsthand.

The next day, I arrived on time at the hospital's international conference center. The venue was packed with neurosurgery experts from across the city and reporters from major media outlets, and camera flashes constantly went off.

As soon as I walked into the conference hall, I saw an incredibly jarring scene.

Oliver stood at the center of the crowd with Sonia beside him in a wheelchair. My parents were right there too, surrounding them. They truly looked like a perfect family of four.

Suddenly, just moments before the meeting began, Sonia burst into tears in front of the cameras. "Everyone, I'm sorry for taking up your valuable time. But today, I need to reveal the truth!"

Tears streamed down her pale face, making her look pitiful and instantly capturing everyone's attention. "My aneurysm rupture this time wasn't an accident! I-It was caused by Amelia poisoning me over a long period!"

Her words caused an uproar. The entire venue erupted, and all cameras immediately turned toward me.

Sonia cried even harder, grabbing my parents' hands and sobbing, "From the day she returned to the Baxter family, she's been bullying and pushing me out!

"I stayed silent out of respect for Mom and Dad, as they had raised me, and I didn't want to break the family apart. But I never imagined that she'd go so far as to want me dead!"

Oliver gently placed a hand on her shoulder, as if giving her the strength to speak her truth. Then, he pulled out several lab reports.

He said, "I didn't want to say anything earlier because I was trying to protect Amelia's reputation. But after this surgery, I found undeniable evidence that Sonia was poisoned with chronic neurotoxins. I won't let her hurt Sonia any further!"

The live stream exploded instantly, with comments pouring in nonstop. The hashtag "#RealHeiressPoisonsFakeHeiress" shot to the top of trending topics like a rocket.

I stood at the venue's entrance, surrounded by countless disgusted stares. Reporters quickly bombarded me with questions.

One asked, "Dr. Baxter, did you really poison Sonia?"

"Why would you do such a thing? Was it out of jealousy?"

Another questioned, "Do you still deserve to be a doctor?"

I ignored everyone and walked toward my biological parents. I looked at them, my voice slightly trembling. "Dad, Mom, do you also think I'm that kind of person?"

For a moment, the room went silent.

Mom replied through tears, "Amelia, we gave you a chance… Sonia presented evidence… W-We're so disappointed in you!"

Dad also turned his head away painfully, refusing to look at me.

Someone shouted, "Look at that. Even her own parents won't stand by her."

"She's really a wolf in sheep's clothing. How could she do something like that? The Baxters never should've taken her back."

"She absolutely cannot be allowed to practice medicine anymore!"

The malicious comments reached my ears as I stood under the spotlights, alone and helpless. I felt like a criminal already condemned by the entire world.

Just then, several uniformed police officers walked into the venue from outside. Their expressions were serious, and their voices loud and clear.

"We received a report of intentional poisoning. Who made the call?"

All eyes fell on me, and even Oliver and Sonia couldn't help but smirk.

In the police officers' sharp gaze and the deathly silence of the entire venue, I calmly raised my hand and said, "Officer, I'm the one who called the police."