All Chapters of The Cardiologist’s Forbidden Trainee: Chapter 21 - Chapter 26

They didn’t take the main roads.Nathaniel drove with one hand on the wheel, the other resting on Iris’s thigh like an anchor, his eyes sharp and alert as the city thinned into quiet stretches of darkness. Streetlights flashed over his face, revealing tension carved deep into his jaw.Iris stared out the window, her heart still racing.“You didn’t answer me,” she said softly. “Where are we going?”“Somewhere my name still holds weight,” he replied. “And where Selena’s reach ends.”“That doesn’t exist,” Iris whispered.Nathaniel’s mouth curved in something that wasn’t a smile. “It does. She just hopes you never learn about it.”They drove for over an hour before turning off the highway onto a private road flanked by tall iron gates. Security cameras followed their approach. The gates opened silently.Iris’s breath caught.The house that emerged from the darkness wasn’t just large. It was old. Solid. The kind of place built to endure wars, scandals, and bloodlines.“This is…” she traile

The boardroom smelled like polished wood and bloodless ambition.Iris felt it the moment the doors slid open. Dozens of eyes turned. Some curious. Some judgmental. Some already convinced she didn’t belong there.Nathaniel’s hand rested lightly on the small of her back, steady and warm. A silent promise.“Stay close,” he murmured. “No matter what you hear.”She nodded, even as her pulse thundered in her ears.At the head of the table sat Dr. Richard Hale, immaculately dressed, his silver hair untouched by stress. To his right was Selena.Perfect. Poised. Smiling.Iris’s stomach dropped.Selena’s eyes flicked to her, slow and deliberate, her lips curving in something that wasn’t a smile. It was victory rehearsed too many times.“Let’s begin,” Richard said calmly. “Dr. Hale, thank you for honoring the summons.”Nathaniel didn’t sit.“I’m here under protest,” he said. “And with counsel.”Murmurs rippled around the table.“This trainee,” one board member said sharply, glancing at Iris, “ha

The knock came again.Harder this time.Nathaniel moved first, instinct sharp and dangerous. He stepped in front of Iris, one hand subtly reaching behind his back where his jacket hung, fingers brushing the cold weight of the burner phone he never left behind.“Stay back,” he whispered.Iris’s heart hammered as he opened the door just enough to see who stood on the other side.Not security.Not police.A woman.Mid-forties. Sharp eyes. Hospital ID clipped to her coat.“Dr. Hale,” she said quietly. “You shouldn’t be here.”“And yet,” he replied coolly, “neither should you, Dr. Monroe.”Iris stiffened. The name rang a bell. Former senior cardiologist. Disappeared after a “voluntary resignation.”“You have something that belongs to us,” Monroe said, glancing past him into the apartment.Nathaniel didn’t move. “You mean the truth?”Her mouth tightened. “You don’t understand what you’re holding.”“I understand exactly,” he said. “That’s why you’re here.”Monroe exhaled slowly. “They sent m