"Professor Gilbert..."

Chloe Dawson shuffled forward and grabbed his forearm, shaking it back and forth. Her voice dripped with theatrical anguish.

"How about I give Alice the hospital slot this year? It's fine if I retake the exam next year. My mom will definitely hold on until she sees me get in..."

"Give it? The nerve! That slot was mine to begin with!"

I stepped forward and cut off her tearful performance, but before I could finish, Dad slapped me across the face.

"Alice Gilbert, what do you mean yours?! You say that in public—do you have any regard for your father's reputation at all?!"

"This is a public hospital, not the Gilbert family's private property!"

"Since you asked today, I'll make this crystal clear. As long as I'm at this hospital, don't even think about getting in. You've studied for years—do I really need to keep explaining that you should avoid the appearance of nepotism?!"

"Avoid nepotism? Dad, I got in on my own merit..."

"Your own merit? Your father is the director of this hospital, and you claim you got in on your own merit? Chloe's father died young, her mother has a terminal illness—she's the one who truly earned this on her own!"

His ice-cold dismissal pierced my heart like needles.

From the day I learned to read and write, the sentence Dad repeated most was:

"Dad can't help you. You have to rely on yourself."

So getting from undergrad all the way to a PhD was relying on myself. Publishing papers during my doctorate was relying on myself. Getting into this top-ranked hospital was relying on myself.

Whenever I hit a wall in my coursework and wanted to ask him for guidance, he'd shake his head with that disappointed expression and walk away—then turn around and tutor Chloe instead.

Now I'd relied on myself to get here, and he actually...

My chest felt stuffed with cotton. Tears fell in heavy drops.

"Dad..."

"Enough. Keep making a scene, and it won't just be that this hospital never hires you—I, Nathaniel Gilbert, also don't have a daughter this senseless!"

The moment he finished, thunderous applause erupted around us.

"Bravo! Director Gilbert is truly selfless! A director like this is the people's director!"

"Exactly! With leadership like this, we can trust the hospital with our lives! This is real integrity!"

"As for his daughter—honestly, embarrassing. Trying to ride her father's coattails. Good thing he put her in her place!"

For the first time, I saw the father I'd worshipped as an idol and life mentor as a complete stranger.

Like a hero, he basked in their admiration with a smile, utterly indifferent to the contempt in their eyes when they looked at me—his biological daughter.

Something in my heart came loose.

I held back my tears, looked at the man being "praised" by the crowd, and spoke softly.

"Fine. Then starting today, we're done. Let Chloe be your daughter."

I left without looking back.

Outside the hospital, I found Mercy General's offer in my email and hit accept.

The call came almost immediately. The voice on the other end was polite but couldn't hide the excitement.

"That's wonderful, Alice. I really didn't expect you to choose us. Don't worry—our hospital may not match your father's in overall ranking, but our cardiology department is the best in the country. Once you're here, you'll thrive!"

"We need people right now. Can you start in three days?"

I smiled and agreed, then hung up.

Honestly, my father's cardiology department wasn't even ranked that high nationally. I'd only been so set on joining because I wanted to fight alongside him. Now that I no longer needed to... I could finally chase my own dream.

For days after, Dad never reached out—but the relatives did. First, my uncle.

"Alice, don't be so immature! Your dad is the Gilbert family's public face. If you—a little girl—cost him his career over some petty grudge, the whole family will never forgive you!"

Then my aunt.

"Alice, how can you compete with your own father? He has a point—if you join his hospital, even if you earned it yourself, people will gossip that he played favorites! You need to know how to avoid that. Don't ever go to his hospital again, you hear me?!"

"Don't worry, Aunt. I'll never go again. I've already cut him off!"

"Then I hope you'll practice what you preach! Next time your daughter's daughter-in-law's friend has a second baby, don't come crawling to him for hospital favors!"

I hung up on her mid-rant. Thinking about it now, Dad's so-called "avoiding suspicion" had only ever meant avoiding me.

I was about to prepare my documents for starting work when Mercy General called. The voice on the other end stuttered.

"Sorry, Ms. Gilbert. The offer was... sent to the wrong person. You don't need to come in after all..."

My legs buckled. I nearly collapsed.

"Wrong person? I have the recording of your director's call right here. That clear of an invitation, and you're saying it was a mistake?!"

After a long silence, a steady but helpless voice came through.

"Alice, some of our weaker departments still rely on your father. He spoke to us..."

My vision went black. I crumpled to the floor. I didn't catch the rest of what he said. After hanging up, I opened my email—the hundred-plus enthusiastic offers I'd received just that morning had all turned into rejections.

I shattered.

Staggering to my feet, I gripped my phone and rushed back to my father's hospital.

Today was his exclusive interview with Capital City Broadcasting—the one about "mentoring students everywhere." I shoved through the thick wall of reporters, hit play on the recording, and charged in.

"Nathaniel Gilbert! For your precious reputation, I already gave up my spot to your favorite disciple. Why won't you leave me alone?!"

"Mercy General already sent me an offer. What gives you the right to make them take it back?!"

The set—seconds ago filled with laughter—went deathly silent. The only sound was the director's helpless sigh echoing from my phone through the massive room. The reporters outside exchanged stunned glances.

My father's face went livid. He shot up from his chair and swung.

"Ungrateful wretch! How dare you call your father by his name in public?! All those years of education—did you learn nothing?!"

The slap landed like fire. My head spun. A salty, metallic taste flooded my mouth. I wiped my lip—blood.

Dad's chest heaved, his anger undiminished.

I wiped the blood from my mouth and met his furious gaze.

"Dad, I just called you by your name. I'm sorry—but I need you to answer me.

I worked my way here on my own. I scored forty-eight points higher than Chloe, yet you admitted her instead.

Fine. You want her—I can go elsewhere. But why did you force them to rescind my offer?

And the acceptance letters from nearly a hundred other hospitals—you called every single one and had them revoked, didn't you? I don't understand. Why?! You want me to call you 'Dad,' but have you ever once treated me like your daughter?!"

"It's precisely because you're my daughter that I had to do this!

This is training—for a child who's had everything handed to her since birth!

It's punishment—for not understanding how to avoid conflicts of interest!

And it's fairness—for a child like Chloe who came from nothing!

Look at your attitude today. What I just did wasn't punishment enough!

Since I can't teach you, I'll let someone else do it!"

The moment Dad finished, uniformed officers rushed out from behind and seized me.

"Ma'am, you're suspected of disturbing public order. Come with us."

Hundreds—thousands—of cameras aimed at me.

Dad pulled Chloe protectively behind him, a trace of smugness flickering at the corner of his eye.

Of course. The "medical authority" who'd held power for so long had once again chosen righteousness over family—all to champion a child from poverty.

How noble.

Dad basked in applause and praise.

My heart sank into the abyss.

Within hours, the video of my arrest would flood the internet.

My future was over.

Three days later, the moment I stepped out of the precinct, I heard whispers.

"Hey, isn't that Director Gilbert's daughter? The one who demanded special treatment from her own father—that ungrateful brat?"

"That's her! They say she scored forty-something points higher than that Chloe girl and tried to force Director Gilbert to let her in. He rejected her outright. She claims she outscored Chloe—who knows if the grader just inflated her scores because of her father's reputation?"

"Must be! Why else would Director Gilbert refuse her? He even wrote 'never hire' next to her name. Honestly, he spared her some dignity—there's more he could've said, but she has no shame!"

"A kid like that would only drag him down. If you ask me, he should just disown her!"

"Someone as kind as Director Gilbert probably wouldn't. I heard he's holding a free clinic at the hospital this afternoon—says he wants to thank everyone for their support."

A middle-aged woman passing by spat onto my pants, then laughed and chatted with the others as they headed toward Dad's hospital.

My legs moved on their own, following them.

I knew I had no future left in this city. One last look wouldn't hurt. A farewell.

Maybe the bond between us really did end here.

The clinic was packed. Every face, every voice overflowed with gratitude for Dad.

I drifted in with the crowd, but the moment I reached the entrance, a slender palm shoved hard against my chest and pushed me back.

"Alice, are you a stray dog? What are you doing here? Director Gilbert doesn't want you!"