I clenched my fists until my knuckles turned white.

This wouldn't work. I couldn't waste any more time. I had to find an opportunity.

I stared at Zachary, who was a short distance away, and said, "My phone is in my pocket. You can use it to call the director of Central City Hospital right now."

This situation would be resolved as soon as my hospital director, Lawrence Johnson, stepped in. I had to perform that surgery as soon as possible.

But Zachary didn't respond. At that moment, a doctor hurried out of the banquet hall.

"It's not looking very promising. We need to perform a thoracotomy right away, but this surgery is far too complex for me to complete," explained the doctor.

"I can do it," I cut in hastily. "Release me. I can perform the surgery."

A flicker of hesitation crossed Zachary's face.

"If this doctor can't handle it, we can always call someone else," Lydia said as she leaned toward Zachary. "There are plenty of doctors in the area. We're bound to find someone who can perform a thoracotomy."

"You might not know this, but her conflict with the mayor started because of a surgery," she added.

After a brief pause, she continued, "She tends to take a more aggressive approach, while Mr. Davis prefers conservative treatments. They had a huge argument, and he made it clear that he'd never let her operate again. If you let her into the banquet hall, will you be able to handle the consequences?"

All of a sudden, Zachary wasn't hesitating anymore. After pulling out his phone, he made a call and said, "I want every available doctor in the area here as soon as possible."

Subsequently, he shot me a glance and spat, "Stay put. You're not going anywhere."

With that, he immediately turned around and left.

I couldn't keep my emotions in check any longer. Glaring at Lydia, I barked, "Why are you doing this? Are you aware that the patient is a living human being?"

She scoffed in response. "This is what you get for what you did to me. You berated me in public and forced me out of your department. Now, everyone looks down on me and calls me incompetent.

"You're the one who's too strict. So what if I made a mistake? You didn't have to make the issue public. I'm going to make you pay for making a fool of me."

I couldn't believe that she was willing to trade a human life in order to get her petty revenge. I found her logic laughable.

"The patient in there is the mayor's son. If anything happens to him, do you really think you'll be able to walk away from this?"

Lydia tucked her hair behind her ear. "I'm just an intern. I'm only stating facts. The final decision has nothing to do with me."

She continued, "Besides, you're a doctor. If you stand by and let the patient die, you're the one who'll have to explain everything to the mayor. He could easily assume that you're holding a grudge against him and didn't do everything you could to save the patient."

"As for me…" she added lightly. "Don't worry. I have a close relationship with the mayor's assistant, so he'll put in a good word for me."

I sat on the ground and watched as multiple people rushed in and out of the banquet hall. I had to operate in 15 minutes, or it would be too late.

I struggled with all my might, but I was no match for the guards who were pinning me down. I couldn't get to my feet at all.

Moments later, the door to the banquet hall was pushed open, and the doctor walked out once again. His clothes were covered in blood, and he looked absolutely terrified.

"Nothing's working. The patient is hemorrhaging, and we can't stop the bleeding at all. There's still no signs of cardiac activity," he declared.

Zachary rushed over. "You need to save him no matter what. The mayor's son can't die in my hotel!"

My body felt limp and worn-out, but my head shot up the instant I heard their conversation.

"Let me in!" I said urgently. "Right now, I'm the only one who can do this!"

As a doctor, there was no way I could do nothing and watch a patient die in front of me.

"Even if you don't trust me, I'm still a cardiothoracic surgeon! I don't have to operate. Please just let me stand next to the doctor and guide him through the procedure!" I begged desperately.

Zachary's expression soured, but he nodded his head anyway.

"Fine. You can go in—"

"Are you sure, Zach?" Lydia cut him off. "Don't let her fool you."

"What can she do if she's not the one operating on the patient?" she spat. "She simply wants to get close enough to poison the mayor's son. You need to be careful!"

Something inside of me snapped. "Lydia Sharpe, you bitch! Shut up!"

Lydia immediately teared up. "Look, Zach. I exposed her, and now she's lashing out at me."

All of a sudden, a frantic voice rang out from inside the banquet hall, "It's no good—the patient no longer has any brain activity! We have to operate now!"

I couldn't sit still anymore. Before I knew it, I had dropped to my knees in front of Zachary.

"Please," I begged. "Just let me in. I won't operate. You can get four people to monitor me. I'll just guide the doctors through the surgery. The patient won't last much longer."

There were only three minutes left. I clenched my teeth so hard that I could taste blood. When Zachary didn't respond, I lowered myself further and bowed at his feet.

"Please—you really need to let me in. The patient can't hold on for much longer!" I pleaded, casting aside every shred of my dignity.

In my opinion, a human life was far more important than my pride. I was willing to sacrifice anything to get into that room.

I knew the mayor's son. His name was William Davis, and he was 20 years old this year. He had just returned from studying abroad, and he was an outstanding graduate. I had to save his life no matter what.

Lydia let out a cold snort. "You do have a grudge against the mayor after all. I can't believe you'd forsake your dignity just to go inside and harm his son."

After what seemed like forever, Zachary finally came to a decision.

"Call the director of Central City Hospital," he declared.

Looking hopeful, I asked, "May I head inside while you make that call?"

There was no time to waste.

"No way. You can't let her in without confirmation, Zach," Lydia cut in. Then, she stepped in front of the door to block my way.

I raised my hand to push her aside. But before I could do so, a wail erupted from the banquet hall.

"The patient has stopped breathing! The time of death is 2:37 pm, March 17th, 2026."

Upon hearing this, I collapsed onto the ground.

It was too late.

I was perfectly capable of performing this surgery, but the treatment was delayed because I was held back. Just like that, a life had been lost.

I struggled to my feet. Now that the patient was dead, no one was stopping me anymore.

I pushed the door open. William lay on the floor with his eyes still open. He looked like he had been desperately fighting for his life until his very last moment.

Fighting back tears, I grabbed Lydia and barked, "Are you happy now?"

She shrugged off my hands and crossed her arms. "I will be when I see Mr. Davis punish you with my own eyes."

All of a sudden, my phone began to ring. It was a call from Lawrence.

"You're on leave today, but the mayor's son had a medical emergency near your hotel. Were you not aware of this? You're the only one in this city who can perform a thoracotomy. Why didn't you save him?" Lawrence demanded.

When I didn't respond, he continued, "Say something! You're not holding a grudge against the mayor because of that batch of medical equipment, are you? That's not like you at all."

Before I could say anything, someone pushed their way through the crowd in front of me.

Thomas stepped forward with a grief-stricken expression. Subsequently, he walked over to William's body and closed his eyes with a trembling hand.

"My son… My poor son…" he cried.

I felt my heart clench. After almost ten years in the medical field, I still couldn't bear to witness something like this.

As I turned around to leave, a voice rang out behind me.

"Dr. Quinton. Wait."

Thomas walked up to me. His face looked weary, as if he had aged ten years.

"Why didn't you operate on my son if you were present at the scene?" he asked.

Lydia stepped forward. Scoffing coldly, she remarked, "Haven't you figured it out yet, Mr. Davis? My former mentor still resents you."

She added, "Someone like her doesn't deserve to be a doctor. If you ask me, her medical license should be revoked."

"Stop lying, Lydia!" I snapped and glared at her.

"I'm not lying, Dr. Quinton," she said smugly. "You were the only one here that's capable of performing a thoracotomy. So why couldn't you save the mayor's son? Doesn't that prove that you have a grudge against the mayor?"

She turned toward Thomas and said, "You can't let her get away with this, Mr. Davis."

There were no surveillance cameras here, and Zachary was standing to the side in silence. No one could prove my innocence.

I lowered my head and clenched my fists.

To my surprise, the mayor abruptly replied, "I know Dr. Quinton very well. She's not someone who can't distinguish right from wrong. She's a professional, and she would never let personal matters interfere with her work. There must be a reason for what happened today."

He turned to me and continued, "Dr. Quinton, I'm devastated by the loss of my son, but I haven't lost my rationality and sound judgment. What exactly happened here today?"