bChapter /bb62 /b

bShe /bbtossed /bboff /bbher /bbwords /bwith a careless air, not bothering bto /bbsee /bbhow /bbEvander /bbreacted/b. Without looking back, she strode straight into the elevator.

When she reached the ground floor, Charlotte went to the reception desk band /bbused /btheirndline to call in a tip.

She’d originally nned to wait until she left to report it.

But she was done waiting.

Two dayster, the rumors about Charlotte being the “other woman” fell apart the moment the police arrived to take Director Fontaine away for questioning.

Inside her consultation room, Charlotte was exining the details of an uing brain tumor surgery to a patient and their family, reminding them to prepare for the operation scheduled for the next morning.

As soon as they left, Mrs. Fontaine burst in.

Nurse Vera tried to stop her, nearly in tears as she shouted from the hallway, “Mrs. Fontaine, this is a hospital! If you keep this up, we’ll have to call security!”

“Get out of my way!”

Mrs. Fontaine shoved past her and marched right up to Charlotte, her voice rising in a furious screech. “You bitch! Was it you who got my husband arrested?”

Charlotte only smiled, cool and unruffled. “What does that have to do with me?”

“Don’t y dumb! I know you did this!”

As Mrs. Fontaine raised her hand, ready tosh out, two security guards rushed in and restrained her.

That’s when Tricia walked in. She calmed Mrs. Fontaine down before turning to Charlotte, her voiceced with reproach. “Dr. Sterling, wasn’t that a little harsh? No matter what happened, we’re still colleagues. Did you really have to go that far?”

She couldn’t believe Charlotte actually called the police.

Charlotte gave a short, cynicalugh. “Funny, when you were all ndering me, I don’t recall anyone worrying about collegiality.”

“Dr. Sterling, even if you don’t want to admit what happened with Director

b09:48 /b

bFontaine /b

bTricia/b, bnder /bbis /bba /bbcriminal /boffenseb. /bbMaybe /bbthink /bbcarefully /bbbefore /bbyou /bspeak

bTricia’s /bbretort /bcaught in her throat. She forced a stiff bsmile/b. “bWhatever /bbthe /bbcase/bb, /bDr. bSterling/bb, /bthis just seems cruel.”

Charlotte looked her right in the eye and smiled. “Then you’re misunderstanding me. Director Fontaine was reported for taking bribes. The authorities bhave /bbalready /bstarted their investigation. Who knows how many people’s money he took? bMaybe /bDirector Winthrop’s name is on that list too?”

Bribery.

Mrs. Fontaine’s face went pale in an instant.

She knew better than anyone what her husband had done–she was a beneficiary herself. “You… you’re lying. My husband… he would never do something like that!”

But the more she protested, the weaker her voice sounded.

Tricia bit her lip, her expression turningplicated.

Charlotte even knew all about Director Fontaine’s bribes–down to thest detail.

“Instead of standing here making a scene, maybe you should be figuring out how to distance yourself. When bribery gets exposed, everyone involved is implicated.” Charlotte was done with them.

Tricia clenched her fists, then turned and left.

And Mrs. Fontaine? She didn’t dare linger a second longer. At this point, even her husband’s job was hanging by a thread.

She hurried after Tricia.

“Miss Winthrop!”

Catching up to Tricia, Mrs. Fontaine seized her hand. “You have to help him! He can’t lose this job–especially since he got into this mess because of you-”

“Shut your mouth!” Tricia snapped, panic shing in her eyes, terrified the woman would blurt out something unforgivable.

Noticing others were starting to stare, Tricia drew a deep breath and forced herself to lookposed. “Don’t worry. I’ll do what I can for Director Fontaine.”

Only then did Mrs. Fontaine manage a strained smile. “Good. Then I’ll wait bfor /bbyour /b

news.”

09:48

After Mrs. Fontaine hurried off, Tricia balled her hands into fists, her face twisted with frustration.

She’d thought this would be the perfect way to get rid of that wretched Charlotte.

Who could have guessed that even now, Charlotte would turn the whole situation around?

Evander had publicly admitted his “rtionship” with Charlotte the other day, but after escorting her back to her office, he’d immediately found an excuse to leave.

He hadn’t even stayed for a cup of tea or a few minutes of small talk.

And it’d been a while since he’d visited her at home–he hadn’t evene by to see Hans after the boy was discharged from the hospital.

09:48