?<strong>Chapter 206:</strong>


    The murmurs reached Ryan, who was live-streaming the event on his phone. His jaw clenched slightly as he tightened his grip on the device, unable to hide the tension coursing through him.


    Meanwhile, in the Triumph Consortium’s CEO’s office, the atmosphere was markedly different.


    “Lucas, did you hear that?” Johnson nudged Lucas’ arm with a slight smile, looking at him as if gauging his reaction. “Those doctors are saying Belinda has a real shot at winning.”


    He looked pleased that people were saying Belinda would win this time. Today, Johnson had only one goal—to drag Lucas into watching Belinda’spetition with him. He had even gone so far as to bribe a nurse at Grand ins General Hospital to arrange a live video feed from the event.


    Despite Lucas’ obvious reluctance to watch thepetition, Johnson had ced his iPad squarely on Lucas’ desk, determined to make him watch.


    Lucas’ expression remained calm, giving no indication of being swayed by Johnson’s enthusiasm.


    Just then, a loud bang echoed from the live feed, cutting through the tense atmosphere in the room. The noise caused Belinda’s hands to tremble, resulting in a minor but noticeable error in the procedure.


    “Oh no! Belinda made a mistake!” one observer eximed in shock.


    “What the hell? Where did that noisee from?” another voice chimed in.


    “And why was it only on Belinda’s side? Kylee’s room wasn’t affected at all,” someone else added with a frown.


    The tension was palpable as rapid knocking suddenly echoed from the door of Belinda’s simtionb.


    “What’s going on? Who’s knocking at a time like this?”


    Belinda’s expression was unaffected as she looked up briefly, saying to the instrument nurse in a calm tone, “Angie, go see what’s happening.”


    Angie Castillo frowned, clearly torn. “But what about the surgery…” She hesitated, ncing at the ongoing procedure.


    “It’s fine; I can handle it on my own. Go ahead,” Belinda assured her, her voice steady as she worked to correct the mistake she had made earlier.


    Angie nodded reluctantly. “Alright.”


    She walked away and opened the door to find a young boy standing outside, clutching a basketball and looking very remorseful.


    The audience, who had been watching thepetition, could hear the boy say, “Miss, I’m sorry! My basketball identally hit your door just now. I apologize for that.”


    Angie looked at the boy, clearly in no mood for an extended exchange. “Oh, it’s okay. You can leave. We’re very busy right now,” she replied quickly.


    But the boy shook his head, his voice firm despite his small stature. “No, Miss! My mom and dad taught me that if I did something wrong, I must apologize properly. I’ve apologized to you, but I haven’t apologized to the others inside the room. Please let me in so that I can say sorry to everyone. Then, I will leave right away.”


    Before Angie could respond, the boy stepped forward, clearly intent on entering the simtion room.


    Angie’s heart jolted as she flung her arms out to block the boy. “Absolutely not! You mustn’t go in there. I already told you—we’re busy right now. Please, just walk away.”


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