?<strong>Chapter 222:</strong>


    “Maybe…” she hesitated. “You didn’t want to see another man holding me. Maybe…” Her tone carried a hint of nervousness, though she hadn’t quite noticed it. “Maybe you were jealous.”


    Lucas’ pupils narrowed slightly, his Adam’s apple shifting as he swallowed. For a moment, hisposure faltered.


    Then, with a faint, almost forced smirk, heposed himself and replied, “You think so highly of yourself, Belinda. Why would you think that I would get jealous because of you?”


    Without waiting for a response, he turned and strode into the bathroom, his steps brisk and purposeful.


    Belinda watched him leave, her lips curving into a soft, amused smile.


    In the past, whenever she had teased Lucas about being jealous, he had alwaysughed it off with a mocking gaze. But this time…


    He had responded differently—his words defensive, not dismissive. Hecked his usual confidence. As he walked away, his steps felt hurried, almost as if he was trying to escape the conversation.


    Standing there, the faint smile still on her lips, a thought began to take root in Belinda’s mind. Was Lucas hiding his true feelings? Could it be that, just maybe, she was right?


    Belinda’s smile widened at the thought, a sense of contentment settling over her.


    After that, neither she nor Lucas spoke another word. Later that evening, Belinda took a warm shower, climbed into bed, and let sleep take her.


    The next morning, she woke up feeling refreshed and ready for the day ahead.


    At the Grand ins General Hospital, in the Cardiac Surgery Department, Chief Physician’s office, Turner leaned forward, his eyes narrowing as he regarded the determined woman standing before him.


    “Kylee, are you sure about this?” he asked.


    Kylee nodded firmly. “Yes, Dr. Ortiz, I’ve made up my mind.”


    Turner leaned back in his chair, his brow furrowed in thought. After a long pause, he finally said, “Alright, if this is your decision, I won’t say anything else. Rest assured, I’ll teach you everything I can here. In a few years, when the dust settles and this whole incident is forgotten, I’ll personally ask Mr. Glyn to secure you a permanent position.”


    His feelings on the matter wereplicated. On one hand, he couldn’t help but me Kylee for this. Her loss in the recentpetition had cost him a significant amount of money. Her mistake had dealt a blow to his ns, and part of him truly med her for losing to Belinda.


    On the other hand, he felt a twinge of guilt. After all, he had pushed Kylee into making that ill-fated bet with Caiden, disregarding her reservations. Now, because of that, Kylee was stuck as an intern.


    Still, in Turner’s mind, the me didn’t rest solely on Kylee or himself. The true culprits, as he saw it, were Caiden and Belinda. Belinda had aced the hospital entrance exam with a perfect score.


    Why hadn’t she revealed this before? And why hadn’t Caiden mentioned it sooner? Turner believed that if he had known about it earlier, he would never have agreed to the bet.


    Turner conveniently forgot the details that didn’t fit his narrative—that Caiden’s assistant had actually mentioned Belinda’s perfect score when she had joined the hospital, and it was Turner who had dismissed it as a lie. It was also Turner who had rallied his colleagues to use Caiden of favoritism and demand thepetition in the first ce. But selfish people rarely see their own faults.


    Kylee gave a slight nod. “Thank you, Dr. Ortiz.”


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