?Chapter 1485:


    Lucas turned his face slightly toward hers, his gaze steady. “You clearly warned them. You said Barbara’s condition was extremely unstable and required immediate surgery. There was no time to waste. But neither Nni nor Turner took your advice seriously.”


    Belinda nodded, a faint sigh escaping her lips. “Yeah. I knew it was serious, but I didn’t expect it to progress so fast. The rupture caught everyone off guard.”


    Lucas gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, his expression both proud and gentle. “This just proves how good you are as a doctor. After this, patients will be even more inclined to trust you. And as for your colleagues, they’re bound to see your abilities in a new light.”


    Belinda responded with a faint smile,ced with sarcasm. “At the very least, Turner’s credibility has taken another nosedive.”


    Lucas tilted his head. “Belinda, why did you decide to keep your identity as Star hidden in the first ce? Was it just to stay out of trouble?”


    “In part, yes,” Belinda admitted after a brief pause. “In the beginning, when people didn’t know what I was capable of, things were rtively quiet. But once word spread about my skills, I started getting flooded with requests. People were constantly approaching me, begging me to treat them or their family members, even for routine procedures.”


    She shook her head slightly, a hint of frustration in her voice. “Most of those surgeries were fairly standard, and they already had trusted surgeons for that. But they insisted on having me do it. Eventually, the demand became overwhelming. I’m only human; there’s only so much I can do. So, I made a decision. I announced I would only ept highlyplex, high-risk surgeries. Naturally, that didn’t sit well with everyone.”


    She gave a small shrug. “I ended up offending quite a few people. So, for the sake of my sanity, and maybe my safety, I decided it was best to keep my identity as Star a secret.”


    Lucas slipped his arm around her shoulder protectively. “Well, let them be offended. I will protect you.”


    Resting her head against his shoulder, Belinda teased, “Then my life is in your hands now. You must protect me well!”


    “Of course,” Lucas promised, his tone firm and affectionate. He gently lifted her chin. “Now give your man a smile.”


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    Belinda beamed, her radiant smile lighting up her face. “There, happy now?”


    “Yeah,” Lucas murmured, before leaning in to kiss her deeply.


    Belinda wrapped her arms around his waist, returning the kiss with equal tenderness.


    When the kiss ended, they exchanged soft smiles and resumed their walk.


    For nearly two hours, they strolled leisurely. Once home, they showered and crawled into bed.


    Belinda drifted off the moment her head touched the pillow, sleeping deeply through the night until her rm stirred her the next morning.


    After getting ready, Lucas drove her to the hospital.


    After changing into her work uniform, Belinda headed straight for the SVIP ICU to check on Barbara.


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