“No, you don’t have to.”
He had been worried because Abigail never left Diarmuid’s room the whole night, so he had been eavesdropping as he stayed outside.
James frowned.
“You’ve learned to eavesdrop now, Harvey? Picking up more unnecessary skills, are we?”
“You’re the one who left the door open.I just came in,” Harvey retorted, then turned toward Diarmuid “You don’t have to look into anything —I paid off Jane Tanner to seduce you.She’s ugly, but she somehow doesn’t disgust you, right? That’s because she put on a fragrance that confounds you.It’s exactly because she’s hideous that I hired her just to mess with you.”
“You’re despicable!” James exclaimed—but Harvey’s scheme did explain everything.
He had just been curious as to why Diarmuid did not feel disgust toward that ugly woman! “I’m no match for him when it comes to business.Why can’t I harass him in some other way?”
Harvey tried to make his lie sound as true as possible.
There was no helping it—he had to slander Abigail to avoid her meeting Diarmuid too much.If Diarmuid believed that Abigail was Harvey’s honeytrap, he would naturally stay away.
“You’re heinous, Harvey,” James said, belittling Harvey for having resorted to underhanded behavior.
However, Harvey could not care less as long as he got what he wanted.
Naturally, Diarmuid was fuming—Harvey had bought out that woman? Amazing.
To think that an ugly woman would mess with him!
“Your gift is gracefully accepted, Harvey Gooding.”
Harvey sharply felt a foreboding sensation.
“What are you doing?”
“I just accepted your gift.Don’t I have to give you something in return? Tit for tat—Diarmuid was not someone who would take any insult lying down.They were harassing him? Fine.Harvey was panicking, but he did not regret what he did.
Diarmuid’s revenge was much better than letting him find out that Jane Tanner was actually Abigail Bernstein! An anonymous email attached with a video started making rounds at Mead Clinic, showing two of their doctors who were touted to be the next attending physician.
No one knew beforehand that they were in a relationship, and couples were not supposed to work in the same department.
That was necessary to prevent conspiracies and the upsetting of the hierarchy of command.
Moreover, the video clearly recorded their conversation where they were using underhanded means to oust a rival.
They were instantly the hottest topic, and caused considerable unrest among the hospital staff.
Both were soon called in to the hospital chief’s office—unable to accommodate such disgrace, they were summarily dismissed.
However, Abigail felt neither joy nor dismay.She remained neutral.
A doctor’s job was to help patients and that was all they had to do.
Resorting to unsavory means to oust a rival already made obvious their character was wanting.
Such individuals did not deserve sympathy.
Meanwhile, Abigail was on duty when a patient was rushed to the emergency room with a rebar piercing his heart, having taken a fall at a construction site.
“Dr.Tanner? The surgery is too risky and you’re heavily pregnant.You should let someone else take the scalpel…”
“I can do it,” Abigail insisted, and after six hours of work and the occasional close shaves, the surgery proved a success.
The patient was kept at ICU, as it would take him a while to recover.
“You’re a miracle worker, Dr.Tanner.”
The patient was certainly almost on the brink, but Abigail proved herself to everyone again.
Still, she was exhausted, and remained seated on a chair in the operating room for along time, feeling slight discomfort in her belly.
There was no helping it—she was heavily pregnant, and standing for too long would leave her exhausted.
After she left work, she called Harvey’s number.
Although she wanted to ask to meet him, he was not answering.
She frowned—she thought of a way to help Lulu and Ricky, and needed his help.
Having no other choice, she went looking for him at Olston Hotel, where she found a crowd gathered outside Harvey’s room.
Curious, she walked over and peeked inside…
It was hell on earth.She saw a woman with dreadlocks whose skin was as dark as coal.She looked just like a hippopotamus, but she was only dressed in a pink tank top that was as thin as a feather.
For some reason or another, Harvey was lying still as she straddled him, looking like he would rather be dead.
It was too stimulating a scene for Abigail, so she quickly turned around, and found James had appeared behind her without her notice.
“Dr.Tanner.Were you looking for Harvey?”
“Yes,” she calmly replied.
“He’s a patient, so I was just checking on him…”
“How dutiful of you,” James growled with contempt.
Not sure why she deserved that, Abigail pointed out, “I had been dutiful when I treated Mr.Althoff as well.Is there anything that you find unsatisfactory, Mr.Cross?”
“You know very well what you’ve done, so drop the pretenses.We’re only targeting Harvey and sparing you because you’re so ugly, and there won’t be a place for you anywhere if you’re firedCount your blessings.”
Abigail was speechless and even more confused now! Meanwhile, James continued with a look of schadenfreude.
“Anyway, Harvey’s exploits would soon be known in Zidonia.Let’s see if he can hold his head high when he returns!”
Abigail thought she knew what was happening but not really.
Still, she started to leave, since there was no way she could discuss anything with Harvey now.
As she got in the elevator and pressed the button to go downstairs, James put a hand between the elevator doors just as they were about to close.
Abigail stood aside for him, and he kept his eyes forward.
“How much did Harvey pay you?”
While Abigail was left confused, he continued.
“Don’t pretend.Harvey himself came clean that he paid you to harass Mr.Althoff, and we’re just repaying a favor.That woman we found is certainly uglier than you, and she’s pinning him in bed all by herself while everyone watches…”
Abigail flinched—so Harvey did not lose his mind, and was not having a sudden impulse for exhibitionism…It was Diarmuid’s payback.He did not have to lie to Diarmuid, like that, however…He knew Diarmuid was no angel, too, and played with fire anyway…
Whatever.
There was nothing to say now that things had come to this.
There was a jingle just before the elevator stopped, and Abigail got out first.
James followed, but turned toward the front desk to check out.
Abigail heard him and stopped.
“You’re leaving, Mr.Cross?”
James ignored her—he felt earnestly repulsed since learning that Harvey had hired her.
Still, Abigail did not say anything as she turned to leave.
That was when a woman wobbled her way through the entrance, and Abigail saw that it was Erin Gooding.
Abigail also smelled a heavy scent of alcohol as Erin walked past her, and it was obvious that Erin was very drunk.
Arriving at the front desk, Erin slammed her purse on the counter and snapped, “Give me a room.”
James frowned when he saw her.
‘What are you doing here?”
Diarmuid had already spoken to Mick Gooding, did he not? She should not be showing up around them after that…
“James Cross.”
Erin narrowed her eyes as she hiccuped.
“Happy now?”
“As long as you’re not bugging me,” James said shortly.
Erin suddenly sprawled herself over the marble counter, blinking and then started to bawl in the next instant!
“Wargh!!!”
James cowled.
“What are you doing?”
“It’s all because of you! You did this to me! Urgh…”
Her cries were loud and drew a lot of attention, leaving James flustered, “Stop it—people will misunderstand.What did I do to you anyway?”
“You asked Diarmuid to talk with my father! I didn’t want to know the truth…Urgh…”
“What truth?” James pressed.
Was there something he did not know?
Erin continued to cry, and miserably at that.
“Wargh…” James shook her arm.
“Just tell me—what truth were you talking about?”
“It’s all because of you! And you’re still asking?!”
Erin grabbed his hand and suddenly bit him.
It was the second time he did so, and James was left clenching his teeth in pain.
“Are you a dog? Why did she have to keep biting him?! “You’re the dog! Your whole family are dogs! Urgh…”
James’s cheek twitched.
“Say that again and I won’t be so kind.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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