Ivy sighed. She had hoped that locking Jessie in the office for self-reflection would lead to some clarity, but she hadn't expected Jessie to be so naive. The pie they promised her to be delicious had already turned moldy, yet she was still savoring it with relish. "Do you think that someone who drove you away in the first place would give you a second chance after you had exposed their secrets?" Ivy looked at Jessie's surprised and helpless expression and sneered. "Jessie, I've taken care of you for three years, and if your heart isn't with me, that's not a problem. But you actually sought revenge over an unverified piece of false information. You disregarded the life and death of patients to get back at me. I'm sorry, but I can't protect you any longer. Dr. Ticko has worked diligently at the County Clinic for decades, and both doctors and patients trust him. Yet, you wanted to frame him and drive a wedge between him and me?!" As she finished speaking, Ivy noticed Dr. Ticko and Jenny looking at her with surprise. She should have tried to push Dr. Ticko and Jenny out of the clinic. Why was she helping them? "Yes, Dr. Ticko is compassionate, and though he and Dr. Jones occasionally argue, it's all for the sake of medical discussions. How could he possibly plot against a patient?" Director Malcom took advantage of the situation. He looked at Ivy with admiration and continued, "Jessie, you can hand in your resignation tomorrow. In return, I will publicly state that it was your work errors that led to this medical incident." "Director," Jessie cried, kneeling on the ground and begging, "I truly know I've made a mistake. Please, spare me just this once. If I leave like this, I'll never work as a nurse again. Director, please give me another chance. Please... Please..." "Spared?" Director Malcom chuckled. "You made a mistake that nearly caused a patient's death, and tonight, you showed no remorse and almost harmed another patient. You're a malicious nurse. I've already done my best by not reporting you to the entire industry. Do you still have the face to ask for leniency? Hurry up and pack your things and get lost. Don't be a nuisance here!" Jessie, with no hope of redemption, got up, crying, and ran out. The room, so vast, fell into another awkward silence. Director Malcom, now exhausted, half-closed his eyes to observe everyone's reactions. Ivy was the first to gather her things, expressionless. "If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving. My husband is waiting for me in the office," she said and prepared to get up. "Wait," Director Malcom said, pointing to Dr. Ticko and Jenny. "The two of you, don't you owe Dr. Jones an apology?" "Director!" Jenny, wanting to act coy again, saw Director Malcom get frustrated and threw a stack of thick files at her face, making her scream in pain as the impact shifted her nose implant, bringing tears to her eyes. Director Malcom scoffed. "Dr. Ticko, Dr. Jenny, don't think that punishing the nurse means I believe in you. If Dr. Jones hadn't said those things, do you really believe you'd have the chance to sit here and play cute while feigning innocence? Spare me the nonsense and apologize to Dr. Jones!" Jenny was so scared by Director Malcom's unusual imposing aura that she didn't dare to utter a word and wilted immediately. Dr. Ticko, on the other hand, was red-faced. After a short silence, he stood up and deeply bowed to Ivy, apologizing, "Dr. Jones, I'm sorry. I worked tirelessly for days, running around and unable to secure the cooperation of the Alter Group and DT Investment. Yet, you effortlessly secured it. I had an unsavory thought because of that. I know I am at fault, and I apologize." ‘Ivy, today's humiliation, I will make sure you pay back twice over!’ Jenny, clutching her nose, choked out, "I'm sorry." Ivy, with a blank expression, looked at both of them and replied, "Your apologies aren't for me, but for the clinic and the patients. Please make amends for your actions in the future, Dr. Ticko and Dr. Jenny." "I promise, I promise I will!" Dr. Jenny cried. "As for the DT Investment project..." Ivy paused, seeing Dr. Ticko and Jenny's tense expressions. She continued, "Actually, Dr. Ticko, there's no need to be anxious. In the clinic, I'm your subordinate, and you are the principal responsible for all my projects. I have no interest in managing the clinic; I'm more concerned about my patients and my profession." Seeing Ivy's understanding of the situation, Director Malcom closed his eyes with pleasure and praised, "Dr. Jones understands the big picture!" Ivy continued, "So, I will convey to DT Investment that you are the project lead, Dr. Ticko. In the future, any correspondence between me and DT Investment will be personally supervised by you." Dr. Ticko was overwhelmed with gratitude, nodding repeatedly. "Dr. Jones, thank you for your trust. I swear I won't make a mistake like today again." "I have one more condition," Ivy changed the topic suddenly, looking at everyone, "I can relinquish all the honors related to the collaboration with DT Investment. But in return, I'd like the clinic to provide me with medical equipment at no cost for my husband's surgeries, and I don't want anyone to interfere. I've already conducted the research, and my husband's surgery will require three procedures over a year." "This..." Dr. Ticko couldn't make the decision and turned to Director Malcom. "That's for sure," Director Malcom said generously. "Dr. Jones, we reached a consensus on this matter a long time ago. You can rest assured, with me around, no one will dare to interfere." He patted Ivy's hand, then sighed, hinting, "Dr. Jones, the medical equipment isn't the issue. However, you need to think about it for yourself. Can you really perform those three surgeries?" Can she...? Ivy's heart and soul shook. Can she? Three years ago, that child did die on her operating table. What about Shawn? To outsiders, three surgeries might just be a number, but to Shawn, they were three gates of the netherworld. What would he do if she didn't succeed? The sudden weight of responsibility pressed on Ivy as if she were carrying a heavy burden that was hard to bear. When she returned to her office, she saw Shawn still working, and her heart softened yet tensed up. She picked up a blanket and draped it over Shawn. "You should rest more." He closed his laptop and asked, "Is it resolved?" Ivy recounted everything that happened in the conference room. After hearing her story, Shawn asked in a deep voice, "Do you really believe they will change?" "Of course not." Furrowing his brows, Shawn questioned her, "Then why did you let them off so easily? And why did you relinquish the honors related to the collaboration with DT Investment to them?" Ivy's eyes glittered with cunning. "How do you know I meant what I said in the conference room?" "Destroy it from the inside, and you must make it go mad first..." Shawn realized, "Very clever!" The two of them stayed at the clinic until daybreak, only resting after the patient woke up safely. Director Malcom went back to sleep for a while and, on behalf of the Clinic, issued a statement explaining the entire process of the medical incident involving Max. They claimed that the responsible nurse had already resigned out of guilt. They also explained that the clinic hired Ivy following the standard procedure, with no issues of impropriety or nepotism. Simultaneously, the Ordinary Clinic released a statement that Ivy and Dr. Ticko would jointly oversee the collaboration with DT Investment. This news rapidly shifted the focus away from the initial questions. In the following days, the media reporters camped outside the Ordinary Clinic, hoping to obtain insider information. Director Malcom and Dr. Ticko, who were social butterflies, were busy handling the media inquiries. Only Ivy remained in her own world, focused on treating patients and studying Shawn's surgical plans. Everything gradually transitioned to a stable state. On that day, Lilith called her. "Ivy, today is Kevin's birthday, and he invited all his classmates to attend. Will you go?" Ivy was momentarily taken aback, only then remembering that a few days ago, she had received an email from Kevin, inviting her to his birthday party. She had been too preoccupied at the time to respond. "I don't want to go," Ivy said, finding these social gatherings to be unproductive. She would rather spend her time with her family. "Come on, Ivy, please come with me. I promise you won't regret it!" On the other end of the phone, Lilith was being playful, but Ivy detected an underlying tone. "Did you find out everything?" Ivy asked. Lilith replied, "Of course." Ivy smiled faintly and said, "Then I will willingly accompany you." Lilith added, "Bring your partner with you; let them enjoy the show too." After saying this, Lilith hung up the phone. Ivy thought for a moment and sent a message to Shawn: ‘We're going to attend a birthday party for a former college classmate tonight. Do you want to come?’ Shawn responded almost immediately: ‘Are you planning to introduce me to your friends?’ Ivy blushed and replied: ‘I just want to show you an interesting scene.’ Shawn agreed: ‘I'll go.’Ivy then decided to give him a heads-up: ‘The birthday boy is my ex-boyfriend from my college days, Kevin Alter.’ There was an unusual silence on the other end of the phone. He didn't reply for a long time. Ivy thought he might be upset, so she added: ‘Don't worry; I have no feelings for him anymore. In fact, I won't have any further dealings with anyone from the Alter family. We're meeting today because Lilith wants me to accompany her.’ After another long pause, Shawn replied: ‘I have a last-minute meeting today, so I might not be able to make it.’ The atmosphere suddenly turned cold, and Ivy's heart began to race. She hesitated for a moment and asked: ‘Are you angry?’ ***