Chapter 30 Press at the Door
Lucky Draw
The Dean had never liked Ginny. Even before all this, he had always looked at her with thinly veiled displeasure.
Now, with the scandal unfolding, he had no reason to hide it. He had no intention of keeping the peace.
Ginny understood that. Still, the outcome left a bitter taste in
her mouth.
She’d started working at this hospital straight out of university. She knew the professional world wasn’t built on personal sentiment, but the Dean’s attitude still chilled her.
“You’re suspending me now? Aren’t you afraid people will think the hospital’s trying to hide something?” she asked quietly.
The moment news of the alleged cheating broke, netizens began to question not only her skills but the hospital’s decision to hire her in the first place.
She was reminding the Dean of that risk.
But he only said, “That’s why I’m not firing you outright. I’m giving you time to prove yourself, Ginny. Don’t make me regret trusting you.”
Her expression darkened. It was no wonder people in the hospital called him a fox–cunning, cold, and utterly devoid of
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warmth.
Lucky Draw
When she stepped out of the hospital, Ginny planned to go straight to the hotel, hoping to retrieve the surveillance footage from the exam. But as soon as she reached the hospital lobby, a crowd of reporters came surging out of nowhere, surrounding her.
Before she could react, microphones were shoved in her face.
“Dr. Jenkins, did you really cheat?”
“Dr. Jenkins, are you aware of the consequences of a doctor cheating? Your actions have not only brought shame to your hospital but also to the entire country–and to every aspiring medical student.”
“After this incident, do you still intend to keep practicing medicine?”
Their questions came fast, sharp, and heavy. In their eyes, she was already guilty, nailed to a cross they’d built with headlines and hashtags.
“I didn’t cheat,” Ginny said, finally steadying herself. “I will find the evidence and clear my name.”
“You were caught on video. How can you still deny it?”
Another reporter scoffed, “For the sake of all those future
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Lucky Draw
doctors, maybe you should admit what you did and step down now.”
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” she said, her tone firm. “Why should I confess to something I never did? If you’re questioning my competence, feel free to review the papers I’ve published, or talk to the patients I’ve treated over the years. The truth is there if you care to look.”
She turned to leave.
But the reporters wouldn’t let her go. They kept coming at her, their voices growing louder and more aggressive.
Her mood, already stretched thin, began to sink lower and lower with each hostile question.
Then someone shoved her from behind.
She stumbled forward.
And just as she was about to fall, the crowd in front of her- those same reporters–scattered like startled birds, leaving her to drop alone.
Only, she didn’t fall.
An arm slipped around her waist and yanked her upright.
“Ginny, are you okay? Did you get hurt?” Ryan’s voice was laced
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Chapter 30 Press at the Door
→→→ Lucky Draw
with concern as he looked her over quickly, checking her from head to toe. When he was sure she was uninjured, he finally exhaled.
“Are you her boyfriend?” one of the reporters asked, eyes glittering with curiosity.
Ryan pulled Ginny behind him and faced the crowd. “You’d better have proof for those accusations. If not, expect a letter from our attorney.”
“Are you Dr. Jenkins’s husband?”
“What’s your opinion on the cheating accusations against her?”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he held on to Ginny’s hand, forced their way through the crowd, and got her out of the hospital.
The reporters tried to chase them, but the lobby was packed, and by the time they pushed through the sea of people, Ginny was already gone.
*****
“Sir, bad news–something happened to Mrs. Pierce.”
Chandler had just wrapped up a mission when he got the call from his driver.
As soon as he hung up, he pulled up the trending news–and
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Lucky Draw
there it was: footage of Ryan shielding Ginny, leading her out of the hospital.
The fatigue that had settled into his bones vanished in a second, replaced by a surge of fury,
“Take me home,” he said coldly.
*****
In the car, Ginny told Ryan she wanted to go to the hotel to check on the surveillance footage herself.
“I already sent someone,” he said. “I was worried reporters might be waiting for you there, so it’s better if you don’t go in person. When they get the footage, I’ll send it to you.”
Ginny looked at him, nodded. “Thank you.”
“You don’t need to thank me. If it were me in your position, wouldn’t you do the same?”
She thought for a second, then smiled.
“But who would go this far just to hurt you?” Ryan asked, his eyes narrowing. “Today’s trending post was definitely orchestrated. And that video–it’s clearly been edited. Maybe it was one of the other test–takers. Maybe someone who resented you.”
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(*) Lucky Draw
He asked her to think carefully—had she argued with anyone during the exam? Had anyone looked at her with obvious hostility?
She thought back.
“Wendy Hopkins,” she said finally. “But she’s just… jealous. She’s not malicious. I don’t think she’d go this far.”
Ryan tightened his grip on the wheel and said quietly, “I believe in evidence more than guesses.”
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