Chapter 6

Joseph was taken aback for a moment. He thought he had misheard. "Xavier, what did you say?" How could Samantha be Erica's attending doctor? Xavier gulped nervously. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and repeated his question. "Mr. Lynch, Mrs. Lynch is indeed Ms. Fitch's current attending doctor." Perhaps worried that Joseph didn't believe him, Xavier added, "Ms. Fitch's previous attending doctor was injured and won't be able to work for the next few months. "Mrs. Lynch and that doctor are in the same department, and the hospital is short-staffed. So, Mrs. Lynch took over that doctor's work. That's why she's Ms. Fitch's current attending doctor." Joseph pursed his lips. Feeling his temples throbbing, he still couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Samantha is a doctor?" Hearing the doubt in Joseph's tone, Xavier was speechless. However, he still dutifully answered, "Yes, Mr. Lynch. Mrs. Lynch is indeed a doctor. She even received the national scholarship for four consecutive years as an outstanding graduate of Valmon Medical University." Joseph continued questioning, "How long has she been working at this hospital?" Xavier replied, "Three years." Joseph sneered, suddenly losing interest in continuing the conversation. It seemed that he really didn't understand Samantha at all. He didn't even know her profession. "Alright, I have something else to attend to. I'll hang up now." With that, Joseph abruptly ended the call and walked toward the living room. Erica brought the last dish to the table and saw Joseph walking toward her. She quickly untied her apron from her waist and invited Joseph to eat. "Joe, dinner's ready. Come and try my cooking." As Erica spoke, she hung her apron neatly on the coat rack by the entrance. She rarely cooked, so there wasn't a speck of oil stain on her apron. It was still clean. Joseph washed his hands in the kitchen and absentmindedly sat on the sofa. Seeing this, Erica tactically sat opposite him. She handed him the cutlery and gestured toward the freshly prepared dishes on the table before urging him to eat. "Come on, Joe. Try it." Joseph took the cutlery and looked at the dishes Erica had prepared. His lips twitched slightly. The presentation of these dishes was not as good as what Samantha could do. He subconsciously pursed his lips. To avoid dampening Erica's confidence, he reluctantly picked up a piece of chicken and tasted it. Erica looked at him expectantly. The chicken was a bit overcooked, lacking in seasoning, and tasted rather bland. It was almost like chewing on wax. Her food wasn't as tasty as Samantha's. Despite struggling, Joseph managed to swallow the chicken and uttered a compliment. "Hmm, not bad." Pleased with Joseph's response, Erica perked up. "Joe, I'll cook for you more often in the future." After saying this, Erica picked up her cutlery and began eating. Joseph added some scrambled eggs into his bowl and looked up casually. "When you were cooking just now, I had Xavier check on your attending doctor. It seems like it's Samantha. Do you think we should replace her?" As soon as he finished speaking, Erica dropped her cutlery. Pretending to stay calm, she picked them up and widened her eyes in disbelief as she looked at Joseph. Erica spoke carefully. "What? Samantha is my attending doctor? She's your wife, after all. Wouldn't it be inappropriate to replace her just because of me?" Joseph took in all of Erica's reactions and continued where she left off. "A mediocre doctor like her who can't even cure such a minor illness should be replaced. But why did you choose to be treated at this hospital in the first place? It's not particularly renowned in Valmon. Your health would have been restored long ago if you chose one of the more famous hospitals in the city." An odd expression crossed Erica's face, but it quickly faded away. "When I was in college, my lecturers or classmates would come to this hospital whenever they fell ill. I thought the doctors would be good since so many people come here. That's why I chose this place." As she spoke, Erica carefully observed Joseph's expression. Upon hearing her response, Joseph scoffed dismissively. "Well, some doctors just aren't skilled enough. "Tomorrow, I'll have Xavier arrange for you to change your attending doctor and see how their treatment plan goes. "As for Samantha, she can't even treat her patients. I'll have Xavier contact the hospital to dismiss her." Upon hearing this, Erica widened her eyes in shock. A hint of joy flickered across her face. Joseph seemed to care for her a lot. "Joe, you don't have to do that. Even if Samantha isn't skilled, she earned her place in this hospital through her own abilities. "Jobs are hard to come by these days. It's too harsh to dismiss her. I'll just change my attending doctor. You don't have to dismiss her." Joseph had already made up his mind and saw this as an opportunity to teach Samantha a lesson. "Erica, there's no need to defend Samantha. This matter is settled. No amount of persuasion will change it." Upon seeing this, Erica reluctantly held back the rest of her words. After dinner, Joseph helped Erica clean up. He then told her that he had to leave Yorkshire Residence due to some work. Erica was quite happy tonight and didn't detain Joseph any longer. She let him leave without protest. … Early the next morning, Samantha had just groggily woken up when she received a call from the hospital. The news of her dismissal instantly jolted her awake. Perplexed, she questioned the hospital about the reason for her dismissal. However, they simply hemmed and hawed, offering a vague excuse before abruptly ending the call. Frustrated, Samantha tossed her phone onto the bed. Before long, it buzzed again. Samantha picked up her phone and stared at the unfamiliar number. Assuming the hospital might have changed its decision, she quickly answered. Through the phone came a deep, yet familiar, voice. "Samantha, do you realize your mistake now? If you move back today, I can overlook everything as if nothing happened." Upon hearing Joseph's words, Samantha knew immediately why she had been dismissed. Anger surged within her. "Joseph, are you out of your mind?"