Chapter 17 Her Right to Walk Away From Distrust

"Jessy? Hmm, I think I remember a student like that," Eddie said. After a moment of thought, he added, "She graduated early and went abroad for further studies. Afterward, she returned to work at Dithoria City Hospital. She was quite an exceptional student!" "I see," Natalie replied flatly. "She says she's Dr. Elim. Do you know her?" "What?" Eddie was stunned. "If she's Dr. Elim, then who are you? Jessy might be talented, but she's nowhere close to your level. Why on earth would she pretend to be you?" He went on, "Does she really think no one would notice, or does she just have no shame? Our school teaches medical skills, not deception! I'll find out who her mentor is and call them right away. Of all people to pretend to be, why pick you? What a joke!" Natalie put the phone on speaker, so everyone in the room heard Eddie's words. Marcus remained calm as he shifted his gaze from Jessy to Rita. "Mrs. Bundit, what do you think?" Rita's confidence wavered for a moment. After regaining her composure, she firmly said, "Who's to say she didn't arrange this in advance with someone posing as Eddie? "Ms. Maine is an outstanding graduate of Dithoria State School of Medicine. She went abroad for advanced studies, and after returning, she's been working as a doctor at Dithoria City Hospital." Rita's confidence grew with every word. She nudged Jessy forward, and Jessy took the cue to settle herself beside Marcus. "Mr. Holden, I'm Dr. Elim. How could this elderly woman handle a scalpel properly with her poor eyesight? Just because she found someone to cover for her and made a call doesn't mean she can perform surgery on Mr. Holden Senior," Jessy said, turning to Natalie. Though her words were firm, a sense of unease settled in her heart. The phone call earlier had definitely come from Eddie, and everything he said could be verified. She had graduated early and gone abroad for further studies, but she wasn't Dr. Elim. Her decision to come here was driven by Marcus' aunt, Cassie Holden. There was no turning back now. Even though they had brought Eddie into the mix, Jessy had no choice but to stick to her story. She had to insist that she was Dr. Elim. "Mr. Holden, please believe me. I really am Dr. Elim," she confidently said. Raising an eyebrow at Natalie, she added, "Since she dares to impersonate me, she must've done her homework. She knows my background, so that's no surprise." Natalie was uninterested in arguing with Jessy. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and turned to Connie instead. "Has Peter come back yet?" Connie nodded. "I've already called him. He's on his way back." "Good," Natalie said coldly. "Inform Peter that he's no longer the director of Quinton Hospital. Once he arrives, have him pack his things and leave immediately. We'll promote a young, capable male doctor to take his place." "Yes, Dr. Elim," Connie responded respectfully. She followed Natalie's lead and asked, "Dr. Elim, shall we head back now?" "Alright, let's go. Reject the Holden family's request. They've found someone else, so there's no point in wasting our time," Natalie said coldly. Her gaze behind her glasses turned icy as she glanced at Marcus. When she first agreed to treat the Holden family, she didn't know their true identities. She had accepted because Charles was Grace's good friend and had genuinely cared for her. They shared the same last name, which had made her trust them. Now that Marcus didn't trust her, she wasn't going to chase after this any longer. Charles was one thing, but Marcus was another. Natalie wouldn't take her frustration out on the elderly man. Instead, she decided to treat Charles privately, as a way of repaying him for letting her stay with the Holden family and allowing Grace to feel at ease. "Connie, let's go," she said, turning to leave. Connie quickly followed her. Meanwhile, Charles lowered his phone from his bed and waved for Ethan to come over. "Ethan, come here. Pack my belongings. I'm not going to continue with the treatment. I'm heading back to Amberton." "Mr. Holden Senior, you can't delay your treatment any longer," Jessy urged. She quickly stood up and walked toward Charles, trying to make a good impression. After all, Cassie had told her that if she wanted Marcus to look at her differently, she needed to impress Charles. Charles slowly raised his eyes to glance at her. "Sweetie, do all the doctors at your hospital wear four-inch heels? Your legs are quite nice, but I don't like women taller than me, nor those younger or slimmer. I'll have to reject your treatment." Charles' words practically screamed that he preferred Natalie. Feeling somewhat wronged, Jessy replied, "Mr. Holden Senior, you can't judge someone by their appearance. Although I'm young, I am a good doctor." Charles glanced at her again. "I understand. I'm the patient, and I have the right to choose my doctor. I don't like the way you look. What can you do about it?" Jessy fell silent. "Ethan, let's go find that old lady from before," Charles said, turning to Ethan. Charles motioned for Ethan to help him up, then glanced at Marcus sitting on the couch. "Some people are just useless. They can't get anything done and only cause more problems. I guess it's up to me to save my own old life." "Mr. Holden Senior, something's wrong," Ethan said, supporting Charles as he pulled out his phone to check the latest news. "Dr. Elim's assistant just sent an email—Dr. Elim canceled the appointment. The deposit and cancellation fee have been refunded." When Ethan finished speaking, Marcus' expression changed. He stood up suddenly. "Ethan, say that again." "Mr. Holden, Dr. Elim canceled the appointment and sent back the deposit and cancellation fee," Ethan replied. Then, he showed Marcus his phone. "Mr. Holden, I've been in contact with Dr. Elim's assistant. I'm sure I've got the right person." Marcus' gaze landed on Jessy's face. "So, you're the fake one." Jessy's heart missed a beat, and her face went pale for a moment. "Mr. Holden, I'm not." "Then explain this," Marcus said, his voice cold. "If you're the real Dr. Elim, why would your assistant send a cancellation email when you haven't even contacted her?" Marcus glared at Jessy with a look full of venom. "Ethan, help me keep an eye on my grandfather. I'm going to find out what's going on." With that, he quickly left the VIP suite. As soon as Dr. Elim left with Connie, Ethan received the cancellation notice. It was clear that Marcus' distrust had completely angered her.