"Miss Robinson, I joined the project team not to make money or get promoted, but mainly because I wanted to atone for my mistakes," Julie said. "I hope you will give me a chance, otherwise I don't know how I will ever face you again, and my heart will always be full of guilt."
She paused, and then took a deep breath, and said confidently, "The company has changed a lot recently, and I'm worried that you might encounter some unavoidable difficulties. I want to help you avoid such problems. How could I not do so? Regardless, I know that I'll have to start at the bottom again and follow the chain of command."
Alex couldn't stay quiet any longer and asked, "Would you be happy working for the cleaning crew?"
Julie blinked at Alex and said, "Yes, of course. Although it's not really what I had in mind."
"Very well," Alex said, nodding. "I'll make an executive decision and let you stay on the R&D project team as a member of the cleaning crew. If you do well, you may even get a bonus at the end of the year. What do you think?"
"Alex?" Maryann asked. She was surprised that he had softened his stance.
Julie bit her lip and said, "Please, don't say it. This is more than I could have hoped for. I will happily work as a cleaner to atone for my mistakes."
Julie's goal was to be a part of the project team, so as long as she was allowed in, even as a member of the cleaning crew, she could endure anything. Then, she would show Maryann that she was truly sorry for what she had done.
Maryann continued to look at Alex. "Julie is my friend. Even if she did something wrong, I can forgive her."
"If you believe her, so be it." Alex smiled and waved his hand. "Why don't you ask her what she wants to do?"
Maryann turned back to Julie and said, "If you want to stay in the supervisor's office to help me, I'd be happy to have you there." She thought highly of the woman, and even if she had messed up, she wanted to give her another chance. She hoped that Julie would continue to work with her.
"I'm honored, but I want to work on the cleaning crew for the project team," Julie said without any hesitation.
"Oh?" Maryann said in surprise. She tried not to show that her feelings were hurt.
Julie left, and the hospital room grew quiet. Alex and Maryann talked for a while before he finally left, too.
***
Alex had just returned to the Woodside Clinic when several black sedans roared up to the front door.
The doors opened, and a dozen men and women stepped out of the vehicles and walked into the lobby. Leading the group was Dr. Susan Ware, the head of Baltimore General Hospital, who was a tall and beautiful woman with long hair, cold eyes, and a proud demeanor.
Susan looked at the clinic appraisingly, and her critical gaze roamed over the patients in the waiting room. There were dozens of them waiting to be examined. They were locals, and some were poor and unkempt.
She shook her head in disdain, rubbed her nose, and then led her little group to the front desk. Kendall called to them from behind the desk, "If you want to be seen by a doctor, then you need to take a number from over at the front door. You'll be seen when your number is called. Have your ID ready. We're busy today, so you may have to come back tomorrow."
When Kendall saw the group continuing to move forward, she raised her voice. "Stop. Do you have an ID and your number?"
Susan frowned as she stepped up to the desk. She stared Kendall down, and then said, "I'm not here to see a doctor."
Then, without waiting for Kendall to respond, she walked straight over to Alex. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and said boldly, "Alex, I'm here on behalf of Brian and Timothy. I need you to come with me to Baltimore General Hospital to treat Brian's daughter, Haley. Brian wanted me to tell you that if you manage to cure Haley, then they will look into allowing you to formally practice medicine in Baltimore."
Susan had no doubt that he would accept the offer. The opportunity to treat a member of such a respected family, and gain credentials besides, would be an opportunity that he couldn't pass up.
"Ooh, are you trying to butter me up?" Alex asked as he smiled. He took a sip from a cup of coffee. "It looks like you're asking me for a favor."
Susan frowned. "What do you mean?"
"It means I won't go." Alex already knew that they had tried their best to cure Haley, but they hadn't allowed him to help before. He was willing to help the girl, but he wanted Brian and his wife, Hillary, to sincerely want his help. They hadn't even bothered to ask him in person. Instead, they had sent Susan to ask for his help, so he shrugged and shook his head.
Susan couldn't hide her expression of surprise. "Alex, do you know what you're talking about? Do you know what kind of favor you'd curry if you helped the family out? Are you out of your mind?"
She shook her head in confusion. "What's more, by refusing to help, you'll make enemies of a family who has a lot of pull. With a simple phone call, they could close this place down. You'd be finished. Think again before saying no. Don't be ungrateful."
Alex looked at her, and then said, "Get out."
"What?" Susan asked, her anger mounting. "You're really telling me to go away?"
She felt insulted. She was the head of Baltimore General Hospital, and people didn't talk to her that way. Furthermore, she hadn't expected Alex to be so rebellious and say "no."
I don't know what to do now, she thought.
Alex replied, "I don't know if I can say it any clearer. Please leave."
"Rethink this decision, Alex," Susan urged him, unwilling to give up. "If you do this, then you can officially become a doctor. You may have respect from some of these small-town patients, but don't think you can stand so firm in Baltimore if you make enemies. If you don't help Brian's family, you'll be banned."
Alex remained silent, and Susan grew even more furious.
She straightened her posture, turned around, and said to all the patients, "In the future, whoever comes to see a doctor here will be on the blacklist of any medical center in the Baltimore Hospital Alliance. None of you, nor any of your family members, will ever be seen by any doctor in this city."
Baltimore had hundreds of large and small hospitals, clinics, and medical offices, almost all of which were a part of the hospital alliance. Susan was one of the alliance's directors, and she had the power to make her threat real.
The patients and people in the clinic squirmed and murmured in dismay and disbelief.
"No doctor will treat us or our families?"
"Why are you doing this? Even if we had an emergency, you would turn us away?"
" It that ethical?"
"She's the head of Baltimore General Hospital. I don't like it, but I believe her."
The patients' anxiety grew, and they looked to Alex for confirmation.
"Don't worry," he said comfortingly. "She won't let anything happen to any of you. Doctors take oaths to help people."
He turned back to Susan and smiled. "Is this threat really coming from you, or is it coming from another source?"
He didn't think that Brian or his family would actually do such a thing.
"Who do you mean, exactly?" Susan asked carefully. "You've refused to help, and now these people will suffer for it."
Susan was used to dealing with difficult people and situations, so she knew how to bargain hard and how to add pressure. She didn't believe that Alex had the guts to play hardball.
"Let's solve our grievances by ourselves. Why involve the patients?" Alex asked mildly. "Your threat doesn't seem very becoming of a hospital administrator. Are you really so ruthless that you hurt innocent people to get what you want?"
"I don't need to defend myself to you," Susan said. "I'm the head of Baltimore General Hospital, and I didn't get there by chance. What about you, Alex, and your little clinic? Do you have more patients than I do?" She laughed mockingly. "I'll ask you one final time. Are you going to help Haley or not?"
Before Alex could answer, the roar of another car engine came from outside the entrance. The engine cut out, and soon after, Maria walked through the front door. She was wearing a red velvet coat and cut a fine figure as she strode across the room. She held a black box in her hand.
Susan was surprised to see her and asked, "What are you doing here, Ms. Thornton?"
Maria ignored Susan and walked straight up to Alex with an arrogant expression. As she stared at him, she gave him a cold smile. "Mr. Ambrose, I have a gift here for you."
She held out the box almost reverently, and Susan stared at her in amazement. Maria almost looked like she respected Alex. Why is she behaving so politely in front of Alex? she wondered. I thought she hated him. Is there something else going on here?
Susan remained silent as she, and everyone in the room, watched the interaction between the two people and were waiting to see what was inside the black box.
"I come here representing the Demon sect," Maria said. "And on behalf of the Thornton family, I wish to make amends to you. We hope that you can remain at peace with us."
With a sincere expression, she slowly opened the box. Inside was the handkerchief covered in Lachlan's blood, a key to a luxury sports car, and a shareholder's card for Baltimore General Hospital.
Alex kept his expression calm and indifferent. He had not been surprised to see her or her little box of gifts. He was definitely interested in the shareholder's card, and he didn't hide that.
"Your family really does have some pull in the medical field," he said quietly. "Does your family have any large amount of shares in the hospital?"
Alex had to admit that he was curious. The Thorntons influenced a lot of industries, including the medical field, but he wasn't sure how much they were involved at Baltimore General.
Maria nodded. "Actually, my family founded the hospital, so we have most of the shares."