Chapter 392 A Name That Burns

Owen stood frozen. To the doctor, Yunice’s words might have sounded like praise, but to Owen, they dripped with sarcasm.

Because it was Yunice who had the presence of mind to act. Owen, the hospital director, had only thought of escape.

As morality clashed with selfishness, Owen said nothing more.

The hazmat-suited doctor entered the room and began spraying disinfectant. A registrar followed, preparing to assign each of them to a quarantine zone based on their level of exposure.

Elsie clung to Owen’s arm, sobbing. “Owen, I don’t want to be locked up in here! I don’t want to die. That guy died in three days! I just got out of the hospital, I’m still recovering, my immune system’s shot. If I’m infected, I won’t survive long enough for them to come up with a treatment…”

“Owen, are we all going to die?”

Owen’s heart was pounding. His eyes flicked to the registrar’s pen. Once this list was complete, Elsie really wouldn’t be able to leave.

He even glanced toward the window. For a moment, he considered smashing it open and helping Elsie escape.

But the thought only lasted a second before he gave up on it.

There was no escape. The building was crawling with people. There was no way out.

And if they tried to flee now and got caught, it would become a criminal case.

Owen pressed a hand to his forehead. He had no choice but to accept it. This time, he’d let Elsie down.

“Is there a Yunice here?” The radio at the doctor’s waist crackled to life.

All three of them looked up.

Why were they asking for Yunice?

Elsie clenched her fists, her eyes darting.

Out of the three of them, she was the most desperate to leave. Any opportunity, no matter how slim, was one she had to seize.

She had tried to contact Paul earlier, hoping he could get her out, but hadn’t reached him.

But Yunice had contacted Wyatt. And Wyatt had power. Maybe he was trying to open a back door for her.

The doctor spoke into the radio briefly, then looked at the two women. “Which one of you is Yunice?”

Yunice opened her mouth to respond, but Elsie suddenly jumped in. “Hello, sir. I’m Yunice. May I ask what this is about?”

Owen looked up at her. He didn’t quite understand why she was doing this, but according to hospital records, Elsie was Yunice.

So technically, it wasn’t wrong for her to stand up.

Yunice, however, shot her a calm glance and said evenly, “I’m Yunice.”

“…” The doctor stared at them, speechless. How could there be two Yunices in the same room?

He turned to the only one in the room with official authority. “You’re the hospital director, right? Which of them is Yunice?”

Owen’s confused gaze bounced between the two women. In a way… they were both Yunice.

So he sidestepped the question. “Why do you need her?”

He wanted to know whether this was good news or bad news.

The doctor didn’t take the bait. “That’s not your concern.”

When Owen wouldn’t give a straight answer, the doctor turned back to the women. “Do either of you have proof of identity?”

Yunice frowned slightly. Her ID was in her bag, which had gotten lost in the chaos earlier.

Elsie, on the other hand, sprang into action. She didn’t have her ID on her, but she knew Owen kept her personnel file—with a photocopy of her ID—in his office drawer.

She opened the drawer and pulled out the documents.

Just as she was about to hand them over, Owen slammed a hand down on hers and muttered, “Yunice is the one who reported the incident. She was the first point of contact. This isn’t a good thing—you don’t want to be her right now.”

Elsie’s expression froze. Even though Owen had seen right through her, she couldn’t let go of the chance to get out.

She quickly said, “Owen, didn’t you say we’re family? Families are supposed to help each other. If Yunice’s situation is that bad, then I should step up for her.”

And before Owen could stop her again, she handed the documents over.

The doctor glanced at the photocopy, comparing the picture and name. He nodded. “Got it. You’re Yunice.”

Then he pointed to a bag of protective gear on the nearby cart. “Change into that and come with us.”

Elsie beamed with joy, relieved her bluff had worked.

But as soon as she heard she was leaving, a sliver of anxiety crept in. “Sir, may I ask where I’m going? If you don’t explain, Owen will worry about me.”

The doctor was tight-lipped. “That’s classified. Get moving.”

That answer made her even more nervous.

She had assumed Wyatt might be trying to get Yunice out… but what if that wasn’t the case?

What if they weren’t here to release Yunice, but to send her, as the first point of contact, into Mr. Gerardo’s treatment unit?

If that was what was happening, then claiming her name might have just sealed her own fate.