That punishment was harsh—losing such a good job, just like that!
Sure enough, as soon as Jamison finished speaking, Celeste’s demeanor changed completely. Gone was her meekness; her words grew sharp and cold. “Jamison, aren’t you taking this too far? It’s not that big of a deal—why make such a fuss?”
Since the gloves were off, Jamison stood his ground, adopting the air of a hospital administrator. “You broke hospital policy and show no sign of remorse. The hospital cannot keep a doctor lacking professional ethics. If you resign voluntarily, we’ll put this behind us. If you refuse, I’ll be forced to report you according to hospital procedure. You’ll be fired anyway, and if it escalates to the medical board, you might even lose your license.”
“Jamison!” Celeste’s composure finally snapped, her voice rising in anger. “This is outrageous! You’re abusing your authority just to settle a personal score!”
“I have no personal grudge against you,” Jamison replied coolly. “I’m just doing my job.”
With that, he hung up, leaving Celeste too furious to speak.
Back at the hospital, Celeste stormed into her department, shouting Jamison’s name and drawing curious glances from several colleagues.
“Dr. Quinn, what’s going on? Did something happen with Dr. Ludwig?”
Celeste didn’t answer, biting back tears, seething with a thousand unspoken protests.
Just then, a nurse rushed in. “Dr. Quinn, the family in Room 3 needs you—the patient’s in severe pain! Dr. Quinn… Dr. Quinn?”
Snapping back to reality, Celeste wanted nothing more than to throw down her stethoscope and walk out.
But after years of grueling medical training, she couldn’t bring herself to throw it all away in a fit of anger. In the end, reason won out—she followed the nurse at a brisk pace to her patient’s room.
Meanwhile, Jamison put down his phone as if nothing had happened and continued his dinner.
Ivy was quiet for a moment, frowning slightly as she looked at him. “Isn’t Dr. Quinn one of Professor Penn’s students? What if she asks him to intervene?”
“It won’t help,” Jamison answered without hesitation.
“But being so tough on her—aren’t you worried you’ll offend your mentor?”
“I doubt it,” Jamison replied. “He knows the hospital rules. No matter who she appeals to, Celeste is in the wrong here.”
“Alright, that’s a relief.”
Ivy nodded, but from one woman to another, she couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for Celeste.
After all, everyone knows how brutal medical school is—and for a young woman to become an outstanding doctor, the sacrifices are even greater.
She hesitated, then glanced at her husband. “It’s one thing to threaten her, but please don’t actually have her license revoked.”
Jamison looked at her, genuinely surprised. “I didn’t expect you to speak up for her.” Ivy shrugged, lips quirking. “Let’s just call it a thank-you for helping me out last time.”
“Don’t worry. I only want her to leave this hospital. With her skills, she’ll have no trouble getting a job at another top hospital.”
Even if she didn’t have connections, Professor Penn and his wife would gladly recommend her.
Strictly speaking, Celeste’s medical skills and academic background were beyond reproach.
But she was too entangled in her emotions—when it came to relationships, she lost all sense of boundaries.
Jamison just wanted her out of his orbit, out of his life; he never intended to ruin her career.
Relieved, Ivy let the matter drop.
She’d already lost part of her afternoon to lunch with the matriarch, but now, with everything finally settled, she could focus on her own work again.
After dinner, Ivy took over Jamison’s study, reviewing the day’s stock market trends and drafting her analysis.
With her internship at an investment firm starting soon, she’d been meeting with senior executives over the past few days. It was Friday night, everyone had some free time, and it was the perfect chance to hold a video conference.