Chapter 216

The sudden ringing of his phone cut through the tense silence. Glancing at the caller ID, he stepped away to answer.

"Hello."

"Victor, how did the competition between Evelyn and Lila go?" Grace's voice was laced with curiosity, though there was an edge to it.

Victor's jaw clenched, his tone dripping with barely restrained fury. "Evelyn won."

"What?" Grace's shock was palpable. "Evelyn won?" She blinked rapidly, as if trying to process the impossible. Evelyn had promised her she would let Lila win!

Victor's laugh was bitter. "None of us saw this coming, but it's the truth. Evelyn won, and Lila lost. And as if that wasn't enough, Evelyn gave Lila an ultimatum—stay at the hospital as a permanent intern or leave entirely. Generous, isn't it?"

Grace fell silent, the weight of his sarcasm pressing down on her.

After a long pause, she muttered, "I have to go. We'll talk later." Before Victor could respond, she ended the call. Without hesitation, she dialed another number—this time, Evelyn's.

The phone rang. And rang.

No answer.

Grace tried again, her fingers tightening around her phone. Still nothing.

Frustration mounting, she fired off a text: Call me back as soon as you see this.

Evelyn had seen it all—the calls, the message. She had ignored them deliberately. She knew exactly what Grace wanted to discuss, and right now, she had zero interest in rehashing the competition.

Leaving her phone untouched, she turned her attention elsewhere.

That evening, at the lavish Moonlight Lounge, Alexander hosted a celebration in Evelyn's honor. He had gone all out, filling the private room with colleagues and acquaintances, all there to toast Evelyn's victory.

When Evelyn arrived, the room was already buzzing with forced cheer. She kept her expression neutral, though her sharp eyes noted the insincerity in most of the smiles.

"Everyone, a toast!" Alexander announced, raising his glass with a practiced grin. "To Evelyn, our newly promoted attending physician!"

"Congratulations!"

"Cheers!"

The room erupted in polite applause, though only a handful of people seemed genuinely happy for her. The rest were merely there out of obligation—to Alexander, not to her.

Dylan, lounging in a shadowed corner, swirled his drink lazily. His lips curled into a smirk as he drawled, "Funny, isn't it? Evelyn gets the promotion, but you're the one throwing the party, Alexander. Makes you wonder who's really celebrating what."

A few uneasy glances flickered his way.

Alexander, however, remained unruffled. "Evelyn and I are close friends. Even Nathan knows that."

At the mention of his name, Nathan looked up. His expression was unreadable, but the tension in his shoulders betrayed his displeasure. Why had Alexander organized this? To an outsider, it might look like they were the couple, not Evelyn and him.

Not that it mattered, Nathan reminded himself. He didn’t care what Evelyn did. So why did the sight of Alexander standing so close to her make his blood boil?