Chapter 21

Holley shot a venomous glare at Christy, her temper flaring.

Christy struck her as a novice, someone who had likely coasted into the hospital through connections. Her medical expertise was questionable.

"Any half-decent doctor could outshine you!" Holley's voice oozed contempt, her words sharp with mockery."And you claim to be an associate chief doctor?Unbelievable! Do you think you're on par with Dr.Moore or Maxton? Look at yourself-do you even come close? It's pathetic."

Christy's blood boiled, her patience with Holley utterly spent.

It would have helped if someone had stepped in to defuse the tension, but the fifth floor was a ghost town -doctors and nurses were at their stations, not wandering without orders.

No one was around to rein in Christy, who was teetering on the edge of an outburst.

"Now that you don't trust me, I'll leave then," Christy snapped, her rage giving way to an eerie calm. She

wanted to tend to her scratched face first, done with trading barbs with Holley.

"Go ahead. No one is begging you to stay," Holley sneered, tossing the medical record book at Christy.Not satisfied, she hurled another insult, spitting,"Get lost already-your face is an eyesore!"

"You!" Christy scrambled to catch the medical record book. As she looked up, her eyes narrowed at Marissa's outfit. "Are you even a real doctor? Your outfit doesn't resemble ours at all. There's not even a hospital logo on them. You're an imposter, aren't you?You've been trying to slip awvay multiple times! You don't know the first thing about medicine, do you?"

Caught up in her accusation, Christy barely noticed the pain from her own bruised face, her eyes blazing with outrage. "No wonder you wanted to escape! You're a fraud!"

Marissa rolled her eyes at the accusation.

"She acts like she is so talented, but she is nothing but a fraud! And yet you treat her like some kind of star!"Christy fixed her stare on Marissa, expecting to see embarrassment.

But Marissa didn't falter.

Instead, she arched an eyebrow, her expression tinged with amusement as she met Christy's glare. "Dr.

Griffin, why are you focusing your attention on me?Save your interest for Dr. Wallace."

At the mention of Maxton's name, Christy went quiet,her eyes dropping to Marissa's attire.

There was no hospital logo, and despite the fabric mimicking their uniforms, it was clearly different.

This woman,so confident moments ago, was definitely not an intern here. The fifth floor had been secured by the Curtis family-how had she gotten in?

A startling possibility flashed in Christy's mind, but she pushed it away, unwilling to entertain it.

Her suspicious glances at Marissa persisted, as if trying to pierce through her facade.

Could she be Dr.Moore?

Marissa's smile didn't waver as she held Christy's fleeting gaze. Their eyes met, each studying the other.

Unable to maintain eye contact for more than a moment, Christy averted her gaze, her face turning aside.

"If you're not a doctor here, just get out. I'm letting you off easy since we're both women. If the hospital administration catches wind of your nonsense,they will drag you in for questioning! Hurry up and leave!"

Christy silently prayed this woman would vanish before Maxton showed up, terrified he would immediately guess her identity.

Marissa studied the fleeting emotions crossing Christy's face, offering a piercing stare before breaking into a slow, playful smile. "Dr. Griffin, you are so kind."

If she hadn't seen Christy's earlier outbursts, Marissa might have bought her fake concern.

"I'm only looking out for you. Our hospital has strict rules. Sneaking in with a fake uniform is a serious violation. Ifyou want a job here, check our official job listings. No need to creep in like this." Convinced she had pinned down Marissa's true identity, Christy's tone softened, though a trace of envy lingered.

"Come on, aren't you afraid she might steal your spotlight once she joins the hospital?" Holley tossed in a snide comment from the sidelines.

Marissa watched Christy's face cycle through emotions in seconds.

Fury clouded Christy's expression as she whirled on Holley. "Can you keep your mouth shut while I'm talking to her?"

"Excuse me?" Holley, stunned by the audacity, froze.

Marissa let out a soft laugh. "She is telling you to shut

up."

Holley's eyes flashed with disbelief. "How dare you speak to me like that?" Her voice was ice-cold as she raised her hand and delivered a sharp slap across Christy's face. "No one has ever disrespected me like that! Telling me to shut up? Who do you think you are?I have to teach you a lesson today!"