Chapter 6 6

Five days passed. The silence from Anton was absolute.

Francesca threw herself into her work at the hospital. The grueling hours were a blessing. They kept her mind away from the impending doom hanging over her head. She convinced herself that Anton had moved on to some other twisted amusement.

She stood in the surgical ward, stripping off her bloody gloves. She had just assisted Dr. Sallow in a complex bowel resection.

"Excellent work today, Dr. Meyers," Dr. Sallow said, pulling down his surgical mask. He gave her a rare, approving smile. "Your suturing is getting faster. Keep this up, and I will personally write your recommendation for the surgical residency program next month."

Hope, bright and fragile, bloomed in Francesca's chest. "Thank you, Dr. Sallow. I won't let you down."

She walked toward the locker room, feeling lighter than she had in weeks. Her dream was right in front of her.

"Francesca Meyers."

She turned. The Dean of Medicine's secretary stood at the end of the hall. Her face was grim. "The Dean needs to see you in his office. Immediately."

The fragile hope shattered. A cold sweat broke out on the back of Francesca's neck.

She followed the secretary in silence. When she walked into the Dean's office, the air was thick with tension. The Dean sat behind his massive mahogany desk. Next to him sat the Head of Human Resources and a man in a sharp suit Francesca recognized as the hospital's legal counsel.

"Sit down, Ms. Meyers," the Dean said. He did not look at her.

Francesca sat on the edge of the leather chair. Her stomach twisted into a tight knot.

The Dean slid a thick manila folder across the desk. "We received an anonymous report this morning regarding your conduct during an emergency room shift three weeks ago. The report alleges you administered a lethal dose of penicillin to a patient with a documented, severe allergy, causing anaphylactic shock."

Francesca's jaw dropped. Her heart hammered wildly against her ribs. "What? No! That's impossible. I checked his chart. There was no allergy listed!"

The lawyer leaned forward, his eyes cold. "The complainant provided timestamped digital evidence showing that the patient's electronic medical record was altered to remove the allergy warning. The alteration occurred under your login credentials, five minutes after the incident."

Francesca could not breathe. The room started to spin. "Someone hacked my account! I didn't do that! This is a setup!"

"The hospital cannot ignore digital evidence of this magnitude," the Dean said, his voice heavy. "Pending a full investigation by the medical board, your residency is suspended indefinitely. You are to surrender your ID badge and leave the premises immediately."

Indefinitely. The word was a death sentence for her career.

"Please," Francesca begged, her voice cracking. "You know my work. You know I wouldn't do this."

"Hand over the badge, Ms. Meyers," the HR director said sharply.

Numbness spread through her limbs. Her fingers trembled as she unclipped her badge and placed it on the desk.

She walked out of the office like a ghost. Dr. Sallow was waiting by the elevators. He looked at her, his eyes full of pity.

"Francesca," he said quietly. "I know you didn't do this. Our IT department found traces of a highly sophisticated offshore routing network that spoofed your credentials. But the pressure coming down from the board... the people pushing this have deep pockets-enough to hire a top-tier ghost team. I can't protect you."

Deep pockets. Anton.

She packed her locker into a small cardboard box. Her colleagues averted their eyes as she walked out. She stepped out of the hospital doors into the bright afternoon sun, but she felt nothing but freezing cold.

She set the box down on the concrete. Her hands were shaking so violently she could barely unlock her phone. She went to her blocked list, unblocked the unknown number, and dialed.

He answered on the first ring. He did not say hello.

"You did this," Francesca breathed, her voice vibrating with pure hatred.

There was a long pause on the other end of the line, a silence so cold and satisfied it was worse than any threat.

"I gave you a choice, Francesca," Anton said, his voice smooth as silk. "This is just the beginning."