Sera blocked Karina’s path, her expression cold and disdainful. “You think you can just use that money to brush me off? Do I look like someone who needs your measly cash?”
She grabbed Karina’s arm tightly, her nails biting into her skin. “Let me make this clear. If you don’t do what I’ve asked, I’ll ruin you, Karina. Completely.”
Karina’s fear was palpable, but the thought of endless torment and manipulation was even more terrifying. She met Sera’s fierce gaze with a calm, unyielding stare. “Do whatever you want. But let me remind you, the money you gave me? I’m willing to go down with you if it comes to that. My life might not be worth much, but you’ve worked so hard to get into Wilfred’s hospital. Are you really willing to throw that all away?”
Sera faltered. She had worked incredibly hard to get where she was. Countless sleepless nights studying, memorizing every detail of her medical texts, and enduring the challenges of difficult patients had pushed her to the brink. She often felt like giving up.
But every time she thought about being near Wilfred, her determination reignited. She gritted her teeth and endured it all, but now Karina’s words struck a nerve.
“You think you can threaten me? Not a chance,” Sera hissed.
Karina, noticing Sera’s hesitation, smiled faintly. “Threaten you? Hardly. You know Wilfred better than I do. Don’t you? If I don’t show up for work, who do you think he’ll hold accountable? You’re the first person he’ll call out.”
With that, Karina turned on her heel and walked away without looking back.
Sera’s expression darkened as she watched Karina leave. Fury burned in her chest.
How dare Karina, someone she saw as beneath her, speak to her that way? No, Sera couldn’t let this slide. She clenched her fists tightly.
“I won’t leave this hospital. I won’t give up on Wilfred. And I definitely won’t let Karina get away with this,” she muttered.
*
Karina, on the other hand, was relieved when Sera didn’t follow her. She allowed herself a small moment of triumph before heading to Wilfred’s office.
Caleb’s influence had played a role in getting her into the hospital, and Wilfred had turned a blind eye to the matter, mostly out of consideration for Nina.
“Did you give her back her money? And what else did you tell her?” he asked as he flipped through the file.
Karina didn’t hold back. “I told her the truth. That if she didn’t accept a peaceful resolution, there’d be consequences.”
Wilfred’s lips curled into a faint smirk. “If only you could be this firm with the Stone family.”
Karina’s expression stiffened at the mention of the Stones. She had never been able to stand up to them as strongly. For one, because of Tara Stone’s death, and for another, because of the disabled Kieran.
Thinking about the Stone family always brought a bitter taste to her mouth. Over the years, she had been nothing more than a cash machine for them, endlessly filling their pockets, yet they were never satisfied.
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