Charlotte was just a freshman with no connections, no achievements to her name. So why would the president of the International Medical Alliance go out of his way to ask her to compete? The whole idea was completely ridiculous.
When Lloyd appeared, the tension in the room shot through the roof. Everyone—inside the hall and watching from home—was left confused and on edge. And with the finals being broadcast live, it felt like the entire world was watching. Millions of eyes were fixed on their screens, catching every second as it happened.
Cheating. The word hung in the air, especially with rumors that even the Alliance leadership was involved. If this blew up, it wouldn’t just ruin the competition. It would take down the entire reputation of the International Medical Alliance.
“What is even happening right now?”
Lloyd’s sudden entrance had the audience buzzing with both excitement and confusion.
“I thought Dr. David and Charlotte were old friends. Maybe he leaked her the answers on purpose. But why is Lloyd saying he begged Charlotte to compete?” someone whispered nearby.
Another voice chimed in quietly, “There’s always something behind these rumors. If someone made a report, the public deserves an explanation.”
A student from Cabinda University, sounding braver than he probably felt, added, “We want a full investigation. Why did the Alliance break the rules for Charlotte? What’s her connection to these two senior members?”
If someone hadn’t spoken up, Letty would’ve been blamed for everything without a chance to defend herself.
While everyone stared, Lloyd walked up with his hands behind his back, head held high for the cameras. His steps were slow and heavy, each one deliberate. As he passed the judges, he slowed even more, his cold, sharp gaze scanning their faces one by one until he landed on Lydia. The look in his eyes was colder than ever.
Lydia stiffened under his stare, bowing her head. “President Lloyd,” she said quietly.
She and Dr. David had always been at odds, which was why she’d gone public with her accusations about him and Charlotte. But she never expected Lloyd to show up. What did he mean by what he just said?
Lloyd let out a cold, dismissive sound. “Honestly, you’d make a better tabloid reporter than a doctor.”
Lydia’s hands tightened into fists, a hint of a mocking smile crossing her lips. She was waiting to see how these two highly respected leaders would clean up this mess.
“The founder of chronic fatigue syndrome research needs to pull strings?” Lloyd asked.
Chronic fatigue syndrome? The words caught everyone’s attention. The judges and medical students all looked up at once.
This was one of the most mysterious illnesses in the world, with no known cause. So many experts had spent years trying to crack it, but no one had ever made a real breakthrough.
That was, until two years ago, when a researcher called Black showed up out of nowhere. Suddenly, there was hope in the medical community again.
No one knew who Black really was. The first anyone heard of them was when they published ten top-tier academic papers in the span of a single month.

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