CHAPTER 999
[Yeah, I mean, most folks would've passed out cold at the sight of all that blood. But Rosemary, her face,her reaction, she was just too calm.]
[The thing is, no matter what complications came up during surgery, she handled them like a pro, as if it was all just child's play to her.]
[The doctors, they treated her with so much respect. Her skills must've really impressed them, earned their admiration.]
[So, are you saying she's like a miracle worker?]
[The patient was clearly cured, so why are there rumors that he died because of her? What's the real story?]
[I can't imagine the Collins family would just cram Rosemary with medical jargon and procedures for the sake of a title. Those doctors were in a rush to save a life, they wouldn't just play along with a charade. I believe in their professional integrity.]
[Then who the heck took that video of the family crying outside the OR, claiming Rosemary botched the surgery? Who's trying to smear her name?]
It didn't take long for netizens to dig up the identity of the filmer – a guy named Algernon.
[Algernon? Who's that?]
[He's not a reporter, so what's he doing lurking around the hospital, filming stuff? Trying to hurt Rosemary?]
[Does anyone know who this guy is? He looks young, clean-cut. Could it be he's got a thing for Rosemary and, when she didn't reciprocate, decided to throw mud?]
[No way, right?]
Online, the buzz was all about figuring out who Algernon was. Some sleuths tracked the video back to Hope Hospital's official account. Meanwhile, Dr. Pierce from Hope Hospital was cornered by a swarm of journalists, ready to take their questions head-on.
"Rose's medical prowess is witnessed by everyone here, not just by me, the hospital director, but also by other doctors and patients."
Dr. Pierce said leisurely, "Phillip was treated here before, so naturally, a lot of people online are concerned about his recovery. Let me clarify things."
Reporters were jostling for a scoop, crowding around Dr. Pierce with their mics and cameras almost in his face.
"Six months ago, Phillip's condition took a turn for the worse. We had a Dr. Hermosa who was treating him, and she, fearing the responsibility, wanted to wait for the family before taking action. She suggested we administer a sedative and a 'peaceful passage' concoction."
"If it weren't for Rose happening by, going against the grain, and teaming up with Dr. Caden to save Phillip, he might well have been gone by now."
People online were stunned.
[If Dr. Pierce says so, Rosemary's skills must be legit! So she really did save Phillip. And that car crash victim, she guided the surgery verbally. Incredible.]
[My aunt's a nurse at Hope Hospital, swore it was the real deal.]
Online, everyone was gabbing about Rosemary's medical miracles.
Meanwhile, Eunice caused quite the stir with three videos she leaked online.
One video showed Serena at the Style Plaza, shamelessly tussling with Rosemary over a dress.
Another caught Serena throwing a fit outside a chic boutique after they refused to sell her their goods,hurling insults at the staff from the sidewalk.
And the third? A doozy where Serena, aiming to drug Rosemary, bungled it and drugged herself instead.
The result? A spectacle at her aunt's house.
In that video, Serena was hugging a tree, convinced it was Romeo, pouring her heart out. The servants tried to clue her in, telling her it's just a tree, but she wouldn't let go, even slapped one for their trouble.
She ranted to that tree, spewing venom about Rosemary, dreaming aloud about marrying Romeo and having kids.
Once those videos hit the internet, Serena's reputation tanked.
The court of public opinion was ruthless, slinging mud at Serena for her shamelessness.
[So that's what Serena's really like behind closed doors? Rosemary put up with her for half a year.]
[Seriously, Rosemary's got the patience of a saint. If that was me, I couldn't stand a day! Rosemary comes back home, doesn't kick Serena out, lets her live it up like before. Such a big-hearted, kind, friendly person, and Serena does her dirty?]
[Look at the timestamps on those videos – all this before Serena got the boot. She drugged Rosemary,lusted after her fiancé, got violent, and the Collins family? They just grounded her, gave her a chance
to shape up. That was generous!]
[So everything Louisa said was true. They gave Serena chance after chance. It's her own dang fault she didn't shape up.]
[Serena's a real piece of work!]
[Alma did a good job!]
[How did she not knock some sense into her?]
Alma knew this was her moment. She waltzed into the public eye and, sure enough, the lurking reporters swarmed her.
"We were just hoping she'd be a bit nicer to Rose, you know? But she was so full of herself, it was too much. She even threatened to leak the security footage from the stairwell. But, honestly, in that stairwell, me and my girls didn't lay a finger on her. We were just talking to her, real polite-like, asking her to consider the eighteen years of love and care the Collins family had shown her and to go easy on Rose with her sharp tongue. But she..."
Alma sounded so pitifully innocent, "She played dirty, making herself out to look like the victim and even calling the paramedics. We watched the surveillance video online, and we were speechless.
She's so wicked, playing all her followers for fools, swaying public opinion her way."
Alma sounded somewhat helpless, "As for why I didn't come forward earlier to clear things up for me and my girls, it's because we didn't want to give her any more attention."
On the other hand.
Serena saw the trending hashtags #RosemaryMiracleDocConfirmed, #AlmaDidntHitAnyone, and
#SerenaGetOffThePlanet and was fuming.
She never expected Rosemary and Alma to turn the tables like this!
And she certainly didn't foresee that damned Eunice coming at her again and again, releasing three damning videos.
Meanwhile, Eunice was being her usual stunning, ice-queen self during a media interview.
"To spare my fellow onlookers any more ugliness, I only released a snippet of the video. The things Serena has done, what you've seen is just the tip of the iceberg."
Her words were like a nail in Serena's coffin, followed by a few vicious stomps for good measure.
Serena was shaking with rage. She thought, "That wretched woman! This was domestic turf, not her foreign playing field! How dare she."
"Also, I know Serena is watching this live stream, and I'd like to tell her: put away those delusions of grandeur, live your life, and stop messing around behind the scenes. I have evidence of every little thing you've done to Rose. I just don't want to continue wasting public resources, so I hope you take this opportunity to turn over a new leaf."
That left Serena grinding her teeth in anger.
Elsewhere.
Martin caught wind of the trending topics and dialed up one of his associates, Channing.
"Did you, or did you not, make a seven-minute call to the vice president of the film company four days ago?"
He had just learned that right after Channing's call to the vice president, the film exec had reached out to Esther, the head of a clothing company, and the next day, Esther had sabotaged a prize car.
"Mr. Martin." Channing sounded frightened and remorseful on the phone, "I had no choice."
"What did you talk about with the vice president?" Martin's voice was tinged with the displeasure of betrayal. He'd trusted Channing for three years, never expecting a stab in the back.
"Nothing. The mystery person just told me to make the call as a front. Even though we talked for seven minutes, we didn't exchange a word."
Martin's expression darkened, and he fell silent.
"Mr. Martin, I'm sorry. I know I work for you. After I made this call, everyone would mistakenly think that you sent me to do bad things. But I really can't help it." Channing said this, his voice choked.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
The words hung heavily in the air, a testament to the complex web of loyalty and betrayal that had ensnared them all.