I Stopped Loving Him When He Let Me Bleed Out novel Chapter 485

Zachary Vance.

He stood behind the department directors in his pristine white coat, holding a stack of documents with a perfectly measured, respectful smile on his face.

When he noticed Sienna Sterling looking his way, his smile stiffened for a fraction of a second before quickly returning to normal.

It had been a while since they last crossed paths, and Zachary had clearly grown more adept at navigating the hospital's social politics.

Sienna looked away, dismissing him from her thoughts.

The morning's investigation proceeded smoothly.

Elias Dayton was escorted out, President Sawyer received his formal notice to cooperate with the inquiry, and the relevant financial accounts were sealed.

Approaching noon, the Executive Vice President proactively walked over, his attitude exceptionally attentive.

"Inspector Sterling, you've worked hard all morning. I've had Dr. Vance arrange a meal for the team just across the street."

Sienna originally wanted to decline, but a glance at the time reminded her of the mountain of documents waiting to be verified that afternoon; skipping lunch now meant no time to eat later.

She gave a curt nod.

The restaurant was right across from the hospital. The private room was modest in size, with the Health Commission's investigation team sharing a single table. As the designated escort, Zachary took the least prominent seat at the far end.

Halfway through the meal, the others were gradually called out to answer phones or handle follow-up logistics, leaving only Sienna and Zachary alone in the room.

Zachary picked up his teacup and took a slow sip.

It was as if he had been brewing his words for a long time, finally finding the perfect opening.

"Inspector Sterling, to think you'd return as our hospital's direct superior," he said with a chuckle, the sound carrying an indescribable, bitter edge. "Back when we were set up on that blind date, you were still just a rotating resident in the ER... When you met my parents, things ended on a sour note because of your career plans. Looking back, you had much grander ambitions. It was my own shortsightedness."

Sienna hadn't expected Zachary to be so thick-skinned as to voluntarily bring up the past.

If memory served her right, he had spread vicious rumors around the hospital after she rejected him, causing her no end of trouble.

And he actually dared to mention it?

Having his old wounds ruthlessly torn open made Zachary's face turn an even uglier shade.

Bringing up the past wasn't an invitation for her to humiliate him.

Zachary sat back down and proactively raised his cup.

"Inspector Sterling is magnanimous. Allow me to offer you this tea in place of wine as an apology. Let's just leave the past in the past."

Sienna didn't raise her cup, simply watching him in silence.

Sure enough, Zachary had more to say.

"Inspector Sterling, I can actually tell that we're the same kind of people. Since we've cleared the air, there's no need for any bad blood between us. Look at me—when I apologized in front of the entire assembly, I thought my career was completely destroyed. But instead of fading into obscurity, I got promoted. You're the same. You were fired from the hospital, but turned right around and joined the Health Commission, rising from the ashes. We're crossing paths again now. Wouldn't you say this is destiny?"

Sienna kept her expression neutral, but internally, she was appalled.

How could a single person be this utterly shameless?