Claire never expected her to be this crazy.
This was a hospital, and she’d actually run into the restroom to scream and yell at her!
She hadn’t wanted a direct confrontation with Cecelia, but the other woman had already seen her.
So Claire could only pretend she’d just used the toilet, flushing it before walking out.
"Cecelia? Long time no see. What brings you here?"
Quite the convincing act.
Cecelia had no patience for her performance and let out a cold laugh.
"If I hadn’t come to the hospital, how would you get the chance to frame me and Mr. Kane? And how else would you satisfy your desire to play director?"
"Claire, I just don’t get it. I don’t think I’ve ever done anything to you, have I? Back in school, you used my trust to stab me in the back time and again. You’re successful now, doing so much better than me, so why won’t you leave me alone? You’ve even stooped to dragging Mr. Kane through the mud. What is your problem?"
"’What’s my problem?’ I have no idea what you’re talking about. Who stabbed you in the back?"
Claire knew Cecelia had no concrete evidence of anything she’d done, so she spoke with a dismissive air.
"You said it yourself. I’m successful and living a much better life than you. I’m incredibly busy, so why would I waste my time on you? Is the stress getting to you? Are you losing your mind?"
"If you’re having mental issues, the psych ward is that way. Stop slandering me. I don’t have time for you!"
As she turned to leave, Cecelia grabbed her arm.
"It was my decision to keep the baby back then, so I guess I deserved it when you told everyone I was pregnant. I’m not in a position to blame you for that. And it’s been so many years since you framed me for stealing that I can’t even be bothered to settle that score. But I absolutely will not let you drag Mr. Kane’s name through the mud!"
"Mr. Kane has been a man of integrity his entire life. Who are you to ruin his reputation? You’re not leaving this room until you explain yourself!"
Cecelia may have looked delicate, but after years of manual labor, she was surprisingly strong.
Claire struggled, but couldn’t break free. Her brows shot up in anger.
"You’re just proving my point about you being crazy! What ’drag Mr. Kane through the mud’? I have no idea what you’re saying! Whether he’s a man of integrity or not has nothing to do with me. I have nothing to say to you. Let go!"
Cecelia didn’t let go. "Playing dumb, are we, Claire? Someone is already investigating the lab reports. I’m sure we’ll have results soon. You’re not getting away with this."
"Beg for mercy now, and for old times’ sake, maybe I can convince them to go easy on you. But if you keep up this stubborn act..."
Claire’s expression faltered.
’Honestly, she was a little scared.’
’But then again,’ she thought, ’the person who handled this for me knows how serious the consequences would be. They wouldn’t be stupid enough to leave any loose ends. Cecelia must be bluffing. I can’t fall for it.’
"If they’re already investigating, then let’s just wait for the police results, shall we? Why are you still running your mouth? I have nothing to hide. Stop threatening me!"
’Nothing to hide? As if she hasn’t done enough disgusting things already!’
The stress of Candy’s recent illness, coupled with Mr. Kane’s public humiliation today, had left Cecelia deeply frustrated. Suddenly, she needed an outlet.
Grabbing Claire’s hair, Cecelia slammed her against the cold wall and snarled.
"You think I can’t do anything just because you won’t confess? You think I’m some kind of pushover you can just walk all over? Claire, I’ve wanted to do this for a long time. You brought this on yourself!"
With that, she grabbed Claire’s head and slammed it hard against the wall.
Claire shrieked in pain. "AHH! You psycho! Are you insane? Let me go! This is a hospital! Cecelia, I’m going to have you arrested!"
Cecelia sneered. "I’ve already locked the door. And like you said, without any evidence, no one can do anything to me. So what if I decide to cripple you right here, right now?"
She suddenly kicked Claire’s legs out from under her, forcing her to her knees.
"Talk! Were the lab reports your doing? Why did you suddenly frame me and Mr. Kane? Talk!"
Her hands trembled from the pain and anxiety, and she fumbled with the lock for several moments before it finally clicked open.
A whole crowd of people swarmed inside.
Claire’s hair was a mess, and her white lab coat was disgustingly filthy.
But aside from her dirty clothes and messy hair, she looked perfectly fine, almost as if nothing had happened.
Cecelia, however, was a different story.
The hem of her dress was ripped open, her collar was askew, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of her pale shoulder that was barely covered. Her hair was also in disarray.
More importantly, her face was bright red, as if she’d been slapped repeatedly.
Damien Vaughn knew the two didn’t get along, but he’d never imagined it was this bad.
’In broad daylight, Claire beat her to this state?’
’I never should have helped her get this hospital position!’
"Claire, if you don’t want to be a doctor anymore, just say so. Why must you embarrass me like this?"
Claire had no idea what had happened. In the few seconds it took her to open the door, Cecelia had somehow ended up looking like this.
She was clearly the victim here, but now, looking at the scene...
For the first time, she got a taste of what it felt like to be framed. She was left speechless, unable to voice her grievance, and her eyes reddened with fury.
"It’s not like that, Damien! It was clearly Cecelia who—"
"The truth is staring you in the face, and you still want to make excuses?"

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