The Coldest Man in the Room Melted Only for Me novel Chapter 198

"Dr. Grosse, is that our new hotshot Chief Physician over there?"

Gillian Grosse followed Lila Lanning's gaze. "Yes, it is."

Lila's face lit up with malicious gossip. "Did you see the Rolls-Royce that just dropped her off? Oh my god, she's definitely sleeping her way to the top."

Gillian scoffed coldly. "It took me until I was forty-two to make Chief. She got the title at twenty-seven. You honestly think she earned it with medical skill?"

Disgust twisted Lila's features. "I despise women who sleep around for a promotion."

"Her pretty face is her only real credential," Gillian sneered, her eyes burning with pure contempt.

A troubling thought suddenly struck Lila. "Dr. Sutherland is retiring at the end of the year, and that girl matches your rank. Do you think they transferred her here to steal the Department Head position right out from under you?"

"As if she's qualified."

"She obviously doesn't have your experience or skill, but she clearly has powerful sugar daddies. You need to nip this in the bud, Dr. Grosse," Lila warned.

Gillian fell silent, a calculating glint flashing in her eyes.

Lila was getting anxious. She had spent the last two years kissing up to Gillian in hopes of a promotion. Her chances of becoming an attending physician rested entirely on Gillian taking control of the department.

Her mind raced until a brilliant idea hit her. "Why don't we assign her that nightmare patient who's been terrorizing the ward? When she inevitably screws it up, she'll be forced to resign in disgrace. Problem solved."

Gillian frowned. "Will she actually take the case?"

"She doesn't have a choice. You control the scheduling. If you assign it to her, what can she say? Besides, she's supposed to be some genius medical prodigy. It's only natural for her to tackle the toughest cases. If things go south, you can just say you were trying to give the new girl some clinical experience. How is that your fault?"

She was deep in her reading when Lila strolled in.

Slapping a medical chart onto Riley's desk, Lila offered a sickeningly sweet smile. "The original attending for this patient transferred to another department, so we're handing the case over to you. Review her file. She's scheduled for a two o'clock consultation."

"Understood," Riley replied.

"This patient can be a little difficult, but you're a prodigy who made Chief at twenty-seven. I'm sure someone of your caliber will handle it beautifully," Lila said, laying the flattery on thick to trap her.

Riley's instincts screamed that this was a setup, but as the new arrival, she had no leverage to refuse an assignment. "I'll do my best."

As soon as Lila left, Riley opened the file. Her desk neighbor, Holly Xavier, leaned over to peek at the name. Holly shot her a look of sheer, horrified pity. "Dr. Vance, that patient..."

When Holly trailed off, Riley pressed, "Are you familiar with this case?"