The Mocked Miss’s Hidden Crowns novel Chapter 1020

If people found out he thought a surgeon could just say “sorry” after cutting into the wrong part of a patient, he’d lose his job on the spot.

Everyone in the room stared at Olivia, the weight of their eyes pressing against her back. She bit down on her lip, tears shining in her eyes as she glared at Charlotte. “Don’t get smug. One day, I’ll be better than you.”

Charlotte just raised an eyebrow, her voice cool. “Go home and stack your pillows higher. Maybe then you’ll have a better shot at dreaming big.”

“You—”

Charlotte picked up her forceps again, her eyes glinting as she gave a lazy smile. “You think I’m out to get you? If I really wanted to mess with you, do you honestly believe I’d need to waste all this effort?”

Olivia’s face went pale, then red. Before she could say anything else, the department chair had already told her to leave.

Everyone was watching. Some were even smirking.

“This is why you shouldn’t take on things you’re not ready for.”

“Olivia always stirs up trouble. Remember how she cheated at the last international medical conference?”

Olivia wanted to find a quiet seat and disappear, but the mocking whispers around her made her eyes sting. She turned and ran out of the room, cheeks burning with shame.

No one really cared. All eyes were fixed on the big screen at the front, laser-focused so they wouldn’t miss a thing.

One thought echoed in their minds: How do I get to be as smart as Charlotte?

…

Outside the hall, Olivia sat on a bench, wiping away tears and glaring at the screen showing the live broadcast from the medical department.

After the conference ended, Charlotte was cornered by a few professors who wanted to chat. By the time she got home, it was already seven.

She was so tired she didn’t even bother with a shower. She just collapsed on her bed and fell asleep instantly.

Anthony quietly pulled a blanket over her. He was about to leave when his phone rang.

“Anthony, something’s happened. It’s about Charlotte,” Hans said, his voice uneasy. “Someone online is saying Charlotte’s mom was a mistress, got pregnant before marriage, and broke up a family. They’re also saying…”

Anthony stepped onto the balcony, his whole presence turning cold. “Saying what?”

Hans hesitated. “They’re saying Charlotte’s mom tricked her way into marriage by pretending she wasn’t already pregnant.”