He went straight to Beatrice, kneeling down to gently lift her up. "Bea, don't be afraid. I'll find a way. I won't let anything happen to you."

My chest tightened, but before I could say another word, the director's authority forced the crowd to scatter.

Then, with a grave look, he ordered me into his office.

The moment the door closed, his stern façade crumbled, replaced by visible panic.

"Anna! I know this isn't your fault, but listen to me—you must save this patient. Do you understand? She's Augustus' sister. If she dies in our hospital, no one here will survive the fallout—not me, not you, no one!"

I sighed softly.

This was precisely why I dared to turn off my phone last night. I knew my colleagues were capable of keeping her alive long enough. I knew even if I came in later, there was still hope of saving her.

And once that happened, the leverage in this matter would shift.

I looked straight at the director. "Today's disaster isn't only Beatrice's fault. Darwin bears responsibility too."

He froze.

I pulled out a document and set it on his desk—the approval form signed in Darwin's own hand.

"This reckless ‘one-handed delivery' idea? It was personally authorized by Darwin."

"We're taking enormous risks, all to clean up after those two," I said flatly. "Director Higgins, I can handle the mess this time.

"But the person who should be punished isn't just Beatrice."

I pressed both palms against the desk, leaning in. "If Darwin isn't dealt with properly, this will happen again. And next time... I can't promise I'll be able to save this hospital."

Director Higgins' expression darkened.

Darwin was his protégé, someone who had followed him since medical school. But when the hospital's core interests were at stake, even a protégé had to be sacrificed.

Especially now—when saving Augustus' sister, Carmella, depended entirely on me.

"That bastard!" Director Higgins snarled. "Riding on my promotion, thinking he can do anything he wants!"

He slammed the signed approval form hard on the desk. "Don't worry! Not only will I block his application for Outstanding Young Doctor, I'll kill his promotion report too. After this, he'll be stuck doing grunt work at the bottom. He'll never touch a core hospital post again!"

A faint smile tugged at my lips as I signed my name.