?Chapter 98:
Rosanna’s face drained of color, her usual confidence vanishing in an instant. She had never dreamed that the woman standing with Maia was the real Elvira. Holding her breath, Rosanna shrank back, desperate to avoid being dragged into the mess. If someone snapped a photo and it made the rounds online, she had no idea how she would exin herself to her fans.
Without hesitation, she inched toward the nearest corner, doing her best to melt into the background.
The once-confident Johnathan, who had been so full of authority minutes ago, now wore a clumsy, fawning smile. He bent slightly at the waist and asked, “Dr. Cullen, please… could you exin what’s going on here?”
A cold sparkle flickered in Elvira’s eyes as she looked straight at him and said, “Mr. Ortega, if I remember correctly, the Primary Healthcare Center prides itself on treating every patient equally, regardless of wealth or background. That was the only reason I agreed toe here. So tell me, why is it that the second you heard someone was from the slums, your attitude flipped?”
Sweat gathered quickly along Johnathan’s hairline, and he stammered, “Well… that is… because…”
His gaze darted anxiously around the room, clearly scrambling for a way out. “Today’s your first open clinic day here, and I was worried that… someone might try to stir up trouble, so I—”
An unimpressed snort came from Elvira. “Oh, I see. So in your mind, this entire mess is somehow my fault?”
A frantic shake of his head was all Johnathan could manage. “No, no, of course not!” he stammered, panic tightening his voice. “It was my mistake. Please don’t be upset! I swear, the Primary Healthcare Center treats every patient equally.”
Elvira’s expression turned even colder. “Is that so? Because I clearly remember you assuring me that, to keep things fair, all consultation slots for my sessions would require real-name registration and that reselling them at jacked-up prices would be strictly forbidden. Isn’t that correct?”
Johnathan nodded so quickly that it looked painful. “Yes. You’re absolutely right.”
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Turning her icy gaze, Elvira focused on Sandra, who looked like she wanted the floor to swallow her whole.
“If that’s the case,” Elvira continued, her voice smooth but merciless, “Then exin how someone managed to buy a slot under the table, insult other patients, and throw around false usations without a second thought?”
The weight of her words seemed to crash over the room. Several of the surrounding patients suddenly found the floor very interesting, lowering their eyes in shame. After all, more than half of them had gotten their precious slots through shady connections or backdoor deals.
Elvira’s consultations were notoriously expensive, even by the standards of the rich. And even then, money alone rarely guaranteed a slot.
For ordinary people, unless they got incredibly lucky booking directly, seeing Elvira was nothing short of impossible.
On paper, the Primary Healthcare Center proudly advertised its real-name verification system. In reality, though, the process was riddled with loopholes, with hospital insiders secretly teaming up with scalpers to cash in on inted appointment prices.
Clearing his throat awkwardly, Johnathan stammered, “Well… um… I’ll have someoneunch a full investigation. Anyone caught viting the rules will be dealt with harshly.”
Elvira arched an eyebrow, her voice sharp and unyielding as she said, “And how harshly do you n to deal with them when the system’s already rotten to its core?”
Panic flickered across Johnathan’s face. “Uh…” he stuttered, wiping sweat from his brow. “Maybe… you could advise us on what steps to take?”
“Today, I want every single consultation slot thoroughly audited. Bring me a full investigation report. Any slots found to have been bought through shady means will be canceled on the spot. If you fail to do this, I’ll head straight back to Drakmire and refuse to treat a single patient here,” Elvira said without a hint of mercy.
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