Lily was still young, and her medical skills were far from polished. She could only handle basic outpatient consultations. If a more complicated case arose, she would have to turn to Tracy for help.
Yet Quin offered her triple the pay—not because of her abilities, but to spite Tracy. It was a petty, calculated move.
Quin smirked inwardly, "Your brother dared to slap me? Fine. Then I'll snatch away the person you've mentored for a whole year, right in front of you. And there's nothing you can do about it."
His goal was simple: to stab directly at Tracy's heart.
And it worked. Tracy felt a sharp, suffocating pain, as if a thorn had lodged itself in her chest. If Lily had resigned to pursue postgraduate studies, Tracy would've supported her wholeheartedly. She would have even encouraged her to chase her dreams.
But that wasn't the case.
Lily left because Quin offered triple the pay.
Does that mean all my guidance and care for the past year couldn't compare to money?
The thought crushed her.
She remembered the girl who had just graduated, clumsy and unsure, getting herself into all sorts of trouble. She remembered the day Lily came to her, eyes full of remorse, vowing to learn again and turn over a new leaf.
Now, that same girl bit the hand that had lifted her up.
It was betrayal—pure and simple.
John watched Tracy's expression twist in anguish. His heart clenched, and cold fury rose in his chest.
"Lily Harts, right? I'll remember that name," John said in a cold, sharp voice. "So proud, huh? Threatening my sister's kindness with your greed."
At that moment, Quin stepped forward with a righteous posture, placing himself in front of Lily as if shielding her.
"Lily, you did the right thing," he declared. "The Feazer Medical Clinic is a cesspool. No one in their right mind would stay there!"
"Quin, what are you saying?" Tracy snapped, anger crackling in her voice. "Did I ever treat you unfairly when you worked under me?"
She was genuinely furious now. She had seen shameless people before, but Quin was on another level.
Quin sneered. "You know damn well what you've done."
He deliberately raised his voice so the onlookers could hear. Murmurs spread through the crowd. Their expressions turned hostile—not toward Quin, but toward Tracy.
After all, Quin was the disciple of a respected Traditional Medicine master. Why would he need to lie?
Tracy's eyes burned. "Then tell everyone exactly how I wronged you."
But Quin only smirked and said nothing.
There was no need for reason. The seeds of public hatred had already been sown. Whether true or not didn't matter anymore.
The damage was done.
John stepped forward, his voice like ice. "How dare you slander my sister? If you don't shut your mouth, I'll slap you again!"
But Quin didn't flinch. Instead, he tapped his own cheek mockingly. "Go ahead! Hit me again. Let everyone see how violent the people from Feazer Clinic really are. Who'd trust a madman like you to treat them?"
Gasps and whispers erupted all around.
"Look! He admits to being violent!"
"I knew it. That guy only knows how to throw punches."
"Ha! This is a clinic? More like a gang hideout!"
"I remember him! Last time I went to Feazer, he slapped Dr. Lynn right in front of everyone!"
"Yeah! And there was a little girl who needed treatment! He wasted precious time just to show off!"
"This is outrageous. I hope Feazer Clinic shuts down for good!"
The crowd's outrage snowballed—especially at the mention of a helpless child. Sympathy twisted into fury, and all of it was hurled at John and Tracy.
The sheer weight of public opinion threatened to drown them.
Tracy's face turned pale as she gripped John's arm. "Let's just shut the clinic down—at least for now. We can't fight them like this."
She didn't want to see John get vilified. These people could be merciless.
But John shook his head firmly. "No, Sister. We can't back down. Not even a single step."
"If we retreat now, they'll think we're guilty—and then they will come and tear our clinic apart."
His eyes glinted with fury.
But he was patient.
He was waiting—for the truth.
And finally, it came.
A soft voice rose from the crowd.
"That's not true! John is a good man. He saved my daughter's life."
Heads turned.
It was the woman whose daughter had been misdiagnosed with heat syndrome by Quin.
Clutching her little girl tightly, she walked through the crowd and stood by John. "Doctor Lopez is a good man," she said, her voice trembling with emotion. "If it weren't for him, my daughter would've died because of a quack like Quin!"
She pointed at Quin, her fury evident.
Gasps swept through the crowd.
What was happening?
Why was Dr. Lynn suddenly the bad guy?
One man stepped forward and said cautiously, "Madam, are you sure? I thought Lopez was the one who delayed your daughter's treatment that day."
The woman shook her head. "No! That's not what happened. My daughter had cold syndrome, not heat syndrome. Quin gave a wrong diagnosis. Doctor Lopez was the one who treated her correctly."
The crowd grew silent, eyes snapping to Quin.
Had they... misjudged the situation?
The mother had no reason to lie. And certainly not to defend the man accused of endangering her child's life.
A bead of sweat rolled down Quin's temple.
He hadn't expected her to show up. Not now.
But he quickly forced a calm smile, clapped his hands, and said with false admiration, "Wow, Tracy. You're really something."
The crowd blinked in confusion.
Even Tracy herself was puzzled. "What?"
"You're smarter than I thought," Quin said with a mocking smile. "I get it now. You've hated me for a long time, haven't you? So, you set this all up. You planted actors to smear my name."
"Actors?" Tracy echoed, stunned.
Quin's expression twisted into one of false victimhood. "Yes, actors! Look at this crowd, look at this woman. It's all staged. You destroyed my reputation on purpose!"