The Substitute Bride

"Well, it will be better if you come with us, Cassie. We may need you if the situation arises. We have to be careful. We can't afford to let anything unexpected happen," the doctor requested.

Unable to find a single chance to avoid the situation, Cassie nodded her head reluctantly. She felt helpless in her heart, yet she had no choice but to follow the doctor's order.

Vicky was still furious and wild about the snake prank. She kept making complaints with insistence and determination. Vicky was ready to pull down the entire hospital to find the troublemaker. She warned each staff member in the hospital about the unpleasant outcome that she would visit on them if the troublemaker was not found at once. She behaved as if her bottom line had been crossed, and she had been personally violated. She was hell-bent on punishing the person who had made her suffer. But no matter how much noise she made, the medical staff could only conduct their normal procedures to find the culprit. On top of that, the absence of surveillance cameras around the VIP sickroom area made it more difficult.

"You guys must find the person who broke into my ward and caused this damage to me. I know it must be someone who is working here! What he has done to me is malicious conduct. The person must be punished! And if you guys fail to bring the person to me, you all will have to bear the brunt of his misdeed! Mark my words!" Vicky shouted at the top of her lungs, pointing her finger at the Head of the medical staff. The middle-aged man felt humiliated by Vicky's rude behavior. In so many years of working in the hospital, he had never met such an impolite patient like Vicky.

Still, the man kept a diplomatic smile. He cleared his throat and defended, "Sorry, there must be some misunderstanding. Our staff will never do anything harmful to our patients. You can have my word!"

"Really? I am appalled to see your attitude. Are you trying to tell me that I am lying to you? Let me make this very clear to you. You can't shrug off this responsibility so easily. Trust me; I will not let this pass at all. I am neither blind nor a fool!" Vicky kept shouting her lungs out.

She first glared at him and then smirked.

"Now, what is that smile for? And what do you mean to say that you are going to blame all of us?" The head finally blurted out. He had failed to contain his sense of humiliation after all.

Looking at the man's face, Vicky realized that he must be feeling disgraced. Vicky became quiet and looked straight at the man's face. Then, she curved her lips into a smirk again. After a few moments, she said with an arrogant tone, "You know what? You might be a doctor and the Head of the hospital staff over here, but for me, you are nothing more than a table waiter! Hospitals are no better than any other service industry, and the patients are the gods! As they say–the customer is always right! Your fame depends on us! What if I take this incident to the press? How will it look if this goes to the public, huh?"

Though Vicky was extremely disrespectful in her words, yet there was a logic in what she had said that the Head could not rule out. He could do nothing but grow furious in his heart. He clenched his fists as a gesture of his retaliation to Vicky's rude words.

However, there was not much that he could do, and he knew it. Having spoken, Vicky rested her head on her pillow and close

e, she turned to Charles, "What have you done? Why did you let him go? Charles, you don't love me, right? You don't care about my feelings. Even if I die in this hospital, you won't give a damn!" Vicky started to sob. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Vicky, be reasonable! We don't have the evidence to prove your claim. You can't just hold the entire hospital accountable for no reason!" Charles tried to convince Vicky. He remained unmoved by her tears. Heart of heart, he didn't give a damn about Vicky's pitiful look. The only woman who could make Charles' heart go mellow was Sheryl. All the tenderness in his heart, his deepest concern and care was for Sheryl. And he couldn't allow any other woman to share that space.

"But I was intimidated by someone. I feel a lack of safety in this hospital. And my mental state is disturbed to the extent that words fall short to explain it."

"Perhaps, but any accusation needs to be backed with solid evidence. If you don't have any, there's no point for you to go against the medical staff. Remember that you are still recovering, and you need their help. You are still a patient over here. So don't be so irrational. You know I am very busy, and I can't come by every day to see you. You have to get along with people here, okay? Promise me that you will!"

Charles stared at Vicky, as he persuasively spoke to her. Every word from Charles' mouth made Vicky feel cared for and comforted.

"Okay, I will obey you." Vicky nodded her head, deciding to move on from this matter.

"You know, I am so pleased to hear that. Now, Vicky, your recovery is the priority. So there is nothing you should worry about, apart from your own health. Put yourself at ease and have a good rest. It's time for me to go back, but you must call David anytime you need any help from me." As thoughtful and concerned as Charles sounded to Vicky, he did not mean a single word he said. All of it was mere pretense and deliberated as a false reciprocation of her affection. Finishing his words, Charles got ready to leave the ward without turning or even a backward glance.

"Charles, can you come to see me tomorrow?" Fixing her gaze at Charles as he walked towards the door, Vicky called out to him from behind his back with an expectant look.