Chapter 587
“Ms. Wallrich, your perfect score really shows that you’re exceptional… This is the first time anyone has achieved a full score on this test,” Melody said, not holding back her praise. Her words left the rest of the Herbathrive team looking completely bewildered.
‘Could it be that Melody is actually intimidated by these two incredibly arrogant and ill-mannered guys? This is a stark contrast to her usual approach, they wondered.
However, considering that Charlotte had already pulled out the Medicines Control Agency’s name, it was understandable that Melody would compromise. Otherwise, Herbathrive might indeed face serious difficulties in the future.
They could understand her compromise.
Still, the team couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment.
They had held Melody in such high regard. The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.
One of the team members couldn’t help but murmur, “She managed to get us out of every tough spot before, but against the Medicines Control Agency, it seems she’s out of her depth.”
“Yeah, Miss Fox is just an ordinary person. She can’t always get us out of every mess. It’s really frustrating.”
“Our days ahead are going to be tough.”
“I felt frustrated when Michael was around too. Finally, he left, and just when we were starting to enjoy some peace, it was already over. Ugh…”
Charlotte, overhearing the murmurs, felt even more triumphant. ‘I’m Charlotte. What can this ugly woman do to me?’
She lifted her chin arrogantly. “You can stop with the flattery. Just answer me. Can we finalize the hiring now? But before you answer, I hope you’ve considered the pros and cons.”
Melody naturally heard the murmurs of the team but didn’t let them bother her. She maintained her smile and said, “Ms. Wallrich, your suggestion is feasible…”
Charlotte’s eyes lit up instantly.
She took it a step further, pulling Elton closer and saying,
He’s my boyfriend. It would be troublesome to set up a separate assessment just for him. Why not hire him along with me?”
Elton felt a pang of irritation. Charlotte’s words were incredibly insulting.
‘What does she mean by hiring me along with her? Is she mocking my abilities? We both cheated together. Damn it. But if I have to go through a clinical assessment, given my abilities, passing it would be tough, he wondered.
So, he had to suppress his annoyance and said, “Charlotte, you’re right. With so many patients in the hospital, it’s better not to waste time on additional assessments.”
Melody raised an eyebrow slightly and was about to continue talking to the two when she caught sight of David entering with two strong-looking team members.
She immediately exchanged a knowing glance with David, who had a gleam of excitement in his eyes. Melody understood right away.
David had obviously completed the task she had sent him on under the guise of using the restroom.
Seeing that Melody had not responded to them but was instead looking towards the door, Charlotte’s displeasure grew. “Hey, we’re talking to you. Can’t you hear us?”
Elton, who was about to make a case for himself, was interrupted when David stepped forward and whispered something in Melody’s ear.
Elton’s unease grew as a bad feeling settled in his gut.
In the next moment, he saw Melody’s smile vanish abruptly, and his sense of foreboding spiked.
Charlotte, oblivious to the underlying tension, continued to press. “Hey, are you deaf? Hurry up and answer us. Our time is valuable.”
“Charlotte…” Elton was about to calm her down when Melody looked up at them with cold eyes. “I’m sorry, but we won’t be able to hire you.”
Charlotte froze for half a second. ‘Did she just say we’re not being hired? Did I hear that correctly?’
Fury welled up inside Charlotte, and she demanded. “Why?”
“I’m not going to explain the reason,” Melody replied coldly. Please leave immediately.”
Although Elton was unsure of the sudden change in attitude, he was enraged by the abrupt dismissal. ‘How shameless can they be? I’ll make sure the whole Herbathrive is at the center of public scrutiny.’
Raising his voice, Elton addressed the crowd. “Everyone, tell me this isn’t unjust. We were invited by Herbathrive for this interview and passed the initial assessment. But now they’re suddenly asking us to leave. Isn’t this unreasonable?”
The onlookers, puzzled by the turn of events, asked, “Yeah, they scored perfect marks. Why are you making them leave now?”
Melody raised an eyebrow slightly and said, “Because they cheated during the exam. According to the rules, anyone caught cheating will never be hired by Herbathrive.”
Both Elton and Charlotte were taken aback and exchanged a quick, worried glance.
They had indeed cheated, but their methods were
sophisticated enough that Herbathrive’s team should not have been able to detect them.
Elton didn’t believe Melody had any evidence; she must just be suspicious. ‘It’s all Charlotte’s fault for insisting on scoring a perfect mark while cheating, he wondered.
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Elton retorted. “You’re talking nonsense. We didn’t cheat at all.”
“Yes, we didn’t cheat. You’re just refusing to let us intern at your hospital and are trying to smear our reputations,” Elton continued to rally the crowd. “Imagine if your child or even you went through all the effort to secure an interview and passed the assessment, only for the company to unfairly accuse you of cheating and send you packing because of personal bias. Wouldn’t you be outraged?”
The crowd, empathizing with the situation, responded instinctively, “Yes, we would be outraged.”
Elton was skilled at manipulating the crowd, quickly turning himself and Charlotte into victims.
He addressed Melody directly. “Please don’t be prejudiced against us or try to intentionally tarnish our reputations. The public is watching, and you wouldn’t want to risk losing their trust in Herbathrive, would you?”
Charlotte, adept at moral high ground, chimed in, “If you’re willing to defame and accuse us to achieve your goals today, what’s to stop you from making harmful decisions for patients in the future? Is this really the kind of organization you want to be?”
Although most of the onlookers had previously trusted Herbathrive, their trust was fragile and began to waver as they whispered among themselves.
“Herbathrive’s handling of this situation does seem a bit biased.”
“That young woman has a point. If they’re willing to treat candidates like this, what’s to stop them from treating us patients the same way?”
Some even turned directly to Melody, pleading. “Dr. Fox, you should reconsider and keep them. If word gets out, it could damage Herbathrive’s reputation.”
Melody responded calmly, “Since I’ve said they cheated, there’s no way it’s not true.”