"Professor Gilbert..."
Chloe Dawson shuffled forward and grabbed his forearm, shaking it back and forth. Her voice dripped with theatrical anguish.
"How about I give Alice the hospital slot this year? It's fine if I retake the exam next year. My mom will definitely hold on until she sees me get in..."
"Give it? The nerve! That slot was mine to begin with!"
I stepped forward and cut off her tearful performance, but before I could finish, Dad slapped me across the face.
"Alice Gilbert, what do you mean yours?! You say that in public—do you have any regard for your father's reputation at all?!"
"This is a public hospital, not the Gilbert family's private property!"
"Since you asked today, I'll make this crystal clear. As long as I'm at this hospital, don't even think about getting in. You've studied for years—do I really need to keep explaining that you should avoid the appearance of nepotism?!"
"Avoid nepotism? Dad, I got in on my own merit..."
"Your own merit? Your father is the director of this hospital, and you claim you got in on your own merit? Chloe's father died young, her mother has a terminal illness—she's the one who truly earned this on her own!"
His ice-cold dismissal pierced my heart like needles.
From the day I learned to read and write, the sentence Dad repeated most was:
"Dad can't help you. You have to rely on yourself."
So getting from undergrad all the way to a PhD was relying on myself. Publishing papers during my doctorate was relying on myself. Getting into this top-ranked hospital was relying on myself.
Whenever I hit a wall in my coursework and wanted to ask him for guidance, he'd shake his head with that disappointed expression and walk away—then turn around and tutor Chloe instead.
Now I'd relied on myself to get here, and he actually...
My chest felt stuffed with cotton. Tears fell in heavy drops.
"Dad..."
"Enough. Keep making a scene, and it won't just be that this hospital never hires you—I, Nathaniel Gilbert, also don't have a daughter this senseless!"
The moment he finished, thunderous applause erupted around us.
"Bravo! Director Gilbert is truly selfless! A director like this is the people's director!"
"Exactly! With leadership like this, we can trust the hospital with our lives! This is real integrity!"
"As for his daughter—honestly, embarrassing. Trying to ride her father's coattails. Good thing he put her in her place!"
For the first time, I saw the father I'd worshipped as an idol and life mentor as a complete stranger.
Like a hero, he basked in their admiration with a smile, utterly indifferent to the contempt in their eyes when they looked at me—his biological daughter.
Something in my heart came loose.
I held back my tears, looked at the man being "praised" by the crowd, and spoke softly.
"Fine. Then starting today, we're done. Let Chloe be your daughter."
I left without looking back.
Outside the hospital, I found Mercy General's offer in my email and hit accept.
The call came almost immediately. The voice on the other end was polite but couldn't hide the excitement.
"That's wonderful, Alice. I really didn't expect you to choose us. Don't worry—our hospital may not match your father's in overall ranking, but our cardiology department is the best in the country. Once you're here, you'll thrive!"
