Reborn, Reawakened, Rekindled novel Chapter 409

"What on earth are you trying to achieve?" Neil's words were aimed directly at me, his brow furrowed in a manner that oddly mirrored Karina.

Was he upset about me "bullying" Karina?

Was he feeling protective?

I stared back at him impassively. I was well used to him defending others. His relentless defense of Bonnie in my past life had prepared me for that, so I felt more irony than anything else now.

"I just want a clearer picture of Dr. Karina's actions; is there a problem with that?" I retorted.

"This is not the place for it. Let's leave it at that." Neil's tone was stern, as though I was a child who had misbehaved.

If not there, then where?

At that point, Ryan and Faith chimed in, "Irene, tell us what really happened!"

I was surprised that under those circumstances, Ryan and Faith were still on my side. Once I revealed the truth, it would have not only slapped Karina's face, but also Neil's. If she were to truly marry into the Whitmore family, that incident would have also become a stain on the Whitmore family’s reputation.

"What exactly is going on here?" The Dean couldn't hold back his curiosity. With so many people watching and the media invited for publicity, that turn of events was unexpected.

"The supposed patient was just someone Dr. Karina had hired! I don't know why she did it. That's for you to investigate!" I blurted out the truth, then handed my phone to the nearest person. They took it, bewildered, glanced at it, and then their eyes widened.

Everyone else crowded around to look. Gossip spread fast, and once a few people in the crowd knew, it would have naturally disseminated.

Karina tried to snatch the phone, but nearly everyone had already seen the contents.

Someone, filled with a sense of justice, shouted, "The patient was really someone she hired! Isn't this deceiving us all?"

With that revelation, the award ceremony instantly became a farce.

The faces of the Dean and other leaders on stage resembled someone who had swallowed a fly. They were extremely uncomfortable.

Neil's gaze instantly darkened. He glanced at Karina, and I thought he would have reproached her for her actions. Instead, he walked through the crowd, took Karina's hand, and led her away from the scene.

Suddenly, I, the whistleblower, felt like a clown, unsure if I had won or lost.

Due to my revelation, the award ceremony ended in chaos. Some people came to ask me about the process of discovering the truth, but I refused to explain. I just wanted to go home.

After leaving the hospital, I was preparing to drive home when Ryan and Faith caught up with me. They were accompanied by Hiram, whom Neil had left behind when he left with Karina.

Hiram seemed to understand what had happened. Seeing me, he gritted his teeth, broke free from his grandparents' hands, and rushed at me, pounding his small fists against me. "You hurt my mommy! How could you be so mean? My mommy didn't do anything wrong!"

Seeing Hiram's violent actions, Ryan immediately grabbed him. "Hiram, you can't behave like this. Your mommy was in the wrong, do you understand?"

"My mommy didn't do anything wrong. Grandpa, why are you helping this mean lady too?" Hiram whimpered and cried, then pointed at me and accused me.