I signed the special appointment agreement.

I solemnly promised Gillian, saying, "No matter what happened between us, I will work with an objective and fair mindset."

"I trust you, Dr. Norris."

"Thank you."

With the weighty appointment letter in hand, I returned to my place. Nicolas probably still didn't know he lost the position and was basking in the joy of becoming a special consultant of the Ford Pharmaceutical Group.

But his sweet dream was about to shatter.

The next day, I set off two hours early to attend the Premier Medical Summit.

Just as I stepped out of the neighborhood, a hand suddenly covered my mouth and nose and dragged me into a car.

The vehicle sped towards the outskirts, and I was tied up and gagged.

But I recognized the driver. It was Nicolas's assistant, Richard Norris.

He gave me a smile and said, "Nice to see you again, Mrs. Shaw. You hid well. It took me quite an effort to find out where you live."

My eyes widened. Nicolas had found where I lived.

Damn it!

Richard parked the car in front of an abandoned house, and two men dragged me out of the car.

Nicolas was waiting there for me.

He scrutinized me seriously. "I didn't expect that you weren't out living on the streets."

I glared at him defiantly. "What do you want?"

Nicolas's gaze was venomous. "Lorna, only your death will keep you silent forever and ensure you never have the chance to expose me."

He pushed me into the wooden house and drenched the door with gasoline. Then he set it ablaze. "Lorna, take those recordings to your grave."

The thick black smoke choked me and brought tears to my eyes, but I knew I couldn't panic now.

I had to stay calm so that I might have a chance of survival.

I desperately worked to free my bound hands.

I had anticipated that Nicolas might seek revenge, so I had set Jase as my emergency contact.

When I was in danger, pressing the emergency call button on my watch would automatically send my location to Jase.

I had already pressed the emergency button in the car, and Jase should have received my location by now.

I pressed the call button on my smartwatch again, and Jase quickly answered, "Lorna, don't be afraid. I'm on my way."

Hearing his anxious voice, I strangely felt reassured.

I believed Jase was reliable, and he must be rushing over.

True to form, in less than five minutes, he arrived swiftly, guided by the location. I heard someone outside desperately breaking the lock with a stone.

When he rescued me, I saw his fingers were bleeding.

I gave him a grateful look. "Thank you."

"You are welcome," Jase replied, looking at me with concern.

Jase was always a quiet and gentle guy. It was the first time I saw anger on his face.

"He actually tried to kill you." Jase's voice carried undisguised disdain and hostility towards Nicolas.

I said, "He's afraid I'll expose him. He's terrified of losing everything he has now."

Jase glanced at his watch and said, "We can still make it to the venue. I'll drive you there."

"But my face is a mess, and my clothes are a mess."

"I've got a dress for you."

Jase retrieved a high-fashion gown from the trunk, adorned with diamonds and dazzlingly beautiful.

I was amazed. "When did you borrow this dress?"

Jase shook his head and said, "I didn't borrow it. I had it custom-made for you three years ago."

I was even more shocked. "You had it made for me?"

"Three years ago, when I returned from an internship abroad, I wanted to give it to you." Jase looked disappointed. "But I didn't expect you to be married by then, so I didn't disturb you. Now, it finally has a chance to be of use."

He handed me the dress and said, "Try it on and see how it looks."

Jase waited outside the car while I changed into the dress inside. Surprisingly, it fit me perfectly.

Jase wiped the dirt off my face with a wet wipe and said, "You look beautiful. I'll take you to the venue now, Lorna. You can achieve what you set out to do."

"I don't know how to express my gratitude..."

"Then don't." Jase's driving skills were excellent, and he drove us smoothly and quickly to the venue.

I arrived late. The summit had already begun.

Under the spotlight, Nicolas stood at the podium and looked somber.

His voice was slightly trembling and echoed through the hall via the microphone. "Thank you all for being here. It's a real privilege to stand before you as a representative of our younger generation."

He paused briefly and managed a perfectly timed bitter smile. "I know many of our media friends were looking forward to meeting my wife. But I'm here today to share some heartbreaking news."

Nicolas's eyes glistened with perfectly timed tears. "Just yesterday at dawn, my dear wife succumbed to an illness."

A collective gasp filled the room, and several female reporters were already teary-eyed.

Nicolas feigned wiping a tear. "However, she always hoped to see my career flourish. And I will officially become a special consultant for the Ford Pharmaceutical Group today. I'll carry her love and dreams with me as I move forward. I hope she's looking down in heaven on me with pride."

This heartfelt confession prompted soft sobbing from the audience.

Just as applause was about to break out, my voice pierced through the hall clearly. "Really? But I am the special consultant for the Ford Pharmaceutical Group."

In an instant, all eyes were on me.

Nicolas's pupils contracted violently as he saw me.

His carefully crafted facade was shattered.

Amidst his shock, I ascended the stage in a dazzling diamond gown and stood beside him under the spotlight.

"Are you crazy?" Nicolas hissed through gritted teeth, "How did you get in here?"

I gave a cold smile.

Nicolas turned to the media and said, "I'm sorry, everyone, but I have some personal matters to settle with this lady."

With that, he attempted to drag me off the stage.

But at that moment, a reporter recognized me. "She's Dr. Sini. Dr. Sini, do you remember me? I was your patient and have fully recovered now."

I pushed Nicolas aside and smiled at the reporter. "Of course, I remember you. It's great to see you're well again."

Suddenly, everyone from the media erupted. They rushed towards me with cameras and microphones.

"Dr. Sini, we've been waiting for you for so long."

"Oh my God, it's really Dr. Sini!"

"We can get an interview with Dr. Sini. It's such a rare opportunity."

In the rush, Nicolas was pushed aside.

I caught a glimpse of his staggering figure through the crowd. His eyes, which had been arrogant before, were now filled with shock and disbelief.

"Dr. Sini?" he exclaimed, trying to break through the human barrier. "That's impossible. How can you be Dr. Sini?"

Before Nicolas could reach me, security had already escorted him aside.

The spotlight was fully on me.

"Dr. Sini," an experienced reporter asked excitedly, "it's been said that you've been out of the field for years. What prompted your return to the medical field?"

I watched Nicolas's face drain of color instantly.

Facing the spotlight, I slowly gave a smile and said clearly and calmly, "What prompted my return was..."

I deliberately paused, and the room fell into silent anticipation. Everyone tried to capture my every subtle expression eagerly with their cameras.

"The fact is that I am the wife who supposedly died yesterday morning, as Mr. Nicolas Shaw said."

Under the shocked gaze of everyone, I said calmly, "My husband paid a hefty sum to hire me to operate on his lover, so I returned to the medical field now."

Nicolas trembled and seemed to have been hit by a thunderbolt.

The room was silent for a few seconds and then erupted in an uproar.

Camera shutters clicked like a storm, and reporters surged forward madly. Microphones nearly touched my nose. "Dr. Sini, are you saying you and Nicolas are married?"

"Dr. Sini, did Nicolas ask you to operate on his lover? Is that true?"

"Why did he fake your death? It's unbelievable."

Amid the barrage of questions, I turned to face Nicolas, who had been pushed into a corner.

He clenched his fists, and his lips trembled uncontrollably.

I took a deep breath and answered the reporters' questions. "Every word I said is true. Nicolas and I were once married."

Then I took out my phone and played recordings from Nicolas's heartfelt confession to me three years ago, and then Nicolas's threatening words demanding a divorce from a month ago. Each word echoed through the venue via the sound system.

"Lorna, you are my love forever. I want to cherish and protect you forever."

"Lorna, if you insist on doing this, I'll freeze all your bank accounts. You won't even be able to afford basic living expenses. You're just a housewife now, without a job or savings. You're nothing and have no right to negotiate with me."

With each word broadcast, Nicolas's face grew paler.

When the recording finished, the sound of gasps filled the room.

I turned my gaze to Nicolas. "As for why he faked my death, I think that question should be answered by him."

The cameras followed and focused on Nicolas.

I calmly looked at Nicolas, who always prided himself on being a "gentleman." At that moment, sweat beaded on his forehead, and his body shivered. His clothes were rumpled from being jostled. He was completely devoid of any gentlemanly image.

His fear was captured by countless high-definition cameras and magnified on the screen.

A reporter handed him a microphone. "Mr. Shaw, why did you fake your wife's death? Did you prevent Dr. Sini from exposing your affair?"

"You've always presented yourself as a devoted husband to the public. Do you have nothing to say in your defense now?"

The flashlights and cameras were pointed at Nicolas, capturing his every subtle reaction.

Nicolas's Adam's apple quivered, but he said nothing.

"Mr. Shaw, please answer the question."

"Mr. Nicolas, please respond to our questions."

With reporters urging him repeatedly, Nicolas's mouth twitched, and he glared at me viciously. "She's slandering me! She's saying all this just to get back at me. She can't possibly be Dr. Sini."

Nicolas shouted wildly, "Who can prove she's Dr. Sini? Can she prove her identity just with a few words? From start to finish, there's no document to prove she's Dr. Sini. She's a fraud."

The reporters became agitated again and turned their cameras back to me.

Nicolas looked at me like a beast and hoped to see me panic under the spotlight.

But he miscalculated.

I stood tall and gestured to my mentor to the stage. "I would like to ask my professor, the dean of the First Affiliated Hospital, Andres Hayes, to retrieve my identification documents."

Andres stood up and greeted the audience. His deep voice echoed through the venue. "Of course, there are documents proving Sini's identity."

Under the gaze of numerous media outlets, Andres stood beside me and took out a sealed envelope. "Three years ago, Sini temporarily retired due to personal reasons, and she entrusted her documents and honors to me. Now, I have the responsibility to stand up when her identity is questioned and tell everyone that Sini, also known as Lorna Norris, is my student. I am proud of her. She has upheld the compassion of a healer and created many medical miracles."

Andres laid out the documents from the envelope on the table for reporters to photograph and examine.

There were my student ID, work ID, and various award certificates.

On my international gold award certificate, my photo was clearly printed, along with my name, Sini (Lorna Norris).

Andres held my hand and said to all reporters, "Lorna is Sini, an exceptional surgeon in our country without any doubt."

The reporters broke into applause.

I looked at Andres with gratitude and realized that I was willing to maintain my passion for this field just because of upright and kind people like him.

Nicolas finally collapsed weakly into his chair.

I turned to Nicolas again. "Nicolas, I think the real question should be about you. As the youngest chairman of a listed company, you have received endless praise and admiration. But do you truly deserve it?"

I pressed him further, "Do you dare to let everyone know the means you used to secure the bidding projects?"