C6 Eleanor!

"Such a coward!" Mr. Hart scoffed with disdain.

Eleanor breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Zachary. "They're gone."

"Right." Zachary nodded calmly, hoisted his fallen suitcase, and made to leave.

"Hey, why the hurry?" Eleanor called out to him.

Zachary stopped, a look of surprise on his face. "Is there anything else? I've already thanked you."

Eleanor rolled her eyes. "Is that all? I save your skin, and that's your response?"

"What more should I do?" Zachary asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Talking to you is exhausting!" Eleanor glared at him, exasperated. "Didn't you hear him? He's not going to just let this go."

"I heard," Zachary maintained his composure.

Eleanor's frustration mounted. "Then how can you be so calm? He's definitely going to come after you again!"

"I know."

"Aren't you the least bit concerned they might harass you again?" Eleanor was at a loss.

Zachary's frown deepened. "I'm grateful for your help, but this is my issue. It's better for you to stay out of it; you could get dragged into trouble too."

Eleanor's face turned cold. "In your eyes, am I just someone who shies away from trouble? I helped you because you were brave enough to take a stand and help others. I admire that courage."

It was the first time Zachary had been praised for his bravery, but he remained unmoved. "So what?"

"Listen, kid, Miss Eleanor is being kind to you. Don't take it for granted," Mr. Hart, the bodyguard, interjected with a note of warning.

"Heh, I'm a nobody. Why should I feel indebted?" Zachary gave a self-deprecating chuckle, his expression bitter. "In the eyes of the likes of you, we're just ants to be squashed at will. Should I be overflowing with gratitude and get down on my knees to thank you?"

Eleanor's face stiffened as she remembered the rumors she'd heard, and her gaze settled on the suitcase in Zachary's hand.

Having been fired from Centinela Hospital and expelled from the school roll, Zachary had already had a rough day, and being bullied only added insult to injury. His bad mood was understandable.

"What kind of attitude is that?" Mr. Hart bristled with annoyance.

"Mr. Hart, please," Eleanor interjected, placing a hand on the bodyguard's arm and addressing Zachary with a stern voice, "I get that you've been through a lot recently, but what's that got to do with me? I haven't mistreated you, so you shouldn't be directing your anger at me."

Zachary hesitated, realizing that his tone had indeed been too sharp. With a touch of remorse, he apologized, "Sorry for how I acted just now."

Eleanor, who was not to blame for his current predicament, didn't deserve his outburst—especially after she had just saved him.

Seeing his apology, Eleanor's features relaxed. "What do you plan to do now?"

"I don't know," Zachary responded candidly. He truly didn't know what his next move should be. In the sprawling city of Zoplus, no hospital would employ him, and he had been expelled from school. It seemed he had nowhere to turn.

Eleanor, touched by his plight, suggested, "How about I find you a place to stay?"

Zachary shook his head, refusing her kindness. "That's not necessary. The people I've offended are influential. If you get mixed up with me, you could become a target as well." He couldn't risk dragging Eleanor into his troubles.

"I'm not scared of them," Eleanor countered, undaunted by the prospect of getting involved. "It's clear to anyone who's paying attention that if it weren't for you, that man's son would have died on the operating table. Instead of being grateful, they've turned on you and pushed you to the brink."

She had only offered her help to Zachary after confirming his innocence; she would never have assisted a doctor who had actually harmed a patient. The circumstances would have been completely different.

Zachary managed a bitter smile. "Yet they're convinced I was harming, not saving, lives."

If they had believed him, he wouldn't be in such a tragic state.

"They're the ones who are foolish, choosing to believe lies over the truth!" Eleanor exclaimed, defending him passionately.

"But the matter is settled," Zachary sighed deeply. "The doctors at Centinela Hospital, the school principal, the head of the Central Hospital—they all think I brought this on myself."

"They've lost the moral compass that's crucial for any doctor; their hearts have grown cold. They preferred to cover up the issue, making you the fall guy. They don't deserve to be called doctors!" Eleanor was visibly upset, her conviction about the injustice crystal clear. "Still, you can't just stay quiet and let them walk all over you."

Zachary was taken aback. "What are you trying to say?"

Eleanor's frustration mounted. "Are you dense? Don't you want to prove your innocence? If you let this false accusation slide, no hospital in Zoplus will touch you. You can say goodbye to your career in medicine."

The prospect of not being able to practice medicine rendered all his hard work futile.

For anyone devoted to studying medicine, losing that dream is more agonizing than death itself.

"Proving my innocence is easier said than done," Zachary conceded. He was desperate to vindicate himself, but desire and ability were worlds apart.

The incident was perplexing; despite adhering strictly to Centinela Hospital's protocols, something had inexplicably gone awry.

"You can't just give up and do nothing!" Eleanor implored, deeply concerned for him.

His reputation was in tatters, his future shattered, and yet he seemed in no hurry to rectify it?

Zachary offered a wry smile. "I appreciate your concern, but I know what I'm doing. I'll find a way to exonerate myself. Goodbye."

He brushed off his clothes, grabbed his suitcase, and walked away.

Eleanor tried to stop him, "Wait!" But Zachary was resolute, already out of reach.

Hart glanced at Zachary's retreating figure. "Miss, he's left."

"That idiot!" Eleanor grumbled, her irritation evident. She turned and headed for the silver Bentley parked not far away. "Let's just go!"

He was completely oblivious to her kindness. She had offered him nothing but concern, and he hadn't appreciated it in the slightest!

Perhaps he deserved to be slandered.

Hart scratched his head in bewilderment and got into the car after Eleanor.

"So, the young man has left?" the elderly man in the car asked with a chuckle. Observing his granddaughter's vexed expression, he smiled. "Now, who has managed to upset our Eleanor?"