Because Arthur wore the untouchable armor of medical integrity, his attack was devastating. The Harrisons were a century-old medical dynasty—who would dare challenge his assessment? Arguing with him meant disrespecting the concept of teamwork. It meant disrespecting medicine itself.
Clarissa Harrison took a graceful step forward. She wore a stunning sea-foam evening gown that accentuated her elegant, gentle aura. "Please don't misunderstand, Miss Lancaster."
Her voice was as soft as spun silk, laced with artificial concern. "My father meant no offense, nor is he denying your capabilities. It's just... he has dedicated his entire life to medical research, and it pains him to see medicine sensationalized by the public. It's wonderful that you practice Holistic Eastern Therapeutics, but as you know, our traditional methods already face immense skepticism on the global stage. That makes it all the more crucial for us to be cautious. If your actions are repackaged as some mythical miracle, it will only draw backlash to the practice and place unbearable pressure on you. Medicine isn't about playing god, and it certainly shouldn't be built on a foundation of PR and public hype."
She sounded incredibly considerate. Her soft, refined tone was the exact embodiment of a high-society heiress raised in a prestigious medical family.
But underneath the polished delivery, every single syllable was a poison-tipped needle, implying that Serena's medical prowess was nothing more than a carefully orchestrated marketing campaign.
Old Mr. Blackwood's face darkened like a thundercloud. "Who the hell do the Harrisons think they are?" he muttered, grinding his teeth. "Speaking in such backhanded riddles."
Old Mr. Lancaster looked ready to commit murder. The three Lancaster brothers traded lethal glares, the sheer hostility rolling off them in waves.
The family was furious. Their precious girl had nearly been killed in Severia. She had barely gotten her bandages off. And now, these vultures dared to dismiss her blood, sweat, and trauma as nothing more than 'public hype' under the guise of medical integrity?
The Montgomerys wanted to leash her for power. The Harrisons wanted to step on her throat to cement their status as the new kings of the medical world. They were treating The Vinton Debutante Gala like their own personal stage.
Just as the Lancasters were about to erupt, a soft scoff echoed through the tension. It was light. Careless.
Serena, surrounded by the metaphorical firing squad of the Harrison and Montgomery families merely fitted her gaze. Her luminous, indifferent eyes drifted from
Sebastian and Dominic to Arthur, before finally settling on Clarissa.
Her red lips curved into a faint, chilling smile. Her stare was so calm, so deeply piercing, that Clarissa's heart gave an involuntary, terrified stutter.
"Are you quite finished?" Serena's voice was a cool, lazy drawl, carrying an edge of absolute absolute zero. She raised a delicate brow. "And?"
"Is the Harrison family here to demand justice on behalf of the Severian medical team? Before your hearts bled for them, did you even bother to ask the team how they felt?"
Her words were violently arrogant and dripping with lethal sarcasm.
Arthur's benevolent smile suffered a microscopic fracture. His speech had been airtight fair, objective, and polite. He hadn't outright insulted Serena or offended the Lancasters.
Yet, with a handful of careless words, Serena had reached out and violently ripped
off his mask of righteousness.
Arthur's gaze turned somber, but he
quickly reassembled his facade of a dignified elder. "You are taking this too personally, Miss Lancaster. merely believe that medicine
demands rigor, and rescue
oveln
operations demand teamwork. The Severia incident has massive implications. If we allow the media to pile all the glory onto your shoulders, it's a grave injustice to every other soul who risked their life out there."