Flash Marriage To The Dangerous Billionaire - Chapter 76: Chapter 76

Noticing the blanket slipping down, Nelson instinctively pulled the corner up, tucking it snugly under Hallie's chin.
With only her face peeking out from under the blanket, her tousled hair made her look like a well-loved stuffed animal. Unbeknownst to Nelson himself, he was smiling softly as he gazed at Hallie.
Holding the phone to his ear, he stepped out of the bedroom as he said in a low voice, "Do we have the Chandlers' movements under control? Investigate if they've made any covert moves recently, especially against Hallie."
The bedroom door clicked shut softly behind him. A moment later, the light in his study turned on—and it stayed on the entire night.
After a rare, restful sleep, Hallie stretched lazily as she climbed out of bed. Just as she was about to head into the bathroom, she noticed the empty floor and wondered, 'Wait... where's Nelson?'
There were no signs of any bedding at all as if no one had slept there during the night. Puzzled, she went into the bathroom, quickly showered, got dressed, and headed downstairs for breakfast.
After glancing around the empty dining room, Hallie's gaze lingered on Nelson's usual seat. Unable to hold back her curiosity, she asked, "Well... uh, has Nelson gone out?"
"Mr. Blair worked through the night in the study and left early this morning," the maid replied.
After getting a clear answer, Hallie felt a strange, subtle unease settle in her chest. She wondered, 'Did he really stay up working all night... or was he just avoiding sharing a room with me?' Then, she shook her head, brushing off that random thought.
The bright red Porsche drew stares all along the drive to the hospital. In the few seconds it took Hallie to step out of the car, she could feel all eyes on her, making her feel a bit self-conscious.
Taking in the flashy red exterior and the unmistakable Porsche emblem, Hallie thought, 'This car is just too ostentatious.'
She kept her eyes straight ahead and walked briskly into the building. The moment she stepped into the elevator, someone immediately sidled up to her. "Dr. Levine, did you get a new car? That Porsche looks customized. It must've cost a fortune."
Hallie noticed the envy in her colleague's eyes and gave a faint smile. "No, I didn't buy it. I just borrowed it for the time being."
At that, a few people in the elevator visibly deflated, disappointment written all over their faces. As the elevator doors opened, Hallie strode out without hesitation, ignoring the whispers behind her.
Just that morning alone, Hallie had already performed two surgeries. Six hours straight in the operating room had completely drained her. As soon as she stepped out of the operating room, Hallie grabbed a bag of glucose solution and gulped down several large mouthfuls.
'This job is just too physically demanding,' she thought wearily. After finishing half the bag, she finally felt her energy returning.
She peeled off her gloves and turned on the faucet at the scrub sink. Her hands, pale and pruned from hours of sweating inside the gloves, looked almost ghostly.
After washing up, she leaned against the wall for a moment to catch her breath. When she finally headed to the office, she heard muffled voices from inside.
"Do you think Hallie is actually rich or just putting on a show? She turned down that exchange opportunity like it was nothing, then shows up the next day driving some crazy expensive car. Who does she think she's fooling?"
Hallie froze mid-step at the doorway, pausing with morbid curiosity. 'Let's see what kind of wild stories they come up with today,' she thought.
"Didn't you hear her say she borrowed the car? Clearly, she's not rich herself, but she must know some rich people."
'Rich people?' Hallie thought sarcastically. 'Does Callopston's richest count? Well, she certainly knew one.' She was deep in eavesdropping when Clarissa called out to her too loudly, instantly silencing the chatter inside.
"Aw, you ruined it. The show was just getting good. I thought we'd get to hear even juicier gossip," Hallie said and shot Clarissa a playful, exaggerated look of disappointment, which utterly baffled Clarissa.
"By the way, Dr. Arnold has another assignment for you," Clarissa said. "He wants you to head to Redwood Village on the outskirts tomorrow to perform a physical examination on an elderly woman in her eighties."
As she spoke, Clarissa stuffed an official notice stamped with the hospital seal into Hallie's hand.
This was a public welfare outreach program jointly organized by the hospital and the government. It provided in-home medical visits for patients with limited mobility and for underprivileged residents in remote areas.
Usually, the hospital would send new or junior doctors on these house calls, and it was almost unheard of for an attending surgeon like Hallie to be assigned to this kind of volunteer work.
On top of that, the notice listed only Hallie's name. She frowned as she read it. "Aren't these outreach visits always done in pairs? Why am I the only one this time?"
"Looks like you got on Dr. Arnold's bad side. Now he's making things difficult for you," Clarissa sighed helplessly, clearly unable to do anything about it.
Hallie thought, 'Just because I happened to walk past his office at the wrong time.
'First, he tried to force me into that exchange program and now, barely two days later, he was sending me on a solo volunteer visit to the outskirts. All these "coincidences" are piling up so fast.
'Is Declan really just trying to give me a hard time, or is he trying to cover something up?'
With these seeds of doubt planted, Hallie fidgeted with the notice in her hand and thought, 'I need to figure out what Dr. Arnold is really up to.'
Back at her desk in the department office, Hallie scanned the room. The same colleagues who had just been huddled together gossiping about her were now all bowing their heads, pretending to be buried in work, like nothing had happened.
Clearly, they felt a bit guilty after talking behind her back, and none of them dared to meet her eyes.
"I definitely can't count on these colleagues for help," Hallie sighed, massaging her temples as she glanced away. "Three years in this hospital, and aside from Clarissa, I don't even have a single informant. Truly pathetic of me."
After muttering to herself in frustration, Hallie slipped out of the department with her phone and found a quiet corner to make a call.
"Could you help me check what Dr. Arnold has been doing recently?" she asked quietly. After much deliberation, Hallie realized that, right now, the only person she could turn to for help was Nelson.
There was a pause on the other end before Nelson finally asked, "What exactly do you suspect him of? Has he done something unusual recently?" With that, his eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
Hallie had no idea what was going on in his mind. Hearing the curiosity in his tone, she took the chance to lay everything out, listing all the odd things Declan had done over the past two days.
"Dr. Arnold never really mistreated me, but he certainly didn't go out of his way to help me either," she recalled, her expression turning gloomy. "I just can't shake the feeling he's done something wrong and is afraid I'll find out, so he's trying to make me leave."
"Make you leave?" Nelson paused, momentarily taken aback by the phrase.
This was unexpected. He had originally suspected that Declan might be plotting to harm Hallie. But now, it seemed that the person who had tampered with her car might not have been Declan after all.
"I'll have someone look into Dr. Arnold," Nelson said calmly.
Hearing his straightforward reply, Hallie was momentarily stunned. It took her a second to process his response before she softly murmured, "Thank you."
Nelson paused as a flicker of surprise flashed in his eyes. Then, he casually brushed it off. "For now, we're business partners. Ensuring your safety is part of the deal."