Even though Cheyenne’s tone seemed playful as she mentioned the idea of demanding compensation for her lost wages, the dissatisfaction with the disciplinary department was evident to everyone.
One of the men smiled and said, “Miss Lawrence, don’t worry, it’s just a simple question, and it won’t take up too much of your time.”
“Is that so?”
A cold gaze flickered onto Jaelynn from Cheyenne. It was clear to Cheyenne that this general was not someone to be easily persuaded.
From the moment she stepped into the office, she felt a strong sense of hostility emanating from Jaelynn. Honestly, Cheyenne was quite perplexed. It was only their second meeting, so where could this hostility from the general come from?
Regardless, when the going gets tough, the tough get going.
Just as Cheyenne was thinking, a sudden loud noise disrupted her train of thought. The entire office resonated with a sharp and piercing interrogation.
“Director Hartman, Director Soto… If you’re refraining from offending Miss Lawrence due to her status, perhaps it would be better for me to handle this matter.”
By saying this in public, Jaelynn was blatantly implying that the two directors were sheltering Cheyenne.
As expected, the expressions of Director Hartman and Director Soto turned grim. However, constrained by their respective affiliations, neither of them dared to offend the other. They could only swallow their pride for the time being.
Feeling embarrassed, Cheyenne rubbed her nose and gracefully offered them a way out, “I conduct myself with integrity and will accept responsibility for my actions. However-”
She slightly paused.
Glancing at the general in front of her, Cheyenne continued with unwavering confidence, “No one should try to frame me or slander my reputation!”
To Jaelynn, this stern declaration seemed like Cheyenne abusing her special status to deliberately threaten them.
For years, the Weaver family had been repressed unfairly, all because of this woman. Four years ago, due to her temporary absence on a secret mission abroad, Cheyenne had been targeted.
Now that she was back, nobody could bully the Weaver family.
Before the discussion even began, the battle of eyes had waged hundreds of times. Jaelynn was intimidating, but Cheyenne was no ordinary person, and her calm and composed eyes showed no sign of fear.
Jaelynn inwardly sneered, curious as to how long Cheyenne could keep up her facade.
Subsequently, with an aloof demeanor, Jaelynn unzipped her briefcase and took out a report, accompanied by over a dozen pieces of information.
“Miss Lawrence, perhaps you could explain the accusations of accepting bribes, embezzling hospital funds. Is there any truth to them?”
Accepting bribes? This reason seemed absurd indeed. Cheyenne didn’t even bother to raise her head, lazily leaning back in her chair, toying with her delicate fingers.
“Of course, it’s false. Every transaction of the hospital funds I’ve authorized has been recorded, every expenditure has been documented. If you don’t believe me, you can take a look at these records. Lilah, bring them in.”
“Yes.”
Lilah, who had only graduated two years ago, was seeing so many high-ranking officials for the first time. Her usual encounters with authority were limited to Cheyenne. She had heard that the team in this office was from the central inspection team, wielding significant power. No wonder their presence was so intimidating.
Especially the woman in the black suit with short hair. When her eyes met Lilah’s, she felt her legs turn to jelly. If not for her determination not to embarrass Miss Lawrence, she might have knelt down right then and there.
Cheyenne noticed her nervousness and intentionally smiled at her, “Just sending out some documents, don’t worry.”
“Okay.”
After placing the prepared documents on the table, Lilah left. Just as she stepped out of the meeting room, her body went weak.
Leaning against the wall, she squatted slowly on the cold floor, taking a long time to regain her composure.
Comparing herself to Miss Lawrence, who seemed as relaxed as if she were painting her nails in her own living room, she suddenly felt useless, considering they were the same age.
It’s no wonder that Miss Lawrence could become a hospital director while she could only be a nurse.
Idle talk aside, looking at the others in the meeting room, they were all going through the motions, casually chatting and skimming through the documents.
If there were any real issues, clever individuals like Cheyenne wouldn’t let them be found out.
However, Jaelynn was different. She was determined to tarnish Cheyenne’s reputation, so she scrutinized the documents carefully, not letting any detail slip by.
But she was bound to be disappointed, as the hospital’s accounts appeared legitimate, and no issues could be pinpointed.
Even more surprising was that after purchasing equipment and paying employees’ salaries, the hospital only had a balance of just over two million left.
For a top-tier research institution in the country, this amount of liquid assets seemed too little.
The largest source of funds on the books came from donations from the community, such as the Foley Group donating 300 million during last year’s earthquake; Cheyenne personally donated five million… and a celebrity group led by Kate donated one hundred million.
The allocation of funds for each cause was clear: providing free medical services to children in impoverished mountainous areas, a 20% increase in medical cooperation reimbursements, and a fund for impoverished disabled individuals.
Lastly, the funds were utilized in the hospital’s laboratory. The advancement of medical care relied on the contribution of scientific talents. Since becoming the director, Cheyenne placed great emphasis on nurturing talent in this area.
Jaelynn seemed to be at a loss as to where to find faults, so she could only raise objections to the issue of high laboratory expenses.
Cheyenne calmly countered her, “Four years ago, you were abroad and might not know a man-made cholera outbreak that ravaged the country, causing countless deaths and injuries.”
“Why were we helpless in the early stages of the virus mutation and had to resort to containment measures only? Simply because we didn’t have the corresponding vaccine.”
“So here’s the question, where does the vaccine come from? Isn’t it from the hard work and dedication of research talents who fear neither death nor hardship, who care for the country and its people day and night?”
“Akloit Hospital already had a research lab, as promised by President himself. I operated it using funds from the national treasury and donations from society.”
“To be honest, all this money was used for vital purposes. You can see how much we pay a top-tier academician; their annual salary is less than eight hundred thousand.”
“With such qualifications, they could easily become millionaires abroad or receive million-dollar salaries at major domestic enterprises. They chose to be here for the ideals, to fight for the betterment of all of humankind!”
“But what about celebrities? Even a second-rate female celebrity can earn over a hundred million a year. Compared to them, I feel like I’m giving them too little!”