Chapter 512
A pale wrist was suddenly exposed beneath the bright lights.
A shallow cut sat starkly on the inner side of the arm.
The size, location, and shape of the wound were an exact match to the magnified traces from the surgical footage.
Even the faint purple remnants of the surgical marker on the skin were identical.
After a moment of dead silence, an unprecedented wave of gasps erupted across the venue.
Everyone drew in a sharp breath.
The media section went wild, with reporters shoving their telephoto lenses over the crowd.
Phones broadcasting livestreams shot up from every direction, the comment sections on their screens scrolling frantically.
[Oh my god! It’s an exact match p>
[Even the vein patterns on the wrist are identical. If you zoom in, the skin textures line up perfectly p>
[This is insane! How did a fraud like her sneak into such a prestigious summit p>
Jonathan Coleman stood up from the judges’ panel.
His face was flushed with anger, and he kept his voice low. “Dr. Vaughan, what is the meaning of this? Why does your team member’s arm… perfectly match the surgeon in the video p>
Several highly respected medical titans in the audience wore grim, serious expressions as they rose to their feet as well.
“Which one of you actually performed that surgery? We demand the truth p>
The entire venue’s collective gaze zeroed in on Celeste and Director Lawrence Langley like a laser.
Lawrence was being held up by two bodyguards, his suit jacket hanging open and his sleeves rolled up to the elbows, his exposed forearms trembling under the camera flashes.
He kept his head down, curling into himself as his lips trembled, unable to form a single coherent syllable.
The ironclad evidence was right there in plain sight.
The skin textures, the veins, and the wound traces were flawless matches.
There were no more excuses about blurry camera angles or lighting discrepancies left to use.
The surrounding murmurs boiled over into a roar of outrage, with countless mocking and disdainful stares pinning Celeste in place.
Celeste was completely panicked.
She stared at the detained Lawrence, her eyes brimming with pure terror.
She knew his weaknesses entirely too well, and her greatest fear was that he would crumble under the pressure, spilling the truth and dragging her into the abyss.
In a moment of desperation, she forced her eyes to well with tears and turned to Jarred.
But those deep, piercing eyes were currently fixed on her with a somber intensity.
The heavy scrutiny in his gaze made her chest tighten in sudden fear.
Celeste clenched her fingers and ignored the chaotic scene, spinning around to desperately grab Helena’s sleeve as she burst into beautiful, tragic tears.
“Helena! I’m being framed… Ms. Sloan grabbed an innocent doctor just to sabotage me.
I genuinely don’t know… what she’s trying to accomplish here.
It’s just an award! If she wanted it, I would have gladly given it to her, but there was no need to bully us like this She broke down in sobs.
Seeing this, Helena’s fury only grew.
“Sienna! What is the meaning of this?! Having thugs manhandle Director Langley is completely out of line! Let him go p>
She stepped forward, prepared to forcibly shut down the spectacle.
“Mrs. Sterling p>
A steady, authoritative voice suddenly rang out, halting Helena in her tracks.
Professor Klein stood up, his expression remarkably stern as he looked at Helena, his tone leaving no room for argument.
“This summit carries the absolute trust of the global medical community, The awards bear my e signature and those of my esteemed colleagues, representing the highest standard of excellence in our field.
If there is academic fraud involving the Rising Star Award today, it won’t just be Dr. Vaughan’s personal reputation on the line.
It compromises the credibility of our entire alliance. We will not tolerate a single shred of deceit or cover-ups p>
He turned to address the crowd, his voice perfectly level. “What happened today concerns the moral baseline of every medical professional and the integrity of the entire industry.