Crashing into an Old Flame
Chapter 105: A crack

Chapter 105: A crack

Since Angel had left wet patches on her, Diana got changed and by the time she came out, she did not see Maxim around, ’’Did he leave?" she asked Ivy as she gulped a glass of juice and hurriedly stuffed half a sandwich in her mouth.

Her mother would have something to say about her disgraceful way of eating if she was here.

Ivy speechlessly glanced at Diana, ’’Yes, he left when you went to change. Why don’t you eat slowly?"

’’Tuwl...’’ Diana chewed the sandwich as she gulped down the remaining juice in the glass, ’’The Boss already left and the employee is still loitering around. Where have you seen such a scene before?"

Diana kissed Angel’s head, ’’Baby, I will see you in the evening.’’

When Diana dashed out of the mansion, she knew she had to walk a little distance because it was not easy to catch a cab in the vicinity of Arkell hills.

But she had yet to step away from the mansion gates when she saw a familiar sedan.

And a familiar face.

Maxim was talking on his phone but when he noticed her presence, he hung up, ’’Hop in.’’

’’W-What?" Diana was stunned.

He raised an eyebrow as if he was asking her which part she was not getting.

’’Didn’t you leave already?" Diana hesitantly stepped towards him.

An unnatural look passed on his face as he cleared his throat, ’’I got a call.’’

So, that was why he had not left yet. She nodded in understanding but she stiffened when she felt his gaze roaming around her neck before grazing down her body, ’’What is it?" She touched her neck. Did she have something on her?

’’Nothing.’’

Diana licked her lips, ’’It’s still fine in the night but don’t you think we would be spotted together in the day?" she sighed, ’’You know... You can just drop me off at the road. I can easily get a cab there...’’

’’Get in the car, Diana.’’

Diana got in the car.

But her worried gaze lingered on him once in a while.

’’Are you that stressed about being spotted together with me?" Maxim asked without looking at her.

’’Of course, I am. I don’t want anyone to see us together,’’ she whispered.

His eyes darkened.

’’After all, it’s our workplace. I don’t know how long I am going to work here but it’s different when it comes to you. I don’t want people to talk behind your back.’’

Maxim’s grip tightened on the steering wheel unconsciously, ’’So, are you worried about me?"

’’Should I not be worried about you?" Diana turned in her seat, such that she was sitting while facing him. She could not understand how his head worked.

Maxim glanced at her, "Why?"

’’What why?’’ Diana moved from her seat and approached him till Maxim felt her warm breath falling on his face, ’’Warner, you are so red. Is it hot in here?" she curiously asked as she saw the redness on the tips of his ears.

He tilted his face to the side, looking into her eyes for a moment before he focused on the road, ’’Sit still.’’

’’Hmph...’’ Diana sulked in her seat.

When they reached the hospital, Maxim glanced at the woman who had both her hands covering her face as she tried to hide herself like the main character of some spy movie.

The corner of his lips twitched, ’’They can’t see you.’’

’’Hmm? Oh, the glass is tinted black...’’ she blinked a few times before she unlocked the door.

But surprisingly, Diana did not get off the car. She remained sitting there.

Maxim glanced at her questioningly, ’’Did you forget something?’’

’’No, I was just wondering...’’ Diana leaned back on the seat, eyes full of wonder as she whispered, ’’When in Rome, we should do as the Romans do...right?"

Maxim placed his elbow on the steering wheel as he faced her, ’’Depends.’’

’’Since I am here, I should follow the customs, shouldn’t I?"

’’It’s your choice.’’

Your choice? He simply meant that if she didn’t want to do it, then she didn’t have to do it. She didn’t have to give a damn about Rome or the Romans.

’’I feel quite spoiled when you say things like these,’’ She chuckled, ’’But regardless of it, thanks for the ride.’’

Maxim moved his mouth to respond but before he could utter a word, her face zoomed in front of his eyes and he felt a soft sensation on his left cheek where her lips touched.

He froze.

’’I will see you later,’’ Diana waved at him before she carefully alighted the car after making sure that she could not see any familiar faces nearby.

She did not think much about it except for her Rome and roman logic. So, what if her lips kept tingling like a bee was sitting on them, wondering whether it should sting or not? It must be some random allergic reaction.

As for Maxim... His car was quite high profile so with it blocking a random corner of the street instead of being parked, people who recognized it gradually wondered what he was doing inside for so long.

After another fifteen minutes or so, Maxim stepped out, looking every bit like his normal self.

...

’’Oh... isn’t this our top business graduate?"

Diana was blocked by a mocking voice in the corridor.

She glanced at the woman who was walking towards her. Wasn’t it the woman from yesterday, the one who had incited the staff against her?

Diana frowned. As much as she wanted to ignore the woman and walk past her, she knew that this would not stop unless she confronted her.

At this point, she was beginning to doubt if this woman had some sort of grudge against her.

’’Do we know each other?" Diana asked.

’’You...’’ The woman seemed more offended because of her words. She was so popular in the hospital.

’’Veronica, right?" Diana kept her voice lowered. It was a hospital after all and she did not want to disrupt the peaceful environment of the patients over such petty matters, ’’I think this is like the second time we are meeting. So, there is no need for us to act this way,’’ her voice was calm.

The woman named Veronica gasped, ’’You... Even people like you are now talking back to me. Do you think nobody knows what kind of exchange you must have made to end up in this position?"

Diana frowned when the woman’s gaze roamed around her body, her eyes seemed to state the obvious. And her voice was deliberately raised.

If the onlookers focused on her words, they would doubt Diana’s character. Big hospitals like these were nowhere as foreign to these kinds of illegal and immoral deals. They were just like the tip of the iceberg but still scandalous.

For anyone in the medical field, this position sure was prestigious. For someone like her to snatch it from right under their noses, this matter must be questionable.

Yet, how was it her business?

At the end of the day, Diana was not the kind of person who ever involved herself in petty things like catfights.

So, she shook her head and walked past the woman.

But her body suddenly turned cold when the woman grabbed her wrist in a death grip, ’’Did I say that I am done talking?"

’’Let go...’’ Diana whispered, trying to calm the trembles in her voice.

Veronica seemed to be in another land as she tugged at her hand and spoke, ’’You better leave this job.’’

’’Let go of my hand...’’ Diana closed her eyes, trying to keep the unwanted memories off her mind.

It’s fine.

You are not that little girl anymore.

You are not that teenager anymore.

You are not dependent on them.

You are out of that toxic household.

You have Angel.

You have your friends now. You have Maxim.

It’s fine... It’s fine.

No matter how much she repeated those words in her head, sometimes, all it took was a crack for water to seep inside and suffocate the living daylights out of her.

Diana could hear the whispers growing around her and the woman was still gripping her hand as she continued to mock her.

But her mind was not there anymore.

One second, she was still there in the hospital hallway, surrounded by a gradually growing crowd who gathered to see the fiasco as the woman vented on her for who knows what grudge.

But in the next moment, her mind presented her with another scene.

The view of the luxurious Chen Mansion. Her 14th birthday where she had tripped on her gown and landed on her knees. One of the socialites said that she seemed to be out of form. It was a casual remark. It should have passed away. But after her father left to drop Daisy at her apartment, her mother clutched her wrist before shoving her inside the store room.