Crashing into an Old Flame
Chapter 111: Under the table

Chapter 111: Under the table

Filled with confusion, Diana nudged ’Ivy’s’ foot again while looking at the girl.

But to her surprise, Ivy was busy stuffing the food in her mouth now. She did not look like she wanted to laugh so badly that she would need some coping mechanism like nudging her foot.

Diana’s gaze inadvertently shifted to the person who was sitting beside Ivy.

Maxim was fiddling with the fork in one hand while his other hand firmly held Angel.

No way right? Diana denied her assumption instinctively. He will never do something so childish.

It must have been Ivy who nudged her before busying herself with food.

’’And there was this another time when a girl put a love letter in his backpack...’’ Hazel’s stories showed no signs of stopping, ’’He didn’t even notice it. I was the one who got it when I was taking out his lunchbox to clean it.’’

’’In primary school?" Diana was amused. He even had this thing going on since he was that young?

’’Oh no, darling. I am talking about kindergarten.’’

’’Pfft,’’ Ivy choked on the food she was busy stuffing. She had not been sleeping properly hence her appetite was affected in the morning. By evening, she felt like she could eat a human hence she started stuffing as soon as she took a seat. Who could have thought that Madam would pick this particular time to open her mouth?

She regretted stuffing food like a monster.

While Ivy broke into coughing fits, Diana speechlessly glanced at Maxim. This flower boy. Did he go around seducing bees since kindergarten?

But in the next moment, black lines covered her face. She was no one to judge him given how she had bragged about her kindergarten days when a guy told her that he will ask his mom to buy a whole set of rubber bands for her after she lost hers.

’’And you won’t believe how detailed that love letter was. There was even a lip design on the letter. Not mark but a lip which I assume the girl had drawn with her mother’s lipstick,’’ Hazel continued.

’’Pfft,’’ Diana threw her head back on the chair as she laughed, clutching her stomach. It took her a long time to stop laughing, ’’Sorry... I lost control,’’ she quickly apologized.

Hazel waved her hand, ’’You should laugh more often. What are you being sorry for?"

The smile on Diana’s face faded when she heard that. If her mother was here, would she have said something like that or would she have reminded her about her table manners? Worse, this random action of hers might have led to some punishment probably.

She pushed away those thoughts and glanced at Maxim, ’’The efforts she put in that letter.... I hope you at least replied to it?"

Maxim was focused on the beautiful arc of her lips from the moment she burst out in laughter and he noticed how it gradually disappeared.

When he heard her words, he met her gaze, narrowing his eyes slightly.

In the next moment, Diana felt a slightly harsh nudge on her foot.

The smug expression on her face disappeared and she met his gaze that seemed to be challenging her ’Laugh at me again’. Her heart beat faster as she dropped her fork to the floor. On purpose. ’’Sorry,’’ she lowered her body to pick up the fork from the floor but her gaze was stuck on Maxim’s long legs.

One of his legs was crossed over the other, his ankle resting on the knee while the other was stretched towards her, closing the gap between them.

She picked up the fork and straightened her body before mouthing ’What are you doing’ at him. Disbelief stamped all over her face.

The man shrugged his ideal shoulder as he picked up the dessert and took a bite.

Diana’s gaze dropped to his lips for a small beat before she looked at him. Wasn’t it too late to fake innocence?

She glared at him and removed the sliders from her feet before stomping on his foot which was presented towards her. Hmph!

His movements paused. He put the fork down and gazed at her.

’Why were you being so childish?’ Diana mouthed again.

He glanced at her nonchalantly.

Diana stomped on his foot again. He should not blame her for being ruthless when he was the one who started it.

However, her foot was not met with the material of his shoe....

Instead, it was his skin.

H.i.s

S.k.i.n!

As it turned out, he had removed his shoes.

Diana’s face turned hot as her toes curled on his foot.

Their gazes met and the memories from the office room came rushing into her head.

Her breathing fastened. She hurriedly glided her toes down his feet, leaving a trail of warmth under her careful and gentle touch.

Maxim pulled the collar of his T-shirt slightly.

Unlike Ivy who was busy stuffing the food, Hazel’s keen eyes were observing everything around them, ’’Ivy sweetie, you should not stay with Maxim like this. People will misunderstand your relationship with him.’’

Ivy looked at Hazel with wide eyes, both her cheeks bulging like a little hamster as she pointed at Maxim and then at herself.

Hazel nodded.

Ivy gulped down the food and said without much thought, ’’But I prefer dating jerks over ice cubes. Imagine having to guess what’s in the person’s mind all the time. At least jerks are predictable. Sir’s future wife will certainly be assured that he is not my type...cough...’’ Realizing that Maxim was sitting right beside her, Ivy quickly added, ’’Of course, Sir is the amazing kind of ice cube and my insult was not directed at him at all.’’

’’Who were you talking about then?" Diana teased to join in the fun.

’’Uh... I was talking about Sir Logan...’’ Her face cracked when the person she was badmouthing came into her view.

He arched a brow at her in disdain and nodded at Maxim and his mother before he made his way upstairs.

Ivy wanted to slap her silly mouth. In the end, she looked at Hazel, ’’I just remembered that I don’t even stay at Sir’s place. I just go there once a week to clean and do the rest of the work.’’

Hazel was comforted by that.

’’Also, Sir never takes his dates to his place. I think he takes them to the hotel,’’ Ivy added in a conspiratorial whisper but her words could be heard by everyone.

Hazel blinked, ’’I am his mother. Of course, I know if he will be taking them home from now on or not. So, just be more mindful and don’t cause misunderstandings, you silly girl,’’ she quickly looked at Angel who was peacefully sleeping in Maxim’s arms. If things go well. By next year, this sweet little child will have her cousins to play with.

Diana’s eyes widened slightly when she heard Hazel’s words which sounded like Maxim had someone in his life. Was she talking about Nora?

But regardless of it, her words had a point...

Diana glanced at her plate in contemplation.

Maxim quietly glanced at his mother who was dead set on ruining his existence forever.

After the dinner, Hazel insisted on leaving quickly so Maxim let Logan escort her back to her place.

While Maxim had walked his mother to the entrance, Diana quickly put Angel in Ivy’s arms.

Ivy was bewildered as the ball of warmth landed in her arms out of nowhere.

’’I will be back soon,’’ Diana rushed outside.

By the time she made it to the gates, she did not see Maxim anywhere.

She pressed palms on her knees and panted softly.

No way. Did he personally drive his mother back? She could not help but wonder.

A layer of gloom enshrouded her face at his absence.

"Looking for me?"

The deep voice had her eyes lit up.

Diana turned around and spotted Maxim standing inside the garden.

She rushed towards him but before she could reach him, her toes entangled in a creeper and her body started dropping in a free fall.

’’Careful,’’ Maxim grabbed her elbows to support her, ’’What are you, 5?" he stabilized her on her feet.

’’No, 25,’’ she cleared her throat and gently pulled her hands out of his grip.

Diana stopped grumbling when she thought about why she was looking for him.

The visible excitement on her face gave him a sense of dread for some reason.

’’I have something that I want to discuss with you,’’ she hurriedly said, afraid of an interruption.

’’Me too,’’ Maxim replied, carefully gauging her expression.

Diana was feeling very bubbly about the life-saving hack she had come up with hence with a big heart, she said, ’’You go first then.’’

’’What happened earlier this day...’’

The beginning of his sentence made the smile on her face freeze. When he said that he wanted to talk to her about something, she never expected it to be about what happened in his office. No way. She was not ready for that conversation.

’’What are you thinking about?" Maxim ruffled her hair.

’’Hey...’’ she glared.

He shrugged, ’’When we were young, you said that the taller one has the right to do that,’’ he looked at the woman who barely reached his chest without heels, ’’I seem to be at an advantage at the moment.’’

She pursed her lips.

Maxim chuckled but the smile on his face disappeared in the next moment as he said, ’’Who was that woman in the hospital? Do you know her?"