Crashing into an Old Flame
Chapter 127: Lusting over Maxim ’best friend’ Warner

Chapter 127: Lusting over Maxim ’best friend’ Warner

Not only Ivy accompanied her for house hunting yesterday, but she also went to pack her stuff, visited her mother’s grave, and took care of Angel all night.

From Ivy’s dark circles, it looked like Angel was not in one of her best moods yesterday.

Ivy nodded, ’’You sure you don’t need my help?"

’’Of course. We can sort our stuff when you wake up,’’ Diana flashed her signature smile.

Ivy smiled back and went to her room.

As soon as she was out of her sight, the smile on Diana’s face faded.

Dead mother. Past.

Ivy’s words reverberated in her mind.

The thought of her family becoming just a part of her memories and past made her uneasy.

Was she being too harsh and cold towards them?

She glanced at Angel.

Maybe if they saw her, and interacted with her, they would fall for her too.

Maybe her mother was trying to change her ways already.

If anything happened to her parents, she would regret it, wouldn’t she?

Life was too unpredictable to hold grudges against the family.

Maybe if she reached out to them and apologized and communicated with them about the ways they have let her down, they would understand. If Daisy was here, she would have helped—

The ringing of her phone interrupted her thoughts.

Diana raised her hand and glanced at her phone in a daze.

She answered it on the last ring.

Maxim’s voice came from the other side, ’’You think this is fun, Diana Chen? I told you I would help you with packing after taking a nap but I woke up to find you gone. Is it really fun for you?" His low voice seemed to be suppressing his anger.

’’Warner...’’ Diana slumped on the couch.

A pause on the other side before his worried voice sounded, "Are you still sick? I am coming over—’’

’’Do you ever doubt the decisions you make in the spur of the moment?’’ she interrupted him, placing Angel on her lap as she moved her leg rhythmically to keep the little girl placated.

Maxim sighed, sounding almost relieved as he said, ’’You are not sick,’’ After a brief pause, he answered her question, ’’I do.’’

’’You regret them?"

’’No.’’

’’No?" her eyes widened.

’’No. Regardless of what the situation was, something must have fuelled my decision. Instead of regretting something that cannot be undone, I would rather think of what might have happened if I hadn’t made the decision.’’

Diana glanced at Angel. The little girl looked back at her with wide innocent eyes.

What would have happened if she did not make that decision?

Foster Care. Abandon. Wild spawn.

Everything uttered in Angel’s reference on Daisy’s wedding day flashed in her mind and the tidbit of guilt in her heart started disappearing.

"I was talking about my parents earlier,’’ she confessed out of nowhere.

Maxim did not say anything as if he was not expecting the shift of topic.

She had not expected it either yet she did not stop, ’’I am not certain if running away with Angel was the best decision I could have made at that time. I don’t regret it but... I don’t know... maybe...’’

’’You have every right to cut off toxic people, sweetheart," his voice was almost cajoling, "Parents or not. If they made you feel insecure enough for you to leave the country overnight without a stable source of income then the issue doesn’t lie in you. Just because they are elders doesn’t give them the right to hurt you. The best decision or not, I’m backing you up.’’

’’You are... aren’t you?" she mumbled softly.

Diana felt like she would burst into tears. Period, maybe.

Or not. Maybe it was just Maxim Warner.

Speaking in that indifferent tone of his yet moving her with every word. Only he could do that.

Suddenly, she had a regret in her heart. She regretted not telling him about her emotions, issues, or even her family all those years ago. His therapy sure would have healed part of her wounds.

With a soft sigh, she leaned back on the couch, stroking Angel’s head, ’’You never regret things, Warner?"

’’I do,’’ the man said within a beat.

’’You just said you don’t,’’ she glared at him even though he could not see her through the phone.

’’Everything has exceptions. Whenever I thought about how I might not have lost someone precious had I not acted on impulse one fateful day, I regretted it. At times, I really did.’’

Her heart beat a little faster, ’’Who are you talking about?" No, no, no, it couldn’t be—

’’Someone whom I called annoying when I did not mean it at all,’’ Maxim’s deep voice sounded just as loud as the unruly thump of her heart and after a second, he added, ’’She was far from being annoying. She could not have been annoying even if she tried to.’’

’Thump’

’Thump’

’Thump’

’’Angel is crying,’’ Diana blurted in a haste, ’’I will talk to you later,’’ And without a warning, she hung up.

She was suddenly reminded of her determination when she left the mansion while he was taking a nap. She had decided to keep her distance from him for the time being.

Since they were working at the same workplace, it was an impossible feat to achieve but she was determined to try her best.

He helped her at her lowest and he was there for her all the time. She did not even realize when she started relying on him.

And her reliance shifted to something else gradually. And if she had to be honest, her heart had skipped a few beats at the sight of him since the moment she saw him in front of Ryle’s mansion that night.

But Diana knew better than to push those feelings further. She was lusting over her best friend yet she knew that if there had been any other man of his caliber in his place, getting such physical feelings would have been natural.

In her teenage years, she was so focused on grades that she considered dating to be a waste of time. In medical school, she was still having a hard time being accustomed to Maxim’s absence and her parents’ disappointment in her for not choosing a business. Later, she had to drop from medical school in the most disgraceful manner because her mother framed her as a person with an unstable mental condition who took random medication. Staying in the Chen Mansion, in that toxic atmosphere, dating or sex was the last thing on her mind.

The only experiences she had were from books.

And it was the first time she cut herself off from that toxic place.

So, this experience of heat-inducing moments in her body was novel.

If it was some other man, she might have acted on these feelings and made a move.

But it was Maxim.

Maxim ’best friend’ Warner.

He was not some other man.

He was special.

Way too special for her to risk losing him again just because her hormones started bouncing wildly around him. Or her body took him as the green signal to go horny.

Diana felt terrified just at the thought of the regret she would be slapped with if their friendship ended again before it had even properly started.

So, she had come to this conclusion.

Stay away from Maxim Warner. It will pass and everything will be back to normal.

Out of sight, out of mind.

Instead of letting his face send the wrong signal to her brain and uhm... to other parts of her body, she needed to calm down first.

Yes, that’s it!

And hence, sticking to her determination, Diana was a complete professional at work on the consequent days.

Even when Maxim showed up at her place every morning, she only lost her composure on the first day when she asked him what he was doing there. He told her it was on his way which was a lie because this place fell on the complete opposite way to Ryle’s mansion.

...

A/N: So far, there has been no response from NovelFire service regarding the mood board comment that disappeared (to think that they claimed they will sort the issue with a week or so) and I think it’s pointless to expect a solution so I will be posting the moodboard on my IG tomorrow-@auroraboooks~ Be there for Daddy Max ahem ;)