Crashing into an Old Flame
Chapter 134: A date

Chapter 134: A date

’’I see,’’ Maxim replied without looking at her.

’’I should have told you earlier...’’ she licked her bottom lips as she turned her full attention to him.

He tilted his head to look at her when she said that. If he had to be honest, he had pretty much guessed that they must be familiar with each other. Even if Diana passed the interview, the old man would not treat her that exceptionally if she was a stranger.

But it was another thing that she was feeling that guilty over not telling him about it. The corner of his lips tugged up slightly.

Diana was flustered when she saw his teasing smirk. This cocky man... Why was she even explaining?

Unbeknownst to them? Old Master Qin and Hazel exchanged amused gazes when they saw their interaction.

’’It’s fine,’’ Maxim responded to her.

Diana pouted.

’’This child...?" Old Master Qin looked at Angel before his scanning gaze shifted to Diana.

Diana blinked, ’’She is Daisy’s," she could pretty much guess what he was thinking.

Angel’s blonde hair held a striking resemblance to her so it was easy to mistake their relationship.

’’Ah, yes yes, your father had invited me to your sister’s wedding. A pity that I was busy here so I was unable to attend it,’’ The old man stroked his chin.

’’Daisy got married?" Hazel gasped.

’’Coming to think of it, that child got married a few months ago, right? It hasn’t even been 3 months, I guess...’’ the old man’s contemplative gaze fell on Angel once again as he trailed off.

Diana frowned slightly, a hint of protectiveness surging inside her.

Will Angel’s background always be questioned like that?

It was still fine now because Angel was too young to understand anything but when she grew up, will she be affected by what people said about her or her parents? Like every normal child, she would be...

’’She is special.’’

Diana tilted her head to look at Maxim who spoke up and both Old Master Qin and Hazel took the cue that it was a sensitive matter.

Diana spoke up, ’’Daisy called off the wedding.’’

’’That child...’’ Hazel seemed concerned but she did not probe anymore.

’’Oh, who was that boy sitting there just now?" Old Master Qin turned around.

Diana looked at the place where Logan was sitting earlier but that man was gone.

’’A friend,’’ Maxim answered briefly but his eyes also seemed to be looking for the man who had suddenly disappeared.

...

The lunch started peacefully with Hazel and Old Master Qin making small talk while Diana held Angel, the girl was not as peaceful as she was with Maxim earlier so she had to keep rocking her on her lap, all the while as she avoided Maxim’s gaze from across the table.

She tried to pay attention to their conversation and when nothing caught her attention, she looked at the old man, ’’Grandpa Qin, I have wanted to ask this question for a long time,’’ As he looked and prompted her to continue, she asked, ’’Why did you settle here?"

As far as she knew, the Qin Family had businesses across the world which were handled by Master Qin, the old man’s son.

It wasn’t surprising for them to have a large hospital here in the States given that they have always been investing in the medical field.

But it was surprising that a person like Old Master Qin had forgotten his roots and settled in the US without qualms.

’’I still go back and forth when my son pesters me,’’ The old man laughed, ’’But the reason I have settled here is that I still have a family in this place...’’

Diana was frozen in her seat when the word left his mouth.

Because the moment he uttered the term ’family’, the old man had inadvertently gazed at Maxim.

The fork in her hand dropped with a ’clang’ and Angel turned unsettled again.

Maxim, who was eating, lifted his gaze to look at her, ’’Let me hold her.’’

He was almost about to stand up when she composed herself and shook her head worriedly, ’’No...’’

’’What happened, Little Ana? Are you fine?" Hazel looked at her in concern.

Diana forced a smile on her face as she nodded before she looked at Old Master Qin, ’’A family here?" she asked him in a calm tone even when her heart was beating rapidly.

Did she see it wrong earlier? Why would Grandpa Qin look at Maxim when he mentioned family?

Just as the old man opened his mouth to speak, Hazel spoke up first, ’’Uncle has a grandson here, sweetie pie, don’t you know? He is a doctor in the Artemis Hospital too.’’

’’Oh...’’ Diana recalled what Mary had told her yesterday and she nodded.

Probably she was hypersensitive earlier.

Even if... Maxim seemed to be around his grandson’s age...

No.

She shook her head mentally.

It was a ridiculous conjecture.

After lunch, Hazel and Old Master Qin started playing chess under the latter’s persistence while Diana fed Angel on the couch.

After feeding her, she was about to clean her up when Maxim came to help her after another long phone call.

And the liar had the audacity to take a day off, pretending to be free, ’’You have been taking phone calls all day. You sure you are still idle?" she asked as she grabbed another dress from the basket and put it on Angel.

When the girl refused to put her hand in her sleeve, Maxim handled it effortlessly as he helped her small hands inside the sleeves, ’’No emergency yet. So far, it’s fine,’’ he said near her ear.

She placed her hand on his chest and pushed him away lightly, her face turning warm, ’’What are you doing?" she sneaked a glance at both the ’chess players’ who were already looking at them with meaningful smiles for god knows what.

And when they noticed her gaze, both of them even winked at her at the same time before turning their attention back to the chessboard.

’’I was checking,’’ he said, once again approaching her.

Her grasp on his chest seemed to have turned weak as her wrist slowly glided down, ’’Checking what?’’ her eyes fluttered close when he stopped inches away from her lips.

Unbeknownst to her, Maxim’s eyes twinkled slightly as he took Angel from her arms, ’’Checking if you were done feeding her so that I can steal her from you. She seemed to be bored in your presence.’’

Diana’s eyes snapped open in disbelief, ’’You... Who are you calling boring, Warner?"

’’Whoever is raging right now,’’ Maxim shrugged a shoulder.

Diana was about to lunge at him and throw a few punches on that gorgeous-as-hell face of his but Angel giggled in sync with him, as if she was agreeing with him.

Diana slumped back on the couch, feeling like her world had fallen.

Betrayal was painful. She looked at both of them grievously, ’’Stay away from me then. You both,’’ she sobbed tearlessly as she looked at Angel, ’’You, ask him to feed you or cajole you from now on. I ain’t doing that after such behavior.’’

God knows why but the little girl giggled even harder.

"_" Diana wanted to dig a hole and sleep inside it for a few days to ignore these people. They were testing her kindness.

In the end, Diana stood up and ignored them as she went to see the chess game.

Old Master’s Qin phone started ringing at that moment, breaking the ambiance of the quiet living room filled with the noises that Angel made.

Before the old man answered the call, Diana accidentally caught sight of the caller ID ’Hare-brained grandson’.

The corner of her lips twitched.

The old man excused himself to talk and by the time he came back, he seemed infuriated, ’’I need to go back to the hospital.’’

Hazel’s brow rose, ’’You are not going to demand to play chess later.’’

Diana could not help but notice how much Hazel sounded like a daughter as she talked to him. That must be the reason why Old Master Qin seemed to have referred to them as a family earlier.

’’Why not?" the old man made a face.

’’You keep being stubborn about chess all the time. Now that I put my shopping on pause for you, you are leaving mid-way.’’

Old Master Qin massaged his brows, ’’My unfamilial grandson suddenly wants to go on a Hawaii trip for 3 months with three girls.’’

Hazel was stunned before she burst out in laughter, ’’Alex always sounds like a character to me,’’ she sighed before standing up, ’’I get it that you have work but I have a date later so I can’t accompany you all,’’ she looked at everyone, her gaze pausing at her ’slow as a snail’ son for longer.

’’A date?" Everyone asked at the same time.

Hazel nodded.

Maxim pushed himself to his feet as he strode towards her, ’’You didn’t inform me about it.’’

Hazel frowned, ’’Why would I inform you about it? Stop being nosy about my private life and get yourself one.’’

Maxim passed Angel to Diana who took the girl quietly when she noticed the frustrated look on his face, ’’Where did you meet this man again?"

...

Support this book with powerstones, reviews, and golden tickets. If you like these characters so far, then drop a review and rate this book <3

Also, Diana’s moodboard is coming soon. For those who have missed the announcement, I have already posted Maxim’s moodboard on my IG—@auroraboooks. Check it out~