Crashing into an Old Flame
Chapter 72: Morphine

Chapter 72: Morphine

Maxim took a step towards her and lowered his body to her height.

Diana’s back unconsciously pressed against the door to the Director’s room when he placed his hands on either side of her body on the door.

’’I don’t make empty threats, Diana,’’ he spoke in the shell of her ear, probably so that nobody could eavesdrop on them.

But Diana’s toes squirmed in her heels like they were prawns tossed on a frying pan.

He pulled back, ’’You want to socialize here or be carried inside?" he asked, looking into her eyes.

Diana bit the inside of her cheeks, ’’Lead the way,’’ she said so arrogantly and stormed off as if she owned the whole hospital.

It was the only thing she could pull off to hide her embarrassment. Act like a bitch. She did not know a more effective method.

But her bitchy antics failed when she remembered that he was the one who was supposed to ’lead the way’ because apparently, she had no idea where his office was.

Her footsteps slowed down and the snarky expressions on her face turned into awkwardness as she turned around to look at the man who had yet to take a step away from the Director’s office.

The corner of his lips tugged up ever so slightly that one could have missed it. He walked past her, waving his finger in a come-hither motion, ’’Follow me.’’

And Diana could feel the smugness oozing from the back of his head as she followed him while burning a hole in the back of his head.

He was no longer her poor, innocent sheep from the past. This fox... What was she even thinking when she proposed for friendship?

Hmph, she must have hit her head somewhere.

On the way to Maxim’s office, Diana could feel everyone’s gazes on her. Some probing gazes, some judgmental ones, some gossipy eyes, and some just purely curious.

Maxim could go ahead and say that he was not popular and she would say that she found a baby dragon in the supermarket.

The gooey eyes that Maxim got from the hospital staff made two words flash in her mind in bold neon letters.

’Hospital Heartthrob’

And even if she tried to dodge their stares, she could not avoid the feeling of their burning gazes on herself.

She felt like a specimen put under the microscope for observation.

And it made her uncomfortable to some extent.

But regardless of that, she kept her back straight and followed Maxim like a professional, not betraying a single emotion.

There were very rare times when she and her mother were on the same page.

The woman always said, ’The more pathetic you feel, the better dressed you should be. The sadder you are, the brighter you should smile. And never let anyone see through the facade of confidence you put.’

It might not be the right thing to bottle up emotions but Diana felt a sense of security knowing that she had not stripped herself bare for anyone to dissect her pain or judge her scars. It was her own defense mechanism.

So she stuck to those words and always masked her emotions from outsiders.

Her gaze landed on Maxim’s back.

Just that her emotions spiraled sometimes. Around certain people.

She cleared her throat, ’’What exactly do you want to say?" even though she asked him normally but her face looked professional.

If anyone saw them talking, they would feel like they were discussing work matters.

Maxim did not say anything.

He opened the door to his office.

Diana stepped inside without hesitation, taking in the sight of the minimalistic interior and the dark walls. It was a beautiful place but it felt cold just like the exterior that Maxim maintained.

’’Why would you agree to it?" Maxim asked.

’’Agree to what?" she turned to look at him in confusion, ’’The job...?"

When his lips thinned, she blinked.

’’I needed a job. Ivy said she will take care of Angel and while I felt quite reluctant initially but there is no one other than Ivy I could trust Angel with,’’ Diana said as she stepped towards the desk, her heels clicking against the floor with every step she took.

She glanced at his nameplate.

’’Why here?" Maxim asked.

She tilted her head, ’’Why not? I don’t mind new experiences,’’ she shrugged.

’’This is not the right place for you,’’ Maxim tucked a hand in his pocket as he continued, ’’This is not the place for novel experiences nor is it a playground. You should resign.’’

Diana frowned. His voice sounded almost panicking. He was speaking every word calmly but she could feel a hint of panic in his tone.

Was he that reluctant to let her stay within his sight? The friendship truce and all that... did he agree to do it out of pity when in reality, he could not tolerate her at all?

A playground?

Diana agreed that her way of doing things was different. She did not choose conventional paths nor did she follow one career route.

She was always interested in learning new things. Even though she did not master everything she tried but she was decent at everything she did.

Medical school was one of those things. She found it hard initially but once she blended in and steeled herself, she gave it her all.

During their university days, Maxim was there to ease her discomfort in practical classes because she was not good at them but in medical school, she was all by herself.

She would fall sick most of the time because of stress and anxiety before the tests or practicals.

Diana still remembered that day when she fainted in the lab during practical.

When she woke up, she was told that she was suspended.

Why? They found pills in her bag. They said that she was addicted to morphine.

But those were just cold medicines she took. She had requested them to recheck but as it turned out, those pills were really morphine.

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