Chapter 2
Chapter 2: Veiled Criticism
“If you still have a cold, rest well. I will help you ask Director Fred at the hospital for a leave of absence.“@
“No need, thank you! I’m fine.“@
Emma avoided his gaze because, those beautiful, seductive eyes had once lost her.
Rejecting the thin blanket, she revealed a sexy strapless nightgown. This piece had been given to her by her former classmate and best friend, who claimed that wearing it, would arouse the interest of her husband, Luc. Indeed, the dress succeeded in bewitching her on several occasions.”
She used to wear nightdresses with pretty cartoon images on them until Lisa Miller, her friend, made fun for being old–fashioned. Lisa warned that if she didn’t learn to dress, her husband would be seduced by other women.
Not that she didn’t know how to dress up, it was that she preferred younger and livelier clothes while Lisa chose more mature, sexier clothes for her.
According to Lisa, beauty is worthless in the face of elegance.
Indeed, Lisa had a gift for choosing clothes. The nightgown highlighted her sexy clavicles and charming swan neck. Her slender legs were also highlighted. Unbeknownst to her, Luc was hypnotized, his gaze roaming over her figure.
She slipped on her slippers, went into the bathroom to freshen up, and then made her way to the hospital.≫
Once she closed the bathroom door, Luc’s fingers twitched slightly. Was she a bit different today?”
Luc didn’t dwell on it. He just drove to the hospital. He didn’t like having extra people in his car. His family had worried about him driving alone and arranged for him to have a personal driver but he had refused.
So, he didn’t want Emma to join him on his drives to the hospital. Previously, she had not minded, as she always took the metro or a bus to work.”
As a young doctor, she didn’t have her own office. A glance at her watch confirmed that she had enough time for breakfast on the way. She bought a cup of milk and a sweet cake.
She didn’t like sweet cakes, but she’d changed her spicy diet because Luc liked sweets. After taking a few bites, she threw the cake into the trash can. She believed she should stay true to herself. Why change for someone who doesn’t love her? Why make concessions for others??
Having changed so much that she couldn’t recognize herself anymore, did she still have the right to love others? Could others still love her??
From that moment, she wanted to be herself again. She no longer wanted to grovel and please anyone. She is herself!
The carefree, the real me!>
…
Upon arriving at the hospital, she put on her white lab coat, tied her hair into a ponytail, changed into flats, and walked into the doctor’s office.
Upon entering the office, she heard Nurse Mia Drake and Janice Wood whispering to each other: “Doctor Janice, why are some people so unbelievably lucky?“%
“Mia, just focus on your work. Everyone’s fate is different, just accept it.“@
“Doctor Janice, but I just can’t stand it. What do I lack compared to her? Why did Doctor Luc choose to marry her?“>
“Maybe others aren’t as innocent and harmless as they appear to be? Maybe that’s what Doctor Luc prefers?”
“Shh, she’s here, stop talking now,” Mia became flustered when she saw Emma coming in. She quickly shot a glance at Janice, signaling her to be quiet.
Emma looked at Mia and Janice, a faint smile on her lips, “Nurse Mia, I know you like my husband. You can confess to him. As long as he accepts you, you can have my place as Mrs. Luc.”
“Doctor Emma, no, I didn’t mean anything. I was just joking with Doctor Janice.”
Mia looked embarrassed, forcing a smile. However, her heart felt as if it had been struck. She slipped behind Janice, her face pale.
What’s wrong with this woman today? Usually, she turns a deaf ear to all the gossip about her. Why is she acting so different today?!
Emma turned her cold gaze to Janice:
“Doctor Janice, you’re right, my husband loves my innocent nature. He despises gossipy women who stir up trouble!“}
“You…“%
Enraged, Janice’s complexion darkened, and she retorted scornfully, “Emma, what makes you so arrogant? Even if you have made it to his bed and the doorstep of the Taylor family, do they accept you?“>
Emma usually doesn’t bother arguing, as she’s afraid of causing any negative impact on Luc in the hospital. “But now that she’s decided to leave, why should she tolerate
such devious individuals?”
Emma nonchalantly threw out a phrase, which rendered Janice’s face so red her expressions seemed distorted.
“Why did you try to crawl onto his bed but got kicked off instead?“{
Before, when she heard their behind–the–scenes mockery, she pretended not to hear. As a doctor with basic dignity, she wouldn’t stoop to such pettiness.
But some people take your leniency for granted, returning your peace–keeping efforts not with respect, but with entitlement. So, why should she continue to forbear??
Janice, who was usually quiet and passive, never thought she would choose to fight back, even rendering her speechless. She groped for more words to counter, “What… what nonsense are you talking about?”
Again, Emma replied unaffectedly, “Heh, I thought you were resentful because you tried to crawl onto my husband’s bed and were kicked off. So, did you take out your anger on his wife? In the past, I tolerated you just to avoid trouble, not because I was afraid of you!
Emma’s icy and piercing gaze made Janice shrink back, avoiding her chilling stare.
Seeing Emma behaving unusually, Mia quickly pulled Janice to check on the patients before everyone in the office arrived. “Doctor Janice, calm down and stop arguing. Others will arrive soon. It won’t be good if they hear more unpleasant words from her.
16.28
Janice was brought back to reality by Mia’s words. After leaving the office, she expressed her resentment, “What does she have to be proud of? She has to squeeze onto the subway and bus just to come to the hospital.” Even Doctor Luc refuses to give her a ride to work. It’s obvious how much he dislikes her, huh!“>
Emma didn’t respond to Janice’s words. “Both of them were doctors who started at the same time and shared an office, but she disliked keeping company with such people. She calmly checked her badge, straightened her appearance, and looked at her reflection in the mirror. At 26 years old, it wasn’t too late, was it?“>
…S
It was 13:40. Luc had just finished his operation, taken off his surgical suit, and after washing up, donned his white robe and returned to the surgical office.
Typically, at this time, Emma would leave her lunchbox on his desk. But now, his desk was empty, with no food box in sight. His eyebrows furrowed as he glanced at the time and asked his assistant, “Beneth Cooper, did no one come today?”
Beneth, who was also known as Beneth Young, his assistant, looked puzzled. “Dr. Luc, you had surgery this morning, everyone knew that, so no one came looking for you.“@ “How could that be?” Wondered Luc. Didn’t Emma always keep track of his operation schedule very precisely?!
On the days when he had surgeries, she always prepared his lunch and left it in a thermos box at a specific spot. Why wasn’t it there today? He hesitated, wondering whether he should give her a call to find out.
