Olivia Sparks

Spacing out the entire time, Olivia just kept on nodding to whatever the surgeon was saying. 

Eli said she's great in her field anyway, so she didn't need to worry about the possibility of a butchered nose job.

"What's your name again? I'm bad with names." Olivia briefly glanced at her to ask, touching her forehead when she felt it throb from too much thinking. 

"I'm Camilla. Dr. Camilla Yu, Head Plastic Surgeon. My husband is a surgeon too but he works in Zhang Hospital." She lifted her hand, about to show off her ring as proof. 

"Ooof. Right here," she said, wearing two rings in her finger. "Occupational disease. I remove it every time I wash my hands."

Olivia smiled at her, drumming her fingers on her l.a.p. Relief flooded her as the smiling doctor seemed cordial—her smile was warm, and her overall aura was friendly. Maybe… Eli was really… really right.

"I wanted to fix your nose ASAP but I have a seminar out of the country later this week so my earliest would beee… next week Wednesday? How's that day?"

"I can clear my schedule for Wednesday."

"Great. Oh, and here are the details about the surgery plus the before, during, and aftercare. I printed you two copies, one extra to share with someone staying with you."

A soft knock on the door made Olivia's heart skip a beat, her fingers scrunching her skirt as her head snapped towards the door's direction.

"Just a second, okay? I need to save her appointment then we're good," Camilla Yu uttered, her eyes focused on her laptop.

"Got it," Axel replied with his back facing Olivia and Camilla as he stood before a glass-encased shelf but quickly pivoted on his heel when he realized who was in the room.

"Oh, Ms. Lin is here," the gentleman exclaimed as soon as he popped his head in. "I hope you don't mind. I'm here to pick up my... wife," he said, stepping inside the room.

"No, it's ok. We're done with our business, anyway." Olivia smiled at the gentleman.

Walking towards her seat, he extended his hand, offering a handshake that Olivia accepted. "Axel Zhang. I'm Aila Zhang's brother." 

"Nice to meet you. I heard you're the adjudicator for the dismissal case my friend submitted to the board."

C.o.c.king a brow, surprise was written on Axel's face. He didn't know Olivia knew the identity of Patient X. "It's under deliberation since it's a very s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e topic, especially after finding out she's related to a senator."

S.u.c.k.i.n.g in a breath, Olivia's shoulders rose, slowly dropping as she exhaled. "Well, I guess it's better if we leave the judgement to the courts then. I'm sure they'll give us better results. We just wanted to cut her ties with the Zhang Hospital but it seems the board wanted her license revoked."

Another bluff. Emily didn't just want for the resident to cut ties with the hospital, she wanted the latter's license revoked too.

At first, all she wanted was to move on from the memory of that day. She was hesitant to drag her family's precious name in the mud, especially with the fact that she contracted a disease. 

But when tea trolleys rolled out, whispering about Emily's predicament, she gave the resident a dose of her own medicine—a slow and painful career death. 

First, a dismissal from the prestigious Zhang Hospital, then as soon as the resident sets up her own clinic, feeling hopeful and positive that everything in her life would be better, Emily would then file for a civil case, taking her license, and stomping down on the former's dream that she worked hard for.

As they said, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." Especially when that woman was someone as sweet as Emily.

If there was an awkward silence in the room, it didn't show. Everyone was a professional in the art of High Society poker face. It was when Camilla Yu broke the tension, holding out a piece of paper.

"Here you go. I'll see you next week Wednesday morning." Camilla Yu passed the paper to Olivia who gladly accepted it with a smile on her face. "That's it. Let me walk you out, Ms. Lin." 

She stood up, gesturing towards the door to usher Olivia out of her private clinic. But their steps were halted when Axel opened his mouth, yet again.

"I saw Prince Maxen walking out of the clinic. Did he say hi?"

"No, he didn't."

"Maybe he's still harboring that little crush on you that's why he made an escape."

"Axel! Stop bringing up something that happened decades years ago." Glancing at Olivia, Camilla stated, "It's not a crush. We were a bunch of normal ten-year-olds that loved to tease each other."

"If that's what you say so." Wiggling his brows on Olivia, he added, "They said the reason he can't settle down was because she turned him down for a dance during our graduation ball. Ow! That hurts!" 

Camilla sneered at her husband before tracing Olivia's sight. She noticed Olivia staring down a class picture that was displayed on an eye-level shelf.

"That's our class photo. It's the first class that my husband and I were in. Oh, look, there's the 'Clover friends'." She air quoted.

Camilla Yu didn't need to point where, because in the sepia photo were a row of four students standing out amongst the sea of heads. They were the only ones with their arms slung on each other's shoulders, smiling brightly at the camera.

"Ollie looked exactly like Finn." A rueful smile painted Olivia's face. She tried to ignore the smiling blond beside Ollie but her eyes had a mind of its own, lingering on Maxen's face for a while. 

Tugging a corner of her lips in a forced smile, she glanced at Camilla. "I won't hold you out for too long. I have a performance to catch."

Axel Zhang stayed in Camilla Yu's office, that was why the long walk in the hallway was silent. While they were walking, Olivia was thinking of ways to say sorry to Maxen for letting her emotions get the best of her, yet again.

All of a sudden, Camilla Yu spoke, "I feel bad for Maxen that night and myself too."

Their eyes met briefly before Camilla continued to speak. "I repeatedly turned him down back then because we're still young and I was scared of the girls who might bully me. Sometimes I wondered... hypothetically… if I didn't, would things work out for us? Sorry. I shouldn't be talking with you about this." She cupped her nape, rubbing it when she realized she let out a big secret in the presence of a stranger.

Stopping by the door, Olivia turned to face her. Numbed at how to address the revelation, she said what her logic told her to say, painting a frown on Camilla's face. "I'm glad you turned him down." 

Olivia didn't bid goodbye and just left a stunned Camilla Yu by the threshold with Shadow shadowing her as she walked to her waiting car.

Getting inside with a face as blank as a canvass, Olivia sat as far away as possible from Maxen.

"How did it go?" Maxen probed.

"Good."

"Do you have your surgery scheduled?"

"Yes."

She felt him get vexed by all her one-word answers but she's not in the mood to talk to him. Not when she found someone whom he pursued decades ago.

A hand crept sideways on her back, hooking her by the h.i.p.s. "Baby," Maxen trailed off, burying his head on the crook of her neck. "What's wrong?"

"Didn't know you had a silly crush on Camilla Yu. You should have told me beforehand, so I should have found a different doctor instead."

"What?" Maxen's brows drew together.

"You even asked her for a dance." Olivia's mouth almost foamed in anger. She knew she shouldn't be angry, but the mention of the girls in Maxen's life riled her up more than she knew it should not be.

"I don't even remember asking her until you mentioned it. That's how irrelevant she was to me."

"Tell that to her. She's still regretting that she had to turn you down."

"Your fits of jealousy has to stop Olivia. It's not healthy for our relationship."

Olivia felt a stab in her heart when the tone in Maxen's words felt like knives slicing her c.h.e.s.t. She knew he was holding on to his anger but she's furious too, and there's no other way but to let him know what she truly felt.

"I won't be jealous if there's no woman from your past on every corner that I turn to."

"Do you know what won't make you jealous? If you trust me, but you don't, and I think you never will." Maxen forced a smile which Olivia had to ignore, looking away from him.

Pushing a button on his side of the console, Maxen spoke, "Dinner's cancelled, Uncle Jin. Let's head back to Rockaway."

At the backseat, the heavy atmosphere complemented the somber expressions on Maxen and Olivia's faces as they looked away from each other and out of the window.

It was supposed to be a special night since Maxen would be away for days for an overseas engagement.