Olivia Sparks

"Oh, these are my gal pals, Olivia and Ava," Emily finally introduced the sisters-in-law when she heard Ava clearing her throat. "Olivia here is Aila's patient."

"Hi," Dylan Chu greeted and briefly glanced at the Lin ladies. "You're in good hands," he said flatly as if he forced the words to roll out of his tongue. Rumor has it that the Zhang Family were divided; each family member fighting for a piece of a pie in Zhang Hospital.

If Dylan Chu was a Zhang and not a Chu, he could be sitting on the coveted Chairman post because his mother was, in fact, the eldest Zhang and was the former Chairwoman until she had to retire and pass the baton to her younger brother who was Aila Zhang's father, because only a Zhang could rule Zhang Hospital, nobody else.

Even if Dylan sounded borderline hostile as he spoke about his cousin, those who were privy with the Zhang Family knew that the cousins, Aila and Dylan, were the closest in the bunch, so what sounded like a random compliment to others was, in fact, Dylan praising his cousin.

"Thanks." Olivia did not extend the conversation. It was pretty obvious that the doctor wasn't keen on engaging with small talk. The beeping from her phone alerted her, so she poured her attention to it, reading every word in the email that Secretary Gail sent her.

Ava and Emily exchanged nervous smiles, their heads snapped left and right to check Olivia and Dylan who were busy with their own business. Tilting her body slightly closer to Emily, Ava whispered, "Maybe they don't really like talking."

Emily shrugged. "Where do you want to eat for lunch? I can have food delivered in Livi's room," she asked.

"I can't. I have to leave after this. I'm still on the hunt for Finn's school because Ollie didn't want to enroll him in the same school that you guys attended."

"Makes sense. I won't send my child to that school too. The teachers there are horrible."

Ava and Emily chatted to keep themselves busy.

Across the wooden desk, what looked as if Dylan Chu was uninterested with chatting, was in fact him focusing on something that crossed his mind. He had to take note of it lest he forgets about it, so he jotted it down before the passing thought would drift away, typing as fast as he could.

A minute passed. Dylan Chu exhaled, pushing his eyeglasses up back in place. His slight movement alerted the ladies that he was still breathing and didn't turn into a rock with how silent he was.

Smiling at him, Emily listened as he spoke.

"Just to err on the side of caution, I ordered for an ultrasound exam—the least invasive test out of the rest. What else? Lumps naturally come and go especially when your hormones are on high or very low, but it's good that you had it checked at the first sign that you felt it. Let me print this for you."

Soon, a soft knock echoed from the door, and in came Jade Hao with papers in hand.

"Let's go." Dylan Chu stood up, peeling off his white coat. "I'll walk you to the ultrasound laboratory."

Eh? Jade Hao's aching feet screeched into a halt. Did she just hear her boss correctly? She didn't want to raise the question in her head, and lucky for her, Emily did the questioning in her stead.

"That's nice of you, Dylan. But don't you have patients scheduled for later? We don't want to bother you. That's all."

Taking the papers from Jade Hao's waiting hands, Dylan responded, "My apprentice should be here any minute now. He could fill in for me."

To Jade Hao's shock, her knees buckled hearing her boss speak a full sentence. A FULL SENTENCE. 

In her five years of working under Dylan Chu, the man everyone called Mr. Orange because you have to squeeze him to get him to speak, it was her first time hearing him casually talk and carry out a conversation like a normal person and not some random thick medical book who only knows how to speak in medical vocabulary.

"Thank god," Emily sighed in relief, her hand flying to her c.h.e.s.t. "My friend Ava had to leave and Livi darling had to go back to her room too, so I have really had no company. Well, I have you now, don't I?"

Crossing his arms over his c.h.e.s.t, Dylan then pushed his eyeglasses up. "If you don't mind my company, then yes."

"Let's go before you change your mind." Emily yanked Dylan, who smiled as he shook his head. He held the door open, letting Emily pass. The two walked outside leaving three dumbfounded souls inside.

Did Emily and Dylan just leave them behind?

Shifting her gaze to the nurse beside her, Ava probed, "Is there anything that we should be worried about Dylan?"

Jade Hao mirrored that puzzled expression painted on Ava's face. "Yeah. I think… I think that man is an imposter."

Olivia scoffed, leaving the two behind, pushing the button on her wheelchair. "Had to go. Husband's cranky. See you, Ava."

"Bye," Ava waved her hand but her focus was on the nurse. She grasped Jade Hao's hand and dragged her back inside the office. She didn't want to get ahead of herself, but her instincts were tinkling at the strange dynamics between Emily and Dylan. 

The two just met but were acting as if they had known each other for years, acting chummy and all that. She knew Emily was not ready to enter another relationship yet, but what are the chances of a whirlwind romance, right?

"Tell me more about your boss. Is he gay?" 

"What? No! Of course not. He didn't smell like one. Ha-ha!" Jade nervously laughed, tugging her ear. "Sorry, Madam Lin, but I have to leave. There's a long queue outside," Jade Hao apologized, standing up and bowing. She scrammed outside of the office with Ava hot on her trail.

...

While some heads followed, some opted to stealthily sneak glances on the entourage that was walking along the hospital's corridors. 

The group obviously did not want to attract any attention to them, but they were hard not to miss.

Right before everyone's eyes were three goddesses that graced the earth, walking with their chins held high, yet not a hint of arrogance could be felt with the way they carried themselves.

The gal pals—Ava, Emily, and Olivia—arrived in the lobby of Zhang Hospital, parting ways for the day. They exchanged hugs and smiles, uttering words of encouragement to Emily.

On the left-wing of the hospital, a doctor waved his hand in the air. "Chief!" he called out.

Dylan Chu nodded in the doctor's direction, holding his index finger up in acknowledgment. He was watching Emily send off her gal pals. Olivia Lin was long gone, but her friend Ava Lin fought back as Emily shoved her inside the waiting car.

"What's wrong with you? Why won't you leave?" Emily exasperated, stomping her feet.

Ever the mother hen, Ava squinted her beady eyes. "I'll hit you up after my meeting. We can have lunch together."

"WHHHHHHY? Why, Ava?"

"Because…" Ava paused. She assessed the situation, wondering if it's too early for her to be speaking of such words. "I don't want you to get hurt. He seems like a nice guy but isn't it a tad bit early to entertain another man in your life?"

"What are you spouting? Gosh, Madam Lin. You're so stressed with your nursery school hunting, you're venting out your mama hormones on me." Emily crossed her arms on her c.h.e.s.t, chuckling at Ava. 

Emily couldn't blame Ava if she was a bit apprehensive with all the men that she would come across from now on and she knew nothing could stop Ava from saying what's on her mind. The woman might be raised as a princess, but she was trained to have a keen eye for detail just like every other woman in their circle.

"We're just comfortable in each other's presence. Just so you forgot, we just met him an hour ago."

Ava pursed her lips into a thin line. Checking the time on her wristwatch, she let the matter go, forcing herself to go inside the waiting car. And as the car drove away, she watched Emily walk giddily back inside the lobby. 

Thinking back to Emily and Dylan's interactions that morning, Ava sighed. The two were picture-perfect together, and their rapport was so natural, one would think they have known each other for a long time. 

Ava sighed. She thought the scars on Emily's heart ran deep. Although the prospect of Emily moving on excited Ava for she wanted nothing but happiness for her friend, she didn't want Emily to jump into another relationship so quickly, because if there was one thing she knew best about Emily, it would be when she fell in love, she fell hard.