Olivia Sparks

As the cousins, Aila Zhang and Dylan Chu, landed on the third-floor fire exit door, the latter held the door open for his cousin. 

The two climbed up the flight of stairs in silence that was why when their eyes briefly met as Aila Zhang walked past Dylan, she advised, "Just ignore Axel next time. You know him better than anyone else. He's a troll and loves pushing people's buttons. If you retaliate, he'll just think he had the upper hand between you two."

"Not my fault if he has a bigger d.i.c.k than his head," Dylan Chu responded, his gaze straight on the hallway with one hand dipped in his pocket.

Aila Zhang chuckled, imagining her little brother as a walking d.i.c.k. She wouldn't lie, the image was a perfect representation of Axel. "I won't argue with you on that," she mused. 

Stopping two doors away from the Oncology Department's entrance, Aila Zhang questioned, "So, should I expect you on that board meeting? You rarely show your face to the other members. It might send signals that there's trouble in Zhang Paradise."

"There really is actually." Dylan pushed his eyeglasses up. He didn't know if it was the right time to discuss the matter with Aila given that they were also in the hallway, and anyone could hear them. However, Aila pouted and nodded her head, urging him to speak. "I heard some concerns from other patients about the billing department which I'd love to raise."

"Maybe I should start mingling with patients. News like that doesn't reach my ears." Aila frowned. This was the reason why Dylan was helpful to her in managing Zhang Hospital. He served as her eyes and ears in the bottom, while she tried to leash the vultures on top of the food chain.

"Well, if you want to offer pro bono consultations for my patients, then you're always welcome to share office space in my clinic."

"Pfft! Then what about the loophole you mentioned earlier?" Aila asked.

"The loophole was a bluff. Have you seen his face? So satisfying." Dylan snorted.

"You don't have to talk in circles with me because we both know that was not a bluff, and you just wanted to get back at Axel for talking shit about Emily. Let it go. Trust me, it was painful for her to drop the charges. Bringing it up again might open a fresh wound that she's doing her best to heal. I know you're a good guy, and your intentions are pure, but there are things that we can't control."

Dylan schooled his features as he regarded Aila Zhang. She was older than him by three years, yet her wisdom belonged to a centennial tree. "If he behaves at the next meeting, then I might reconsider… or I can bring the topic up and if Emily says she wanted revenge, then so be it."

"Do you like her?" Aila Zhang raised a single brow on Dylan. Her face was painted with a look of suspicion as she waited for her cousin to respond. To her surprise, Dylan didn't even blink as he confirmed his answer.

"I do like her. She's a nice girl and easy to talk with too," Dylan replied, the words casually rolling out of his tongue as if he was talking about the weather.

"Pfft! That's not what I meant, silly. Like as in I-want-to-date-her like," she whispered, tipping her toes to match his tall frame.

"You and I both know that we don't have time for dating," Dylan deadpanned, leaving Aila scoffing in the hallway.

"Hey, I do have time for that so… If you don't like to date her, maybe I should take my chances and ask her out. What do you think?" Aila Zhang winked at Dylan, walking ahead of him inside the Oncology Department. 

As her words slowly registered on him, Dylan Chu dragged his gaze to Aila Zhang's leaving back. This time, it was his turn to catch up with his cousin. 

"Hey, Aila!" His booming voice startled everyone in the clinic. Never had they heard him raise his voice. The spectators wanted to peel their eyes away from him but he was too mysterious, they couldn't help but stare at him. 

Dylan Chu felt his skin sear at the number of stare that he earned from his outburst, but he shrugged it off and clarified, "I said I don't have time. It doesn't translate to I don't like her."

"Tch! Trust me, Dylan. You have plenty of time in your hands. You just didn't like sparing some to other matters." Aila Zhang beeped her keycard and the door opened. She tilted her head to the side when she didn't see a shadow of Emily. "Where's Emily?" she asked the napping Arthur by the couch.

"She left," Arthur replied, his eyes were still shut while his feet were propped on the couch's armrest. "She left money for the food though. Said Something urgent came up that she had to leave." He swung his feet off the armrest, sitting properly this time. "I heard her mention of a gallery burning."

"Mmmm," Dylan replied, waking up Arthur from his sleepy state. Now that's the Dylan he knew.

While the three were eating, Dylan was silent the entire time. His mind wandered off elsewhere, specifically, Emily's number which he was, unfortunately, unable to ask. 

Although he could use the number she provided in the information sheet she signed up that morning, he didn't want to invade her privacy and offend her by hitting her up especially since he didn't properly ask for her number.

He pushed his eyeglasses up and crossed his arms over his c.h.e.s.t, in deep thought over a probable and logical reason for him to be asking her number but couldn't find any.

So he got up from his seat, walking over to his desk. He pulled up Emily's file and skimmed it, looking for something that needed medical attention but couldn't found one.

"What's with the long face, Dylan?" Aila probed, her brows knitted in worry. 

Yes, Dylan would smile from time to time, but it was so brief, one would think if it was just an illusion. All these years, Dylan Chu wore an eternal straight face. 

Happy or sad, he would mask his emotions, if he has one. Honestly, Aila Zhang wasn't so sure herself. The last time she saw worry paint Dylan's face was when his mother was diagnosed with b.r.e.a.s.t cancer. 

"Nothing," Dylan replied, typing and saving Emily's number in his phone. He knew he shouldn't but he still did… just in case.

Meanwhile, down in Cultural Center, Emily was shaken to tears. Right before her tear-filled eyes were the sole room in the building that was burnt to black. She should be thankful it was just one room that was sacrificed, but what brought her to tears was the fact that Xandra's Madonna painting was inside which was brought to smithereens.

"Maxen," she mumbled. She had to tell Maxen what happened. Maybe he could help her find what or who caused the fire. It seemed unusual that a fire broke out in a random room. It was as if the place was targeted for some reason.

Her hand shook as she reached for her phone in her purse, frowning when she couldn't find it.

"What?" she uttered as she stretched her purse open, almost breaking down when she couldn't find it. It dawned on her that she used the bathroom before rushing out of the hospital. "Maybe I should check my charts tomorrow before heading out," she uttered, stomping out of the room to find her secretary.

Relief flooded her upon seeing her secretary in the lobby speaking with the police. She dialed her number a few times but the phone was just ringing, so she googled the Oncology Department's contact number.

"Hi, good afternoon. This is Emily Tay, I was there this morning. May I speak with the chief? I left something important in his office," Emily explained as soon as her call got connected.

Her call was then connected to Jade Hao. Emily paused for a second, thinking if she should bother the nurse to look for her phone but she knew ladies could get nosy at times and she didn't want Jade to find her phone especially since she didn't set up a password for it.

Call her lazy, but Emily gave up with setting up codes for her phone as her memory wasn't reliable, thus, she would end up forgetting things most of the time.

"Ms. Emily, how can I help you?"

"Oh, I need to talk with the chief."

"Sure, let me put you through."

A sound beeping notified Emily that the call was transferred to Dylan's office.

"Dylan…"

"Hey? Am I bothering you? Are you seeing a patient right now?"

"No, why?" He lifted his index finger, pressing it to his lips, shushing the arguing parrots named Aila and Arthur in front of him.

"Great. Uh... Would you mind dialing my cellphone number and check if you hear something inside?"

Dylan Chu smiled and creeped the heck out of Aila and Arthur who was staring at him.

"Sure, what's your number… If you don't mind?"