The night was alive. Everyone was dancing to the music the DJ played in front. The mix of swirling lights and the smell of alcohol provided a sense of drunken stupor.
Diana would have enjoyed this scene, if only she belongs to the company the party’s celebrant is from.
Instead, she busied herself at the buffet table, negotiating with the caterer to prepare to-go boxes for her, planning her escape. The noise was deafening, irritating her mood more. A good thing that all of the rooms in this venue are sound-proof. The more formal diners were situated in the opposite hall, so as to avoid disturbing them.
“I’ll be back for it,” Diana said to one of the catering staff. The young man just nodded in understanding.
Diana slipped past the crowd and went to relieve herself in the bathroom outside of the rented venue.
She was still inside the cubicle when she heard voices enter the bathroom.
“I swear, Chantal, you and your sister are like night and day. We’re having so much fun at your party and there she was hogging the food like there’s no tomorrow.” said a girl in a sassy voice.
“For real~ as if she’s never seen desserts in her whole life.” another girl commented.
Someone chuckled.
A message alert sounded.
Just then Chantal’s voice was heard.
“Beatrice, Leah--we should head back inside. Henry is looking for me.” Chantal drawled.
“Oh my gosh. Your man just misses you even for a minute!” Beatrice exclaimed.
“That is so true. He just can’t get enough of you!” Leah said excitedly.
The trio left.
Diana struggled to get up from the toilet seat. Her leg was already having cramps after sitting on the toilet seat for a long time. She shook her leg a few times, bringing back the sensation.
She opened the cubicle’s door and washed her hands on the sink, looking at herself one last time in the mirror before leaving the bathroom.
She wanted to get the to-go boxes from the catering staff so she could leave already but as soon as she got out of the bathroom, she bumped into the trio again.
“Diana? You were inside just now?” Leah asked in surprise.
Diana suppressed her urge to roll her eyes.
She did not believe that they didn’t know she was inside when they dared to talk about her. After all, they have even talked harshly in her face before.
“Yup.” Diana mildly answered. “By the way Chantal, I’ve placed your present on the table along with the others in the room. Happy birthday. I enjoyed the event. Now I will excuse myself first, I still need to wake up early tomorrow. You guys enjoy the rest of the night.”
Chantal just nodded. She also wanted Diana to leave early.
Just then, Henry approached the trio before Diana was able to leave.
“Hey, babe.” Henry snaked his arms around Chantal’s waist. “I’ve been looking for you.”
The two girls screamed in delight.
Henry then noticed that Diana was there.
“Diana. You’re here?” he asked as if this is the last place she will ever be in.
Diana just nodded. “Have a good night.” She started to leave.
Meanwhile, in the opposite room, the businessmen have concluded their meeting and are standing outside of the room and saying their farewells.
Diana took the to-go boxes from the catering staff and thanked them, complimenting their work before leaving the room.
As she got out of the room, the trio and Henry saw her carrying to-go boxes.
“Oh wow. She really did take some to go.” Beatrice mocked. “Diana, are you sure you are from the Winchester Family?”
“Oh, I can give you some coupons from my family’s restaurant if you would like, Diana” Leah offered, pretending to be helpful.
At this, Chantal became embarrassed for having a sister that doesn’t act like a noble lady. In her fury, her mouth spewed insults.
“You know what, Diana. I think you just came here to act like a fool in front of everybody. If you have no self-respect then don’t pull me down with you!” Chantal exclaimed.
Diana raised her eyebrow.
She doesn’t really understand what is wrong with taking some food-to-go.
“Orrrr--is this a sign of your protest after Henry chose Chantal over you?” Beatrice smirked, seeming to hit a jackpot.
Diana’s eyes became cold. “Not at all. I came here for the food.”
“Excuses----as if anyone will believe that someone from the Winchester family could be so hung up on food. You’re just doing it to seek Henry’s attention.” Beatrice continued.
Just then, Diana noticed a man outside the opposite room. His attention was on his phone, his brows furrowed.
“And why do I need to do that?” Diana crossed her arms, challenging them to state their reasons.
“Obviously because you haven’t moved on from Henry yet. Wake up! Henry doesn’t like you at all.” Beatrice gritted her teeth.
Diana could never understand how Beatrice can get passionate about Chantal’s business.
“Like I said. I only came here for the food. And besides, I already have a boyfriend. Why would I need to think about other men?” Diana smirked.
At this, Henry’s attention perked up. He never thought Diana would be able to move on right away. Henry felt bitter. Diana has always been self-sufficient. It’s like even if she was left alone, she’d be able to move forward. He didn’t feel needed while they were together.
“You? A boyfriend? You must be joking!” Beatrice was incredulous.
Diana knew she’d need to prove her words soon. She walked towards the tall man on the phone and tugged his suit’s sleeve, mouthing the words “Help me.” The man nodded when he saw the beautiful lady with piercing eyes.
“Love. Did I make you wait?” Diana started her charade. She pulled the man’s arm close to her, hugging it. The to-go box dangling on her other hand.
The trio and Henry were surprised. But a part of them still does not believe that the man was really her boyfriend.
“Let’s go?” Diana said, pulling down the man’s necktie, his face close to hers, brushing her soft lips against his.
The man felt electricity on his lips where she touched. He snaked his arm around her waist, pulling her close. He lowered his head and looked into her eyes as if asking permission. Her lips curved in a smile. He took it as her approval. He went in for a kiss, deepening it, as she placed her hand on his shoulder pulling him close.
The trio and Henry could not believe their eyes. Especially Henry, he has never kissed Diana on the lips before. He has only kissed her on her cheek each time. He tried to be understanding before, thinking Diana is just being conservative.
But what is this? She’s kissing this man so wantonly.
Diana pulled away from the embrace.
She was surprised at her actions just now. She has never done something like that before. But just now, it felt so natural. She was in sync with the man.
The man she kissed just now chuckled. He took her hand and led her out of the building, ignoring the other people.
They have already reached the outside of the building. The man still held her hand absentmindedly. "Ahemm.." She cleared her throat and glanced at their hands. "Oh." The man let go of her hand regretfully. "Thanks for playing along." Diana offered a small smile. "Do I at least get to know your name?" The man inquired with a lopsided smile. Diana chuckled and offered her hand to shake. "Diana" "A pleasure to meet you, Diana, I'm Lucas." He shook her hand with his, flashing his pearly white teeth. "Pleasure is all mine," Diana replied, crinkling her nose. Lucas found the mannerism cute. "Who would have thought I would be someone's knight in shining armor." He grinned. "That's a stretch--" She snorted. 'This guy is easy to talk to.' Diana contemplated.
"Y-you..Where are you?!" Vanessa's voice was loud in the other line. She gritted her teeth. Once she heard what Diana was doing while everyone was dancing at the party, her blood boiled, and immediately decided to call Diana so she could reprimand her in person. "I'm in my apartment, mom," Diana replied calmly though her hand was massaging her forehead. "Why are you there instead of your sister's party?!" Vanessa shrieked. 'On top of embarrassing the family, she dares to escape?!' "I wasn't feeling well, mom. I didn't want to spoil everyone's fun." Diana reasoned. Making up an excuse on why she's avoiding them is already second nature to her. And as usual, Vanessa didn't buy her excuse. She heard from Chantal that Diana left with to-go boxes and even went with a man. "Tell me. Who was the man you're with? Are you with him no
As soon as Diana opened the door, Heather ran up to her. "I saw your GPS notification. What happened?" Heather asked as Diana came inside the apartment. "I was hitching a ride with somebody." Diana put down the to-go boxes on their kitchen counter. "Here's the loot." Heather chuckled seeing Diana come back in one piece and even bringing back food from the party. "Great! I was getting hungry again after using up all my brain cells looking at reports." "Why did you need to turn on the GPS? Was it a creepy guy?" "No. He's not creepy at all. But I thought it was still better to have precautions." "Good. You've done well. Looks like all of my reminders have come in handy. hmm?" "Haha... it does." Diana took out plates from the cupboard. She didn't eat back at the party. "So how was th
Sporting a headache, Diana woke up in the morning. She dreamt of Lucas for the whole night, burning her from head to toe. She had dark circles in her eyes when she got up to get herself ready. That was the first time she dreamt of a man. When she was with Henry, she never even entertained the thought of doing it with him. He looked like a nice guy and it was hard for her to imagine doing anything with him. Of course, when she found out that even nice-looking guys are cheaters, she instantly felt disgusted. That was a rude awakening for her. Not all nice-looking boys are actually good. She should have followed her instinct not to agree to be his girlfriend instead of letting other people's opinions influence her. That incident taught her to listen to her gut. Just like that previous night. Her eyes were drawn to Lucas even when insults were hurled at her. She felt in her gut that he's not a bad man. He didn'
A week passed and Diana has already settled into her routine. She had already become acquainted with her coworkers and the staff at the hospital. Her popularity within the Hopton Research Institute and Hospital keeps growing. Male nurses and doctors would even make an excuse to stop by at the Institute or would take their lunch there just to catch a glimpse of Diana. The beauty herself was not aware. She just thought there was nothing unusual about it. After all, she's only been there for a week. However, Clara, Michelle, and Alicia are increasingly annoyed. At first, they were happy to see the doctors visiting, hoping to catch their attention. They were even trying to become friends with them. These doctors not only work in Hopton Hospital, but they also have patients in other big hospitals, they naturally have contacts in bigger laboratories too. Unfortunately, all of these men are only interested as to Diana's w
It has already been a month since she started her internship. Work went by as usual until that afternoon when Hopton Hospital suddenly got flooded by patients that needed their labs taken urgently. Two groups of people were in a car accident. Most of them needed blood transfusions and several of them needing immediate surgeries. The laboratory technicians were swamped with the heavy workload. Diana tried to keep calm amidst the stressful environment. Her shift was almost at an end when suddenly Bryan came to the Laboratory and looked for her. He had a serious look on his face and one could even detect anger. Diana was confused as to why he looked that way and even looked for her. "Sit down," Bryan ordered harshly as soon as she entered his office, throwing a chart on the table towards her. Diana looked confused with his behavior and just calmly scanned the sheet showing
Diana was already at her apartment's doorstep, keys in hand, she stared at the doorknob mindlessly. She never expected things to turn out the way they did. All the way here, she's been racking her brains about what exactly happened. She swore she followed all of the procedures. 'Did I really take it from the right patient? I swear I did.' She inserted the key and twisted it, opening the door. "Hey Di.. You're back early." Heather greeted Diana as she entered their apartment. Glancing at the clock, it's not even time for her scheduled clock-out. "Yeah. Boss sent me home." Diana replied dejectedly. "Huh? What happened?" Heather asked. "Are you feeling sick or something?" Diana is a hard worker. She won't leave work early if she can help it. "No. Though I might as well be. I made an Incident Report today.
Passing by Hopton Research Institute, Lucas's Assistant, Ethan Taylor who sat in the passenger's seat remembered a small detail. "Mr. Ingram, this Research Institute submitted a proposal in your office. They've made mention about a new discovery they have and asked if you're interested in making an investment." Ethan said, his voice maintained a professional tone. Lucas glanced at the building and recalled that Diana works at Hopton Research Institute. The Investigator mentioned before that she is popular there. Lucas rested his chin against his hand. "Hmm--meet up with them. I'll listen to their proposal." Ethan glanced at Lucas on the front view mirror, wondering if it has something to do with the woman he had investigated. Lucas rarely meets up with people seeking investments. "Alright, Mr. Ingram. I'll e-mail them now." Ethan proceeded to send a message to the Insti