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 the party?" Heather asked as she served food on her plate.
"The music and lights were really good. Too bad you weren't there, else I would have enjoyed it." Diana grinned.
"We'll go party sometime when I'm free!"
"Yeah! It's been a while since we hung out outside. You've been too busy with work.." She pouted.
"Hehe yeah.. sorry. I still need to prove to them that I can do my job well just like them."
"No worries. Just take care of yourself. Especially when you're out investigating, make sure you eat."
"Of course!"
After eating, Heather washed their plates and utensils before going back to her own room to finish reading reports. Diana went to wash up and get ready for bed.
Checking the phone with no new messages, she drifted off to sleep.
That night, she dreamt of Lucas.
Meanwhile, in Lucas Ingram's private house, he dialed his assistant's number.
"Do something for me. Find out who was hosting the party. And see if you can get a list of attendees." Lucas ordered Ethan Taylor, his Assistant."
"Yes, Mr. Ingram. I'll get to it right away." Ethan replied through the call, not asking any questions. Lucas ended the call.
He tried to cool off with a cold shower, but even then, the heat that he felt just remembering Diana can't be suppressed.
It was only a kiss. He is already almost 30 years old, a kiss shouldn't have this effect on him. Except, he never had a romantic relationship with anybody before. He has never lusted for anyone. It was easy to choose work over dating random women. He would humor his grandmother and mother and show up on blind dates. But he is always too cold for them. The women get intimidated by him and conversations with them are dull.
There were even rumors about him being attracted to the same sex instead. Lucas quickly shut the idea down. He just told them that he'll wait for the right person to come. At this, his grandmother and mother would worry, so they wouldn't even bother being picky with the status of the girl he would end up liking. As long as the girl can attract him and that she will love only him, that is enough. Of course, it would be really great if the girl he would choose is respectful to his family.
He went to his home office and opened the files on his computer, trying to distract his thoughts but to no avail.
His thoughts would go to the woman who was humiliated. She was by herself, the people were going in and out of the room without anyone taking her side. It was none of his business but he was amused at how she still held the to-go boxes. It seemed like she really went there only for the food. He was still thinking if the woman needed his help or if she would be offended if he would step in when she came towards him.
He was frozen in place with her piercing gaze.
She walked towards him, beautiful like a goddess descending to the human world. Her long wavy hair as dark as midnight cascading down her back reaching just at her hips. Her little black dress accentuated her small waist and curves. She looked especially like a seductress with her bewitching red lips against her milk-white skin.
It made him wonder if she was really just there for the food or where she was looking to attract the male gaze.
For his part, she was successful in attracting him.
Jealousy flashed in his eyes at the thought of other men ogling her.
'What's wrong with you, Lucas? You just met her, for pete's sake! How could you feel this way about her when you barely know her. So what if she's so beautiful?! You don't even know her background!"
Shutting down the computer, he went to bed, determined to sleep it off.
He had stripped off his clothes and climbed to bed, covering himself with his blanket, he turned off the lamplight.
How wrong he was when he thought he could simply forget. He had to count sheep so he could finally close his eyes. He tossed and turned, bringing himself back to the time she looked at him, seeking his assistance to play a charade with her. But in the dream, he did more than that. Instead of only walking away, he confronted them. Instead of only a brief kiss, it lingered more.
He woke up in the morning with wetness on his side of the bed.
Lucas bit his lip, his arm covering his forehead. His wrist was sore.
'Did I really dream of her?' His cheeks and earlobes went bright red. It was the first time he became hung up because of a woman.
Sighing, he checked his phone if there are any updates about Diana.
As he thought about her, he couldn't help but remember the moment she stepped into his embrace. When their lips touched and he felt electricity flowing between them. He sighed as he remembered how well she fit his arms. He had to admit that he was physically attracted to her. With this realization, he couldn't stop himself from reaching down as he fantasized about her.
When he finished, he buried his head in embarrassment and torment.
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
Did he forget to ask something? Ethan wondered. The drumming didn't stop yet. He desperately tried to recall. Then a thought flashed in his mind. The cause of his boss's weird behavior is his interest on Ms. Diana Winchester. Ethan cleared his throat. "Mr. Cook, if you don't mind me asking, how does Hopton Research Institute take care of its employees?" His voice was nonchalant as if he was only asking it just to make conversation. "Eh? Our employees are being well-guided. Our Institute provides plenty of benefits and is for the employee's career advancement." Bryan sang praises for his company. 'He's probably checking if our institute is in alignment with their institute's ideals.' "I see. That's good to know. I heard that your Institute has recently accepted a new intern?" Ethan asked, drinking a few sips of water. Lucas's drumming stopped. Bryan and Clara were shocke
Early in the morning, Diana received an e-mail from the Supervisor, Bryan Cook. Upon receiving the notification on her phone, she thought she's being called back to work. She quickly opened the e-mail. Unfortunately, that was not the content of his e-mail. Instead of calling her back to work, he notified her that she will no longer be able to work at Hopton Research Institute. Diana's eyes were about to tear up. She can't believe how they treat their employees. She couldn't explain how she is feeling. She felt like shouting, crying, and even slapping at the real culprit. Knock! Knock! Heather knocked on Diana's door. "I prepared breakfast." When Diana didn't answer, Heather knocked again, twisting the knob and finding it unlocked. "Hey. Breakfast is--" Heather saw Diana's facial expression whil
At the Hopton Research Institute, Supervisor Bryan Cook was feeling pleased with himself as he thought of the promotion that he will for sure get. He is just waiting for the notification on Forrest Research Institute's decision to invest. The phone rang in his office. It was the Receptionist. "Yes? Can I help you?" Bryan asked in a good mood. "Mr. Cook, we have people here from the Oxfield Crime Department, they said they are investigating the incident yesterday." the Receptionist said, dryly. She's very disappointed at the trouble Diana caused. The news on yesterday's incident traveled fast. With the help of Clara and her friends, gossip spread like wildfire. With how popular Diana's name had become since she entered the Institute, this piece of news also was quickly disseminated. A lot of them felt bad, thinking that they have committed a few mistakes in their career,