Love Redux: Fated to the Handsome Doctor

Andre glanced briefly at Olivia’s thick lips, feeling a fleeting temptation to kiss them, but he held back. In his opinion, Olivia wasn’t that beautiful. He had met women who were far more attractive, especially his sister.

Andre’s sister was a stunning woman who had inherited the best genes from their Caucasian father. Her blonde hair was natural, unlike Olivia’s fake blonde. No matter how much he scanned Olivia’s appearance, nothing about her caught his interest. Olivia really wasn’t his type.

“Please step back a bit,” he snapped, starting to feel uncomfortable. Olivia’s overpowering perfume made his head feel dizzy.

“Huh?” Olivia stepped back, her demeanor suddenly awkward. This awkwardness wasn’t apparent when they first met.

“Have you been working here for long, Doc?” she asked, playing with the ends of her hair blown by the night breeze. Her voice sounded a bit odd, too contrived for his taste.

“Quite long enough,” Andre replied, still enjoying his cigarette. He quickened his pace, wanting to leave. He wasn’t comfortable with chatty people like Olivia.

“Oh, I work for a pharmaceutical company. We also supply drugs to this hospital. Don’t you know?” Olivia asked, trying to prolong the conversation.

“I didn’t know. Do I need to know?”

“Eh? No-no. Just… our company is quite famous. Wait…” Olivia rummaged through her bag. “Here, my business card,” she said, handing him a red card with an elegant white background.

Andre wasn’t interested in taking it, but social norms dictated a response. He took the card to end the conversation. “Alright, thank you.”

The atmosphere on the hospital roof warmed up as tension built between him and Olivia, created unilaterally by her. Cigarette smoke surrounded them, with the dim moonlight accompanying them.

“And … are you single, Doc?” she interrupted his reverie. He almost choked.

“Y-yes? Do I have to answer that?”

“You’re so cold. This is just a normal question.”

“I’m single, but not interested in dating.”

“You’re not gay, are you?”

“W-what?!”

“Thank goodness if you’re not!” Her face suddenly lit up, looking so happy.

Andre felt uneasy with Olivia’s constant attempts to date. Although she hadn’t said it outright, he could assess the modus operandi of women like her.

“Enjoy your time,” he said shortly, then extinguished the cigarette stub that hadn’t yet turned into ashes. He was sick of it.

“Where are you going?” Olivia looked surprised and asked again. He just walked away, but she seemed to keep following.

“Wait!” Olivia’s voice continued to be heard even as he descended the stairs connecting the roof to the top floor of the hospital. He quickened his pace, wanting to return to his room and lock it from the inside. His intuition told him Olivia wasn’t an ordinary woman.

“Sorry if I got too close earlier, Doc. I just wanted to get to know you better,” Olivia said, still shouting. Somehow, she was now right behind him. He really didn’t know what to do.

“I’m not too interested in new acquaintances, especially in a place like this. Please don’t follow me.”

“Ah. I-I’m not following you. I was going to visit someone here.”

“Oh, really? Alright then. Just don’t be too loud.”

Andre finally reached the hallway near his private room. With hurried steps, he tried to distance himself from Olivia who kept following. Was she lying and really following him? He didn’t know. He had to get inside and lock the door immediately.

The hospital was quite calm; the day was already late. Olivia’s footsteps still followed him, pretending to be on a visit. He turned toward his room. As he tried to open the door, Olivia quickly entered after him.

“Oops!” she exclaimed shamelessly. Her eyes sparkled, pleased with the deception she had just performed.

“Oh my! What are you doing?!” Andre was surprised by her behavior. Olivia really had no shame.

“I just wanted to take a look around. Isn’t the hospital quiet at night?”

“No! Please leave now, or I’ll call security!”

Andre was truly puzzled by Olivia’s actions. After all, he had intentionally entered the room to get away from someone who seemed unstoppable. Why did she enter first?

“Ah… so, you’re a surgeon,” Olivia said with her strange smile. He recognized that asymmetric smile well. She was like a true stalker.

He felt pressured but tried to keep calm. “Yes, I’m a surgeon. Are you satisfied with that knowledge now?”

Olivia didn’t stop. She kept bombarding him with questions until her curiosity was satisfied.

“Interesting. I didn’t know you were a surgeon. Does that mean you often perform surgeries?”

Andre felt annoyed, but he had contacted security, and they were on their way.

“I perform surgery when needed. Now, are you really going to stay here and be escorted by security? Or leave on your own?”

“Alright, alright… I’ll leave on my own,” Olivia said, winking.

“I really want to know more about you. Can I have your phone number?”

“Nope!”

Olivia laughed but then left as a few uniformed men arrived.

“I’ll catch you, Andre!”

***

Andre sighed deeply after Olivia left. His initial intention to seek peace had turned into a disaster. Olivia’s presence had disturbed his alone time. For a moment, he remembered Lara, but he couldn’t do anything because her husband was always around her.

“Will she talk to me?” he murmured in despair. He knew very well that Lara might not forgive him easily.

Andre’s mind drifted back to Lara, remembering the first time they had met. They were kids, back then, now, things were different. Lara was married to Seno, a man who seemed to be the perfect husband. Andre couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy every time he saw Seno by Lara’s side, attentively caring for her. He wondered if Seno’s concern was genuine or just a facade.

He remembered the rumors he had heard from the hospital staff. According to the servant, Lara had been bleeding because of a young woman’s actions. Andre couldn’t shake off the suspicion that this young woman was Seno’s affair. The thought of it made him even more determined to talk to Lara, to find out the truth.

But Seno was always there, making it impossible for Andre to get a moment alone with Lara. From morning till night, Seno was faithfully by her side. Andre had seen Seno bring in a man in a suit and a sexy-looking woman when visiting Lara’s room. The employees would leave soon after, leaving the boss to continue working while accompanying his wife.

Andre sighed in disappointment. “Hah… there really is no chance,” he muttered. He couldn’t speak privately with Lara, and it frustrated him to no end.Nôvel(D)rama.Org's content.