Chapter 5

Josiah immediately regained his composure and noticed a scooter bike approaching them in the wrong direction. He swiftly turned the steering wheel to avoid it and hit the brakes, coming to a stop on the side of the road. The scooter bike narrowly passed by them, narrowly avoiding a collision. Lysander’s face turned pale with fright. “It’s best not to be distracted while driving.” “Right.” Josiah also felt a bit shaken, and he handed the phone back to Lysanne. “You figure it out yourself.” Without even glancing at it, Lysanne refused, “No way, I need to touch up my makeup.” “But I have to drive…” “You’re not driving right now.” Lysander sighed and proposed to Josiah, “How about this? Give me the phone, you tell me the password, and I’ll unlock it.” “Okay.” Josiah handed her the phone. “The password is ryx2…” “What do you think you’re doing, Josiah?!” Lysanne suddenly went ballistic, slammed the small mirror shut, and threw it aside, snatching her phone back from Lysander and angrily throwing it into Josiah’s arms. “You can’t tell anyone my password!” Josiah felt embarrassed. And so did Lysander. But Lysanne didn’t feel embarrassed at all, not even a hint of apology. She turned to the back seat and smiled at Lysander. “I’m sorry, Dr. Thorne. Pregnant women are affected by hormones, and their emotions fluctuate a lot. You should understand, right?” “I suppose, yeah…” Lysanne said, “In modern society, a cell phone is basically the key to a person’s privacy. The right to privacy is a citizen’s legitimate interest. I am just legally protecting my own interests, and I don’t have anything against you.” Lysander found her words amusing. “As expected from someone with a legal background.” “It’s just a professional habit,” Lysanne said. “Please don’t get mad at me, Dr. Thorne.” “I won’t, but I’d prefer it if you called me Mrs. Guerra. We are not in the hospital now, and I am not your attending physician. I only performed surgery on you out of emergency.” Lysanne politely declined, “Since you performed surgery on me, you are my doctor. Doesn’t matter if you’re my attending physician or not. Besides, since we met yesterday, I have always called you Dr. Thorne. It feels strange to suddenly change.” “It’s not strange at all. I am, after all, Mrs. Guerra.” “Yes, that’s right.” Lysanne’s smile faded slightly, and she stiffened somewhat. “But calling you Mrs. Guerra makes you sound old. I might think you’re in your forties or fifties. Calling you Dr. Thorne makes you seem younger.” Lysander looked at her steadily for a moment. Lysanne flashed her a triumphant smile, then turned around and ordered, “Start the car, Josiah. We don’t want to be late.” … As a medical student, Lysander rarely had time to attend class reunions. Daphne had invited her a few times before, but she had always politely turned her down due to work. As she got out of the car and prepared to enter the bar, Lysander’s phone rang. Josiah stopped in his tracks. “Is it from the hospital?” Lysander glanced at the caller ID; it was indeed the hospital’s landline number. “Mm-hmm, there must be an emergency with a pregnant woman. Otherwise, they wouldn’t call me on a holiday.” Josiah said, “I’ll drive you there.” “No, I can go by myself…” “Josiah!” Lysanne called out to him from a distance, “Miles is calling us to hurry up.” Josiah furrowed his brows slightly, caught in a dilemma. Lysander’s phone kept ringing. She walked away to answer the call. “I’ll take this call first.” “Hello?” “Dr. Thorne, this is Lynn. The director just informed us that there’s an opportunity for an overseas job next month. Do you want to go?” Lysander breathed a sigh of relief. “You called just to tell me about this? I thought there was another emergency.” “Haha, there aren’t that many emergencies every day. Don’t worry, I can handle most situations.” “I’m glad to hear that.” “So what’s your answer? Are you going or not? It’s such a rare opportunity! I’ve even printed out the application forms for you. If you decide to go, I can fill them out and submit them for you right away.” “No,” Lysander said softly, her hand gently resting on her abdomen. “I also prefer my child to be born in the country. I want them to have citizenship here.” “Also? Is there someone in your family who recently had a baby as well, Dr. Thorne?” “Oh, it’s a friend of my husband.” “Alright then.” Lynn sounded regretful. “It’s unfair that women often have to sacrifice job opportunities for the sake of family and children. You’re already a respected figure in the OBGYN department at such a young age. If you were to spend a few years abroad and return, you would surely achieve even greater success…” Lynn, despite being her assistant, was only two years younger than her and still a graduate student. Perhaps due to her work in the OBGYN department, Lynn, accustomed to the complexities of human relationships, had been feeling sentimental lately. She believed that pregnancy and childbirth had a significant impact on a woman’s life, and she even leaned towards remaining unmarried. After consoling Lynn briefly, Lysander hung up the phone and scanned her surroundings. Josiah and Lysanne were nowhere to be seen. They must have already entered. Entering Mirage, Lysander was immediately enveloped by the lively and noisy atmosphere inside. The main hall of the bar was filled with nearly a hundred people, all around Josiah’s age. However, she quickly spotted Josiah amidst the crowd. He stood tall, with a refined and elegant demeanor, and his appearance was striking. Despite his refined demeanor, there was a rebellious air about him, with sharp features that gave off a sense of fierceness and dominance. “Did Josiah really marry Lysanne?” “Of course, why would I lie to you? Didn’t you see the interview on the finance news channel? He mentioned his wife’s name, Lysanne.” “You’re kidding. They’ve been friends for so long. If they had feelings for each other, they would’ve gotten together ages ago. Why now?” “Beats me. Maybe they just realized their feelings suddenly? But back in school, Lysanne always preferred the gentle and wholesome type like Miles, not the arrogant and dominant type.” “Has Lysanne’s preferences changed then? I’ll have you know that back in the day, Josiah was the epitome of arrogance. Nobody could hold a candle to him.” “It’s possible that Lysanne’s preferences haven’t changed, but Josiah’s demeanor has. Look at him now, dressed in a posh suit and fancy glasses, so gentle and polite! Who would have thought that the fierce and arrogant Josiah from high school would end up like this now?” Thud! Lysander’s phone slipped from her hand and fell to the ground, startling the two gossiping individuals nearby. One of them, in a blue suit, picked it up and handed it to her. “Are you okay?” Lysander took it, smiled gratefully, and replied, “I’m fine.” “Which class are you from? I don’t recall seeing you before.” “I’m not your classmate, I’m…” “You’re not? I apologize, miss, but we’re having a class reunion here today, and the bar is reserved for us. It’s not open to the public. If you’re looking to have fun, you’ll have to go elsewhere.” “I’m not here for fun. I’m looking for someone.” “Who are you looking for?” “Josiah.” The man was taken aback. “You’re looking for Josiah? Are you…”