“Okay, how about we rent a mommy?”
Aurora felt a stab in her heart, accompanied by unstoppable furry.
“What do you mean by renting a mommy? Jasmine can always be mommy,” she had lost her temper and exploded with rage.
Noah's heart which had been beating steadily thumped wildly upon hearing her name, but he soon ignored the prickling sensation in his heart and donned an aloof expression.
“I'm in a very bad mood as it is, Aurora. Please don't mention Jasmine's name, you and I both know that she already betrayed my trust and I can't afford to see her any close to me or my daughter again,” he said in a raspy voice and turned back to his car.
Aurora stared at his father, she could tell that he was furious by his expression.
“What will you do, Daddy? I really want to participate in this competition,” she said in a low voice now, lowering her head and allowing her tears to overflow her eyes. Knowing the trick behind her tears, her father would never resist her cries.
Noah's eyes slowly changed from anger to calm as he ambled back to where his daughter was and picked her up in his arms. He gently wiped off the tears streaming down her daughter's cheeks while looking into her eyes adoringly.
“You and I alone will go to Paris for vacation. How about that?”
In the hospital.
Work wasn't really moving smoothly with Jasmine. She was just holding a bitter and sour expression all the time. Although, all her colleagues knew her to be a calm and easy-going person, but this expression on her face today hasn't ever appeared before.
“Don't you think perhaps her boyfriend broke up with her?”
The three nurses at the front desk of the reception gossiped among themselves while watching Jasmine's back sauntered off in the direction of the hallway.
“Exactly my thought too, Piper. I mean, she was here yesterday, and she was looking radiant and beautiful like she always does” the second nurse conceded, still gazing in Jasmine's direction who had disappeared around the corner of the hallway.
The third nurse reacted, this time, she grimaced, “Are you accepting now that she's prettier than you?”
“Hell no, Ivy. You all know that I'm the prettiest among you all,” she raised her shoulders and said proudly.
“The earlier you accept it, the better it would be for you. Nurse Jasmine is the prettiest nurse I've ever seen in this entire hospital,” Nurse Piper said in a mockery tone, and the second nurse just glared at her.
“Emergency!”
A nurse rushed to their long desk and announced in a high-pitched tone. Immediately, they all abandoned their task and hurried out of their desk.
Jasmine sat behind her table, lost, staring into the void with a heavy heart. She breathed out heavily and looked down at her cell phone on the desk for the umpteenth time… Nothing from Noah yet. He hasn't been picking up her calls or returning them.
She couldn't place a finger on what could have possibly gone wrong at the party last night, and all that she could remember vividly was when she had come out of the restroom.
Sighing, she raised her hand and unbound her hair.
Was it the drink? She twitched her lips as she thought inside her heart. But she only had a sip of it. Moreover, last night wasn't the first time she would be tasting such a drink.
The sound of the door opening snapped her out of her deep thought.
“There's an emergency that requires your attention now, Nurse Jasmine.”
Jasmine sprang to her feet in an instant, putting away her dejected mood.
“In the operation room,” the nurse who came to inform her added and left immediately after her words.
Jasmine darted out of the office and went to her locker in the changing room and quickly put on her operation scrubs. A teal green cotton top and trousers.
In a split second, she was inside the theater room, wearing a surgical face mask and gloves while waiting for the Doctor.
The doctor came in shortly thereafter, and both Jasmine and the Doctor stood stunned for a few seconds, staring at each other's faces. Jasmine's hands gradually clenched tightly while at it, and soon withdrew her gaze from his face and then moved toward the male patient.
“We are here to save a life, Doctor Xavier, not some kind of eyeing competition”
Xavier chuckled lightly and said, “Of course, yes, Nurse Jasmine. It's just a surprise that this would be our first time working together since we both arrived here,” he expressed while wearing his face mask.
“Nothing surprises me any longer, Doctor Xavier,” Jasmine pronounced blandly while she arranges the equipment and turned on the LED shadowless light above the unconscious patient afterward.
“Does this mean that if I appear at your doorstep tonight and ask for your hand in marriage, you wouldn't be surprised and accept me immediately?” Xavier spoke word by word while Jasmine handed out a Sawtell to him.
While he received it, he purposely clasped Jasmine's hand. Jasmine immediately pulled out her hand from his grip and reacted, “Get to work now, Xavier, I wouldn't like to be imprisoned for your crime”
One hour later, Xavier was disposing his face mask and gloves when Jasmine also came out of the operation room.
Xavier stared at her face as he watched her pull out the gloves from her hands.
“Let's get back together, Jasmine”
Jasmine was too busy to even glance at him, let alone react to his words. She finished disposing everything and turned to walk away. However, Xavier caught her wrist and pinned her onto his chest.
Jasmine glared at him, trying to break his embrace, but instead, his hands circled her waist as he drew her closer to him.
“Stop this nonsense and let me go, Xavier,” Jasmine nearly shrieks, still attempting to break free from the hug.
“Please, Jasmine, let's go back to how we used to be, I promise to treat you better this time, I promise” he begged earnestly, looking intently into her eyes.
“Over my dead body,” Jasmine said through clenched teeth, pulled out of his grasp with all her might, and then strode away at once.
At night.
Jasmine lay on her back with her face looking up at the ceiling. Tears keep floating out of her eyes and disappearing into her hair.
Noah was still not picking up her calls. She was so anxious, that she didn't know what to think anymore. She thought that, even if Noah was mad at her for one thing or the other, he should at least pick up her calls and talk to her about it.
Knock! Knock!
“Dinner is ready, Jasmine,” Catherine announced outside the door and left immediately.
Jasmine slowly propped herself up on the bed, reached out to grab her phone on the nightstand, and dialed Noah's line again.
In Cooper's villa.
Noah was preparing his daughter for bed when his phone started ringing inside his short pocket. His heart shook inside his chest at the prospect of Jasmine being the caller again.
“Excuse me,” he let go of his daughter's hair he had been struggling to tie in a ponytail and retrieved the phone from his pocket.
Just like he had predicted, it was Jasmine calling. He stared at the phone vibrating in his hand as if contemplating whether to answer it or not.
Aurora looked from her father's face to his ringing phone without saying any word.
The phone stopped ringing and Noah tossed it on the bed and then returned to what he was doing.
“I want some water, Daddy,” Aurora requested, having a light smile on her lips.
“Okay, dear”
Noah got off the bed, slide his feet into his flip-flops, and then ambled out of the room.
Noah's phone started ringing immediately after Noah was out of the room. Without any resistance, Aurora grabbed the phone and answered it.
“Jasmine,” Aurora called out in a crying tone.
Jasmine jumped out of the bed immediately after her call was picked up, but she wasn't expecting to hear Aurora's voice.
“How are you, Aurora? And how's your Daddy?” Jasmine asked tentatively, trying her possible best to sound relaxed.
“Why did you do that, Jasmine? Why did you say the truth to everybody?” Aurora asked instead, fighting back her tears.
Jasmine, on the other hand, furrowed her brows in confusion, “What do you mean, Aurora? I have no idea what you're talking about,” her heart wasn't as calm as it seemed.
It was Aurora's turn to knitting her brows into a deep confusion, “Have you forgotten already? You told everyone available at the party that you and my daddy aren't truly married and that it was all pretense,”
Hearing this, a loud gasp escaped from Jasmine's lips as her eyes and mouth widened in shock.
“I said that?” she choked on her few words after she found her voice.
“Yes, Jasmine. That's why my daddy hasn't been picking up your calls, and he mustn't find me speaking with you now. But can you come to my school tomorrow?” Aurora asked, stretching her neck a bit to see if her father wasn't coming soon.
“Yes, Aurora. I'll come. Thank you very much,”
Aurora quickly hung up, seeing her father walking back into her room. She swallowed hard as she discreetly lowered the phone to the bed.
“Here's the…water” Noah broke off, noticing how apprehensive his daughter had become.
“Are you okay, sweetheart?” asked Noah, frantically.
A wide grin broke out on Aurora's face as she spoke, “Of course, Daddy. My water, please”
Noah just nodded and walked closer, handing out the glass of water to her and staring at her in suspicion.