The entire counter, which had gone silent for a moment, burst into laughter.
"Oh—oh, sorry, Miss… Lunessa, right?" The same staff covered her mouth, though laughter still slipped through. "It's just surprising. Julian Hale's girlfriend being…" Her gaze swept over Lunessa from head to toe, "this…"
Another chuckle followed. "Poor," she added lightly. "Don't you think?"
"At least dress like one if you're going to lie," Another staff member chimed in.
The laughter didn't fade. It lingered.
Lunessa stood there, motionless. Her face burned, but she didn't lower her head. That's how it's going for years, why would she care now?
Her fingers tightened slowly around the strap of her bag.
She took a breath and lifted her gaze. "Done laughing?" Lunessa said quietly. "I guess people really love judging others by how they dress."
The counter fell a little quieter.
But the staff didn't look amused or convinced.
The same woman scoffed and continued, "It's not about judging how someone dresses. Come on… at least make it believable."
Her eyes flicked down deliberately.
"Julian Hale's girlfriend," she said slowly, "wearing that old white—almost yellow—shirt, jeans, and that sling bag with the worn strap?"
A few snickers followed.
"You expect us to believe that?"
Another staff member leaned back in their chair. "If you're going to lie, at least put in some effort."
The words landed cleanly.
Lunessa gulped. For a split second, she hated that what they said made sense. Her gaze flicked down to herself, taking in the faded shirt, the worn jeans, the old sling bag.
She couldn't deny it.
Their words weren't kind but they weren't entirely wrong either.
"Do you know how many women have claimed to be Julian Hale's girlfriend?" The staff continued, tone casual, almost bored.
She leaned forward slightly. "You're not the first. And you won't be the last."
Another staff chimed in, amused. "They come in all types, you know. Some cry. Some threaten. Some dress a lot better than you."
A soft laugh followed.
"If we believed it every time someone said that," the first staff member added, "Julian Hale would be the man with the most girlfriends in this country."
They laughed openly now.
One of them laughed, tapping the counter lightly as if it were a joke.. "And guess what? Everyone knows he's only loyal to his one and only woman."
She leaned forward, voice lowered as if sharing a well-known fact.
"Dyana Blair."
The name rang in Lunessa's ears.
'Dyana Blair?'
She frowned slightly.
Of course she didn't know.
She had never paid attention to gossip, celebrities, or powerful people's private lives. None of it mattered to her. None of it ever helped.
The only thing she cared about in this world—Was her sister.
And yet, somehow, that name felt heavier than it should have.
[01:59:03]
The reminder echoed inside her head.
Time was ticking.
And she still couldn't think of a smart way to make the director appear in front of her, let alone force an apology.
Her fingers curled slowly.
If Elias Vorn wouldn't come down and if bluffing alone wasn't enough, then she needed something else.
Something that didn't rely on status or maybe something wicked.
Lunessa lifted her head again.
She took a breath.
"I—" Her mouth opened, "If I say I'm preg—"
"Miss Lunessa?"
The word cut cleanly through the air.
Her breath stopped.
Lunessa turned.
A man stood a few steps away from the counter, wearing a white coat, ID badge clipped neatly to his chest. He looked calm and friendly.
"Yes?" she answered cautiously.
The doctor studied her face for a moment, as if confirming something.
"We met before, remember?" he said. "At the emergency wing. Two years ago."
Lunessa frowned, her head tilting unconsciously as she searched her memory. "Two… years ago?"
"Hm." He nodded. "Ian Carter," and smiled. "The doctor who offered to pay for the—"
"Oh," Lunessa cut in suddenly.
Her eyes widened a fraction.
"Oh—yes." She remembered now.
The chaos. The shouting. Her father was on the stretcher.
And this man, standing off to the side, arguing with the staff. Pulling out his wallet. Saying he would cover the remainder of the cost.
She swallowed, "I remember you," Lunessa said quietly.
"Great…" His smile widened but his eyes shifted to the staff at the counter.
For the very unknown reason, everyone seemed to be silenced the moment he appeared.
"Is there something funny that I missed?" Ian's eyes darted in between Lunessa and the staff.
The one who was laughing at Lunessa earlier, opened her trembling mouth, "Dr. Ian, it is not like that… she is just another woman who claimed to be Mr. Julian's girlfriend, so—"
"So?"
The single word landed softly—too soft.
Ian didn't raise his voice. He didn't frown. He simply looked at the staff member who had spoken, his smile still there but no longer warm.
The staff swallowed.
"Well… she said she was Mr. Julian Hale's girlfriend, and we thought—"
"Thought," Ian repeated.
He took a step closer to the counter.
"For future reference," he said mildly, "thinking is optional here. Assumption is not."
The counter went dead silent.
Ian's fingers tapped once on the surface. He didn't look impatient. "And even if," he continued, eyes still on the staff, "she was lying…" his gaze flicked briefly to Lunessa, then back to the staff, "that is not an invitation to mock a patient or a visitor in this hospital."
The staff member's face was drained of color. "I—I didn't mean—"
"I know," Ian said pleasantly. "That's the problem."
He straightened and finally turned fully toward Lunessa.
"Miss Lunessa," he said, his voice smooth again, "why don't you come with me?"
The staff stiffened. "Dr. Ian—"
"I'll take responsibility," he added lightly. "If Julian asks."
Lunessa blinked in confusion and stiffened in place.
"Come… I'll help with whatever you want, too."
This time, her eyes brightened. "Really? Even if I ask to meet the director?"
"The director?" He frowned slightly. "Elias Vorn?"
His head tilted a bit. "Why?"
Biting her lip, she gulped. "I just want his apology for what happened two years ago…"