Lunessa's eyes wandered around the room.
'Is a doctor's room supposed to be this big?' she wondered. The space felt too large for a doctor and it looked more like it belonged to someone higher than that.
"Have a seat," Ian said, gesturing toward the sofa. "I'll call Elias to come here."
"Really?" Lunessa asked, surprise slipping into her voice. "You can?"
The excitement in her tone made it sound like she doubted his capability, even as she tried not to.
"Well… I can try," he said with a smile, walking toward her.
Lunessa blinked hard. 'Oh gosh, how can someone smile with his eyes like that?'
"Miss… Lunessa?" Ian leaned down and flicked his fingers to snap her out of whatever she was thinking at that moment.
"Uh—ah, yes. I appreciate the help," she said, gulping as she realized she had been staring at him for far too long.
"Then have a seat first, and let me call Elias," he said, straightening up. He turned toward the door before walking out.
Waiting once again, Lunessa's eyes wandered around the interior of the room.
Honestly, everything she had seen so far was nothing like this. All her life had been spent in the countryside, taking care of her family, until recently, when her sister, Laura, needed treatment at a larger hospital.
The silence was suddenly broken.
[SIDE MISSION SUSPENDED]
Lunessa stiffened.
"Sorry?"
She glanced around the room, then back to the empty air.
"A side mission…" she whispered. "What?"
The text shifted.
[SIDE MISSION TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED]
Her brows knit together.
"Suspended?" she repeated. "Why?"
There was a short pause.
[CURRENT ENVIRONMENT NOT RECOMMENDED]
"Excuse me?" Lunessa muttered. "That's not fair. I almost succeeded."
The hologram remained silent for a beat longer than necessary.
[MISSION STATUS: PENDING]
[NO REWARD WILL BE GRANTED]
"Pending?" She let out a shaky breath. "You can't just pull things back whenever you feel like it."
No response.
Lunessa clenched her fists, irritation bubbling under her skin.
"So what am I supposed to do now?" she asked quietly.
[YOU SHOULD FOCUS ON THE MAIN MISSION]
"And how am I supposed to do that?" Lunessa asked, clenching her teeth, forcing her voice to stay low. "I need his address."
The hologram flickered once.
[ADDRESS ACQUISITION IS NOT MANDATORY]
Her brows drew together. "Are you serious? How am I supposed to proceed with the mission if I don't even know where the heck he is?"
There was a pause.
[MISS LUNESSA]
[A GOLD DIGGER IS SMART]
"Huh?" She stared at the air. "Are you sure all of them are smart? Or is that your way of telling me I'm dumb?"
The system responded immediately.
[STATEMENT WAS DESCRIPTIVE, NOT INSULTING]
She let out a short, humorless laugh. "That doesn't make it better."
[A GOLD DIGGER DOES NOT CHASE]
[THEY POSITION THEMSELVES]
Her expression stilled.
"Position…?" she repeated quietly.
Before she could ask more, footsteps sounded outside the door.
The hologram vanished without warning.
Lunessa straightened at once.
"Oh—Dr. Ian, I think I need to go," she said quickly, standing up the moment she saw him step inside.
Ian looked confused. "I already called Elias. He'll be here in twenty minutes."
She waved her hands in refusal. "No, it's okay. I really need to leave for now."
She turned and rushed toward the door, only for her foot to catch on the side table.
"Ah—!"
Lunessa stumbled and fell awkwardly to the floor.
The sound echoed softly in the room.
For a split second, everything went quiet.
She squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lip. "Ah gosh… this is so embarrassing," she muttered under her breath.
"Are you okay?"
'No—no, don't come. What should I do?'
Cry! Women's best weapon.
She suddenly covered her face and let out a broken sob. "I don't know what to do anymore…"
"What happened? What's wrong? Did you hurt yourself?" Ian rushed to her side.
Lunessa shook her head, still covering her face with both palms.
"Dr. Ian," she said between fake sobs, voice trembling just enough, "I—I really didn't want to burden you with my problems, but I lost my phone, and I couldn't contact Julian…" She paused, shoulders shaking.
"He promised to pick me up here… at this hospital…" She sniffed hard, as if barely holding herself together. "I don't know what to do now."
She stayed curled on the floor, her face hidden, waiting.
At the same time, she almost wanted to pat herself on the back because, at that critical moment, she thought she had come up with a brilliant idea.
She waited but no response came.
The silence stretched longer than she expected.
Her chest tightened.
"I—I was trying to go to his house," Lunessa continued, her voice wavering as she spoke into her palms. "But the card he gave me… it was at the back of my phone case."
She let out a shaky breath.
"I never thought I'd be that dumb," she added softly, "to lose both of them together… and got no cash on me."
Her shoulders trembled slightly, not entirely fake this time.
She stayed still, listening.
Waiting for his reaction.
'Ah… I really need to cry,' she thought desperately, forcing her eyes to sting, willing tears that refused to come.
When she finally dared to look, she turned her head and froze.
Ian was crouching beside her, close, silent. His expression was calm, unreadable. He hadn't laughed. He hadn't rushed to comfort her either.
The silence unsettled her more than anger would have.
"You… you don't believe me either?" Lunessa asked quietly.
Ian shook his head slowly. "That's not it."
His gaze didn't leave her face.
"When did you start meeting him?" His tone was calm, but firmer now.
"Ah—um…" Lunessa's eyes rolled upward as she scrambled for a believable timeline.
"Not long," she said quickly. "Just… recently. After I came to the city."
Ian's eyes narrowed a fraction.
"How recent?"
Her throat went dry.
"A few weeks?" she tried.
The lie hung between them.
Ian studied her for a moment longer, his gaze steady, unreadable.
Then he spoke again, voice even.
"Then," he said calmly, "I'll call him to pick you up."