Novel Full Chapter 351: A Glimpse of Normalcy(2)
Chapter 351: A Glimpse of Normalcy(2)
“A certain Victoria Blackwood stopped by yesterday, and I think you have some explaining to do.”
Alex leaned back, meeting Danny’s playful, piercing gaze with a calm of his own. He had expected this.
But before Danny could fire off more questions, Sarah chimed in, her voice hushed but vibrating with excitement.
”Oh, Alex, it was incredible!” she whispered, leaning so far across the table she nearly tipped her salad. “I mean, isn’t she Sophia’s mother? When Mike said her name, I nearly had a heart attack. I thought for sure it was going to be… well, like Sophia.”
She shook her head, her expression shifting into one of pure wonder.
”But she was so sweet, Alex. Truly. And so much prettier than Sophia… not just because of her face, but her whole vibe. She felt like a better person altogether.”
“It’s true,” Danny muttered. “She’s definitely not what I expected from that family.”
“I think she must be a genuinely good person,” Sarah continued, her face flushed with sincerity. “To come and see us, to provide all of this, even knowing the mess Sophia made of things… it takes a lot of character to bridge a gap like that. You must have really made an impression on her, Alex.”
Alex exchanged a quick, involuntary look with Danny. He saw the corner of Danny’s mouth twitch, and a second later, the two of them burst into a fit of stifled laughter.
Sarah’s enthusiastic praise was so pure, so completely clueless about the situation, that it was the funniest thing Alex had heard all week.
Sarah blinked, her smile faltering as she looked between the two of them. She looked genuinely baffled, her brows furrowing as their laughter continued.
“What?” she asked, her voice tinged with confusion. “Why are you two laughing? Did I say something wrong?”
She looked at Danny, who was currently covering his face with one hand, then back to Alex, who was trying… and failing… to take a dignified sip of his coffee.
“Seriously!” she pressed, her voice rising in pitch. “Why is that funny? She was lovely! Is there a joke I’m missing?”
Alex finally managed to catch his breath, though his eyes were still bright with mirth. Looking at Sarah’s earnest, confused face, he felt a sudden pang of guilt.
He hated keeping her in the dark but the truth was a tangled web of power and intimacy that he wasn’t ready to unspool in the middle of a hospital cafeteria.
’I’ll tell her everything soon,’ he decided, his expression softening.
”No, Sarah, nothing’s wrong,” Alex said forcing his voice to steady. “You’re right. She’s… she’s a very nice person.”
Sarah narrowed her eyes, clearly not satisfied with his deflective answer. She opened her mouth to press him further, her suspicion mounting, but Alex saw his window of escape.
”Hey, Mike!” Alex called out, raising a hand.
Danny and Sarah both followed his gaze across the cafeteria. Mike, who had been deep in conversation with Dr. Aris, was now looking directly at them. It was obvious the trio’s outburst of laughter hadn’t been as stifled as they’d thought.
Mike’s eyebrows were shot up toward his hairline, his expression a mix of curiosity and mild annoyance at being the spectacle of the room.
Beside him, Dr. Aris was also looking over, a polite, amused smile on her face as she noticed the high energy at their table.
Mike said something quiet to the doctor, leaning in with a familiarity that made Danny nudge Alex’s arm. Then, the big man began leading her toward their table.
His walk was a bit stiffer than usual… the walk of a man who knew his friends were currently dissecting his every move… but as he got closer and saw Alex sitting there, his eyes cleared with relief.
”Alex,” Mike said, his voice dropping into its usual low, protective rumble. “You finally decided to show up. I was about to go looking for you.”
”Got caught up,” Alex said, leaning back and eyeing his friend with a teasing glint. “Looks like you’ve been doing just fine without me, though.”
Mike’s ears turned a tell-tale shade of pink, but he didn’t retreat. Instead, he took a half-step to the side, gesturing toward the woman beside him.
”Alex, this is Nora Aris,” Mike said, his tone carrying a rare note of pride. “She’s been… well, she’s the reason we’ve kept our sanity in this place. She’s been checking on Nina almost every hour.”
”Our sanity?” Danny chimed in immediately, his voice dripping with mock innocence. “Or just your sanity, Mike? Because I’m pretty sure you were the one losing his mind every time she stepped out of the room.”
Mike shot Danny a warning look that could have leveled a small building, but the damage was done.
Nora let out a soft, genuine laugh, her eyes crinkling as she looked up at Mike. “Don’t be so hard on him, Danny. He’s been a perfect gentleman. Mostly.”
Mike cleared his throat, desperately trying to steer the conversation back to safer waters. He shifted his stance, his gaze softening as it landed on Nora with a look that was far more intimate than he probably intended.
”Ignore them,” Mike muttered, before gesturing toward Alex. “Nora, this is Alex. He’s the one I told you about.”
Dr. Aris stepped forward, her smile bright and professional, yet her eyes carried a hint of the warmth she clearly shared with Mike.
”It’s finally good to meet the man behind the mystery, Alex,” she said, her voice dropping into a tone that was both appreciative and slightly wary. “I have been hearing a lot about you lately.”
”All good things, I hope,” Alex said, his smile practiced and perfectly neutral.
“Sit with us, Nora! There’s plenty of room,” Sarah said quickly, already scooting her chair over to make space. She was beaming, her matchmaking instincts clearly vibrating at maximum capacity.
Nora chuckled, her gaze lingering on the group for a move before she checked the watch on her wrist. A small, professional sigh escaped her.
”As much as I’d love to join this fun conversation.” she said, her tone warm but firm, “I really shouldn’t take up any more of your time. My shift is about to start in five minutes, and the Chief of Medicine isn’t exactly known for his patience.”
She turned to Mike, placing a brief, light hand on his forearm… a gesture that didn’t go unnoticed by Sarah, whose eyebrows practically hit her hairline. “Thank you for the coffee, Mike. It was the highlight of my day.”
”Anytime,” Mike replied, his voice a little softer than usual, his mountain-like presence momentarily softening.
Nora gave a final, polite nod to Alex and the others. “It was truly a pleasure meeting you all. I’ll be upstairs checking on Nina in a few hours. Alex, we’ll talk more about her recovery plan soon.”
With a final wave, she turned and headed toward the staff elevators, her white coat fluttering behind her. The group sat in silence for exactly three seconds until she disappeared around the corner.
Danny leaned over the table, his eyes wide as he looked at Mike.
”Okay, forget everything for a second,” Danny whispered loudly. “Mike, you giant, beautiful idiot… did you just get a date with a doctor?”
Mike didn’t answer immediately. He meticulously pulled out his chair and sat down, settling his massive frame with a deliberate slowness. He tried to maintain his usual mask of stoicism, but it was a lost cause; a faint, satisfied smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, one he couldn’t quite hide.
He glanced at Danny, his eyes glinting with a rare, playful spark. “What’s the matter, Danny? You jealous?”
Danny’s ear actually twitched at the remark, his mouth hanging open for a split second before he found his voice. “Jealous? I’m concerned for the woman’s safety! She’s a doctor, Mike. She’s seen enough trauma; she doesn’t need to deal with you.”
Mike snorted, finally letting the smirk break into a small, confident grin. “Relax. It wasn’t a date. We were just having a normal conversation. About Nina. She was giving me an update on the recovery plan.”
”A normal conversation?” Danny interrupted, his hands waving animatedly. “The woman was touching your arm, Mike! What, was she trying to check your pulse? Did she think you were having a cardiac event because she smiled at you?”
Sarah giggled, leaning in closer to the center of the table, her matchmaking instincts at an all-time high. “Touching the arm is definitely not a medical requirement for a ’normal’ conversation, Mike.”
She nudged his shoulder, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. “Come on. Did you get her number? Or do you want me to go over there and get it for you?”
Alex watched the exchange, a genuine, rare sense of peace washing over him.
He leaned back, his eyes tracking the way Mike carefully tucked the scrap of paper into his wallet like it was made of spun gold, while Danny and Sarah continued their relentless, high-energy ribbing.
’This is what it’s for,’ Alex thought.’ The power, the money… it’s all just a wall to keep this part of my life safe.’
But the System didn’t do “peace.”
The golden interface flickered into his retinas, the familiar chime echoing in the back of his skull with a cold, digital clarity that sliced right through the ambient noise of the cafeteria.
[SUBORDINATE ANALYSIS COMPLETE]
[Sarah Miller: 85% Loyalty]
[Mike Carter : 93% Loyalty]
[Danny Morrison: 98% Loyalty]