After their heartfelt conversation, Tony and Lily finally went downstairs to finish their breakfast and head to the hospital.
As Rachael saw them walking down the stairs with their hands intertwined, a smile appeared and a sigh of relief left her lips.
“I guess all is well then?” She asked with a cheesy grin that made Tony roll his eyes while Lily blushed before nodding slowly.
“All is sorted out now.” She replied, smiling from ear to ear. “I won’t be taking any bodyguards to work though, nor will I take a leave from work. He understands that now.” She added, looking up at Tony, who had a repentant look on his face.
Rachael shifted her gaze to Tony, raising her brows at him, asking if Lily was right.
“Yes, Rachael. Lily won’t be doing any of that. She has decided to face her fears and fight them.” He replied, staring at Lily with pride.
“Oh! That was completely unexpected.” Rachael said, her tone laced with pure shock. “But, I believe in you, Lily.” She added with a smile. “Now that I think about it, staying away from work would only make him believe you are still bothered by him. The best way to get back at that monster is to live your life to the fullest and forget about his existence. If working at the hospital is what makes you happy, then you should work at the fucking hospital.”
By the time Rachael was done speaking, Lily’s eyes were full of tears and her heart was full of joy. She was torn between expressing her emotions with tears or with laughter.
In the end, she decided to go with the latter and laughed loudly, holding back the tears that brimmed in her eyes.
“You’re right, Rachael. I am going to work at the fucking hospital and there is absolutely nothing he can do about it.” Lily said confidently.
“Come here, honeybun.” Racheal cooed and pulled her in for a warm, comforting hug.
“Alright, Rachael. Let her go now. We are already late for work.” Tony said and placed a hand on his chin before shaking his head and rephrasing his statement.
“More like, Lily is already late for her shift.” He said and Lily immediately pulled out of the hug with a horrified look on her face. She quickly pulled out her phone from her back pocket only to see that she was already fifteen minutes late for work.
“Shit!” She exclaimed loudly and ran to the door, already panicking. The last thing she wanted was for her other colleagues at work to feel she was using her connections to bypass the rules of the hospital.
Tony left Rachael and hurried to her since he didn’t want her to be scolded by her superiors.
*
*
When they arrived at TM Hospital’s building, Lily was now twenty-five minutes late. Without waiting for Tony, she jumped out of the car and hurried into the hospital building. She quickly made her way to her office, already prepared for a scolding. However, when she arrived, the other nurses were still seated on their desks while Dr Lorey was nowhere to be found.
Confused and bothered by this, Lily pulled one of the nurses aside and asked, “What happened? Why hasn’t anyone left for the morning shift?” She inquired, and the nurse looked at her with an annoyed look.
“Didn’t you hear? The morning shift was moved to 9 am because Dr Lorey had a meeting and none of the other doctors were free.” The nurse replied in a rude tone and suddenly dropped her gaze on Lily’s outfit.
“You are just getting to work now? Wow! Being the boss’s whore must come with some privileges.” She mocked and some other nurses who heard her laughed loudly.
Instead of giving her a reply, Lily only shook her head and turned but was cornered by the same nurse. “Why? Is the shame of being a whore too much to bear? You should…”
“Miss Jane!” Tony’s resonant voice boomed across the room, causing the nurses to flinch and quickly stand to their feet. Jane, who had been badmouthing Lily, froze, and her eyes widened in fear. She had not been expecting Tony to show up.
Lily, who had also recognized the voice, turned around and was met by a fuming Tony. In his hands was her purse, which she didn’t know she had left in his car.
“Meet me in my office, Miss Jane.” He instructed with gritted teeth and turned to Lily. When his eyes met Lily’s, they softened immediately.
He had been wondering why Lily was so bothered about people in the hospital seeing them together, but as he stood at the office door and witnessed the other nurses call Lily names, he finally understood.
He should have known that she would be bullied by others because of her relationship with him.
Tony slowly walked to her and stretched out his hands, handing her purse over.
“Thank you,” Lily said, her voice softer than a whisper. Tony nodded with a brief smile and turned to the other nurses who were watching.
“Lily owes no one an explanation and neither do I. Whatever happens between the both of us is none of your business.” Tony started in a loud voice. “The next time I hear of another case of office bullying, everyone involved will be immediately fired.” He added sharply and all their eyes widened briefly before they lowered their head in fear.
“If you have so much free time on your hands, you should use it to study instead of prying into the lives of others.” He finished and finally walked out of the office.
As soon as he left, a few of the nurses who had been bullying and insulting Lily along with Jane quickly came up to her.
“I am so sorry, Lily. It was a mistake. I’ll never do it again. Please, forgive me.” They pleaded with sorry expressions.
Lily who was still struggling to comprehend what had just happened, nodded her head and walked into the changing room so that she could have some time to herself.
When Tony arrived at his office floor, Jane was already waiting at his secretary’s office with her head bowed in shame. Anger cursed in his veins as soon as he laid his eyes on her but, he kept his emotions in check.
“Come in, Miss Jane.” He ordered, and she quickly snapped out of her daze and walked hastily behind him to his office.
Tony walked to his chair and took a seat before raising his head to address her.
“What was that behavior I witnessed, Miss Jane? Would you mind explaining what you meant when you referred to her as ‘the boss’s whore’?” Tony folded his arms and stared at her. He was interested in knowing what awful rumor had been spreading around the hospital.
Nervous and scared, Jane picked her fingernails and blinked severely. Her throat had suddenly gone dry, and her lips didn’t seem to move.
“I will not repeat myself, Miss Jane.” Tony’s voice was calm but laced with danger. “And look at me when I talk to you.” He added, and her head immediately snapped up.
“W.. well. T.. he thing is.” She stammered and stopped to clear her throat. “I swear to God, Dr Martinez, I heard someone say that. That’s the only reason I said it. I would never call someone a whore.” She defended herself but her words only amused Tony.
“Really?” His eyes widened in amusement. “Who did you hear it from?” He asked, and her mouth quivered as she thought of the next thing to say.
“W.. well. I can’t say. It is just something everyone says. I don’t know who started it though.” She replied, biting her lips nervously, and Tony nodded calmly.
“And what makes you all believe she is my whore?” He asked with folded arms and Jane looked like she was hesitating.
“Feel free to say whatever is on your mind, Miss Jane. I just want to know why you would think that.” He added, nudging her to carry on.
After a few more seconds of hesitation, Jane decided to speak. “She comes to work in your car, Dr Martinez. A few nurses have also seen her leave in your car, and we have caught her staring multiple times. All of this makes it seem like you both have a special bond, and we all know that you do not have a girlfriend.” She explained quickly and paused to see the look on Tony’s face.
She had been expecting him to be fuming after what she just said but, there was a cheesy grin on his face instead.
Of everything she said, the only thing Tony heard and wanted her to elaborate on was:
“Tell me, Miss Jane. When did you catch her staring at me?”