Chapter 5 Call Me by My Married Name

Lucien immediately snapped to his senses. When he looked up and saw an electric scooter zipping toward them, he quickly veered to the side and hit the brakes. The scooter narrowly avoided their car as it whooshed past. Talia's face was ashen with shock. "Try not to be so distracted while driving." "Okay." Lucien was a little shaken too. He handed the phone back to Thalia and said, "Here, key in the password yourself." Thalia didn't so much as look at the phone before declining, "My hands are busy. I'm putting on makeup." "But I'm driving—" Lucien argued. "Yeah, but you're not driving now, are you?" Talia sighed at their bickering and said to Lucien, "Here, pass me the phone and read out her password. I'll unlock it." "Sure." Lucien passed the phone to Talia. "Key in ryx2—" "What the hell, Lucien?" Thalia's temper suddenly flared. She closed her compact mirror with a loud snap and tossed it aside, then whirled and snatched her phone out of Talia's grip. Hurling it at Lucien angrily, she seethed, "You can't tell anyone else my password!" Things got awkward very quickly, and Lucien and Talia went rigid at Thalia's outburst. However, Thalia was unaffected and unapologetic. She flashed Talia a smile. "Sorry, Dr. Ainsworth, I'm sure you can understand that pregnant women are prone to mood swings because of the hormones." "Right…" Talia replied slowly. Thalia continued, "In modern society, a person's phone is the gateway to their most private information and falls under an individual's legal right to privacy. I'm simply standing up for my rights. It's nothing personal." "You're a true legal expert, Ms. Griffin," Talia mused with a smile. "Force of habit, I'm afraid," Thalia said good-naturedly. "No offense, Dr. Ainsworth." "None taken, though you should call me by my married name. We're no longer at the hospital, and I certainly wasn't your attending doctor. I only operated on you once, and it was on very short, urgent notice," Talia pointed out. Thalia countered smoothly, "You operated on me, and that makes you a doctor whether you're my attending physician or not. Besides, I've been addressing you as Dr. Ainsworth since yesterday. It'd be weird for me to start calling you anything else now." "No, it wouldn't. I am legally Mrs. Reese, after all." "You have a point." Thalia's smile began to slip, and her expression hardened slightly. "But calling you by your married name makes you sound older than you are, like you're middle-aged or something. Calling you 'Dr. Ainsworth' makes you sound younger." Talia stared at Thalia evenly, and the latter gave her a triumphant smile before turning to order Lucien, "Step on it, Lucien. We don't want to be late!" … As a doctor, Talia hardly had time to attend school reunions. Abigail had invited her on several occasions, but Talia had turned her down because of work. Talia got out of the car. She was about to head into the dry bar when her phone rang. Lucien stopped in his tracks. "Is it the hospital?" Glancing at the caller ID, Talia realized that it was indeed the hospital's number flashing on the screen. "Yeah. It might be an emergency with one of the labor and delivery patients. They wouldn't call me on my day off otherwise." "I'll give you a lift," Lucien offered. "It's fine. I'll figure something out—" "Lucien!" Thalia called out to him from where she waited nearby. "Jimmy called. He wants us to hurry!" Lucien frowned, seemingly caught in a dilemma. Talia's phone wouldn't stop ringing. Gripping it, she headed in another direction, away from the dry bar. "I'm going to take the call." She put the call through. "Hello?" "Dr. Ainsworth, it's me, Lisa. The chief came by earlier and asked if you'd be up for the expatriate study program next month." Relieved, Talia chided, "Is that all? For heaven's sake, Lisa, I thought you were calling me about an emergency!" Lisa chuckled. "Oh, please, as if we'd have emergencies every day. Don't worry, I can handle the usual OB-GYN cases." "I'll take your word for it." Lisa pressed, "So, are you up for the expatriate study program or not? It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! I even printed the application form. Just say the word and I'll fill up the form and submit it for you." "No, thanks," Talia replied softly, gently stroking her lower abdomen. "I don't plan to give birth abroad, either. I'd rather the kid be naturalized here." "Either?" Lisa repeated. "Is anyone else in your family expecting as well, Dr. Ainsworth?" "Oh…" Talia answered slowly, "My husband's friend is." "I see." Lisa thought it was a shame for Talia to give the program a miss. "Why are women always the ones who sacrifice their career opportunities for their kids and families? It's so unfair, especially when you're already a big shot in the OB-GYN department despite being so young! If you were to go abroad for a few years, you'd come back even stronger—" Lisa might be Talia's assistant, but in truth, she was only two years younger than the latter and was still pursuing her master's degree. Perhaps working in the OB-GYN department had impacted Lisa's worldview, for she was far more sentimental and opinionated about pregnancy and how it affected a woman's life. At one point, she was even a little put off by the idea of marriage. Talia placated Lisa, then hung up. She looked around, but Lucien and Thalia were nowhere in sight. She figured they must have already gone into the bar. The noise inside Lumiere Bar enveloped Talia like a tidal wave the moment she entered. The main seating area of the bar was packed with nearly a hundred people, all of whom looked to be around Lucien's age. But Talia could pick out Lucien from the crowd right away. He was tall and boasted an immaculate carriage, not to mention extremely good-looking. However, the sharp angles and chiseled planes of his face were at odds with his mild manners. Anyone who didn't know him might mistake him for the ruthless and overbearing type. "Is it true that Lucien and Thalia are married?" "Duh! Who would lie about something like that? Didn't you see that exclusive interview on the financial news channel? He said it himself—his wife's name is Thalia." "No way. They've been friends for years! If they had any feelings for each other at all, they would've gotten married way before this, right?" "Beats me. Maybe they suddenly realized there was more to their friendship. Then again, Thalia used to have a thing for guys like Jimmy. You know, those well-mannered and gentle types. She didn't care much for arrogant, intimidating men." "So, what, you're saying she had a change in preferences? Lucien was like a tyrant back in school. I can't think of anyone more intimidating than him." "Maybe Thalia didn't have a change in preferences; maybe Lucien's changed. Look at him now in that suit and leather shoes, and those gold-framed glasses make him look like the perfect gentleman! Who would've thought that the ruthless Lucien from school could polish up so nicely?" Talia's phone slipped from her hand and clattered to the floor, the sudden sound scaring the two men gossiping beside her. The one in the blue suit bent over to pick up her phone and handed it back to her. "You alright?" Taking the phone, Talia shot him a grateful smile and said, "I'm fine, thanks." "I don't think I've ever seen you before. Which class were you in back in school?" "Oh, we didn't go to the same school. I'm—" Talia began. "You didn't? Sorry, miss, but we're holding a school reunion here. Lumiere Bar's been booked out and won't be taking business from the public today. You'll have to go someplace else for a drink." "I'm not here to drink; I'm here to see someone," Talia explained. "Who?" the man pressed. "Lucien Reese," Talia answered matter-of-factly. The man was taken aback by her response. "You're looking for Lucien? Who are you?"