Chapter 93
[VistaSphere agent Lisette: born rich, star-maker by hobby, absolutely no shady business]
Attachment: smug queen face emoji.
Lisette hit “post” on her tweet and stuffed her phone back into her purse, heading straight to the payment counter.
Emergency room.
The doctor stared at the X-ray laid out on the desk, inspecting it carefully.
He hadn’t said a word in a while. Lisette was starting to get anxious. “Doctor, what’s the deal? Can he be treated or not? Say something already!” Her artist had a major audition tomorrow, and she was starting to seriously panic.
The doctor glanced between her and Owen before asking, “How did it happen p>
Lisette hesitated, half-embarrassed. “I p>
“I just bumped into something p>
Owen suddenly raised his voice, completely cutting off Lisette mid-sentence.
She shot him a sideways look-his expression calm as ever-and rolled her eyes mentally. Man might be shameless, but at the end of the day, he still cared about dignity. He probably didn’t want people thinking his wrist got busted in some sleazy moment gone wrong.
The doctor gave them a long, pointed look. Then he turned to Lisette. “You’re not hurt, miss p>
She shook her head. “Nope, all good p>
Then, suspicious, she squinted her eyes. “Wait… why are you asking that? You’re not thinking we got into a fight or something, are you p>
The doctor just smiled without answering.
Oh, so he totally was thinking that.
Lisette rolled her eyes. “Relax, doc. He just talks big. When it comes to actual moves? Nada. I’ve always been the one throwing punches-he wouldn’t dare twitch a finger at me p>
The doctor: p>
Owen nearly exploded. “It’s not that I can’t fight you back-my parents just raised me right! I don’t hit women, alright p>
Lisette gave a sarcastic snort. “Please. Haven’t you been knocked around by Gabriel too p>
That one shut him up good.
Feeling victorious, Lisette went back to her cool and graceful self, standing quietly to the side as if she hadn’t just roasted him in public.
Owen was fuming-turned his face away, pretending she didn’t exist.
Seeing the tension spike, the doctor finally suggested, “Miss, maybe wait outside for now p>
Lisette blinked, then quickly caught on.
Obviously, the doctor was trying to spare Owen’s pride. If the guy started screaming bloody murder during the bone setting, there goes his stoic star image.
Fair enough.
She gave Owen a subtle “good luck, hang in there” look and exited the ER.
Once the door closed, the doctor got to work setting the bone.
Owen had been getting fake beat-ups here and there lately-total stage combat. But today? This wrist fracture was the real deal.
And damn, it hurt.
While the doctor maneuvered his wrist, Owen clenched his jaw, trying hard not to scream. Within seconds, his face turned red, neck veins popped, and sweat slipped down his forehead.
The doctor, a seasoned pro, had seen plenty of drama queens yowl the second he touched them. But patients like Owen-who clenched through it all without a peep-were rare. He couldn’t help but admire the grit.
As he finished wrapping the cast, the doctor suddenly asked, “Your girlfriend… does she know martial arts p>
Girlfriend p>
That was the first time anyone had mistaken him and Lisette for a couple since he started falling for her-and not gonna lie, it gave him a weird little thrill.
Owen actually forgot about the pain for a second, grinning like an idiot. “No, she’s probably just picked up some self-defense moves. You know, with how pretty she is, it’s good to know a few ways to handle pervs p>
The look the doctor gave him?
Pure pity, maybe even a little heartbreak.
This dude got beat up by his girlfriend and still found a way to praise her.
Sigh.
Love really does lower your IQ. He finished wrapping up Owen’s wrist cleanly, then called Lisette in to collect her “lovesick fool p>
Before they left, the doctor couldn’t help giving Lisette a few words of advice after seeing Owen’s pitiful state. “Young lady, I get it-today’s couples are all about being direct and fiery, and it’s normal to have spats. But you really can’t make a habit of using your fists. Domestic violence goes both ways, even when the girl’s the one throwing punches p>
“A fracture like this takes months to recover from. Your boyfriend’s hurt, and guess who’s stuck taking care of him now? Not really a win for you, huh p>
“Might wanna think that through p>
Lisette blinked. “Huh p>
“Doctor, we’re not what you think-this doesn’t count as domestic abuse p>
She didn’t get to finish before Owen cut her off quickly, “We should go, seriously. There are other patients waiting, let’s not waste the doctor’s time p>
Before she could say another word, he was ushering her out of the emergency room, literally pushing her from behind like there were wild animals chasing them.
Glancing down at his good hand gripping her arm a bit too tightly, Lisette bit back her annoyance and huffed, “I’m only letting this slide because you’ve got an audition tomorrow. If it weren’t for that, I’d absolutely return the favor and ruin your other wrist p>
The doctor, just stepping out to the bathroom, accidentally overheard that last line.
He froze.
Now he was quietly waiting for round two, expecting Owen to be wheeled back in any day now. He wondered, if it happened often enough, would this poor heartbroken guy still bring himself to love the knockout who literally knocked him out?
Patrick’s new show was called Battle Hymn.
The story centered around two nations at war for years, both rulers determined to conquer each other’s lands and unify the territories. Amidst the chaos, the story followed the male lead-a top general-and his wife, as they strategized and assassinated one of the enemy’s undefeated top commanders, giving their struggling country a fighting chance.
Lisette was taking Owen to audition for that very lead role. Alongside them was Gabriel, who’d been roped in as the day’s unlucky chauffeur.
But to Owen, everything Gabriel did was irritating. “I’m auditioning for the lead. Why’d you bring this weirdo along p>
Lisette shot him a look sharp enough to cut. “Excuse me, future A-list agent here. I’m not about to drive you to an audition myself-that’d completely mess with my vibe p>
Owen narrowed his eyes. “What about Hannah? Isn’t she your assistant p>
Lisette grinned. “If you’re hoping for Hannah to drive you, then I suggest you first sign her up for a driving school. Maybe, just maybe, by your next audition, she’ll be able to give it a go p>
Wait, what p>
Owen stared in disbelief. “Hannah’s that aggressive and speed-talking, and she doesn’t know how to drive p>
By the time they reached 3C Studio, Gabriel had already turned off the engine.
Lisette opened the car door and answered casually, “Guess she’s just too busy p>
“Too busy?” Owen scoffed. “She’s probably spending every second outside training on stuffing her face. There’s no way she’s got time to learn to drive p>
Lisette fired back without missing a beat, “Says the guy who spends all his time chasing girls p>
“That’s public service, thank you very much-raising happiness levels for the ladies p>
“If you really want to help women, try staying away from them p>
Seeing he still had the energy to keep throwing shade, Lisette raised her voice, “Get out of the car already. Unless you’re trying to get blacklisted by Patrick himself p>
Owen grumbled something under his breath, climbed out unwillingly, and silently vowed to hire two drivers tonight-one to actually drive and the other just to keep on standby. Hmph!
The three of them made their way toward the elevator as they bantered.
Ding!
Just as the elevator doors were closing, Owen jogged over and stuck a foot in to stop it, glancing back at the other two. “Move it! Hustle up or I’m really gonna be late p>
Lisette clicked her tongue. “With that bum arm, you still run faster than most people walk. Should be no problem swinging a sword or two later in the audition p>
She picked up the pace and stepped into the elevator with Gabriel.
The second she saw who was already inside, her steps faltered. Her brows arched and the corners of her mouth curled into a cheeky, flirty smile.
“Well, well,” she said sweetly. “What are the odds p>