CEO Ex-Husband, Don't Bother Me-Chapter 29: If Only Life Were Like the First Meeting (Part 2)
Instead of getting angry, Charles Donovan burst into laughter, his voice dripping with contempt.
"You alone?"
"I’ve signed the statement. It’s time you dealt with the patient!"
Julian Donovan’s eyes darkened. No matter how much he hated the man, he hadn’t forgotten about Ian Shaw’s condition. Charles Donovan was, after all, a very famous gastroenterologist. If Ian Shaw had been brought to Charles Donovan for treatment earlier, he might have pulled through.
Although Charles Donovan was rude to Julian Donovan, he didn’t forget his end of the bargain. He immediately put on his white coat and assembled the relevant doctors to consult on Ian Shaw’s case.
After arriving at the hospital, Ian Shaw had been taken to the intensive care unit, so Naomi Shaw couldn’t go in to be with him. Since Julian Donovan had gone to the president’s office, Naomi was feeling restless and went out to the courtyard for a walk to ease her anxiety. She found a secluded spot, closed her eyes, pressed her hands together, and silently prayed for Ian Shaw.
Her mother had passed away when she was very young, making Ian Shaw her sole pillar of support. She couldn’t imagine a life without him. She even wished she could trade ten years of her own life for his health and longevity.
"Excuse me, young lady!"
"The beautiful one in the white dress!"
A pleasant, magnetic voice sounded by her ear. Naomi Shaw turned around to see a handsome young man in a white coat looking at her. Polite and gentlemanly—that was her first impression of him.
She looked around and saw no one else. She pointed to herself, a little embarrassed, and asked,
"Are you... talking to me?"
"Yes, I am. Are there any other beautiful young ladies in white dresses here?"
The young man’s lips curved into a soft smile. Being praised so directly made Naomi Shaw blush.
"Did you need something?"
The young man pointed to a few pages that had fallen on the nearby grass.
"Would you mind picking up that file that dropped over there for me?"
"Oh, of course!"
She walked over, bent down to pick it up, and handed it to him. The man was surprised that she hadn’t asked why a grown man like him would ask someone else to pick it up instead of doing it himself. ’She’s a little too kind, isn’t she?’
But even though she didn’t ask, he politely explained,
"My leg... it’s not easy for me to squat down. So, thank you!"
Does this scene not bring to mind the saying: ’If only life were always as beautiful as the first meeting.’
Naomi Shaw was surprised to hear the man say that. She hadn’t expected that this handsome, charismatic, and young man would have a problem with his leg. The young man, however, didn’t seem to mind at all. He just smiled and said,
"A lasting effect from a childhood car accident."
His frankness made Naomi Shaw feel a little embarrassed. Her eyes curved into a gentle smile.
"Oh, I see..."
Seeing her beautiful smile, the young man found himself talking more than usual.
"Are you here as a patient?"
Naomi Shaw shook her head.
"No, I’m here with my father."
"What’s wrong with your father? I’m the vice president of this hospital. Perhaps I can help."
As if afraid she wouldn’t believe him, the man pointed to his name badge. Naomi Shaw glanced at it, and her expression froze. The man’s badge read: Vice President Sean Donovan.
’Donovan? His last name is Donovan, too?’ The name immediately made her think of the man who occupied her heart. But that man... he had never spoken to her so gently, nor had he ever smiled at her so freely. And yet, just a last name was enough to make her think of him.
Seeing her crestfallen and dazed expression, the man bent down slightly. Just as he was about to ask what was wrong, another voice cut in.
"Vice President, Vice President, what are you still doing here? We’re going to be late for the meeting!"
A man who looked like a secretary came rushing over, carrying a huge pile of documents. He stopped short when he saw the vice president in such a secluded spot with a young woman, and with such a gentle expression on his face.
"Vice President, you’re..."
The man shot his secretary a glare, straightened up, and said to Naomi Shaw,
"Sorry, I have to run to a meeting. If you need anything, just come find me in the vice president’s office."
Naomi Shaw was touched. He was a vice president, yet he was so friendly and approachable, with no airs about him at all. He was even eager to help her. She quickly waved her hands.
"It’s fine, it’s fine! You go on and get to your work."
The man smiled and turned to leave. Because of his bad leg, he walked with some difficulty, and his secretary occasionally had to support him. But that didn’t diminish his charm in the slightest. Wherever he went, nurses and female patients alike shrieked for him.
Fortunately, his car had already pulled up nearby. As he bent down to get in, he glanced back at Naomi Shaw. She smiled and waved at him. ’Sigh,’ she thought with a sigh, ’perhaps this is the beauty of imperfection.’
Sean Donovan got into the car but didn’t immediately look at the documents in his hand to prepare for the meeting. Instead, he rested one hand on the car window and rubbed his forehead with the other, trying to calm the strange emotions stirring within him. That girl... her lively turn, her shy smile, her face with its red lips, white teeth, and clear, limpid eyes. Her kind, pure, and guileless nature. It had all so easily tugged at his heartstrings.
He, who had always been completely uninterested in women, had uncharacteristically chatted with her for so long. Especially when he saw that flicker of sorrow in her eyes, a wave of compassion washed over him. He wished he knew magic, so he could instantly erase the sadness from her eyes.
’After the meeting,’ he thought, ’I’ll have someone find out that girl’s name. It’s rare for me to be this interested in someone.’
When Julian Donovan arrived at the door to Ian Shaw’s hospital room, he didn’t see Naomi Shaw. His sharp brows immediately furrowed. ’Where did she go? Didn’t I tell her to wait here obediently? She doesn’t know this place or anyone in it. What if she gets lost?’
But when he turned around, he realized his worry was unnecessary. Through a window in the hallway, he saw her smiling and talking with a man. When that man turned around, Julian’s eyes darkened abruptly. ’Sean Donovan? She really loves to stir up trouble, doesn’t she? In just that short time, she’s already hitting it off with Sean Donovan?’
When Naomi Shaw returned to the door of Ian Shaw’s room, she saw Julian Donovan waiting there with a dark expression. She thought something had gone wrong with her father’s condition and rushed over anxiously to ask him,
"Julian, why do you look so upset? Is something wrong with Dad’s condition?"
Julian Donovan looked at her innocent and guileless face and felt an urge to strangle her. ’But Julian, why blame her for being naive? If there’s anyone to blame, it’s her for being too beautiful, for so easily attracting other men. Just because you don’t know how to appreciate her beauty doesn’t mean other men won’t.’
But he couldn’t actually strangle her, so he just said coldly,
"The doctors are in a consultation. I’ll take you back to the hotel first."
After speaking, he strode away. Although Naomi Shaw wanted to stay and wait for news, the sullen look on his face made her decide to follow him.
In the taxi to the hotel, Julian Donovan kept a stony face and said nothing. Naomi Shaw didn’t dare to speak to him either. ’He was so gentle with me on the way from Thailos,’ she thought. ’Why is he suddenly so cold again?’
They arrived at the hotel, checked in, and went to take the elevator to their respective rooms. The elevator stopped on the ground floor, and the people inside stepped out. Just as Naomi Shaw was about to step in, she saw Julian Donovan, who was beside her, suddenly freeze. Then she heard him murmur in a low, grief-stricken voice,
"Juliet?"
Naomi Shaw’s entire body went rigid. She hadn’t forgotten—the name he had called out when he’d kissed her in his drunken state was Juliet.
She numbly lifted her gaze and saw a stunningly beautiful woman, cold and glamorous. She was wearing a gorgeous purple evening gown and had her arm linked with a seemingly refined, middle-aged man in glasses. Judging by their attire, they seemed to be on their way to a banquet.
