THE FORGOTTEN HEIRESS-Chapter 393: I’m In Love With Her

She stopped briefly by the traffic light and by the time she navigated through the traffic and arrived at the hospital, it was already past 2pm.

Steffan, as usual, was waiting for her downstairs. He always did that whenever he was notified of her coming in advance.

"Hey, sweetheart," Steffan reached out and wrapped her in an embrace as soon as she stepped out of her car.

"There are people watching you, Dr Steffan Rosse," Lauren said but made no attempt to break the embrace.

"The more the merrier, don’t you think?" Steffan said and went on to seal her lips in a kiss.

"You weren’t this bold in the past, but I think I love this version of you more," Lauren mumbled against Steffan’s lips when he finally released her.

"I bet you must have been very bored of the other version of me," Steffan teased.

"Not really..." Lauren said with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"I see. So are we using my car or yours?"

"Yours of course. I don’t want to be your driver."

Alright, let’s go then," Steffan said and steered her towards his car.

"Just a minute. Now that I’m here, why don’t I use the opportunity to at least say hi to Dr Sullivan."

"That’s a good idea. He’s been asking about you lately," Steffan said and led Lauren into the hospital, her heels clicking softly against the polished floor as they made their way through the bustling corridors.

As they approached his office, Steffan kept a steady hand at the small of her back, guiding her effortlessly through the maze of nurses and patients.

"Dr. Rosse!" one of the nurses called out with a friendly wave, but her eyes quickly shifted to Lauren, a knowing smile playing on her lips. "Good to see you, Ms. Lauren!"

Lauren returned the smile, nodding in acknowledgment. "Good to see you too, Nurse Carly. How is work?"

"Work is fine. I’ve been meaning to congratulate you on your victory at the competition. We’re all very proud of you and I can’t believe I’m here talking to a celebrity," Carly replied with admiration.

"Don’t be ridiculous, Carly. It’s still the same old me, Lauren. Nothing has changed." Lauren laughed dismissively.

"All the same, you’re our champion," Carly insisted.

"Thank you," Lauren said, feeling warm at heart. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

They continued down the hallway, and every few steps, it seemed another nurse or doctor greeted them, each one giving Lauren a warm reception and praising her.

Steffan, who hardly received any attention, almost felt like her escort, however, he wasn’t offended at all, rather he felt so proud of the woman his heart had chosen.

He had always wondered why it seemed Lauren was so popular with all the doctors and nurses when she wasn’t a staff at the hospital, but after she made him understand that they were engaged, it all made sense now.

As they neared Dr Sullivan’s office, a door opened on the corridor and Dolly emerged from her own office, clipboard in hand.

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she caught sight of them together. Though her stride faltered, she quickly composed herself, adjusting the collar of her lab coat as she approached.

"Steff," Dolly greeted in a tone that set Lauren’s antennae on high alert.

What was she up to? Wasn’t she dating George? Why is she still flirting with Steffan?

"Dolly," Steffan replied, his voice polite but Lauren noticed it was lacking the formal earth he normally used with her.

"I can see you have a visitor," Dolly said as her gaze flickered briefly to Lauren, making no effort to mask the disdain in her eyes before settling back on Steffan,

Lauren gave Dolly a brief, courteous nod. "Good afternoon, Dr. Thompson."

Dolly forced a smile, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. "Ms Holmes. Nice to see you here again." She glanced between them, her grip tightening on her clipboard. "I didn’t realize you’d be free to come around the hospital."

"Yeah, we were actually on our way out for lunch but Lauren insisted on saying hi to some friends first," Steffan replied with an affectionate gaze trained on Lauren’s flawless face.

"Oh," Dolly said with disappointment.

"Is there a problem, Dolly? You don’t sound okay," Steffan asked, his tone shifting to concern.

"N-not really. It’s just that I wanted to discuss something with you, but since you’re going out, I’ll wait."

"If it wouldn’t take time, I can spare you a few minutes while Lauren goes about her business first," Steffan offered with a pleading look at Lauren.

Lauren shrugged, a casual smirk playing on her lips. "I don’t mind at all. You two go ahead," she said.

But before turning away, she leaned in and kissed Steffan, lingering just long enough to make a statement.

"I’ve got my eyes everywhere so you had better behave," she murmured against his ear, her voice laced with playful seduction before striding confidently down the corridor.

"So naughty," Steffan muttered, a warm, amused smile softening his features as his eyes lingered on Lauren’s retreating form.

But the moment she disappeared from view, his expression hardened, all traces of warmth replaced by a cool indifference as he turned back to Dolly.

"After you," he said flatly, gesturing for her to open her office door which was closer.

Dolly’s heart sank as she witnessed the abrupt shift, struggling to keep her composure.

"Let’s use your office," she replied, her voice tight, her smile strained and brittle as she tried to mask the tumult of emotions churning inside her.

The scene she had just witnessed of Steffan’s public display of affection with Lauren, had unsettled her deeply. She was aware he hadn’t regained his memory, so why was he so comfortable with Lauren? Were they really back together?

Her mind raced with questions, each one hitting her like a cold slap. What would become of her? She had been so certain that she would be the one Steffan turned to, not that conniving Lauren.

She, Dolly, was supposed to be the center of his attention, the object of his affection. But now, she stood on the outside, watching everything slip away.

No, she was not going to allow all what she’s done to go down the drain just like that. Never!

"So, you mentioned going out for lunch?" Dolly asked, desperately clinging to any semblance of normalcy.

"Yeah, sort of," Steffan replied casually as they entered his office. "Actually, lunch is just an excuse. I wanted to take the next step with Lauren. I haven’t told her yet, but I plan to do so over lunch. What do you think?" His eyes sparkled with a boyish excitement, as though he were sharing news of a grand adventure.

"What?!" Dolly’s voice cracked, the shock and disbelief clear in her tone. She was sure if she was taing anything, she would have choked on it and probably in a coughing bout by now.

"Surprised?" Steffan asked, his enthusiasm undimmed by Dolly’s reaction. He seemed oblivious to her turmoil.

"I think I’m in love with her," he added, his declaration hitting Dolly like a punch to the gut.

"How do you know you’re in love?" Dolly’s voice wavered, sounding hoarse and fragile as if the words themselves pained her to speak.