"Oh shit! Use your eyes when you walk, girl. You just got my expensive shirt wet."

Gabrielle shook the front of his soaked shirt while hurling harsh curses.

"What? You're very rude. I already apologized to you, Mr. Rich. Besides, it's not entirely my fault. You suddenly turned around when I passed by."

"This is clearly your fault. You carry a punch in your hand, but walk carelessly."

They shouted at each other loudly, and became a spectacle for the club visitors. Piston was the only one who immediately got up from his seat to separate Gabrielle from one of Miranda's friends.

"Gabe, I don't think this is something to make a fuss about."

"Shut up. This damn woman spilled her drink on my shirt."

"She didn't mean it," Piston whispered in his ear.

"What did you say? You are a truly rude and immoral man."

"Belle, stop it!"

Just as Belle was about to scratch Gabrielle's arrogant face, suddenly Miranda and Nathalie came to pull her back. They gave her sharp looks and told her to stop embarrassing herself.

"Sorry, this is my friend, Belle Triston. I'm sure she didn't mean to spill her punch on your shirt."

"He was rude to me," Belle said fiercely. She was annoyed because Miranda seemed very polite to the man

"It's okay, Miranda. Gabrielle is just in a bad mood tonight."

Piston calmed Gabrielle and took him away from Miranda's friends.

Before Belle could say anything, Miranda and Nathalie dragged her away from Mark's friend's table.

"Beib, I have to go cool Belle's head. Enjoy the party with your friends. I'll be right back."

Before Belle could say anything, Miranda and Nathalie dragged her away from Mark's friend's table. They dragged Belle to a quiet corner of the club.

"What was that? Why are you defending that damn man?"

"Belle, you're embarrassing yourself," Nathalie glared at her.

Meanwhile, Belle didn't seem to care and just crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"You've dealt with the wrong man."

"Who is he anyway?"

Belle accidentally found a man winking flirtatiously at her. The guy was about twenty years older than her and he had several sexy women lining up for his attention. Belle shot him a disgusted and sharp look, go to hell.

"What the hell are you looking at?"

"Nothing. So, who was the guy who hit me earlier?"

"Gabrielle Rolland."

One second, two seconds. Nathalie and Miranda were both waiting for Belle's excited reaction. But after five seconds had passed, they still had nothing but a confused frown on Belle's face.

"You don't know who Gabrielle Rolland is?" asked Nathalie in amazement.

"No. Is he someone important enough to know?"

"Oh my, Belle! You must really be living in a cave."

"Hey, I have an apartment. Yes, even though it's not in the elite area of LA. But I don't live in a cave!"

"For your information, Gabrielle Rolland is one of the most desirable rich men in LA. He is the owner of the largest automotive company in LA, Starlight Company. And you know, he married a very famous actress of this century, Fleura Delacour."

In contrast to Nathalie, who looked enthusiastic when explaining Gabrielle's brief profile, Belle didn't seem interested at all. She did not like his rudeness and arrogance.

"To me, he's nothing but a fucking bastard with very bad manners. Such a great man should be able to respect a woman."

Miranda and Nathalie looked at each other. They both gave up trying to persuade Belle to stop her cynicism towards Gabrielle.

"Okay, forget that. Didn't we come here to have fun? Belle, I want you to meet one of Mark's friends."

"Nothing really caught my attention. The man named Piston is talkative and flirtatious. He tried to rub my thigh when I sat next to him. And his other friend looked terrible. He kept drinking and he was sweating profusely even though it was very cold here. I assumed he was nervous."

"Geez, Belle, you're too picky."

"Being a picky is important. Especially for my future."

"Then you will remain single forever."

Miranda crossed her arms in front of her chest in annoyance. This was her thirtieth attempt to match Belle with a man. But things never worked out. Belle was always fussy about the men. Tonight Belle was even more annoying because she caused a scene with a hot guy like Gabrielle Rolland.

"I will find the right man someday. Now, is just not the time."

Nathalie rubbed Belle's arm, trying to calm her down.

"You should be like Nathalie. She even made it after just one date."

"Well, that's her luck. Nathalie found the right man like Ernest. He is smart, handsome, and gentle. If I were dating a guy like Erenest, I wouldn't be so cranky either."

"Gurls, this debate will get us nowhere. Besides, I have to go home now."

"Nat? Why?" Miranda whined.

"Tomorrow I have an operation scheduled at eight o'clock. I don't want to show up with dark circles under my eyes while anesthetizing my patient. And Ernest must have returned from his business trip. We promised to have a video call before going to bed."

"Ahem... Are you guys going to have phone sex?"

"Geez, Belle! You're so nosy," Nathalie laughed.

"If you want to know, you should find a lover, so you can make a video call with your lover."

"Oh, that's really rude," Belle pretended to touch her chest and acted dramatically.

"I'm leaving, gurls. See you tomorrow at the hospital. And you Belle, I hope tonight you manage to find at least one interesting man."

Belle waved her hand in the air. "Don't expect too much. I'll go home after drinking a few shots at the bar."

They hugged each other before Nathalie left the club.

"I have to go back to Mark."

"I'll go to the bar alone. Tell Mark I'm sorry for the mess tonight."

"Okay. See you tomorrow, Belle."

Belle waved softly at Miranda and turned towards the bar. Tonight might not be her luck. But for how long?

Belle groaned inwardly. She was tired of going on all the dates arranged by Miranda. Not a single date ended well for her. She even experienced some unpleasant things with random men. She was once asked to pay the bill for the cliche reason that the man had forgotten his wallet. She was also almost raped by her date. She never told Miranda, but Miranda thought she was too picky and fussy. Well fine, maybe the man she was destined for didn't want to come just yet.

"Hi beautiful, you're back."

The bartender greeted Belle cheerfully while wiping the glasses lined up in front of him.

"Umh yeah, my friends just got home. Please make me a Bloody Marry."

"Sure. This will be the best Bloody Marry in town."

The bartender added a flirtatious wink before he got busy mixing some liquids to make Belle's order.

Meanwhile, Belle took the only empty place at the bar counter and sat on a high stool. She really didn't have any inkling until someone next to her spoke sarcastically.

"You still have enough courage to stay, Belle Triston?"

The woman wore a short fuschia dress with spaghetti straps. She looked sexy, but she was not slutty. She wrapped herself in an expensive, untouchable elegance. A simple gold watch circled her wrist along with a white gold bracelet full of beads. There was no ring on her finger. Her wavy auburn hair was like flames that framed her stern face. Gabrielle admitted that Belle was beautiful. But, Belle had a fierce mouth. She did not hesitate to yell at anyone who openly bothered her.

“I wouldn't say that I'm happy to meet you here.”

“Me neither. But you are free to sit wherever you are, I will not kick you out.”

“Well, this club isn't yours. You can’t kick me out while I’m here and pay for my own drinks.”

“I could buy this place right now if I really wanted to kick you out.”

“Tsk, you arrogant rich guy.”

Gabrielle shrugged his shoulders indifferently. He sipped his bourbon slowly. His elbows propped on the table. He tried to enjoy this evening as best as possible even though his mood had fallen to the bottom of the abyss.

“Your drink, Milady. Enjoy.”

"Thank you....”

“Joshua. Pleased to meet you."

The bartender went to serve other guests after placing Belle's order. His friendliness relaxed Belle's tension a little. All men should be like Josh. He was friendly, but he was not lewd.

“Where are your other friends?”

“Over there.”

"Why don't you join them?"

"I'm lazy. I just want to enjoy my bourbon in peace.”

Hearing the sarcasm, Belle automatically stopped moving her lips to ask Gabrielle more questions. Besides, she was clear enough about Gabrielle's profile and she didn't need any more information.

For half an hour Gabrielle and Belle were just silent, ignoring each other and trying to enjoy the boring atmosphere around them. But Belle found their nonchalance repulsive. She couldn't stand pretending to be nonchalant for too long, so she decided to finish her drink and go home.

“Give up, eh?”

“Sorry? Are you talking to me?”

“Do you see anyone else here?”

Shit! Belle cursed her own stupidity.

“Tsk, what do you want? You keep skeptical of me. Are you angry because I wet your expensive shirt? Okay, I'll change your shirt tomorrow."

"No need. I have a pile of expensive shirts at home. You'd better go home and go to bed. You look tired, miss.”

Belle's anger rose to the top of her head. She really wanted to scratch this man's annoying face and shower him with the rudest curses she had ever known.

Belle exhaled roughly. She wasn't going to escalate the ridiculous argument. She'd better go home and go to sleep like that damn man suggested to her.

"Alright. Good night, Mr. Rolland."

Belle tossed her hair before walking away. Gabrielle grinned as he took a sip of his bourbon. He thought Belle was quite funny and sweet. He found solace in Belle, and he hoped to meet the fierce woman again.

"Nite too, Belle," Gabrielle mumbled into the air.

-00-

"I am ready. Let's get out of the car."

“You look amazing. Happy birthday, darling."

Gabrielle took Fleura's right hand and kissed the back of it gently. The corner of Gabrielle's eye accidentally caught the diamond ring on Fleura's finger. It was their wedding ring. He noticed that Fleura didn't wear it in Milan because her fingers were too full of designer rings. However, this time Fleura wore her ring again to perfect her role as Gabrielle Rolland's wife.

"I have a gift for you."

"Now? I thought you'd surprise me at the end of the day."

“There are some gifts. This is the first gift,” Gabrielle smiled broadly at his enthusiastic wife.

“I love gifts. Oh, thank you my darling."

Fleura grabbed Gabrielle's nape and kissed him passionately. They crushed each other, and Gabrielle hugged her back tightly. It had been a long time since they kissed like that. And Gabrielle didn't want to miss a single sweet moment with her on her birthday.

"When are you going to give me a gift?"

"After one more kiss."'

Gabrielle kissed her wife's lips greedily, like a hungry man. He didn't need to worry about journalists around the lobby because he protected his car with frosted glass.

"OK, that is enough. You messed up my lipstick."

Fleura pushed Gabrielle's shoulder. She pursed her lips when she saw her reflection in the mirror.

“My lip is swollen, gosh. You kissed me greedily.”

"We haven't done that in a long time," Gabrielle shrugged nonchalantly.

"I hope that tonight we can celebrate your birthday more intimately in bed."

“Hmm, I have a party with my friends at the club. They have prepared a surprise for me.”

“Oh shit! Can you cancel the party?”

Applying lipstick to her lips, Fleura shook her head with a fake sad expression.

"I can't let them down, Gabe. Everyone will attend. Including my producer and director.”

"Are they more important than me? Your husband?"

"Of course, you are more important than them. Never compare yourself with them. Come on, I don't want to start an argument with you. Are you going to give me my gift now?”

Gabrielle reached into his pocket excitedly. He took out a red velvet box and handed it to Fleura without opening it.

“It's a very rare ruby necklace. I managed to get it at last month's auction.”

Fleura clapped her hands excitedly and opened the velvet box impatiently.

“Oh, honey, it's so pretty. You know that I really want it!”

Fleura lifted the necklace and screamed with joy in front of the mirror while holding the necklace to her neck. The red ruby on the pendant shone beautifully under the lamplight. Fleura couldn't wait to wear it, so she could show off the rare necklace to her friends.

"Can you help me, honey?"

“Turn around. I'll put the necklace around your neck."

Gabrielle took the necklace from Fleura's hand then put it around her neck. He was a bit annoyed that Fleura chose to party with her friends instead of spending time with him. Watson's words flashed through his mind. He said he could use his money to buy the happiness he wanted. Fleura was not the only woman in the world. There were lots of women who were willing to replace Fleura in his bed.

"Come on, Gabe, smile for the camera."

Fleura put her arm around Gabrelle's shoulder as they walked through the hospital lobby. The flash slightly blinded Gabrielle's eyes, who was not yet used to the presence of paparazzi. Meanwhile, Fleura looked so relaxed when facing the paparazzi. She posed very elegantly while showing off her affection for Gabrielle. That's what Fleura always did. Pose and pose. Her ruby necklace shone beautifully under the flash. Fleura looked perfect in front of all those paparazzi.

"Hello friends, thank you for coming to celebrate my birthday as well as to visit the children here."

"Happy birthday Ms. Fleura. Your heart is so noble. You choose to celebrate your birthday in the hospital with children with cancer. While other actresses, who may not be more famous than you, choose to party in clubs or in private villas.”

Fleura smiled gently as she glanced at Gabrielle, who was looking at her with loving eyes.

"My wife wants to share her happiness with them, right sweetheart?"

Gabrielle kissed her wife's cheek tenderly. A group of nurses cheered wildly behind the pillar, biting their nails with envy at Gabrielle and Fleura.

"And today you are allowed to record my activities inside, but I hope you can be calmer when you do it because we are currently in the hospital."

The reporters muttered noisily, then nodded in understanding. One of them raised a finger to ask Fleura a question.

"Yes?"

"I see you are wearing a very beautiful necklace."

Fleura's eyes twinkled. She excitedly touched the ruby against her neck and pulled Gabrielle closer to her.

“My beloved husband gave it to me as a birthday present. Thank you very much, baby."

“The pleasure is mine. I always have to ensure my wife's happiness.”

They kissed passionately. The hospital staff buzzed around excitedly amidst the clicking sounds of cameras. Rollands would be a hot topic in all the magazines.

"Come on guys, it's time for us to meet these cute children," Gabrielle exclaimed excitedly then took his wife's hand into the hospital.

"He just had the flu and fever. Don't worry, ma'am. Your son will be fine after resting and taking some of the medicine I prescribed."

"Belle, you should see.... Oh, I'm sorry. Please go on."

Belle glared at Miranda, who had just shouted and entered her room without knocking. God, Belle wanted to strangle her friend for her rudeness, walking into her room without knocking.

"I'm sorry for the disturbance earlier. My friend just wants to discuss something with me."

"No problem, doc. So, my little Charlie will be fine, right?"

"He will be fine. Don't worry. You just need to feed him nutritious food and make sure Charlie takes his medicine three times a day."

"Alright, I'll do it. Thank you very much, Doctor Belle."

"You're welcome. Get well soon Charlie."

Belle stroked Charlie's head gently and led them to the door. The five-year-old boy looked very weak and only hugged his mother's waist as he walked out to the elevator.

Belle turned over the wooden plank on the door as her practice time was over. It was time to go home to rest and watch some new movies. She wanted to really relax that day because she hadn't had a proper sleep in days. She had to be on standby at the hospital when her little patient was critical. Belle always hoped that her patients would be fine and that they could be reunited with their families at home.

"Belle!"

"Oh my God, Miranda! What are you doing?"

Belle screamed in annoyance because Miranda surprised her who was drinking. The water spilled onto her lab coat.

"Oops, I'm sorry. Is that mineral water?"

"Fortunately it's only mineral water."

Belle slammed the bottle on the table and took out some tissues to wipe her wet lab coat.

"Why did you come to my room? Do you have any important news?"

"The actress has come. You must see her."

"Oh my, I thought you were going to tell me something important."

"This is very important news."

Miranda enthusiastically followed Belle who was throwing the used tissue into the trash. She snorted in annoyance because Miranda was following her like an idiot.

"I don't care about the actress or whatever she's doing in this hospital."

"She will be celebrating her birthday with your little patients. You should have come to the hall to see them having fun."

"Just let them have their fun. They are safe with their parents."

"Tsk, you have to come to the hall with me."

"I'm tired. I want to go home and laze on my comfortable bed."

Belle tugged Miranda's hand from her wrist. She really didn't want to waste her precious time off by going to see an actress celebrating a birthday with her little patients. Her evil mind told her that the party was held only to boost the actress's popularity. Not something done sincerely and humbly.

"That's why you don't have a boyfriend. You've been cooping yourself up in your apartment too much, and you're not giving yourself a chance to be recognized by other people."

With annoyance, Belle put her hands on her hips. Her face showed a thick expression of offense because of Miranda's words.

"Well, I don't have a boyfriend because none of them really suit me so far. Don't make stupid hypotheses just because I don't want to attend the actress's birthday party."

"But they are very romantic. They kissed in the lobby."

"Then what do I care? It's their right to kiss and make out. They're married, right?"

"Belle, this time you have to come. Let yourself have fun. Nathalie is waiting for us in the hall. I think Lucas is coming too."

"No. I want to go home. Now!"

Belle ignored Miranda who kept whining around her. She busied herself by stuffing her things into her bag, then hanging her lab coat on the wooden cupboard next to the sink.

"She's not just any actress."

"Well, you've said it a hundred times before. But I really don't care. I just want to go home."

"It's Gabrielle Rolland's wife's birthday."

"Gabrielle Rolland?" Belle's frowned deeply. She seemed quite familiar with the name, but she couldn't remember where she had heard it before.

"You really don't remember Gabrielle Rolland?" Miranda's eyes widened in surprise at Belle's reaction.

"No. Who is Gabrielle Rolland? I don't know him."

"Geez. Gabrielle Rolland is the guy you bumped into at the club that night!"

-00-

Talia smiled broadly. Grasping her mother's hand tightly, she lined up with the other children for a crown-shaped balloon. Talia's glazed eyes twinkled with happiness. It was the first time she's attended a birthday party that was so lively. Lots of balloons, gifts, and piñatas on the ceiling of the hall. She also saw people aiming cameras at her friends and at her until she felt like she was being showered with very bright white lights.

"Hello sweetie, here's a crown balloon for you."

"Thank You."

"You're welcome. Enjoy the party."

Talia touched her head and smiled happily. The first time her head was wearing a crown instead of a bandage. Her mother then led her to a round table at the front of the hall, where the main character was busy receiving birthday wishes from everyone.

"You should wish Mrs. Rolland happy birthday."

"I know. It's a great birthday party. Oh, that's Doctor Belle!"

Talia exclaimed happily. She jumped up and down while waving her hands towards her favorite doctor. The IV tube stuck in her back swayed slowly as the girl was busy moving her hands to get Belle's attention.

"Doctor Belle, I've been looking for you."

"Hello honey. I'm late because I had a patient." Belle crouched in front of Talia and smiled gently. She was desperately hiding her anger at Miranda for dragging her to the party.

"Hello Talia, you are very beautiful with that crown."

"Thank you, Doctor Miranda. I also like this crown. We're going to wish Mrs. Rolland happy birthday."

Belle's eyes turned to the crowd of people who were surrounding the main star. Fleura Rolland's figure was barely visible in the crowd. Belle couldn't catch her face, and she didn't care.

"Want to come with us to meet Mrs. Rolland?"

"No, thank you. You guys go ahead. I will greet my other patients."

Miranda glanced at her sharply, but Belle ignored her and pretended to wave at Talia.

"We should have gone with them to meet Fleura."

"I told you I didn't want to come here, but you dragged me."

"You need to be reminded of that guy you ran into at the club."

"Yeah, I hate that guy. Just go there if you want to meet that actress. I'll go meet Timmy and his friends."

Belle sighed in relief seeing Miranda walking away from her. She was relieved that Miranda didn't force her. She was better left alone to enjoy the atmosphere of the birthday party. At least, she was happy that Fleura brought joy to her little patients. They happily enjoyed the clown and magic show in the middle of the room. Their laughter looked so pure. Their pale faces shone with joy.

"Hello, Timmy."

"Doctor Belle! I got a robot."

The little boy lifted his toy into the air. He was so skinny that his cheeks were very gaunt. He suffered from stage three bone cancer which resulted in his leg being amputated several months ago. But Belle was very touched by the joy and enthusiasm he showed everyone.

"Wow, what a cool robot. Did you have fun?"

"Yes. This party was really fun."

"And there's lots of delicious free food available."

Belle smiled in response to Mr. Brune, Timmy's father.

"Take as much food as you want, Mr. Brune. The host will not mind at all."

"Of course. I will not waste this rare opportunity," Mr. Brune blinked playfully, then pushed Timmy's wheelchair toward a long table filled with mouth-watering delicacies.

Belle was just about to stand up when a pair of shoes suddenly stopped in front of her.