Forbidden Love

Ch.5

His chest heaved loudly as his warm breath fanned my face. He was very close. My heart jumped as I felt his hot gaze at me and I didn't dare to look up.

I could feel his heart pounding loudly beneath my touch, and this was far from normal. I promptly fetched a stethoscope and listened to his heartbeat. It beat so loudly that it made my own heart race.

"Everything seems normal. There doesn't appear to be anything wrong," I said, trying my best to keep my voice calm and steady.

"Really? Then why do I feel so hot when the air conditioner is functioning properly?" he whispered, his voice deep and husky, causing me to swallow hard.

"I believe you haven't conducted a thorough examination. If you stay a little longer, perhaps you'd notice something unusual," he reasoned, leaning closer.

"When do you usually feel hot, Mr. Leonardi?" I inquired, attempting not to sound as breathless as I felt at that moment, though I feared I was failing miserably.

He leaned into my shoulder, making my breath catch in my throat.

"Whenever you are near me, Dr. Bella," he whispered huskily into my ear.

Taken aback, I pulled away swiftly, feeling my face flush with warmth.

"Um... Mr. Leonardi," I responded with a professional tone, attempting to regain my composure. "From a medical perspective, you're perfectly healthy. And as for feeling hot..." I hesitated for a moment. "I might suggest taking a cold shower," I said, my gaze meeting his challenging expression as he arched an eyebrow.

But not willing to entertain further discussion, I quickly turned on my heels and made a swift exit from his office as if a ghost were chasing after me.

*Bella*

I rushed away from the MD's office as fast as I could, only to collide with someone, causing something hot to spill on my clothes.

"s**t!" I groaned, hastily wiping the hot coffee from my clothes with my hand.

"Oops!" I lifted my eyes to see Caterina standing before me, holding the half-empty coffee cup and wearing that wicked smirk on her face with heavy makeup. "I didn't see you coming. Sorry, Dr. Bella. I hope you don't complain about me to your cousin," the taunt in her tone was not hard to miss.

I swallowed hard at the mention of Vin as my cousin. She knew a lot about me as she was also from Florence and the same school. I knew she would intentionally want to spoil my image like she had done since I joined this hospital. She was the one who spread the rumor about Orlando and my affair in the hospital. Not only this, but she also told everyone in this hospital that my ex-boyfriend left me for her.

I had always tried to stay away from this girl, but she liked to cross paths with me and cause trouble. I didn't know what her problem was with me. However, I hoped she wouldn't reveal my relationship with Vin because this time she needed to think twice before going against her boss.

"What are you doing here, Caterina?" I quizzically glanced at the coffee mug while wiping the wetness on my clothes with my handkerchief. She was in the admin department, and bringing coffee for the MD was not her job.

“Oh, I am Mr. Leonardi’s new secretary at the hospital,” she said with smugness in her voice while fluffing her strawberry-blond hair.

I raised a brow in challenge. I knew how she used to get what she wanted.

"Don't look at me like that, Bella. I worked hard to get this position, unlike you, who takes favors from relatives."

My mouth fell open. Everyone knew I never asked for a favor, and I was what I was today because of my hard work to make myself deserving.

“Of course,” I mocked with a snort and headed out to the bathroom; I needed to clean my shirt before the spot became permanent and tend to my burned skin.