Chapter 17 Is He Jealous?

James was getting more and more ticked off.

Olivia grabbed the papers from James at the cafeteria entrance, and with a sly grin, said, "Hey, isn't that Emily? She didn't even tell us she was starting at VirtualCare Hospital. Just found out today. Heard Dr. Williams got her in. If she'd told me, I could've helped her get into an easier department. But now, looks like she's pretty tight with Dr. Williams."

James's lips were a thin, tight line, and he stayed quiet. He wouldn't describe their relationship just as 'tight' when they were already feeding each other. The more James thought about it, the more it bugged him, but he had no reason to step in. He turned away, his face like stone. Olivia, acting like she didn't notice his sour mood, looped her arm through his and beamed. "Come on, James, let's go say hi. Emily's Michael's mom and she's living with us."

'Yeah, we still live together. Saying hi isn't a big deal,' he thought. Totally clueless about how weird he was acting, James followed Olivia over.

Emily was chatting with John about old times when a shadow loomed over her. She looked up to see a scowling face.

"James, why are you here?" Emily stood up, startled.

James's face got even darker. What did Emily mean by that? She was just laughing with John, but she freaked out when she saw him. Was he that scary? Why couldn't he come over? If he hadn't, were these two gonna be glued together?

Across the table, John put down his fork, annoyed. So this was the James Emily had waited eight years for, the one who kept hurting her?

John and James eyed each other, both on edge. Olivia, pretending not to notice the tension, tugged on Emily's sleeve and greeted her warmly. "James came to drop off some papers and saw you and Dr. Williams having lunch. He thought we should join you. Emily, you don't mind, right?"

"I don't mind." Emily glanced at John, then at James, feeling helpless.

The four of them sat down, and the vibe was super awkward. James stayed silent, just poking at his food, his face anything but friendly, radiating tension. Emily wanted to break the ice but had no idea what to say, so she looked to John for help, thinking, 'What's going on? We're divorced, so why does James look so pissed? This guy is so weird.'

Olivia noticed everything, a tiny smirk playing on her lips.

"Dr. Williams, have you known Emily for a long time?" Olivia asked casually, but her eyes flicked to James.

John smiled at Emily. "Yeah, we grew up together. Known each other for over ten years."

James's face darkened instantly. He glared at John and said coldly, "Really? Funny, Emily never mentioned you to me."

John kept his smile, but there was a hint of challenge in his voice. "Maybe Emily didn't think it was necessary. After all, we're just friends, and you two are already divorced."

James was momentarily speechless. Yeah, they were already divorced. It was perfectly normal for Emily to interact with others. But why did he feel so upset?

James's tone turned icy, and he sneered, "Friends? Friends feed each other like that?"

"Yeah, Emily, Michael's still at home. If you've got a new boyfriend, you should at least tell us," Olivia said with a smile, though a flash of jealousy crossed her eyes as she watched James's reaction. "John's the most promising doctor in our hospital, handsome and gentle. I don't know how many girls he's charmed. Didn't expect you to snag him first, Emily."

James's hand froze mid-air with his utensils. The thought of Emily being with John felt like a thousand ants gnawing at his heart. A surge of anger bubbled up inside him, but he had no outlet for it.

John's face darkened too, and he shot a cold look at Olivia, his gaze sharp enough to cut. "Dr. Scott, Emily and I are just friends. Even if something happens in the future, it would be me pursuing her. She hasn't agreed yet."

Olivia, feeling the sting of his words, couldn't keep her smile and lowered her eyes, secretly pinching her palm. 'Why is Emily so lucky? She always has someone to help her.'

Even if Emily was a bit slow, she could feel the tension rising. John and James were practically glaring daggers at each other. Although Emily didn't get why James was so mad, she quickly tried to explain, "James, don't get the wrong idea. John and I—"

"Emily, you don't need to explain," John cut her off, looking at her gently. "We don't owe any explanations to irrelevant people."

'Emily being so close to John, and I'm irrelevant? Fine,' James thought.

"I'm done. You guys enjoy," he abruptly stood up and left the cafeteria, leaving the three staring at each other. He knew if he stayed any longer, he might lose it.

John's gaze was so intense that Olivia felt like he could see right through her. Unable to sit there any longer, Olivia forced a smile. "Emily, James... I'm sorry. I didn't expect this. You guys take your time; I'll go check on him."

With that, Olivia got up and ran after James.

"John, Olivia's actually a good girl. I don't blame her. You don't have to dislike her so much," Emily said, trying to defend Olivia, aware of John's obvious displeasure.

John sighed, not knowing how to explain Olivia's ill intentions to Emily. He patted Emily's head, "Silly girl."

'Forget it, with me around, I'll protect Emily from now on,' he thought.

Emily's mind was a whirlwind. She couldn't figure out why James was so angry, wondering if he was actually jealous.