Courtship

Part 9

Isabelle blinked, then she frowned. "Rina. Be serious."

The grin vanished. Marina sighed. "He thinks I'm playing at being a doctor until I find myself a nice rich husband." She mumbled dejectedly. "I heard him." She muttered. "I think I should line him up. That will teach him."

Isabelle smiled, "Rina, that's not a good plan, given how you feel about him."

"I'm so over him." She nodded when both women quirked brows. "Well and truly over the idiot." She added with more emphasis, "I don't feel anything for that megalomaniac. Honestly. I don't. I couldn't care less." They all knew that to be a lie.

"What happened?" Isabelle could see that Marina still cared, still loved the man she had loved for well over a decade now, albeit at a distance.

Marina walked toward the table, and both Cara and Isabelle could see Marina was out on her feet. "He gave me a verbal warning." The disgust dripped, but even so it wasn't enough to hide the hurt. The fact that he had practically accused her of being drunk on duty, hurt, because she realised that it meant he thought so little of her. If he could think she would show up on a ward drunk, then he clearly didn't hold her in any esteem at all. None. She knew he thought she was playing at being a medic, but she had hoped to have earned his respect. Today she found out her thinking was misplaced. Completely, misplaced.

"What does that mean?" Isabelle asked quietly. It sounded serious. Surely he hadn't seriously reprimanded Marina. For what? Marina was a professional. She took her work seriously. Isabelle knew just how much being a doctor meant to Marina, so why would Rafe Harlington give her a verbal warning. About what?

"Exactly what it sounds like." Marina sounded depressed. "He gave me a verbal warning." She mumbled and her cheeks flamed as she thought about it. Ok, so maybe she had overstepped the mark, but he was at fault too. Not that the idiot would admit that.

"Why?" Isabelle was flabbergasted.

"I dared to yawn when he was explaining about a burst appendix." Marina announced candidly. "It wasn't as if I did it on purpose." She huffed and then scrunched up her face as she admitted, "But he asked if he was keeping me awake and I said yes!"

Isabelle and Cara choked. They were tempted to laugh. It was just like Marina to throw caution to the wind, and be candid with her response. That was a key characteristic! She was honest, direct and straight. Could be a problem when dealing with your seniors.

Marina's lips narrowed as she continued to explain, "And so he then told everyone on the ward that I was conceited and ..."

"He what?" Isabelle demanded in outrage. All humour in the situation vanished. How dare the man! She would be having words with him. "You should report him!"

"I hate him." Marina tipped her head back, closed her eyes and fought the tears. She had been running on adrenaline since that minor skirmish with the idiot. "According to him I'm using my family's money to play this game." She laughed at the absurdity of that, "What money? And he thinks I'm just some flighty, lightweight socialite. Partying all the time. Drinking." She muttered.

"Oh Rina. You should report him!"
"I'm over him. Arrogant idiotic bastard." She blew out an angry breath, "He was at the party last night."

"Did you talk to him there?"

"No. But he thinks I was drunk on duty today."

Isabelle gave her sister a hug, "He's an idiot if that's what he thinks."

"Yeah, I know." Marina sighed. "I was so tempted to smack him today!"

"You wouldn't swat a fly, I seriously doubt you'd swat him!" Isabelle said with a smile. "Ok, look, we'll cut out the parties. That should change his mind about you."

"No." Marina sighed tiredly, "You and I both know that we still need to convince them that we are financially sound, otherwise all those investments are likely to go belly up given that they have been bought on credit in the first place. Those cannibals would pull our credit instantly if they knew our financial situation," That's one of the reasons they had kept their true financial state a secret. A handful of close people knew how close to the wire they were, but beyond that immediate circle people thought they were living a high life.

Isabelle studied her sister carefully. They had put too much on Marina's shoulders. "But doing the party scene and the hospital stuff is clearly wearing you down. And giving Rafe Harlington the wrong impression."

Marina shrugged. "Got a day off tomorrow. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

Marina nodded. "I asked for a blood alcohol test."

"I beg your pardon?" Cara frowned at the young woman she had known since birth.

"What?" Isabelle looked worried. Surely asking for a blood alcohol test was not the way to endear yourself to your medical colleagues.

Marina snorted. "That should get right up his nose when he finds it registers zilch!" She looked around, "What's for dinner? I didn't have time for lunch."