Maxim was nowhere to be seen by the time she was done taking a shower.
Even when she came upstairs, he was not there in his room.
Diana looked around the bedroom while wiping her damp hair with a towel.
''Ahh, ahh, Master, ahhhh…''
Diana flinched, ''What the…'' she walked to the other side of the bed and noticed a parrot who had pinned itself to the bedside table.
Was she hearing things or did the parrot just talk in a very lewd voice?
Blinking to herself, she walked out of the glass house and glanced at the normal-looking hallway with normal walls.
Her footsteps slowed down in front of a half-ajar door where she heard Maxim's voice.
''No, I was held back by personal matters. But I will be there at the hospital in an hour. So, make preparations for the laminectomy...''
Diana knocked on the door.
''Come in,'' Maxim said after hanging up.
Diana pushed open the door and found the man sitting on a swivel chair in front of a wooden desk.
Her gaze roamed around the room and she took a step back when she realized that it was a study room.
''What is it…'' Maxim stopped speaking when he saw Diana, ''Is there anything that you need?" His voice softened slightly.
Diana masked her wary expressions, ''I…'' she cleared her throat, looking back at him with a smile, ''I need your friendship, of course,'' she flashed him a sweet smile.
The corner of his lips twitched.
Maxim pushed himself to his feet as he walked towards her, his gaze flicked to the woman who was dressed in a bathrobe, ''I told you to dress decently at my place.''
''From which angle do I look indecent?" Diana was annoyed that he ignored her 'friendship' pickup line once again, but more than that, she was stupefied as she glanced at the full sleeves of the bathrobe that almost reached her ankle. Almost. What did he want her to wear? A rag? A qipao? Or something more ancient and traditional?
A vein throbbed on Maxim's forehead. He reached towards her.
She flinched.
His hand hovered in the air for a few seconds before he retracted it, ''Adjust your collar.''
Diana looked at her slightly exposed cleavage, ''I was caught off guard just now. I thought you were going to pinch me or something because I annoyed you,'' she laughed as she adjusted the collar of the robe.
Maxim looked at her with a 'whatever' expression.
Diana cleared her throat, ''Thank you for letting me use your bathroom, oh dear landlord,'' she blinked, ''You are so so great.''
Maxim blinked.
''Also, is there some issue with the address here?"
''Huh?" Maxim stiffened.
But Diana missed his expression change because she was looking downstairs at Logan, the butler, who was leading two men inside the house and they seemed to be carrying ply and other such stuff. Were they here to renovate?
She wondered.
''Actually, I brought some necessities and asked them to deliver them to this address. They told me they would do it in two hours but it's not here yet… I think the issue either lies with the shop or this place. So, I just wanted to confirm it with you before I ask them.''
Maxim cleared his throat, ''Alright, go back to your room. I will check what happened.''
''Thank you, oh dear landlord, your grace saves my day once again,'' Diana emphasized the particular 'L' term as she smiled, much to his chagrin, ''Do you need the shop's contact number?"
''No.''
''How will you look into it then?"
In the end, Diana handed him the receipt that she got from the shop.
But much to her surprise, Maxim showed up in her room within sharp 4 minutes with all the stuff she had brought.
''What… how?" Wasn't he way too fast?
''It accidentally ended up at the neighbors' place,'' Maxim said nonchalantly.
Diana looked at him in confusion. She gave them the right address, how did they deliver it to the wrong place?
Regardless, she plastered a honey-dripping smile on her face, ''Thank you, great landlord—''
''Stop calling me that,'' Maxim, who had just reached the doorway, stopped in his tracks.
''I am more than willing to call you my dear friend but you won't let me,'' Diana smirked as she continued feeding the baby who was making bubbles with the food on her lips.
As expected, the 'friend' term rubbed him in the wrong way again and Maxim walked out of the room without responding to her.
Diana's cheeky expressions vanished once he was gone. She continued feeding the baby quietly, the thoughts of the unseen future weighing on her shoulders more than usual.
The next few days did not seem as difficult as Diana had initially thought. Ivy seemed to be good with kids and she got along with the baby so that was rather helpful for her.
The house was renovated completely and the whole place was almost unrecognizable because of the super-efficient pretty butler, Logan Parker.
As for the house owner, Diana rarely got to see him. Sometimes, he had night shifts and he only came early in the morning when she was taking care of the baby and by the time she went to the breakfast table, he was gone. But they met at least once or twice a day.
Surprisingly, the dining table was permanently fixed downstairs and Maxim also ate there with her whenever he was around. She convinced Ivy and Logan to join them too.
That made her feel warm because it meant that he remembered that she never liked eating alone and so he ate with her whenever he was there. Hmph, so much for them not being friends. That made her even more determined to put effort into befriending him.
So, whenever he was around, she tried to strike up conversations despite him resembling an iceblock, a few times, she made coffee for him and offered him any help needed.
He hadn't responded positively but at least, he had not pushed her away so it meant there was hope.
But there was one hopeless situation eating her from the inside.