Isabelle emerged from the restroom, and Rayleigh is waiting for her outside as she has many colleagues who're wanting to talk to her. As she made her way back to the ballroom, a man approached her unexpectedly, his face full of familiarity.
"I knew it; it's you. Rose!" he exclaimed, filled with excitement.
Isabelle turned to face the stranger, her brow furrowed in confusion. He appeared to be in his early thirties, dressed in a well-fitted suit and sporting a clean-shaven face. To her surprise, he spoke to her in Thai, her language, in a room filled with people who spoke English.
"I'm sorry, who?" Isabelle asked; her hesitation was obvious. The man's face seemed familiar, but she struggled to place him in her memory.
"Oh, wow, you've forgotten about me," the man said, his expression crestfallen. "We dated for a while, like a month. We even went out to dinner and the cinema twice."
Realization dawned on Isabelle's face as she pieced together the fragments of her memories. "Ah, I see," she said, her voice tinged with uncertainty. "But I don't think we actually dated. We just went out a couple of times, that's all."
The man's brow furrowed in confusion, his gaze searching Isabelle's face for any sign of recognition. "But I'm certain we were in a relationship," he insisted, his tone laced with a hint of desperation.
He was surprised when he saw the familiar face he has known so well for the past two years. For him, Rose Jenisen is someone he can't forget. They split up because he became greedy and wanted her to stop working as a stewardess; he wanted her for himself. However, at that time, Rose was enjoying her job as a stewardess, so she called off her shift and then blocked his number.
For a while, his emotion got him better; he was confused as to why Rose chose to work instead of being the wife of a doctor like him. But then, the feeling of missing her is far bigger than his ego. For him, Rose is the perfect woman—beautiful, educated, with a nice body, witty, and far more superior than any of his exes.
And today he finally saw her again after two years of missing him. He has a question about what she is doing in this event filled with doctors in the USA. But he decided to approach her instead.
Isabelle offered him a sympathetic smile. "I'm afraid there must be some mistake," she said gently. "I don't recall our interactions going beyond a few casual outings."
The man's shoulders slumped, his eyes downcast, as he absorbed Isabelle's words. "I see," he murmured, his voice laced with disappointment. "Then, do you mind if we start again? I mean, I'd like to get to know you better."
Isabelle offered him an apologetic smile. "Oh, I'm sorry, but I'm here with my fiancée," she explained, a hint of confusion evident in her expression. "You do realize this is a doctors' event, right? And I'm a flight attendant."
"Oh," the man's face fell, his eyes darting around as he struggled to process the information. He wanted to ask who her fiancé was and who the lucky person was, but then he caught sight of Rayleigh MacKenzie approaching them.
The man's jaw dropped as he recognized the renowned orthopedic surgeon. He knew of Rayleigh's groundbreaking research, particularly in the field of orthopedics, and the prospect of knowing her directly would be a significant professional achievement.
"What took you so long, baby?" Rayleigh's gentle voice rang in his ears and made his jaw drop as she wrapped her arm around Isabelle's waist, planting a tender kiss on her lips.
The man's face turned ashen as the realization dawned on him. "Ah, I met someone. Do you remember when I told you about dating doctors before, and usually they wanted me to be a housewife?" Isabelle said, turning to Rayleigh.
"Oh, yeah, I remember," Rayleigh replied, her gaze fixed on the pale-faced man before them. "Is this one of them?"
"Yeah, but I don't actually remember dating him," Isabelle admitted, a hint of amusement in her tone.
"Hmm, fancy that," Rayleigh said, a triumphant smile spreading across her face as she tightened her hold on Isabelle.
"Doctor Rayleigh is your fiancé, Rose?" The man asked, and he sounded devastated.
Hearing this, Rayleigh quickly turned to Isabelle, her eyes filled with a mixture of surprise and delight, seeing how red Isabelle's face was. "You told him I'm your fiancée?" she asked, her expression a delightful blend of shyness and pride.
"Yes, now stop smiling," Isabelle said, playfully pushing Rayleigh's face away from her own, her cheeks flushed with a hint of embarrassment.
With a resigned sigh, he nodded, his gaze shifting to the floor. "I understand now," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Thank you for your time, and my apologies for the misunderstanding."
Rayleigh and Isabelle exchanged a knowing glance.Ah, no problem, doctor." Rayleigh opened her mouth, stretching out her hand in greeting.
The man straightened his posture, a mixture of pride and dejection evident in his expression. "Watchara Sudprasert, I'm an orthopedist, a pediatric orthopedist," he introduced himself, grasping Rayleigh's hand with a firm handshake.
"You've chosen a very interesting field, doctor," Rayleigh remarked, her voice warm and genuine.
Watchara's eyes lit up, his earlier disappointment momentarily forgotten. "Your research papers are amazing, Doctor Rayleigh. They've been incredibly helpful in my work," he said, clearly showing his admiration for the famous orthopedic surgeon.
Rayleigh's lips curled into a gracious smile. "I'm glad to hear that. Let's talk more if we have the chance to meet again," she said, her arm gently tightening around Isabelle's waist. "For now, I need to go somewhere with my fiancée."
"Oh, yes, of course. Thank you for your time, Doctor Rayleigh," Watchara said, his gaze shifting between the two women, a hint of resignation in his expression.
"No worries," Rayleigh replied, her tone warm and reassuring, sensing the man's discomfort.
With a polite nod, Watchara stepped aside, allowing Rayleigh and Isabelle to get back on their way. As they walked, Isabelle couldn't help but admire Rayleigh's effortless finesse in dealing with the unpleasant circumstances and her ability to keep a genuine yet professional tone despite the man's obvious disappointment about the relationship between her and Isabelle.
Isabelle squeezed Rayleigh's hand. "You handled that so well, babe," she murmured with a voice filled with pride.
Rayleigh's lips curled into a soft smile as she gazed down at Isabelle, loving every bit of their interaction. "I had the perfect partner by my side," she whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to Isabelle's forehead.