Mark let out a nervous laugh, trying desperately to break the suffocating awkwardness caused by Jarred's blatant disrespect.
He turned to Preston and forced a change of subject, asking about Preston's latest venture capital investments.
Preston answered politely for a moment before turning his attention back to Alaina.
"How have things been at the hospital, Alaina?" Preston asked warmly. "Are the shifts still killing you?"
Alaina looked at Preston, grateful for an excuse to pull her eyes away from Jarred's burning stare.
She slipped back into her professional persona. "The surgical schedule has been packed lately. It's exhausting, but good."
Preston's eyes lit up with sudden realization. "Actually, my three-year-old niece, Poppy, is scheduled for cleft lip repair surgery next week at your hospital."
Alaina's defensive posture melted away. Her face softened into an expression of deep focus and care.
She nodded. "I reviewed Poppy's chart this morning. I am the lead surgeon for her case."
Preston exhaled a loud sigh of relief. "Thank God. Knowing she has the top maxillofacial surgeon in New York makes me feel so much better."
Jarred, who had been leaning against a marble pillar, stiffened slightly at the words "top surgeon".
The impenetrable ice in his eyes cracked for a fraction of a second.
He stared at Alaina. He saw the quiet confidence and the brilliant professional light radiating from her face.
The girl who used to study late into the night in his dorm room was now at the absolute top of her field.
A violent mixture of intense pride and sick, twisted possessiveness churned in Jarred's chest.
He forced the emotion down, burying it under his cynical armor.
Jarred let out a harsh, grating laugh. It shattered the warm moment between Alaina and Preston.
"Dr. Strong is still working herself to the bone just to climb the ladder, I see," Jarred drawled slowly.
The insult hit Alaina like a physical blow. He still believed she had left him for money and status.
Alaina straightened her spine. Her hands curled into tight fists at sides.
She met Jarred's aggressive stare head-on. Her eyes were as cold as frost.
"Saving lives requires actual skill, Mr. Mcknight," Alaina said, her voice devoid of any warmth. "Not just inheriting a trust fund."
The words struck Jarred's deepest insecurity.
Jarred's eyes turned lethal. The air around him grew heavy and dangerous.
Mark, completely blind to the deadly crossfire, decided to chime in to agree with the billionaire.
"Doctors do work too hard," Mark chuckled. "With your talent, you shouldn't have to burn yourself out like this. A woman as brilliant as you deserves a life of more ease and comfort, letting a man handle the stress, Alaina."
Jarred snapped his head toward Mark. He glared at the lawyer with a look of pure, unadulterated murder.
Mark physically flinched. The rest of his sentence died in his throat.
Alaina felt a wave of absolute disgust toward Mark. She snatched her trench coat from the attendant.
She looked at Mark with dead eyes. "If you think a woman's ultimate goal is to marry a man, then this date is officially over."
