Chapter 478 - The Symposium (4)

In a certain penthouse suite…

"Are you sure we should go down for lunch?", Max asked unhappily while buttoning up his shirt.

How Max saw the current situation, he wanted more lovey-dovey time (because it's never enough), and Liz wanted to be distracted from the upcoming presentation, and the two of them naked in bed solves both of their problems.

Liz avoided his gaze. It's not that she is complaining that since last night they made love in the living room, and bedroom, and in the shower, and in the tub… and they took a small nap before going for another round, and they cuddled a lot… but she needs at least a bit of energy preserved for her presentation. If they have lunch in the room, it will definitely include scarce clothing (if any) and another round (or two) of lovemaking.

"After my presentation, we can do whatever you want. Now I want to go down and have a meal and start shifting my focus on the upcoming presentation. I know it will be stressful, but I need to go through it. After lunch, let's watch a presentation or two together, and then I will need to get ready."

Max's lips lifted into a sly smile. "We can do whatever I want after your presentation?"

Liz paused and rolled her eyes internally. "Is that the only thing you heard?"

Max chuckled. "I heard other things as well, but only this one was important. You. Me. Doing whatever I want."

Ah, he made plans for tonight! Now that he thought about it, he was nervous as well. Not because he thinks that it will not go well, but because this will be a big step and he wanted it to be memorable and perfect.

Max and Liz dressed up and headed downstairs for lunch.

Max's good mood fell when he saw Dr. Snobby standing in front of Bellavita.

"Dr. Snow…", Liz greeted him. "I didn't think that I will bump into you here."

She thought that by disclosing they are coming down for lunch, Dr. Snow will not be worried that something is wrong and she didn't think that he will be waiting for them. And he was obviously standing there and waiting for someone. Was he waiting for them? Did she invite him accidentally? Or did he invite himself? She told herself not to overthink it.

"Liz…", he returned the greeting cheerfully, ignoring the fact that she called him 'Dr. Snow' again. He wondered if she was distancing herself because Max was present or because something happened. He gave a small nod to Max before turning to Liz and addressing the point she made: "You said that you will be having lunch here, so I thought of joining. You don't mind, do you?"

'Shameless!', Max roared internally as this confirmed his initial guess of how Dr. Snow is stalking Liz.

Liz felt Max's grip on her shoulder increasing and she ignored it. What should she say? It's obvious that Dr. Snow is set on being part of Liz's life, and Liz will accept him as a coworker and Max will need to get used to it. Actually, Max is the one who punched Chris, so the fact that Chris is not bringing up that incident and still wants to be friends was a sign that Chris was magnanimous.

"Of course, we won't mind.", Liz responded politely.

Max grumbled silently. He knew that this was coming, Dr. Snow butting in and Liz accepting it, but that didn't mean Max liked it.

As they took their seats, Max made sure to sit next to Liz and he put his arm on the backrest of Liz's chair in an obvious display of possession. Liz is his and if Dr. Snow does not see that, maybe he needs another punch to jog his memory.

"What brings you here?", Max asked Dr. Snow after they placed their orders.

"The symposium.", Dr. Snow responded dryly. He knew that Max was up to something, so he kept his responses to a minimum. The last time when he allowed Max to chat him up over a meal, it ended up with Liz despising him and Max punching him.

Max pretended not to notice Dr. Snow's hostility. "You are considering specializing in neurosurgery?"

Dr. Snow understood that Max is questioning his presence. Well, he was ready for this. "Anyone can attend. Even you are here. Do you have a special interest in neurosurgery?"

Max smiled a little and glanced at Liz. "My interest is not in neurosurgery, but in one neurosurgeon. I am here because my girlfriend will be presenting, and I want to show my support for her. Are you here for the same reason?"

"If you are insinuating that I am here only because Liz is presenting, you are wrong. I saw the schedule when I entered the hotel room."

Max smirked. "Really? You didn't know that Liz will present before you came to Las Vegas or before you purchased the tickets?"

"Uhm…", Dr. Snow opened and closed his mouth, and no sounds came out. He was not sure if he should say 'yes' or 'no' because Max was scheming, so Dr. Snow decided not to answer. If Liz was not present, he would give Max a piece of his mind but now… he could only smile awkwardly. Unfortunately, Liz was looking at him questionably so he had to say something. "Does it matter?"

Max looked at Dr. Snow seriously. If he thought that Max will let this go, he was gravely mistaken. "At least five medical magazines published full schedule more than a month ago. You are a man with an interest in medicine, so I would assume that you are subscribed to at least one of those. It would be unusual that you didn't know MY Elizabeth will be presenting."

Dr. Snow was losing his temper. He is always calm and collected, but Max is somehow able to push his buttons. "Even if I knew before purchasing tickets, does it matter?"

Max shrugged. "I never said that it matters. I was only making small talk. But based on your reaction, I would say that it matters."

"Maaaax…", Liz called in a whiny voice. "Can we please, please, have this meal in peace?"

Max turned to Liz and blinked innocently. "What did I do?"

Liz was not sure if she should laugh or cry. It was obvious that he was provoking Dr. Snow. But she didn't want to make a scene, so she just shook her head helplessly. As long as he stops, she will be happy.

Seeing how easily Max is getting away after trying to bully him, made Dr. Snow even angrier and he could not stop himself from talking. "What did you do? Why are you insinuating that I knew about Liz presenting and that I came here just to watch her?"

Max didn't even look at him. His focus was completely on Liz. "Do you hear his tone, love? He is the one who is getting worked up. I only asked a simple question and I have no idea why he is overreacting. If my friend is presenting at a large conference like this, and I can come to support her, I would do so proudly." Max turned to Dr. Snow in slow motion. "Unless I have something to hide, I would acknowledge that I came here to support my friend…" Max made an emphasis on the word 'friend'.

Dr. Snow's nostrils flared as he exhaled forcibly, and he was barely controlling himself not to pounce on Max.

---

If you are not reading this at 'W e b n o v e l .. c o m', then the content you're reading is stolen! Please support the author by reading this novel from the original source.