Chapter 2 :

25 June, Monday, 2025

8:20 a.m.

Anvaya's POV

"Mimi where's my stethoscope?" I yelled from the living room, searching for my stethoscope like crazy.

Usually Nitya kept it with her but she was at the hospital, in her night shift.

I was already getting late and if I happened to reach even a minute late at the campaign, I'd be damned. The HOD would pour down her anger on me for being late. She was already a grumpy middle aged woman.

"Here it is, woman. You always go berserk when it comes to getting late," came Mimi's voice from the back, making me turn around.

I sighed in relief, taking it from her hand before I quickly picked up my bag to leave.

"Thank you, Mimi, you saved me," I said, giving her a full teeth smile. Like I didn't give her a soft smile, because as bestfriends, we'd barely shared formal gestures.

"Ironically, you save people out there," she said, rolling her eyes at me before turning around.

"Yeah yeah," I muttered, checking in my bag if every essential was there.

"Here, take this," she turned around, forwarding a golden metallic watch towards me.

I frowned, "What for?"

"This campaign will give you the grades you'll need for your practicals. So as a good luck, take this gift. I bought it yesterday," she said, taking my left hand in hers and taking off my old watch, before making me wear the new one.

"It's beautiful," I muttered, looking down at the beautiful watch with the dial in beautiful petrol green. A few mini stones were embedded on the dial, making it look elegant.

"I love this," I said, smiling at her.

"Just say directly that you love me, bitch," she said, smirking at me, making me roll my eyes.

She was normally all free and loud, but sometimes I switched my mood where I become the mommy and she was the one getting violated. We're always like this, because that's how we'd grown up.

"Keep saying it to yourself on your own," I replied before locking the wristwatch and picked up my bag to leave.

"Bitch, look for some handsome guy there, or else you gotta be a single aunt to my children," she spat, looking at me with some hope that I'd listen to her.

Yes, I did need someone good but…anyway, let it be.

I rolled my eyes, getting out of the apartment before I replied, "Go fuck you fiancé," and shut the door on her face.

I laughed at myself, before making my way downstairs while fiddling with the scooty keys in my right hand.

The campaign starts today, and I'll be looking after the heart health department. Since I'm soon completing my super speciality course, I've been recently given the responsibility to work like the super speciality doctors.

This campaign will go on for three days, and the heart health examination will be carried out on the last day. I'm excited, honestly, because this will be my first time examining patients like a real independent doctor.

Shaking my head, I got on my scooty and rode off to the hospital.

•

11:40 a.m.

"Anvaya, look at that guy, he's so handsome," Nitya whispered in my ear.

I'd met her in school, when I was in sixth standard. Both me and Mridakshi thought that she was some introvert but Nitya turned out to be exactly the opposite.

She was an ambivert, and such people might seem innocent but they have the filthiest mouth and thoughts. Not all, but most.

I rolled my eyes, closing the first-aid kit and turned to look at her, standing behind me.

My gaze went to a tall guy, clad in a deep blue suit with dark brown combed back hair. He was back facing us, but his back profile was indeed impressive. He was conversing with someone. I presumed he was someone from the company who was the sponsor/initiator of the campaign. Our hospital was the organizer.

"You saw his face through his head?"

I asked, looking at her face which was facing him, her eyes glued to his back like leech. She was literally drooling over him.

"Tsk! I saw his face when you were busy with that damn box," she muttered, finally looking at me.

I rolled my eyes, "Go get him but don't run to me for help when the HOD gets on your head for flirting around."

I gritted before turning around and picked up the box to take it to the set-up gazebo tent. Things will be stored there for a while before shifted inside the company building for the check-up.

Turning around, I made my way inside the building, feeling relieved seeing Nitya doing something with our colleagues. At least she was spared from some scolding from the HOD.

I rushed inside, remembering the HOD had called me for something. The box was slightly heavy but I had to hurry up. So quickening my pace, I stood at the automatic glass sliding door of the main entrance.

Rushing over to the elevator, I pressed the button and waited impatiently for it to arrive.

The sound of many boot heels clicking on the floor caught my attention. They were coming from my back so I turned around to look at the source but the box being big clashed against someone, making me stumble back too.

I hissed in pain, as the box fell on my feet, flattening my toes. Gritting my teeth to suppress the pain, I bent down and held the left toe over the palm shoe that was hit the hardest.

This shitty pain was really bad.

There were some slightly loud whispers when a voice cut through, "See what you're doing."

That infuriated me.

I was just standing, waiting for the elevator when someone stood so close to me. I just turned around to see the source of the sounds and this happened. It wasn't my fault and here I was getting blamed.

Collecting the box, I picked it up and stood up to face the person.

That was a tall man, dressed in a black three piece suit and deep blue shirt. His dark grey orbs gazed down at me, due to our height difference. The manly cologne was all over the air now, and there was something about his aura.

I looked around and few employees clad in formal attire standing at his back. A man in a grey suit stood beside him, holding a tab.

"Sir, kindly acknowledge the one at fault before pinning anyone as the one at fault," I said in a respective tone, before I turned around towards the elevator, as the sound of the elevator door opening echoed in the space.

I tolerated no wrong thing pointed at me. I wasn't wrong so I just cleared that to him.

Everyone got inside, before I too stepped in. I stood at the front because it'd be a bit awkward to stand between so many strangers and the scene of a few moments ago wasn't helping the situation too.

Pressing on the twelfth floor button, I stood by the side to let someone from my back press their floor's button.

I did feel someone staring at me from the back, or maybe many people doing so. But it should be obvious to me because I replied back whereas I was supposed to be silent. So definitely I'd be looking like someone weird to them.

Ignoring the feeling, I got off on my floor and let them get to the fourteenth floor. The long minutes were indeed torturous, with so many people in one elevator.

That man was kinda weird. He had a neutral expression, as if didn't even feel the need to ask if I was okay. It's fine, because he was a stranger but his face, kept coming to my mind.

He was good looking—onyx almond eyes, black hair, sharp features and thin lips with trimmed beard.

Maybe some superior.

Shaking off his thoughts, I got inside the room assigned for the heart department.

"Ma'am, here's the box," I said to Mrs Lavanya, our HOD, keeping the box on a table.

"Okay. And I have something to tell you," she replied calmly, walking near me with an open file in her hands.

I looked up at her brown eyes, through her browline glasses. She was a woman in her mid thirties, recently married. She was elegant but really hot headed.

"You've been appointed to do the check-up of the CEO of Nyx Solutions."

I frowned, "But, weren't you supposed to do that?"

"I was but since this is your last practical before the theory, I want you to get good marks. This will add up to your overall performance, so do it," she replied, handing me the blue file.

I looked down at the file, which had many things printed in black letters, before looking back at her.

"I'll do it and won't disappoint you," I replied with a smile, believing in myself that I'll do it. I was nervous suddenly, because it was unexpected. I didn't expect at all that I'd get to do the check-up of someone so superior.

But it was good. It was a new experience.

Her red lips curled up in a genuine smile, as she patted on my right shoulder, "I know you will. That's why I recommended you to the superior."

That was all she said before exiting the room.

She wasn't that bad—I guess. Because all the time, she had been scolding and ordering but I guess, it was because she cared for us. I don't know.

Taking a deep breath, I was about to open the file when someone called me. Closing it, I put it inside my cabinet, in the one I was allotted for the next two days.