THE DON IS MINE

“Hello, Calia.”

I held my breath as Dimitri stepped into the elevator. His smile. Oh my! My legs were shaking like jelly. I clutched the folder to my chest, my back pressed against the cold elevator wall. It was just the two of us here. He filled the elevator with his dazzling aura. He was incredibly handsome up close. He was a top cardiologist at Chicago Central Hospital. In fact, all the doctors at this hospital were top-notch. And I was so proud to be one of them.

“Your glasses are crooked.”

My breath hitched as Dimitri stood so close to me to adjust my glasses.

The scent of his perfume was so masculine. My heart was pounding so loudly in my ribcage that I was afraid he might hear it.

“Done.”

“Th-thank you.”

I touched the frames of my glasses awkwardly.

“I’ve never seen you without them.”

I cleared my throat softly.

"I can't see clearly without my glasses. If I don't want to bump into something and look stupid, I'd rather not take them off."

"Have you ever considered LASIK surgery or contact lenses?"

I shook my head slowly.

"I'd be interested in trying them, but I don't think I'm suited to contact lenses. And LASIK, that's not on my mind right now."

"Are you scared?" he smiled seductively.

"No, it's just... I'm still comfortable with these glasses."

Dimitri nodded slowly. He leaned back against the wall as he waited for the elevator to descend to the fourth floor.

"Night shift?"

"Yeah. You work the night shift too?"

"No. Just finished treating a patient in the operating room. Heart failure."

"Oh, I hope your patient gets better soon."

"I think that's a bit difficult. His heart condition is really bad. Only God knows how he's survived this long."

"That's what you call a miracle."

Dimitri crossed his arms across his chest. His biceps bulged beneath his lab coat. I bit my lower lip, imagining myself nibbling on his biceps. Sometimes my wild thoughts led me to fantasize about something erotic about Dimitri and me. He was so hot. I couldn't blame my mind if it imagined something indecent about him.

I groaned softly as the elevator stopped on the sixth floor. The doors opened. My eyes rolled lazily as I saw who was standing in front of the elevator.

"Oh, Dimitri. I didn't expect to see you here."

"Cassandra. Are you going home?"

"Yes. Are you going home too?"

"Yes. But I'll stop by my office first to get my stuff."

"We can go to the parking lot together then."

Cassandra was so focused on Dimitri that she completely failed to notice me standing in the corner of the elevator.

I wasn't surprised that she ignored me. She was one of the most popular doctors at the hospital. She was beautiful, sexy, and smart. Everyone loved Cassandra. No one ever ignored her when she walked through the lobby or the hallways. I was the complete opposite. I was just a surgeon who never got the spotlight. With thick glasses, a few freckles on my cheeks, and a ponytail, I looked completely unattractive compared to Cassandra.

"Oh, I didn't know you were there, Calia."

"You're only focused on Dimitri," I muttered under my breath.

She didn't hear my muttering. She was busy talking to Dimitri about some of her patients who she found strange.

The elevator stopped on the fourth floor. Cassandra got out first, followed by Dimitri. He turned to me and smiled.

"Good luck, Calia. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you to—"

"Dimitri, hurry up. Don't you have to get your stuff from your office?"

Cassandra dragged Dimitri away before I could finish my words.

Bitch!

I was alone in the elevator, bored and annoyed. The elevator dinged softly as it reached the lobby. I walked to the emergency room to check on some of the young doctors on the night shift. They were under my supervision, so I had to make sure they didn't mess up on duty.

“Doctor Bennett.”

“Doctor Bennett.”

They turned to me and greeted me as soon as I stepped into the emergency room. At least, they considered my presence important, rather than ignoring me.

“Having any problems?”

“Don't worry, everything's under control. We can handle it.”

Rick gave me a thumbs-up.

“There's no emergency requiring your direction.”

My eyes scanned the entire emergency room. There were only two patients in cubicles one and two. A woman and a little girl. Monica and Tania were treating them. There was nothing dangerous that required my intervention.

“Okay. I'll be in my office if you need anything. Good night.”

I was so hungry. I turned into the cafeteria after leaving the emergency room. I hadn't had time to eat my grandmother's delicious lasagna because I was rushing to the hospital. My car had broken down, and I had to take the bus to the hospital. The bus stop was quite far from my grandmother's house. I had to walk for about ten minutes, then wait for the bus for another ten minutes, and then the ride to the hospital was about fifteen minutes. If I had driven myself, it would have taken me twenty minutes at most.

"Tsk, why did they put the warning sign here?"

I was forced to take a detour because of repairs in the right wing hallway. They should have put up a warning sign in the lobby. I had to walk around through the dark and deserted patient parking lot. I hoped I'd be lucky enough to find something to eat in the cafeteria. Sometimes everything was sold out, and only snacks from the vending machine remained.

"Are you a doctor?"

I paused, looking left and right to make sure the person was talking to me.

"Hey, answer me."

I turned around with a frown. A man in a black hoodie was standing behind me. He was sweating, his black hair plastered to his forehead. And from his expression, he looked like a rough guy.

"Yes, I'm a doctor. How can I help you?"

"Great. Come with me."

The man suddenly grabbed my wrist and dragged me toward a black car.

"What the hell are you doing? Let me go. If you need any medical treatment, you should go to the emergency room and follow the procedure."

"There's no time. My boss is going to die from all those shitty procedures. You have to help him."