CHAPTER 5 : The Shell He Hides Behind
1042 Words
My leg wouldn’t stop shaking under the table that morning. They had called a meeting for all the new interns, and no matter how hard I tried, my eyes kept drifting toward Mr. Vincent.
He sat relaxed in his chair, scrolling through his phone while the new intern introduced herself. I kept stealing half-glances at him, my heart hammering like I’d done something wrong.
“They really decided to do introductions,” I whispered to myself, almost crying inside.
Joy, sitting opposite me, kicked my foot under the table.
I looked at her. She raised her eyebrows — the clear warning: Calm down.
I nodded. Since his attention was still glued to his phone, maybe he wouldn’t notice me when my turn came.
“My name is Miriam… I’m from Redme College,” the new girl said, her voice trembling badly.
I can’t let my voice shake like that, I told myself. I had practiced a hundred times, but now my mind had gone completely blank.
Suddenly the whole room fell silent.
I looked around. Joy was waving at me desperately — it was my turn.
I stood up quickly.
Thank God he’s still on his phone.
“Hello everyone,” my voice came out louder than I expected.
Joy had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing.
“My name is Juliet…”
The moment I said my name, Mr. Vincent lowered his phone, placed it on the table, and leaned back in his chair — his eyes locking straight onto me.
My heart stopped.
“I’m… I’m from Hanna University,” I stammered. “I hope you all accept me.”
I hope Mr. Handsome accepts me with no grudge.
Joy clapped, clearly amused. I shot her a look. The others joined in with polite applause.
“I hope you all focus on why you’re here and work hard to become real nurses after this one year,” Mr. Vincent said, cutting the applause short. “Mrs. Antonia, please show them around and teach them everything they need to know.”
The head nurse nodded. He stood up and left the room without another word.
I exhaled shakily, watching his back disappear down the corridor.
I need to apologize to him properly… or I’ll never be free.
“If any of you work very well,” the head nurse added before leaving, “one of you might be chosen as Mr. Vincent’s assistant to learn directly from him.”
“That’s really a great opportunity, but also a bad one,” one of the nurses muttered.
I leaned toward her, curious. “How is it bad?”
“It’s great to assist your crush and one of the best surgeons around, but he isn’t easy to deal with at all,” she said.
“Best surgeon?” I echoed, stunned.
“Yes, he’s one of the best surgeons here and abroad,” Joy confirmed.
I stared at her. “You never told me that part.”
“Because you never pay attention when I tell you,” she leaned in, whispering playfully.
“I thought he was just a doctor because his grandfather owns the hospital,” I said, eyes wide.
“Nooo,” Joy laughed softly. “He’s one of the best doctors both abroad and here. He just came back recently to help when something happened — maybe to save the hospital.”
“He’s won different awards, saved so many lives,” another nurse added. “He isn’t rich because of his grandfather. He’s a very wealthy man on his own.”
He’s really from a completely different world than mine.
I sat there, completely shocked.
“Yes, that’s how great he is,” Joy said, seeing my face. “Let’s go.”
I really need to learn from someone this brilliant, I thought. Even though he’s cold… with the way things are going, will I even get the chance to be his assistant?
When we returned to our table, a huge pile of books and patient files was already waiting for us.
“They said we should study and go through all of these,” Miriam groaned as the same stack landed on her table too.
That was the moment I realized — my career had truly begun.
We studied together until most nurses on our floor had left, including Joy. Miriam yawned loudly.
“You must be really tired,” I said, amused.
She nodded nervously. “I think I’ll head out. I’ll continue tomorrow.” She shut down her computer and left.
“I’m standing at the edge of a cliff, so I have to work harder,” I whispered to myself.
I stayed behind, pushing through until exhaustion hit me. Tired and yawning, I grabbed my empty cup and headed to the coffee station. As I turned the corner, I bumped straight into someone’s hard chest.
“It’s like you really enjoy bumping into people.”
I slowly lifted my head.
Mr. Vincent.
He looked like he had just come out of surgery and was only stopping for coffee. So he really remembered me.
I froze.
“I’m sorry,” I said. I had apologized to this one man almost a hundred times already.
“I think you should be more careful. This is a hospital,” he said, about to walk away.
This is my only chance to end this hide-and-seek.
“Mr. Vincent… I—” I called out.
He stopped.
“I’m sorry about what I did at the convenience store. I was rushing and didn’t see you… I got nervous, that’s why I poured coffee on you and touched you without asking…”
He stayed completely silent.
“And I didn’t know the only thing in my bag was a dollar,” I added quietly.
He turned and looked at me.
“It’s nothing,” he said calmly, then turned and left.
That was the only thing he said.
But his eyes… they weren’t cold like everyone described.
They were warm.
That’s when I realized — maybe the cold Mr. Vincent everyone talks about isn’t actually cold.
Maybe he’s just hiding behind a shell.
And maybe… I had just seen the one thing that could ruin me
- Writer
