THE VOW I MADE DRUNK

Patients and workers gather in the hospital lobby to witness the commotion. Sure, this may be a psychiatric hospital, but it is not every day that one will get to witness staff fight. Pinching and hair pulling continue until their hair is all messed up and their noses are bleeding. They eventually get tired and stop, out of breath. ‘You bastard,’ one of them curses weakly, ‘ugh!’ The other one, who got beaten up more, groans. ‘What do you think Elena will say?’ ‘I know she will be more mad at the fact that you didn’t use her title than the fact that we fought in front of everyone ‘ Soon they started laughing. Oblivious to one of them, someone was watching her with cold, ruthless and calculating eyes. *** ‘Dr Ivy, did you do something wrong?’ a soft voice asks, their voice echoing in the empty restroom. Ivy pauses washing her hands, her brown eyebrows creasing. ‘Not that I know of, what’s wrong?’ she asks, drying her hands and turning around. ‘I heard that the director is looking for you,’ the voice replied, doubt laced in her voice. ‘Hmm, maybe he wants to put me in his will,’ Ivy joked, and they both laughed. Ivy couldn’t help but get an ominous feeling, just like the one she got on the night her mom was murdered. She schools her expression and taps the junior doctor beside her and then heads for the director's office. *** After reaching the office of the director, she couldn’t help but notice how deserted the place was, even his secretary wasn’t there. She knocked once, then twice but there was no response. She wouldn’t have been here had it not been for several people who had told her that the director wanted to speak to her. She pushes the large glass doors and steps inside. Her heels echo in the office, she sees his chair facing away from her, and she calls ‘Director? I was told you wanted to speak with me?’ The chair slowly turned, and Ivy almost screamed, the person in that chair was not the director but one of the prominent business tycoons in the country. She makes incoherent noises unable to understand why he is here. He should have no business with a mental institution. He stalks towards her, his cold grey eyes not leaning away from hers even for a second. He stands in front of her and runs his fingers through her hair, his actions slow and torturous. ‘I have finally found you wife’, he says in a smooth, deep voice. Shivers run through her spine, but not because of his gestures or the fact that he is so close she could smell his scent, but because of what he said. Wife? Everyone knows he is an eligible bachelor and he has never dated anyone before, at least not that she knows of. ‘What?’ she asks her head subtly tilting. He holds her chin and raises it up, their lips almost touching, she couldn’t help but notice how fine his features are. From his long lashes, to his grey eyes that now look dark, to his defined nose and jaw. ‘Trying to play dumb, are we little doll?’ Their proximity and his scent made her feel dizzy. She has always been one to lay low, could he be her mom’s killer and know that she was looking for him? No that doesn’t make sense. He would have had her head on a plate if he were the one. Everything right now does not make sense. Something suddenly came to mind. Could it be that he was mentally challenged, and that was why he is at the hospital? Yes, that must be it. Her eyes soften at him while she thinks of this. The Cold tycoon looked at the way her eyes softened and couldn’t help but feel a cold sweat break out; she couldn’t be thinking of something good. Poor billionaire, she thought. The door abruptly opened and she pushed him away on instinct, maintaining a distance between them. ‘I am sorry to inform you, Mr Quinn, but it seems like Dr Ivy left already. She usually doesn’t waste a second when her shift is over‘ he lifts his head and pauses. The two people who gave him a serious headache today were right in his office. *** The three of them are now seated on the sofas in the director’s office. His secretary served them tea. Ivy didn’t sip, her eyes were locked on the man seated opposite her. ‘Dr Ivy, why didn’t you mention that you were married?’ the director said with an awkward laugh. Even the director is awkward in front of this man. ‘Sir I-‘ he shushes her and hands her a box. ‘My wedding gift to you, even though it may be small, please accept it’ Ivy was now more confused than ever. Could it be that the director knew about this man’s illness and wanted her to play along? Is it because this is an important figure that the director has called her? She was one of the best after all.