Chapter 7

In just a week of resuming work as the new and youngest physiotherapist of the department, Stacy had it hard already with the tyranny of the senior doctors and under their scrutinizing eyes that were ready to prey on her.

Training on utilization and navigation of the patient's medical records was left for her to fully figure out, and her qualifications were sarcastically questioned many times without a number by the bitter seniors.

They handed her so much to do at the same time in just a few days, and the work-life balance she thought she would experience in a hospital meant for top elites was already zero.

She was mostly thrown several challenging questions that were even out of her niche by them, but she was able to crush every question beyond their expectations.

So that she would falter and make mistakes, Stacy was given more than she was supposed to do in one day and assigned mostly to grumpy, old elites with anger issues and nasty behaviors to frustrate her.

However, she was able to capture their hearts with her elegance and warm personality, and she made them comfortable with her in just two weeks after arriving.

Many of them even wanted to recommend their sons to a graceful lady like her. They thought she was too perfect to be a doctor.

And that made the senior doctors even madder.

"Gosh! I just hate her. She acts like she is better than everyone," Bella, the older one said as she flipped through the pages of a random book on her desk, with her legs comfortably crossed on it as she slouched into her chair.

"Not as much as I do. Did you see the dress she wore today? It costs seven grand. Shows you that she got her job through connections probably because of her father's filthy money," Maria the youngest of them, rolled her eyes angrily, as she reached out for the sausage beside her and tore the wrapper.

"Seven grand? That is crazy!" Julia, the oldest among them that acted like she was not initially interested in the conversation, cut in immediately.

"Not only that. The bag she came with this morning is from a well-known brand. It is twelve fucking thousand! Not to talk of the heels and other accessories. She just wears everything to flaunt that she is from a better family. Imagine, she said that she was not interested in staying in the doctor's quarters because she apparently has an apartment not far from here," Maria explained further, because she was the most savvy among them, and had most information concerning everything that was going on in the hospital with many doctors, including their secrets.

"I hate her so much! She gets on my gut so much, and the sight of her just ruins my day. I just want her to leave! Worst of all, she is the one most of the guys talk about. Even ones from a different department," Bella muttered spitefully.

"It is hard to make her leave. She doesn't complain when given too much work, completes it on time, and still manages to go home fast. It is crazy how she works like a beast. When you give her a research job to do, she already has a backup for so many topics. Literature reviews, data collection, and analysis. Just name it……." Julia finally joined the conversation fully, as a medium to also relieve herself of her anger ever since Stacy had joined them.

"Perhaps we should increase her workload even more. Make her handle the worst patients with little or no recovery chance rate, and blame her for anything that goes wrong," Bella suggested with a hard glare on her face that etched wicked intentions.

"Hmnn. That is a great idea….." Maria dragged the last word meaningfully, as she thought of what else she could do to frustrate Stacy.

"I have a better one. Come closer," Julia smirked, and signaled to them to bring their ears as close as they could, "Find her the worst and most narcissistic VIP client that would get her to work outside the hospital, and then would get her fired at any slightest mistake," she suggested.

"I think I have the perfect person in mind," Bella suddenly thought as she smiled maliciously, with a glint of mischief dancing in her eyes. The client who would be her smooth way to get kicked out.

~•~~•~

A Lamborghini pulled onto the smooth roads of the prestigious street renowned for its ultra-luxurious residential towers, as Stacy navigated the unfamiliar roads with her hands gripping the steering wheel with nervousness, and holding on importantly to the exclusive card she was given as a visitor.

The exclusive neighborhood of CARLHILLS she drove through was a maze of neatly lined mansions, which created an ambiance that exuded luxury and elegance, while following the directions of her road map to where she was going. Having driven for extra minutes with no houses in sight again, her eyes spotted the Mega-mansion she was going to right in front.

The driver of the new client that she had been assigned to was meant to pick her up, but he had to run an urgent errand at the last moment which left her to her fate of finding the place herself. The extreme confirmation and security check at the first gate was enough to frustrate her already.

'Shit. This is another level of luxury,' she muttered as her car finally stopped in front of the mansion that was before her. The sheer magnificence of the intricate architecture and brilliant technology left her breathless

Thinking to walk to the front of the gate, Stacy's phone rang and it was Nadia calling.

"Hi, darling. How are you doing today?" Stacy faked a sonorous tone with a bright smile as she spoke to Nadia. Over the two weeks that Stacy had spent at the new hospital, Nadia had been her talking buddy and companion, and they ate ordered lunch together too.

"Not fine, B. You have to get out of that place right now," Nadia blurted out immediately, as she finally released the anxiety that she was holding initially in her before the call.

"Why? What is wrong?"

"I overheard Maria saying they intentionally assigned you to your new client, because he is a rude, insatiable, obnoxious jerk. One bad recommendation or dislike from him gets you fired or transferred to another place. All those who had attended to him in the past got transferred without prior notice because of a silly mistake. Sounds like a freaking misogynistic. The only doctor who was the last that had stayed was a male. The client is a risky gamble. They want you out!" Nadia recounted accurately in the same way that she had overheard it, with so much panic in her that her only friend was going to be ousted soon.

"That is crazy!" Stacy expressed tiredly as she ran out of the right words at the moment, while trying to process what Nadia had just told her positively. She couldn't understand why they didn't like her.

"I know, right? Those ladies are so evil. Bella was on my neck all morning, saying I am tactless because I went to a cheap university in some weird city. Now they have started assigning me to so many jobs, while emphasizing that I am so lazy and cannot do anything. When I have been waiting for months to be acknowledged by them?! Imagine!" Nadia rolled her eyes angrily as she ranted to the only person that she could, concerning the harsh treatment they were suddenly giving to her since they had succeeded in sending her only friend out.

Stacy chuckled slightly as she imagined the look Nadia would have on her face, "Calm down. Okay. You will be fine, I promise. They will soon get tired of all this shit."

"I should be the one telling you that. Please return to the hospital and tell them that you do not want a client like that. Ask Brown directly," Nadia suggested.

"I have no choice now, Nadia. I have signed the job acceptance already, and taken the file which contains only the most important details about the client's medical history. He is a VIP, so his personal information cannot fully be disclosed to me. I thought I would be working on board in that fancy hospital while helping bones heal, but here I am assigned to work with an obnoxious home patient for seven hours," Stacy lamented with a smile on her face, as her eyes darted to the front mirror of the car to see how she looked.

To see if she still had that perfect look and image of hers even when she was so anxious.

"I am so sorry you have to find it hard," Nadia muttered sadly as she shook her head.

"I am fine, darling. You know I can do it. In just two weeks, I have managed to charm the hearts of those obnoxious old elites in the V-VIP hospital room. I can deal with anything," Stacy asserted with confidence as she grinned widely the same way she usually did, even more if nothing was going fine.

"I trust you can. You can do it."

"Of course, I can. I will call you later in the evening to tell you how it goes. Bye darling," Stacy said as she stepped out of the car immediately and grabbed her bag afterward.

"Bye love," Nadia responded before cutting the call.

°°***•***°° –••– °°***•***°°

The mansion was more than Stacy pictured as she made her way inside while being directed by the doorman, and she was impressed by the expansive windows framed by breathtaking views of perfectly manicured gardens, sparkling swimming pools, and rows of exotic trees and fragrant flowers which were around.

"Please this way," she was ushered in by the housekeeper, as she took her seat in the deluxe living room that screamed wealth and opulence. Everything had the perfect taste; artwork, and color combination which was effortlessly merged in style and comfort to meet the perfect taste of luxurious tranquility.

'You can do this, Stacy. You've got this.' she thought inwardly to herself as she remained comported in a sitting position.

From behind where the majestic stairs were stationed, a strong, familiar cologne permeated the air and a compulsive nostalgia lingered in her. Still feeling overwhelmed by the thought of the person that flashed through her mind briefly, she stood up and turned to greet her client with a bright, flawless smile.

"Hi, sir. I am your doctor from today and my name is Stacy Howa…….."

The sight of his familiar face as her eyes raised to meet her client struck her like a lightning bolt, as memories of the past flooded into her head, while her throat lost every necessary air that it needed to function at the moment. She took a step back as her body instinctively recoiled, which was triggered by the adrenaline that sent her senses into overdrive.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment as the enormity of the situation that faced Stacy clashed against her, as all her pain threatened to engulf her as she struggled with tears and a heavy heartache. A skull-splitting headache plagued her instantly and spun her eyes dizzy, as the room suddenly felt smaller and suffocating at the spot. It felt like she was suddenly hallucinating.

'Why in the world was she seeing Carlton?!'