Love Redux: Fated to the Handsome Doctor

Mahya patiently waited for Dr. Miriam’s update. All day long, she anxiously awaited the important call from the authority figure that might come.

“Bring this week’s coverage draft to my desk. I want to see it,” the baritone voice suddenly said. Mahya looked up at the owner of the voice. Her annoying boss was looming over her. “Huh?” Mahya was puzzled. What business did that jerk have coming here?

“Did you suddenly go deaf?” he asked sarcastically.

Mahya rolled her eyes, then quickly got up from her seat. She felt like she was hallucinating, but she wasn’t.

“Shit!” she cursed in frustration. She had been hoping for a call from Dr. Miriam since she entered the office.

Why did the anxiety she had been feeling suddenly turn into tension? It was all because of the unwelcome guest! Mahya was absolutely furious.

“The draft is already in the editor’s email, Sir,” Mahya replied lazily. She didn’t want to upset the other two reporters who might have a heart attack if Mahya exploded and cursed their boss to his face.

“I said… to my desk! Do you understand?” Mahya’s boss continued to command sharply. Mahya immediately looked away, unwilling to respond to his provocations. “Fine,” she replied after a moment.

Her boss looked surprised. His eyebrows furrowed suddenly. Why wasn’t Mahya throwing a fit like she usually did?

“Wwell, okay then. I said… now! Got it?”

“Yeah… yeah…”

Mahya quickly opened her laptop and checked the documents in one of her special folders. She transferred the draft files to a flash drive, making sure everything was neatly and thoroughly sent.

“Alright, I’ll come to your desk now,” Mahya responded without lifting her face. She didn’t want to see the satisfied expression on her boss’s face, and more importantly, Mahya didn’t want to show the lingering anxiety in her heart.

Of course, Mahya was worried about contacting Dr. Andre, not about her boss’s behavior. Mahya’s heart had frozen. She no longer cared about her boss’s arbitrary actions. The only thing that mattered to Mahya was… getting her salary on time. That alone was enough to strengthen her in navigating the twists and turns of her job.

“I want to borrow your printer,” Mahya said, looking at her boss who followed behind. The mixed-race man suddenly seemed dazed and as if he longed for the scent of the opposite sex in front of him. What’s going on? Was he going crazy?

“Cough!” He cleared his throat loudly, trying to snap out of it. This must be the acute single and broken heart syndrome. How could he be attracted to Mahya? A woman like her with no feminine features whatsoever. It was impossible! How could he justify these emotions to his conscience? “You’re crazy, James!” he scolded himself.

Meanwhile, Mahya strolled carefree, ignoring the annoying boss who had been observing her movements all this time. Mahya was used to being oppressed by him. If only James weren’t Carol’s brother, Mahya would surely confront him. At the very least, he would cry blood because his expensive car suddenly had a scratch. Of course, Mahya wouldn’t leave any traces to complicate matters later.

“James is such an idiot!” she grumbled, then returned to her boss’s room to print the requested files.

***

It didn’t take long for all the files to be printed perfectly. Mahya then looked at her boss, who had been busy with other work at his own desk. Mahya was on the couch, waiting for all the files she had been printing to be completed.

“Well, all done,” Mahya said, stretching her arm muscles. James glanced from behind his laptop, still watching Mahya.

Red lips, round eyes, tanned skin with… harsh facial features devoid of any femininity. How could a woman like that catch his attention?

“I must have been influenced by Carol’s novel,” he muttered, hitting his head.

As James was busy snapping out of his hallucination, Mahya suddenly emerged from behind her computer screen. “OH MY GOD!” he exclaimed in shock. Mahya was startled too. “What’s wrong, Boss?” she blurted out, also surprised. Her heart almost fell to the floor. Her boss’s behavior was really unusual.

“Whwhat? What’s wrong? Why did you suddenly appear like that?!” he asked in confusion.

“You said you wanted the coverage draft, right? Here!” Mahya slammed the draft she had printed onto his desk. The commotion was not because of the thickness of the draft she had, but because of Mahya’s hands, which were eager to throw punches at her boss.

“Oh, alright. Just go!” James dismissed her bluntly, hiding his face behind his computer screen.

Mahya clenched her fists tightly. It felt like now was the perfect time to execute her boss.

“And change your perfume! I’m sick of smelling it!”

“What?!”

***

Mahya’s emotions had reached a boiling point. If James pushed her any further, police units and crime section journalists would soon arrive in this room.

“Mahya!”

In these critical moments, Carol’s voice managed to calm the boiling rage within Mahya. “Carol?” Mahya’s facial expression changed, no longer angry.

“Dr. Miriam called me, she said… it’s really hard to reach you. What’s wrong with your phone?” Carol asked curiously.

“Huh?” Mahya rummaged through her pocket, searching for the phone her friend was referring to. “Oh no! The battery’s dead!” she exclaimed in despair. “What am I going to do?” Mahya looked at Carol with an indescribable sadness in her expression.

“Don’t worry. I’ve got Dr. Andre’s number. You can call him directly,” Carol smiled, glancing at Mahya.

Mahya’s face instantly brightened. A wide smile spread across her face. “Alright! I’ll call him right away!”

She immediately left James’s office, leaving her boss wondering about the strange behavior of his two excited subordinates in front of him.

“Carol. What were you two talking about?” James was curious. But Carol just laughed without wanting to answer her brother’s question.

“Since when did you become interested in our conversations? All you can do is get angry!” Carol pouted.

James snorted, pinching his sister’s cheek. “Nonsense!”

“Ew! That hurts!” Carol ran out of her brother’s room, ignoring all his fuss and unclear curiosity. Since breaking up one month ago, James had changed. He often got angry and was very sensitive about trivial matters. Carol was fed up.

***

“Ah! Dr. Andre? Nice to meet you!”