CHAPTER 1

By the time Mikayla walked in, the party was in full swing. She stood close to the entrance, mentally preparing herself to enter into the throng she was looking at. She briefly considered tucking tail and running but she'd promised Anna she'd be here so she couldn't leave.

Speaking of Anna, she stretched her neck discreetly, looking for her friend in the crowd but there were so many people that she couldn't possibly spot her like this. She would have to wade into the waters.

"Suck it up and just go," she chided herself and with a deep breath, she walked further into the room. She kept up a running commentary in her mind at every second. It served the dual purpose of distracting her and reminding her to observe all the expected social observances.

Remember to smile. Smile at him. Nod at her. Ugh, don't stop or he'll start talking to you. Yup, best avoid that one too. On and on, it went as she navigated her way around the room. Thanks to attending such events time and time again, almost every face was familiar.

One thing you'd come to learn from attending these things is that wealthy people move in the same circles and keep to those circles. That meant that at every event, it was the exact same set of faces. After a few times, you got to know them to some extent.

She wasn't best friends with any of these people but at least she recognized them and they, her, and she was at that stage with most of them where you at least nod a greeting whenever you saw them around.

It was also super helpful that she now knew who to avoid. She knew the talkatives, the selazoids, the catty ones, the spoilt and rude ones, and the pretty chill ones. It helped her to stay out of trouble and get through the events relatively unscathed.

Mikayla caught sight of a flash of hair up ahead and increased her pace. She reached the owner of the familiar black mane. Her back was turned to Mikayla so she tapped her on the shoulder. Anna turned around.

Anna squealed and pulled Mikayla into a hug. "Oh my gosh, Mikayla! You came!" She gushed.

"Of course, I came. I always do." She sighed.

"And I just lovey love love you for it!" Anna laughed loudly. She squeezed Mikayla tighter in the hug, almost crushing the poor girl's throat.

Mikayla groaned and slithered out of her grasp. "Started quite early on the drinks tonight," she noted, pointing at the half-empty glass of champagne in Anna's hand.

"Well," she drawled, "You were late!" She pouted. "So I started hanging out with these girls," she turned and pointed but the spot was empty. She clapped her palm on her mouth. "Oops, that were here a second ago, I swear."

"I bet they were," Mikayla said.

"We all had a few glasses of champagne together. I'm telling the truth!"

"I know. I believe you." And she did truly believe that and she was pissed cause now after getting Anna all tipsy, they'd abandoned her to Mikayla. It was not her problem. She needed to find a way to sober her up immediately.

Anna was a fun drunk kind of girl, the type that became the life of the party when they drank cut Mikayla do fact think anyone would appreciate her ripping off her top and climbing up on stage to twerk.

Well, the men would secretly like it. Anna was a gorgeous woman. For tonight, she was dressed in a tiny, blue elastic dress with spaghetti straps, silver hoop earrings, a matching silver necklace and an assortment of bracelets.

She looked absolutely stunning. So the men would probably secretly enjoy the display but they would never show it. Everyone would be scandalized and their Hospital would take a nose dive in reputation. Meaning their investors would not be very happy.

Mikayla calmly took the glass of champagne out of Anna's hand and dropped it in the tray of a server passing them by. She took Anna by the hand and began to lead her out. On the outside, it would look like they were just casually holding and nobody here would bat an eyelid at that.

But in truth, she had a strong grip on Anna's arm and was deliberately leading her out and towards the ladies' bathroom where she sprinkled some cold water on her face. She got sober fast.

"Ugh, stop that!" Anna complained.

"You left me no choice, you drunkard."

Anna grinned. "I suppose I didn't. I was about to start busting out some moves in there."

"I could tell," Mikayla said, smiling too. Several memories of similar occurrences ran through her mind. Thanks to Anna, medical school hadn't been a complete snooze. She ensured that they had a healthy amount of fun.

College parties really were unmatched. It was one thing Mikayla still missed. Since graduating, she'd done less of going out and partying. Clubs just weren't her vibe which was crazy because there wasn't much difference.

But back in college, she would have let Anna get drunk and then watched her pull the craziest antics. Some of them she'd recorded to show her the next day after getting her back safely.

"Look, I'd love to stay in here until everything's over but we should probably go back in if you're feeling better already," Mikayla prompted.

"Yeah, we should get back to it. I'm fine. My prince charming isn't going to find me in the ladies' room." She touched up her makeup and smiled. "I'm ready to go." She paused. "Wait, are you wearing any makeup?"

Mikayla touched her face self-consciously. "Very minimal. Why? Is it obvious?"

Anna groaned and rolled her eyes. "How are you barely wearing any makeup and you're still this beautiful? I'm so jealous!"

Mikayla laughed. "Don't be silly! You literally look like a model 24/7. It's kind of mean to pull someone's leg like that."

"I don't know why you never seem to realize how incredibly hot you are. Like, insanely hot. Literally everyone can see it except you."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Mikayla rolled her eyes.

"Literally every man at these events is constantly tripping over themselves to talk to you. You're the one who never wants to talk to them. I've been trying to find a man for ages. You're turning them away like irritating flies."

"That's not true and you know it," Mikayla countered.

"Ugh, if I didn't love you so damn much, I would hate you! You're so blind to your own beauty but one day you'll see it. For now, let's go back in there and set that party on fire!"

Mikayla groaned and mumbled something along the lines of, "I'd rather set myself on fire." But she followed her friend out anyway and they made their way back to the party.

As soon as they got back in, they ran into a familiar face. "Mrs Smith, lovely to see you," Mikayla greeted.

"Oh hello girls, how do you do? It's lovely to see you too." She presented her cheek first to Mikayla and then to Anna and they kissed it. Mrs Smith greeted everybody that way; always.

"How is the Hospital doing these days?" She asked. Mrs Smith was one of their biggest investors in the Hospital. She'd come into a lot of money after the death of her husband. Word on the street was that he was a real bastard, and now that he was gone, she used that money to the max, buying expensive things and investing in things like their Hospital.

You could hardly meet her without knowing her taste for expensive items. Even now, she had a ring on each finger and none of them were cheap. Mikayla spied a diamond on the ring on the index finger of her right hand and knew instantly that the rock was real, as real as they got.

Anna got into answering the question, briefly outlining the things they were doing at the Hospital. Mikayla felt the hair at the back of her neck tickle, the way it did when someone was watching her.

She turned around and quickly scanned to room to see what was causing her subconscious to shoot off. At first, she didn't see anything out of the ordinary but just as she was about to turn back around, she spotted him, the source of her discomfort.

The brooding man standing in the very centre of the room, his hands locked around their host's arm but his eyes were locked on hers with a shocking intensity. His eyes didn't stray once, even when their eyes met and it was obvious that she knew he was watching her.

Mikayla's stomach dropped but it wasn't a feeling of discomfort or fear. Oddly, it felt a lot like... excitement. She didn't understand it. What sort of reaction was that to being watched and scrutinized so closely by a stranger? She should be appalled.

"Mikayla? What is it?"

She was pulled back by Anna's concerned voice. "What? Oh, it's nothing. It's just that--" she turned back to look at the man again. He was still right there, looking at her but making no move. He looked relaxed like he didn't have a care in the world. So far, he seemed content to just watch.

It was unnerving. It was suffocating. It felt like his eyes were shooting laser beams at her and she could feel the burn on her skin. She needed to get out here, away from him. She needed some air.

"I-I need to get some air. Excuse me," she said abruptly and pushed past Anna, making a Berlin for the door.