CHAPTER FOUR: THE THREAT OF COMPETITION

The next afternoon, the hospital courtyard was thick with the scent of blooming frangipani and exhaust fumes from the city buses.

I was sitting on a concrete bench beneath the shade of a massive neem tree, staring blindly at my pharmacology index cards.

My mind was completely useless.

Every time I tried to memorize the side effects of beta-blockers, my brain replaced the text with the memory of Dominic’s heavy, scarred thumb brushing across my lower lip.

“You are going to be the death of me, little student.”

A violent shiver ran down my spine despite the Lagos heat.

I slammed my cards onto the concrete.

Then buried my face in my hands.

I was losing my mind.

I was a scholarship student.

If I lost my focus, I lost my grades.

If I lost my grades, I lost my funding.

And if I lost my funding, my family back home would suffer.

I couldn’t afford to become a wealthy surgeon’s dangerous little distraction.

⸻

“Hey.”

I looked up.

“You look like you’re about to perform self-surgery with a blunt butter knife.”

Daniel Kohn stood in front of me.

A smile immediately tugged at my lips.

Daniel was wearing his crisp white student lab coat over a simple blue button-down shirt.

He was the exact opposite of Dominic Reid.

Where Dominic was all sharp angles, dark shadows, and suffocating tension—

Daniel was warmth.

Safety.

Comfort.

He had kind brown eyes that crinkled when he smiled.

A gentle demeanor.

And a calming presence that somehow made medical school feel survivable.

Since first year, he had always been there.

Sharing notes.

Helping me revise.

Making sure I actually remembered to eat lunch.

“I’m just stressed, Daniel.”

I offered him a weak smile as he sat beside me.

“The workload this semester is actively trying to murder me.”

“It’s not just the workload, Alora.”

His voice softened.

Concern filled his eyes.

He reached out, covering my hand with his.

His touch was warm.

Comforting.

Safe.

Nothing like Dominic’s.

No electric shock.

No dangerous tension.

Just kindness.

“Cassie told me about the fifty-page assignment Dr. Reid gave you.

It’s unfair.

He’s targeting you because you stood up to him.”

Daniel shook his head.

“I can talk to the student union for you, Alora.

He shouldn’t be allowed to abuse his power like this.”

“No!”

The word came out too quickly.

Too sharply.

I pulled my hand away.

“Please don’t do that.

It’ll only make things worse.

I can handle it.”

Daniel sighed.

The look he gave me made my chest ache.

Lately, something had changed.

The way he looked at me.

The way he lingered.

The way his eyes softened whenever I smiled.

And I was trying desperately not to acknowledge it.

Because I didn’t want to lose him.

“You always try to carry the whole world on your shoulders.”

His voice was gentle.

He leaned closer.

Then noticed my tangled stethoscope.

“Here.

Let me fix this before you accidentally strangle yourself.”

I laughed despite myself.

Daniel stepped in front of me.

His hands carefully untangled the tubing.

Adjusting the metal binaurals near my collar.

Being careful not to touch me unnecessarily.

A perfect gentleman.

⸻

Then—

Everything changed.

The courtyard went silent.

The chatter disappeared.

The laughter stopped.

Even the air seemed heavier.

Colder.

I felt it before I saw it.

That strange drop in pressure.

That sudden instinctive warning.

I looked up.

And my heart stopped.

⸻

Dominic Reid.

He was crossing the courtyard.

Flanked by senior residents and hospital administrators who were practically jogging to keep up with him.

He looked every bit the Chief of Surgery.

White coat.

Dark tailored vest.

Silver watch.

Authority radiating from every step.

But he wasn’t listening to the administrators.

He wasn’t looking at the residents.

His eyes were locked entirely on us.

On Daniel.

On me.

And when he saw Daniel leaning over me—

Saw Daniel’s hands near my stethoscope—

Saw how close we were—

He stopped walking.

Dead.

Still.

The transformation was terrifying.

The professional mask vanished.

His jaw clenched.

His shoulders squared.

His chest expanded.

And pure fury flashed across his face.

The kind of fury that made people instinctively move out of the way.

The administrators stopped talking immediately.

Dominic didn’t acknowledge them.

Didn’t dismiss them.

Didn’t explain himself.

He simply turned—

And walked directly toward us.

Each step felt like a countdown.

⸻

“Alora, what’s wrong?”

Daniel frowned.

“You’ve gone pale.”

Before I could answer—

A shadow fell across us.

Massive.

Threatening.

Unavoidable.

“Step away from the student, Mr. Kohn.”

The voice was low.

Dangerously low.

Not loud.

Not shouting.

Somehow worse.

Daniel immediately straightened.

Dominic moved into the exact space Daniel had occupied moments earlier.

Blocking the sunlight.

Towering over both of us.

His eyes never left my face.

Not once.

His fists were clenched tightly at his sides.

Veins standing out along his hands.

“Dr. Reid…”

Daniel tried to recover.

“I was just helping Miss Vale adjust her equipment.

We were studying—”

“I did not ask for a report on your extracurricular activities, Mr. Kohn.”

The interruption was immediate.

Lethal.

Dominic finally looked at Daniel.

And the expression in his eyes made my stomach tighten.

“This is a teaching hospital.

Not a playground.”

The courtyard had become completely silent.

Students were staring openly now.

Watching.

Listening.

Whispering.

“If you have enough free time to loiter in courtyards and play nurse with your classmates, then you clearly do not have enough academic stimulation.”

“We weren’t loitering, sir.”

Daniel stood his ground.

“Alora is exhausted because of the assignment you—”

“Another word.”

Dominic took a single step forward.

“And I will personally see to it that your surgical rotation is extended by three months.”

Silence.

“Do I make myself clear?”

Daniel’s jaw tightened.

Humiliation flashed across his face.

But he knew exactly who he was dealing with.

“Yes, Dr. Reid.”

“Leave.”

A pause.

“Now.”

Daniel glanced at me.

Apology in his eyes.

Frustration.

Concern.

Then he picked up his backpack and walked away.

⸻

The moment he disappeared from view—

Dominic turned back to me.

And somehow that was even worse.

He stepped closer.

Then closer still.

Until his knees brushed the edge of the bench.

Until his presence filled my entire world.

He bent down.

Placing both hands on the concrete bench.

One on either side of me.

Trapping me.

The scent of cedarwood surrounded me instantly.

His breathing was uneven.

His jaw tight.

His eyes wild.

Not cold.

Not controlled.

Wild.

“Who authorized him to touch you?”

The question came out like a growl.

Low enough that only I could hear it.

“Who gave that little boy permission to put his hands on your chest, Alora?”

“He was fixing my stethoscope!”

I whispered fiercely.

“He’s my friend.

You have no right to speak to him like that.”

“I have every right.”

His eyes dropped to my mouth.

Then lifted again.

Darker than I’d ever seen them.

“You are my responsibility, Miss Vale.”

His thumb caught my chin.

Forcing me to meet his gaze.

“If I catch him—or any other male student—touching you again…”

His voice lowered.

Dangerously.

“I won’t just extend their rotation.”

A pause.

“I’ll destroy their career before it even begins.”

My pulse thundered.

“You’re insane.”

“For you?”

His eyes never left mine.

“Absolutely.”

The confession hit harder than any threat.

For one second—

One terrifying second—

Neither of us breathed.

Then Dominic leaned closer.

His lips near my ear.

“Tonight.

Six o’clock.

My office.”

A pause.

“If you are one second late, Alora…”

Another pause.

Dangerous.

Measured.

“I’ll come to your dormitory and drag you out myself.”

⸻

Then, just like that—

He stepped back.

The mask returned.

The billionaire disappeared.

The Chief of Surgery came back.

Cold.

Untouchable.

Professional.

He turned away.

Returning to his terrified administrators.

Leaving me frozen on the bench.

Unable to move.

Unable to think.

Unable to breathe.

Because one realization echoed through my mind louder than anything else.

I was in trouble.

Not because Dominic Reid was dangerous.

Not because he was powerful.

Not because he was completely obsessed with controlling me.

But because some reckless, traitorous part of me was no longer sure I wanted to escape.