My phone beeped with the message on the screen, and my eyes snapped open, pulled from the realm of blissful sleep. I reached for the nightstand and pulled the phone closer to see the screen. It was from Jordan. I smiled and tapped on it to read what he wrote.(Good morning, Elle; I hope I didn’t wake you up.)Received at 7:01 a.m.He did, but I would pretend like he didn’t.(Good morning, Jordan; no, not really.)Sent 7:02 a.m.My phone rang the next second, and the caller ID read Jordan. I picked it up and placed it against my ear.He did not hesitate, blessing my ears with his deep and alluring voice.Wait, what?! “Hello.” “Good morning, princess.” Jordan’s compliments had always found a way to make me tingle on the inside. I could never tell if he meant it or not, but my response didn’t care.“Good morning, Prince Jordan.” I played along, the smile lingering.“Prince Jordan, it has a ring to it,” he admitted after a moment of silent thought. He chuckled. “Oh great. I’ll keep call

“I’m coming with you,” I told him in a certain voice.He didn’t challenge my words; he seems to have realised something because his eyes dropped sadly. “I was going to leave you here all alone with them.” He ran his palm over his face. “I am sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”Trust Jordan to make it seem as if forgetting everything else in a moment like this was the greatest sin ever.I shook my head. “It’s fine, it’s fine. The most important thing right now is being with your mother, and we shouldn’t waste any more time.”“Let’s get out of here.”He nodded and led the way out. We approached the exit door when I heard the familiar voice of Akin from behind.“Leaving already?” My skin crawled.We both paused, but we didn’t turn to give him the satisfaction of a glance.“I thought the university would at least change you for the better, but it turned out your two are still the losers you’ve always been,” he said, and I heard a feminine voice giggling from beside him.I guess sometimes a response

“Ms Biggs! Ms Biggs!!” Dr Duke snapped at me, and I yanked out of my thought and back into reality to find her reprimanding eyes and the confused gaze of my colleagues all over me.“I am sorry, Dr Duke,” I said, my cheeks warming up with embarrassment.“I think you should sit this one out, Dr Biggs,” she instructed, and I nodded without trying to object to her words. There was no point; it was an order, and refuting it shouldn’t be done in public.I handed the tablet in my hand over to Nnaji, and I made myself out of the ward. I felt the gazes of those in the ward, including the patient’s, but I didn’t look back, not until I was out of the ward.I drew a deep breath, my eyes fluttering as I tried to control myself. Our number one rule was to always have our heads in the work because someone’s life could be on the line at any time. We couldn’t afford distraction or coming in and we were to be in anything but the best mood. It wasn’t a simple task, but that was what the job required, and

The day flew by faster than I expected. One minute I was having breakfast, and the next it was already evening. Maybe that wasn’t the case, but the event of the night was the only thing that stayed on my mind.I stepped out of my room after spending over forty minutes in front of the dressing mirror. Lyon had gone ahead of me because he wanted to be beside Jace when the party started. He charged Yao to bring me over whenever I was ready. The party time was meant to start by nine p.m., but I didn’t see myself following that time, so I stayed in bed unmoved until nine thirty before dragging myself into the bathroom to get a shower.When I stepped out, I took twenty minutes to pick the perfect dress for the party, and while doing that, I called Jordan to check up on him. He told me his mother, whom the doctors had stabilised a week ago, was now responding to treatments. It was good news, and I was happy for him.When he asked how my weekend was going, I told him I had a birthday party to

“Have you seen the latest episode of House of the Dragons?” Jordan asked as we walked through the little relaxation centre outside the hospital, trying to find the perfect place to stay. “I haven’t. I’ve been a little busy lately.” I answered, sighing in regret. “Well, the crowned princess Rhaenyra has married Prince Daemon,” he revealed. My eyes grew wide. I had only missed an episode since the show started, and now I felt way behind. “Oh shit, no way! I have to watch it when I get home.” This week, I barely had time for myself. I was always worn out after returning from work. On other days, my grandparents kept me occupied with their never-ending questions, and they let me go only when I was worn out. “You should,” he encouraged with a nod. “It keeps getting better, I tell you.” “It is. How are you?” I asked, changing the topic as we came to a stop under a large mango tree with wide branches and leaves. His head swivelled to look at me, and today has to be the brightest I’ve s