AUTHOR'S POV

A few doctors were performing an operation, while others held notebooks, diligently writing things down.

A lady doctor in her early 50s was explaining the procedure to her juniors. The students listening to their senior doctor were junior residents, intricately examining each step of their senior's movements and noting down every prodding question that popped into their brains.

30 minutes later:

The junior residents sat on a bench outside the hospital, waiting for their cups of chai. It was 9:00 PM. After completing a grueling 16-hour shift, they could finally go home.

"Here, take this," a guy with boyish features said, handing a cup of chai to a young lady probably in her mid-20s.

"Thanks, kiddo," the woman smiled at him, making the others laugh at her remark.

"Zayn! It's Dr. Zayn. 24 years old. An adult," Zayn rolled his eyes, thoroughly annoyed by her teasing.

She laughed her heart out and dramatically pinched his cheek.

"Awww, the kid is 24 years old!" everybody laughed along with her.

"Now that's enough, Mriga. You have been annoying him too much nowadays," a man interrupted, stepping in to defend the boy.

Zayn looked at him as if he were his savior. Mriga raised an eyebrow at the man.

"After all, he still is a kid," Dr. Saket added, pinching Zayn's other cheek.

Everyone laughed out loud together, momentarily forgetting how worn out they were from their wearisome duty.

"Okay, okay. Dr. Saket, stop annoying the poor boy," Sachi, who was sitting beside them, chimed in.

While they were all having their tea and chitchatting, they suddenly heard a car honk. They all looked in the direction of the sound.

"It's your fiancé," Zayn told Mriga.

Mriga smiled at her fiancé, who was walking toward them with a warm grin on his face.

"How did you know I was here?" she asked him as he approached.

"I have my ways," he said dramatically, making Mriga smile.

"Are you not even going to greet us, Mayank?" Sachi teased.

"Can't you see he is literally ogling his fiancée?" Zayn remarked.

Mriga glared at him.

"I can't help it," Mayank admitted, causing Zayn to roll his eyes.

"I'm leaving, Dr. Saket. If you want to come, I'll drop you off at your building," Zayn said, standing up. Saket got up along with him.

"Alright guys, we'll be taking our leave now," Saket waved.

"Me too, guys," Sachi added, following the two men.

"Should we go now too? Your mom is waiting for you," Mayank asked Mriga, who nodded tiredly.

• • • • • •

Sitting in the passenger seat beside Mayank, Mriga kept her eyes closed, feeling incredibly drowsy after her exhausting shift. Mayank glanced over at her calm, tired face.

"Do you want to go out to eat?" he asked, hoping to get some food into her and lighten her mood. Plus, it would give him a little more time to spend with her.

"No—, I'll go straight home," she murmured without even opening her eyes, her hands resting on her stomach.

Mayank looked at the girl sitting beside him. He smiled, thinking about how she had made him fall completely head over heels for her. He still remembered the day he met her for the very first time. From that moment until now, he found himself falling for her more and more each day.

FLASHBACK

"How the fuck did he get control over our ships?!" Mayank shouted at the man on the other end of the line.

"Sir, his men were already hiding on a nearby island. When our ships were passing by, they attacked. Two of our own men shook hands with him and betrayed us, changing the direction of the ship toward that island. Taking advantage of the moment, the hidden men killed our crew and looted the cargo," the man on the other side explained to his boss.

"That fucking Satya has been plaguing us too much lately," Mayank cursed his enemy, massaging his temples. He thought for a moment before exhaling deeply. "For now, move the remaining materials from the other ships back to the godown."

"Ok, sir," the man replied, and the call hung up.

As Mayank stared at his phone, he suddenly felt a piercing pain in his bicep. He winced.

His men immediately rushed toward him. One of them plucked an arrow out of his arm while the others tried to figure out where it had come from. Mayank glanced up at an empty terrace, where he caught a glimpse of a man's shadow running away.

"Catch him!" he signaled to his men.

A few of them ran to chase the assassin, while the remaining guards stayed behind for his safety.

"Boss, let's get that dressed. It's bleeding heavily," a man said.

But Mayank ignored him, silently cursing Satya. This arrow was a reminder of Satya's reach and power. He could have killed Mayank right then if he wanted to, but he was just playing with him. Satya wasn't going to go easy on him. Mayank knew him well; they used to be friends—best friends. Satya never forgave anyone's mistakes, and he certainly wouldn't pardon Mayank's. Satya had become incredibly powerful, and the entire underworld was now in his grip.

Gritting his teeth, Mayank walked inside the venue. He made his way toward the bar area, which was completely empty except for a few waiters. He ordered a round of shots, not even bothering to apply medicine to his bleeding gash.

MRIGA'S POV

"What is it, Raavi? Why are you annoying me?" Mriga said, her shoulders sagging. She was highly irritated by her younger sister's repeated phone calls.

"I was just asking you to send me the video of Darshan Raval's performance!" Raavi pleaded. She was asking for a video of the famous singer whom every teenage girl had a crush on. Because Raavi did not come from a rich family, she had never seen him perform in real life.

"I will, but for now, hang up the call and stop bothering me," Mriga said firmly.

"Yeah, yeah, I am," Raavi replied and ended the call.

Mriga sighed, looking at her sister's caller ID. She felt bad that she couldn't do more for her family, but pushing the thoughts aside, she made her way inside. The venue was almost empty since the party hadn't officially started yet.

She had come here to Goa with her friend Zayn for his sister Sabana's pre-wedding party. Sabana, the bride, was a very sweet and talkative girl. In a very short period of time, she had gotten really close to Mriga and had strictly insisted that she attend every single wedding function. Sabana's family was very wealthy, and the man she was marrying was even richer.

"Fate," Mriga thought to herself. Here she was, struggling just to earn enough for her family's survival, while others lived in complete luxury. Still, Zayn was a sweet guy and a wonderful friend, so she was happy to be there for his family.

As she was searching for Zayn, her eyes caught sight of a man sitting near the bar area. His arm was oozing blood, yet he was casually drinking his shots, completely unfocused on his injury.

She walked over to him. She didn't want to meddle in a stranger's business, but her medical instincts wouldn't let her walk away.

"Sir," she called out.

He looked up at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Your arm is bleeding," she reminded him.

"So?" he asked probingly, his eyes scanning her with clear annoyance.

"You should dress it, or it will catch an infec—"

He interrupted her mid-sentence. "It's none of your business, miss. If you're thinking of flirting with me, get your ass away from here. I've seen women like you—always chasing after rich men," he stated, his face twisted in a mix of disgust and annoyance.

His mind was already incredibly messed up by his rival's latest move, and this woman's sudden interference only angered him further.

Mriga looked at his face, raising both of her eyebrows. She couldn't believe how self-centered and arrogant these rich people could be, thinking so highly of themselves. Not wanting to get into any unnecessary trouble, she simply gave him a look of sheer disbelief that spoke volumes.

"Oh my lord! What happened to your arm, Mayank? It's bleeding!" Sabana suddenly gasped, rushing over to them with her palms covering her mouth.

Mriga exhaled and crossed her arms. Sabana's eyes were wide with genuine worry.

"Oh, it's nothing, Sabana. Where is Raghav?" Mayank tried to divert the topic.

"Are you serious? It's bleeding and you're saying it's nothing!" Sabana said, inspecting the gash more attentively. "Omg... Mriga, please help him! What kind of doctor are you? You should have treated his wound already!"

Sabana blurted it out, true to her 'talk first think later' nature. Mriga knew how she was, so she didn't take the remark to heart.

"She's a doctor?" Mayank asked, his eyes roaming over Mriga's face as if trying to figure out if she was telling the truth.

"Yes," Mriga answered curtly.

"Waiter, get the first-aid kit!" Sabana ordered a nearby waiter. She then made Mayank sit down on a chair.

"It's okay, Sabana. Relax," Mayank said, seeing her panic.

"Mriga, please do something."

Mriga nodded. "Get aside, let me see," she said, stooping down to examine the wound.

Just then, Sabana's phone rang. "Mriga, please help dress his wound. This call is urgent, I'll be back in a moment."

Mriga nodded as Sabana rushed away. The waiter arrived and handed the first-aid kit to Mriga.

She asked Mayank if he could remove his shirt, and he did so reluctantly. She began cleaning the wound with Dettol. She glanced up to check his expression, only to find his eyes intently staring back at her. She quickly shifted her focus back to the injury.

"You didn't tell me you were a doctor," he noted.

"You didn't let me," Mriga replied, her tone sharp and completely devoid of interest. The offense she felt from his earlier comment was seeping into her voice.

"I didn't mean those words specifically for you," he explained to the woman in front of him. He didn't even know why he felt the need to justify himself to her.

"It's okay. I've seen 'people' like you, too," she replied, heavily stressing the word *people*.

He raised an eyebrow, staying silent for a moment as he just looked at her.

"People like me? What is that supposed to mean?" he asked.

"Nothing," she cut off the conversation, having absolutely no desire to indulge him any further.