"Doctor Cyrus, I am feeling so much better after my session. I don’t think I would need to co here again."
The patient told and I felt a sense of pride swell inside . It made feel like my last 10 years of study and practice had finally paid off.
"Of course. It is your call to make, Mr. Lynn. As we discussed, you can stop taking your dicine now. But I would still prefer it if you were to contact if you relapse."
I told my patient and he gave a strong smile before he left.
That was my last patient for the day and I stood up and stretched my body once I was done.
As I got out of my office, the receptionist gave an almost dirty look. I had gotten such looks from the lady for the past year I had worked at this hospital.
I ignored the receptionist as I clocked in my working hours and got ready to leave. But I had not taken too many steps before her voice stopped .
"You know, doctor—I respect you and your work ethics. But if you want to be in this industry for long, you need to learn the unwritten rules and follow them."
The lady told and I knew what she was talking about.
One of the unwritten rules of the dical profession was to keep the patient coming back for as long as you could.
The receptionist was telling that I should have sucked a few more rounds’ worth of money from my patients while I could. But that would have been too unethical and I did not want to take advantage of my patients like that.
I could have considered if the patient was rich enough to lose that money and not feel the aftermath, but that was not my reality.
The hospital I worked at was a small one and the people coming here were usually the desperate kind that did not have much money.
"I know what you an. But I would rather have my patients get treated and spread words of my good work than to keep them coming back."
I told the receptionist. She shrugged but her eyes carried pity for .
"Well, don’t say I did not warn you. The higher-ups are not too happy with your actions. You need to pick your battles more wisely."
The receptionist told and I suddenly had a bad feeling about this warning.
After all, the receptionist was a professional gossiper and from what I knew of her, she had a way of knowing things no one else did.
The fact that she had brought this up with gave a bad feeling.
My bad feeling turned out to be true when I received a ssage within the next fifteen minutes and I opened my phone to check on who ssaged .
After all, I did not have a lot of people who liked to ssage out of the blue like this.
[Sir Cyrus Malcolm, I hope you are doing well. This letter is to inform you that you do not need to co to work from tomorrow onwards.
We have noticed that your work ethics do not align with our future interests. As such, we have to regrettably let you go for better future opportunities.
We wish you the best of luck for your future.]
That was all the letter addressed, but it was clear to see that it was a letter firing for being too good and honest at my work.
"I got...fired? Those darn executives did not even bother to call in for a eting before letting go? Ugh, what an annoyance..."
I complained but I was more worried than I was angry at my situation.
As a doctor working in a small clinic, I earned enough to keep myself afloat. But with the ever-rising prices of rent and life, I had no idea how long I would be able to keep my head afloat.
Moreover, even if I were a doctor, my na had not spread far enough to let solo work. Most of my current patients had either been cured or could not care less if they changed doctors.
So I had no backing to fall on either.
’What should I do now? Should I try and apply to another hospital? But what if they are the sa and know of my reputation? Would they not even give a chance?’
I questioned to myself as I walked around. I did not even realize that my feet were taking sowhere until I reached my destination—an old and abandoned store in the corner of a street.
It was the kind of place you would not pay attention to on a normal day, but I knew this place well. It was a bookstore I had been coming to read at ever since I was little.
I entered the shop and the soft chi of a bell welcod inside.
"Little Malcolm, you are here again. Isn’t this the third ti this week?"
The owner of this place asked . The man was wearing his signature black coat once more and it hid his features from . All I could see were his dark hair and his glowing red eyes as he greeted .
"Oh, hello Owner. Ah, today was a rough day so I did not even realize when I walked in here. I suddenly got fired from my job so I just wanted to walk around a little."
I told the older man.
There was not a lot I knew about the owner since he did not like to talk about himself. I only knew of his na...or rather, nickna—God, and only because I accidentally glanced at a letter ant for the older male.
Despite not knowing anything about the older male, I felt no discomfort being near him. Instead, there was a calm and serene feeling whenever I ca to visit this store.
It felt like a second ho and to an orphan like , that was not a feeling I could forget.
"I see. So you had a hard day today, huh? Want to talk to about it? Maybe I can do sothing to help you out."
The older male asked and I felt a little hesitant.
After all, I was a private person and I did not like to talk too much about myself either. But there was sothing about the shopkeeper that made speak to him.
So I told him about what happened, and how I lost my job. I finished with the fact that I was worried about being holess.
The shopkeeper listened to without worry, not stopping a single ti as he heard speak.
Once I was finished, he looked at and I swore I saw his eyes flash.
"I see. So that’s what happened to you? Truly, humans can be such cruel creatures. Hmm, I have a solution for your problem. How about you take over this store for ? It just so happens that I need to leave, but I was worried about this store. You can use it as your office as well."
The shopkeeper told and I suddenly felt myself chuckle.
"That’s a good joke, Mr. Shopkeeper, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to pay for it. Do you even know how high the land prices are around here?"
I asked the shopkeeper, not wanting to get ripped off.
After all, even if I felt that the shopkeeper was soone who was safe to be around, that did not an I wanted to take over a business I knew nothing about...or fall into a scam.
The shopkeeper looked back at and his red eyes unnerved .
"Don’t worry about anything like that, Mister Malcolm. I am not trying to trick you...or sell you an old abandoned house. Rather, I want to make a deal with you. If you agree to take over my job for , I won’t charge you any money. Here, you can even read over the contract."
The older male handed the contract and there was not a lot on that paper.
Rather, there were only 2 sheets worth of paper that consisted of the contract and the papers to the place.
I read through the contract once and then twice and then again. But no matter how many tis I read through them, nothing changed.
I could see no trap that caused to fall in danger.
"Can I take it to a lawyer before I sign them?"
I asked but the older male just gave a sigh.
"I am afraid I do not have that much ti on hand. If you are not going to take this deal now, then I am afraid I cannot give my business over to you. I will have to wait for soone else."
The older male told and I felt my heart skip a beat.
No matter how many tis I had read through the contract, it seed like sothing that would benefit . It was a deal of a lifeti.
’If I don’t take this deal now, then won’t I be a fool? I do not want to regret anything in the future...so I...’
There was no other option I was left with.
I was not an impulsive person, so I wanted to take so ti.
"Hmm, I can see that you are still a little hesitant. How about I get you sothing to drink. anwhile, you can think over your options and give an answer."
The older male told as he went toward the kitchen to get a glass of water.
I secretly took a picture of the contract and sent it to a lawyer I trusted and marked it as urgent.
The reply ca back not too late, assuring that the contract was legal, even if it looked fishy at first glance.
"Here, have so water. It will make you feel better."
The shopkeeper told and I almost dropped the phone due to my fright. The shopkeeper was the last person I wanted to see what I had just done.
"T-Thank you."
I told the shopkeeper as I drank the water. It felt fresher and cooler compared to before, but my confused mind continued to cause trouble.
Still, now that I had legal confirmation that I was not getting screwed over, I decided to be brave and take a step forward.
"Umm, Mr. Shopkeeper, I have decided that I will take you up on your offer and inherit this shop from you. Even if I don’t have much, please tell how much I owe you."
I told the older man.
The shop was worth more than I could ever repay but I still did not want to feel indebted to the old man.
"Are you ready to take over a new business?"
The old man asked and I chuckled.
"Of course I am. It is not an opportunity that will co again in my life."
I joked with the older man before I finished my water and stood up to leave. I made it till the door before I felt my head spin.
The road looked the sa and I could not tell what happened was a fever dream or how I reached ho.
I just knew that my back touched a soft bed and then my consciousness faded away.
The next ti I opened my eyes, I could see my room. But the room was far too bright for it to be normal.
My room was situated right in front of a tall building so I never got sunlight, never mind this much.
"What is going on here? Did I leave my light on last night-!"
I questioned, but the light in the room was coming from my window. So I went to check what had happened.
And when I pulled the curtains back, I realized sothing—I was no longer on Earth...or at least, the Earth I knew.
______
This is inspired by I’m Really Not The Demon God’s Lackey. It will be a slow read and not too long, but i hope to make it enjoyable for you. Please give Power Stones if you can. It helps a lot.
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