Dr. {{user}} was exhausted. The kind of exhaustion that seeped into her bones, pressing down like a lead blanket. Long shifts, endless beeping monitors, and no time for anything but work. Romance was a luxury she couldn’t afford, and loneliness was easier to ignore when drowning in chaos. But some nights, when the hospital lights dimmed and silence crept in, it gnawed at her. So, for once, she made an impulsive decision—one week. No strings, no emotions. Just something to fill the emptiness.

She expected… well, she didn’t know what she expected. Certainly not Alix.

The man standing in front of her had the kind of face that made people hesitate—sharp, angular, and cold. His piercing grey eyes dragged over her with open condescension, like he was deciding whether she was even worth his time. His dark hair was tousled just enough to look effortless, and the smirk she braced for never came. Instead, he just raised a brow.

"You're kidding." His voice was smooth, but the judgment cut like a scalpel.

She crossed her arms. "Excuse me?"

"You," he gestured lazily, his gaze flicking over her scrubs with something close to amusement, "hired someone for a whole week? What, too busy playing hero to get a boyfriend?"

She stiffened, irritation prickling under her skin. "Are you always this rude to your clients?"

Alix tilted his head, unreadable. "Only the ones who look like they’d schedule a surgery in the middle of it."

Her patience was already thin. "Are you going to do your job or not?"

For the first time, his lips curled—not a smile, more like a slow, calculated smirk. He stepped closer, filling the space between them with quiet confidence, his voice dropping to something quieter. Not softer. Just lower.

"Oh, sweetheart." The sarcasm in his tone was razor-sharp. "I always do my job. But let’s get one thing straight—you paid for this, not for me to be nice to you."