"Doctor Cyrus, I am feeling so much better after my session. I don't think I would need to come here again."
The patient told me and I felt a sense of pride swell inside me. It made me 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 medicine now. But I would still prefer it if you were to contact me if you relapse."
I told my patient and he gave me 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 me 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 me.
"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 me and I knew what she was talking about.
One of the unwritten rules of the medical profession was to keep the patient coming back for as long as you could.
The receptionist was telling me 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 mean. 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 me.
"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 me 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 me gave me a bad feeling.
My bad feeling turned out to be true when I received a message within the next fifteen minutes and I opened my phone to check on who messaged me.
After all, I did not have a lot of people who liked to message me 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 come 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 me for being too good and honest at my work.
"I got…fired? Those darn executives did not even bother to call me in for a meeting before letting me 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 name had not spread far enough to let me 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 same and know of my reputation? Would they not even give me a chance?'
I questioned to myself as I walked around. I did not even realize that my feet were taking me somewhere 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 chime of a bell welcomed me inside.
"Little Malcolm, you are here again. Isn't this the third time this week?"
The owner of this place asked me. The man was wearing his signature black coat once more and it hid his features from me. All I could see were his dark hair and his glowing red eyes as he greeted me.
"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 name…or rather, nickname—God, and only because I accidentally glanced at a letter meant 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 came to visit this store.
It felt like a second home and to an orphan like me, that was not a feeling I could forget.
"I see. So you had a hard day today, huh? Want to talk to me about it? Maybe I can do something to help you out."
The older male asked me 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 something about the shopkeeper that made me 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 homeless.
The shopkeeper listened to me without worry, not stopping me a single time as he heard me speak.
Once I was finished, he looked at me 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 me? 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 me 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 someone who was safe to be around, that did not mean I wanted to take over a business I knew nothing about…or fall into a scam.
The shopkeeper looked back at me and his red eyes unnerved me.
"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 me, I won't charge you any money. Here, you can even read over the contract."
The older male handed me 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 times I read through them, nothing changed.
I could see no trap that caused me to fall in danger.
"Can I take it to a lawyer before I sign them?"
I asked but the older male just gave me a sigh.
"I am afraid I do not have that much time 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 someone else."
The older male told me and I felt my heart skip a beat.
No matter how many times I had read through the contract, it seemed like something that would benefit me. It was a deal of a lifetime.
'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 some time.
"Hmm, I can see that you are still a little hesitant. How about I get you something to drink. Meanwhile, you can think over your options and give me an answer."
The older male told me as he went toward the kitchen to get me 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 came back not too late, assuring me that the contract was legal, even if it looked fishy at first glance.
"Here, have some water. It will make you feel better."
The shopkeeper told me 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 me 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 me 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 come 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 same and I could not tell what happened was a fever dream or how I reached home.
I just knew that my back touched a soft bed and then my consciousness faded away.
The next time 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 something—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. I will do 1 ch/day unless I get a lot of feedback. if you want more, give me comments, PS etc.