A Woman Works At A Hospital Desk, Unaware The CEO Checking In Will Eventually End Up Loving Her
The Unexpected Encounter
Belle Saunders was halfway through her second cup of hospital coffee and three hours into her shift. A man in a tailored navy coat stepped up to the front desk. He was dripping with rain and the kind of energy that made people straighten their backs without knowing why.
“Hi, I’m here to check in for a meeting with Dr. Patel,” he said.
His voice was smooth and low, with just the right amount of impatience under the surface. Belle blinked at him. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and clean-shaven. His black hair was still damp from the storm outside.
His jawline looked like it had been carved by someone showing off. She quickly snapped out of it.
“Okay, name?”
“Rowan Fletcher.”
Her fingers paused over the keyboard. That name sounded familiar, but she couldn’t place it.
“All right, Mr. Fletcher, let me just pull up your appointment,” she said, typing fast. “You’re a little early, but they’re just finishing up with another patient.”
He gave a short nod, then looked around the lobby with a frown.
“Is there somewhere quieter I can wait?”
“Uh, not really,” she said, gesturing to the brown faux leather chairs by the window. “You’re welcome to sit over there, though.”
He didn’t move.
“Unless you want me to sing you a lullaby while you wait,” she added dryly, raising an eyebrow.
That got a small laugh out of him. It was the kind of laugh that felt rare, like it didn’t come easy.
“I’m good,” he said finally, heading toward the chairs.
Before he turned, he looked back at her.
“Thanks, Belle.”
She blinked.
“How?”
He nodded toward the nameplate on her chest.
“Name tag.”
“Sharp!”
“Oh, right.”
He sat down, and she tried to focus on her screen, but her brain wasn’t cooperating. Where had she heard that name before? It wasn’t until lunch that her coworker, Mara, came over with eyes wide.
“Did you see him?”
Belle looked up from her sad vending machine sandwich.
“Who?”
“The guy who checked in this morning. Rowan Fletcher. Yeah, why?”
Mara leaned in like they were sharing a state secret.
“He’s the CEO of Fletcher Biomed. You know, the medical tech company that just donated five million dollars to our research wing.”
Belle nearly choked.
“Wait, what?”
Mara nodded, her eyes gleaming.
“That’s him. The billionaire.”
“Billionaire? No way,” Belle said, shaking her head. “He came in by himself. No entourage, no security, no assistant.”
“Exactly. That’s what makes him even hotter.”
Belle tried to ignore the sudden heat crawling up her neck. She wasn’t the type to get flustered over a guy, billionaire or not. She had rent to pay, night classes to finish, and a car that made a weird clicking noise.
Still, she did think about his eyes more than she meant to.
