Compelled

5: Oh no!

The moon hung high and bright, light clouds surrounding it adding to the calm nights beauty. While the sky was dark, the city lights glittered proudly. The city that experienced the hustle and bustle during the day was given rest and unlike the calm the night had right now, I didn't. The house was located well away from the city and rather high up, making the view exquisite.

After Liana calmed down and stated what had happened, I led her to my room and helped her shower, dressed her in cotton pajamas, tended to her wounds and she cried again when I tucked her into bed. She said that every time she closed her eyes all that had happened replayed itself. Her broken voice, traumatised eyes and wounded body brought out an anger in me like never before.

The anger I chose to harbour and stick to instead of focussing on the pain and betrayal. This was the last thing I would expect from Ian. All the big talk about draining cash from Mr Pearson seemed to be just that. Big talk. But I was wrong about that too. Ian was a low life, good for nothing. I was relieved that his real face was made known to me before anything went too serious with him but the fact that Liana was part of the lesson didn't sit well. She didn't deserve this. No r**e victim deserved it. 

"You may want to have this. I mean it seems kind of mandatory tonight." The tired sultry voice broke into the calmness of the night, he had two huge glasses. The one he handed to me had red wine in it but his had an amber coloured liquid. I took it from him, not knowing of any better thing that could have been brought to me right now, and beamed at him briefly raising my glass near his. 

"To this shitty evening. May we never encounter it's twin." I said sardonically, so done with this day already. He watched me, his eyes searching my face, watched the movement of my lips as I spoke and when my glass tapped against his and the small clink was made I took a huge gulp of the deep red liquid. It was all I needed right now, well this and maybe a baseball bat. 

"Thank you for this, Mr Pearson, you couldn't have brought me anything better." He took a swig of his drink then moved nearer to the balustrade along the balcony. The balcony here was way bigger than the one at his apartment. He leaned his forearms along it. His muscled arm was so close to mine that his heat radiated on my skin causing gooseflesh. 

We were quiet again, taking in the night sky and its serenity. I knew he was looking at me, be it out of concern or him simply assessing me, I just didn't know. I continued to sip the cool wine and he still watched me and if he went on with this five seconds longer, I was going to ask him what the matter was. I did a count down in my head, but he still didn't look away. Three more seconds and I'd ask him but then he finally spoke. 

"Are you Okay, Scarlet?" His words were slow, deliberate, as the words rolled out his mouth, making sure I heard the seriousness in them. I turned, facing him fully, before smiling but I knew my eyes held a deeper emotion in them. 

"I guess I am. I mean, how could Ian do something so disgusting? I'm just so angry at him-" I was rambling and he added something that made me stop. 

"And hurt." I sighed and looked away, not wanting him to see the pain. I wasn't emotionally torn just disappointed. I heard the faint rustling of clothes from his movements, it was silent for a moment but his hands touched my shoulder then he turned me to face him. "It's alright to be hurt. He did a despicable thing to Liana. To you." He said softly, his eyes were as gentle as his voice. He really did astound me this famous billionaire. He had a heck of a day too, his fatigue was no ghost yet here he stood, checking if I was fine. 

"I'm really fine. He and I weren't together for a long time, maybe two and a half months, and I guess it was just testing the waters from my side. You know, seeing if he is actually a nice person before getting deeply emotionally involved. Sure the betrayal left a bitter taste but I won't mourn for it. I didn't realise how little I really did feel for him until tonight." He nodded in understanding and I noticed that he was more closer than before. His musky scent tickled my nose, his face so close to mine. 

You'd have to be blind to not notice how gorgeously handsome he is. His defined jaw sporting a slight shadow, deep intense eyes that were soft and gentle, the dark hair was unruly from the torment of his fingers and tonight's events. All the frustration was taken out on his hair. He straightened, his body towering a good five inches above me, then his warm hand clasped one of mine. There seemed to be this instant wave of something almost electric but then again he did bring me a huge glass of wine but when the hand that held mine so firmly tensed, I was sure that it wasn't the wine. 

He shook whatever thought he was having from his head then focused his attention back to me. "I didn't thank you for tonight, Scarlet." He said sincerely, his voice deepening when he said my name. I suppressed a shudder when his thumb started forming slow circles at the back of my hand, instead I swallowed slowly and furrowed my brows. 

"Whatever for, Mr Pearson?" He lazy smile spread over his lips, his face calm with the shadows of tiredness along them. "For all that you did for my mother tonight. It's terrible to think of what could have happened had you not come across her sooner." The confident and composed posture was gone, replaced by the total opposite. His voice was shaky and his eyes were laced with fear. 

"She's all I have now. If anything happens to her, I don't know what I'd do." He closed his eyes for a moment, breathing steadily, my hand still warmly bound in his. My free hand instinctively rose to his cheek and rested over the stubble. His eyelids fluttered open instantly, his brown scared orbs locked with the emerald of mine. There was something about this exchange, almost a warning, that made the situation a little too intimate and I knew I had to say something to ease whatever was building up. 

"She'll be perfectly fine. Eloise, the lady who said she'd watch over her, called before I got out here to say that she has regained consciousness. You can see her first thing in the morning." I brought my hand slowly back to my side. 

The moment the information left me, his body relaxed but his hand was still around mine. A relieved smiled played along his lips. I drank up the last of the red liquid from my glass before gently undoing our hands. 

"Dr Russo wanted to know if your mother was under some type of stress or if she was disturbed by something that possibly triggered her attack." His jaw clenched and he was all stressed again, his breathing a lot deeper than before. He didn't say anything for a while so I assumed he wasn't going to at all. I looked back over the view and heard a faint sigh from behind me. 

"Mr Eden has been investigating the death of my father since the dreadful incident that happened six years ago.'' He started explaining in a low voice. He sounded distant, almost as if he wasn't here anymore. ''He was murdered and usually witnesses are easy to find but this was so different. Whoever was present when it happened insisted they saw nothing.

 One person after the next, no one said even the slightest of hints. John found a lead tonight.'' He paused, adjusting so he could face me. His face was contorted with confusion as if something wasn't clicking or adding up. I vaguely remembered the news headline when the former Mr Pearson had past on. However, I was just getting into university then and didn't think much of it but my parents spoke of it at the time. 

''It was connected to some mafia group. My dad had no involvement in any such thing. I went through his files, bank accounts, phone logs. Nothing seemed even the tiniest bit off. John said that he may have just been collateral damage. Wrong place at the wrong time but I don't believe that." My chest tightened at his rough, pained voice. He was still grieving, searching for answers to get some sort of closure. If his dad went through illness, I guess it would've been easier unlike like this where he doesn't know why this happened to his dad out of all people. 

He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Mom always went into a mild sort of hysteria when John came by even when he found nothing. So tonight when he actually found out something, she took it a more seriously. I suppose that may have triggered something. She's always been an overthinker." I nodded slowly, finally understanding the mental trauma his mother was going through. His hands slid into the pockets of his dark jeans as he rested his hip against the balustrade. His head was down after he stopped speaking, his shoulders sagging. 

I slowly lifted my hand to rest on his shoulder and he looked up. "I'm so sorry, Mr Pearson, for all that has happened to you and your family." He smiled half-heartedly clearly not liking the sympathy but that was all I could think of since I was speechless myself. I didn't even want to start to comprehend the turmoil this situation had brought upon him. 

"It's getting late and we're both really zonked. Might be a good idea to turn in and get some rest." He said after straightening, his hands appearing out of his jean pockets and as if on cue a small yawn left my mouth which I covered with the back of my hand. 

"And you haven't eaten, Scarlet. You cannot go to bed hungry." The hunger that I felt was long gone and I was baffled that he actually did remember that. I shook my head at him, raising my lips into a tired half smile. "I've lost my appetite and besides, it's too late to eat now. Goodnight, Mr Pearson." He nodded, agreeing with me on that, having not thought about that himself. I turned to go back into the house and when I was near the opening his voice stopped me.

"Call me Justin. Mr Pearson was my father." He said jokingly, quoting the overused line. I giggled at his mocking tone of voice but even behind that voice a little tension lay at the mention of his father.

"Goodnight, Scarlet." He said with a mere smile that I caught just before getting into the entrance. 

The next morning went by as usual and as per everyday routine. I was settled in the chair behind the kitchen counter observing how it had also been rearranged and tastefully modernised when a black button front and beige chino clad figure sauntered in. His hair was neatly styled and the five o' clock shadow was gone, showing of a now smoother jaw.

"Good morning, Scarlet. Did you sleep well?" He seemed to be in a good mood today and I figured it was because he was going to see his mother. I smiled back politely returning the greeting. 

"I slept like a baby." He poured himself a mug and sipped it. He got around the counter and settled next to me. "I'm going to the medical centre after breakfast. I could drop you off." He offered and took another sip of his coffee then turned to face me, awaiting a reply. 

Going with him was no problem but getting back home was. I rather take my own car instead of causing him the trouble to get be back home later on when I was done at the centre. "It's better if I take my car. I'd be able to get back home in the evening without you having to pick me up. Saves you from the inconvenience." He nodded at my logical explanation but he smirked which made me narrow my eyes at him. 

"Well, I just spoke to Dr Russo and he said that my mother will be discharged at five p.m. So there isn't a problem. Unless, of course, you find me horrible and would rather go in your own car." He said teasingly. He was well-aware that no one found him horrible. His grin implied so quite clearly. Just then Liana entered the kitchen.

The bruises had darkened over night appearing more blue and black with a tinge of red at their edges. She stood a few steps away from us, her shoulders had a sag to them but then she took in a breath and slowly came forward. 

"Thank you for last night, Scarlet. I know you have tiring days and you had to take care of me and-" She started to ramble in a shaky voice and I stopped her, wrapping my arms around her. 

"Oh, shush. It was no bother at all, Liana." The smile that spread across her lips made me feel lighter as she hugged me back. Mr Pearson didn't say a word since she walked into the room and when Liana and I hugged for a while the space went silent. It wasn't until a few minutes that he cleared his throat drawing us apart. 

Liana looked at him, fumbling with her fingers. "Thank you, Mr Pearson, for letting me stay the n-" like I did when she tried to thank me, he cut her off, holding up his hand.

He flashed her a generous, heart stopping smile. "You can thank me by letting me take care of that lowlife. Let me get him the punishment he deserves." His attempt of making his voice steady was weak when the anger seeped through so strongly. Liana was quiet but her mind was running wild, her lips always pursed when she was over thinking. 

"If this gets out my career is ruined. The modelling agency would kick me out." Her face was strained with tension, her brows joined in a frown. 

He nodded in understanding but I could see he wasn't going to let Ian go unpunished. "But what if your name is not taken. No one would know it's you just that Ian needs to be punished." I was highly interested in this. The damn sucker needed to her served what he deserved. Liana's head was up, her attention focussed at the possibly.

"The law won't take action unless they have proof. We can't just ask for him to be arrested without solid proof." I nodded knowing she had a point. Her name would eventually have to be revealed. 

He shrugged his shoulders but smiled at her. "Liana, I have connections in the police force. A friend of my father's. I'll call him up privately and tell him what happened. I won't say anything about you unless he asks and even if he does want to see you, I can bring him to you alone. He'll see the truth and I'll make sure he doesn't say a word about your involvement. That way Ian gets what he deserves and your reputation stays intact." The glee that Liana felt wasn't hard to see. Her shoulders were straight, her eyes shining, her jaw firmly set. She nodded at him in a form of agreement and go ahead. He smiled at her comfortingly then looked at the time. 

"Almost nine a.m., Miller. We better be going." He said tapping the circular glass frame of his expensive watch. He stood then left the kitchen leaving Liana and I alone. 

"You sure you'll be okay here alone? I could call in and say I have a family emergency if you want." She shook her head at my suggestion, flicking my ear lightly as she always did. 

"I'll be alright, Scarlet. I may just take a hoody amongst other clothes from your cupboard before I leave. I have a shoot to do next week and hopefully these bruises are gone by then." I smiled at her, proud that she want letting this bring her down but this was always how she was. When the weight knocked her down she rose up, threw it a middle finger and moved on stronger than ever. Although this may be something she took longer to move on from most things. 

She took my empty mug and helped herself to some coffee. When she turned and saw me still there, she shooed me out saying I'm going to get late for work.

The drive to the medical centre didn't take too long. In between the morning news on the radio, occasional casual words exchanged, courteous smiles and the slight rise of temperature in the car from the heady musky scent of his cologne, the road disappeared and the car drove into the med centre parking. 

I pulled out a hair tie then gathered the red strands together before swooping them into a neat pony since it was much easier to work with. 

"They better not give me any nonsense today. I won't have it at all." The man whose voice was jokey a minute ago as he spoke about today's warm weather was totally different and more of a don't mess with me tone. I just showed him a reassuring smile as we neared the entrance. 

"I'm sure no one will give you any hassle today." He nodded then followed me to the elevator, pressed the second floor button and waited as the elevator doors closed before we started moving. His musky cologne intruded the space and just like before, in the confines of the small moving vehicle when his cologne caught and teased my senses, my skin heated up just a bit. It was weird and so wrong, so I kept my head down avoiding his gaze that I could literally feel resting on me. 

The ding got me to jerk my head up and as the doors opened, my eyes locked with his deep dark ones and I was sure I wasn't the only one who was warm and bothered. He knew that I had seen the warmth in his eyes so he cleared his throat, clenched his defined jaw and exited the metal container. I did so too but I had to take several deep breaths to flush the tension out. 

He didn't wait for me to find his mother's room and instead got over to the information desk. The young blonde behind the desk instantly squared her shoulders when she saw the tall figure lean over. I swallowed a cough as she batted her eye lashes and threw him a huge smile. Well good luck honey. He was a player after all. A smash it and trash kinda guy. That was something I should remember. A breath left my nose as I suppressed a laugh at how stupid I was being. I didn't even stand a goddamn chance with the man even if- big if- I wanted it.

When the receptionist gave him the room number he made his way down the hall then took a left. I was still standing a few steps away from the elevator but I snapped out of it and got to the file cabinet in the room behind the front desk. I had to see to another patient who would be departing around eleven. I found her medical file along with Mrs Pearson's' before going to the ward that was, thankfully, at the other end. 

"Good morning, Carla." The elderly woman, combing her short blonde curls, smiled brightly at me the second she saw me. "Happy to be heading home today?" She had to be. She's been here for over almost two weeks being treated for a fractured hip after an accidental fall. Therapy, gentle exercise and her persistence got her up and able to at least stand up feeling little to no pain. 

She rested the comb on the little night stand of her bed. "Yes, really excited. My son is hosting an intimate party tonight at his house." She said proudly although a gleam creeped into her expressive blue eyes. "He's a lawyer. A very good one at that and single, not much older than yourself." 

Ahh this was were she was going with it. I let out a light laugh while I flipped through her reports. I knew she meant well and although our encounter had only been brief, one thing was clear. Carla was a sweet lady who didn't give of the vibe of anything else.

"I'm sure your son doesn't enjoy you playing match maker." I said to her, signing the roster and filling in the time, trying to lighten the topic. She shrugged her shoulders while a small smile danced across her lips. 

"He doesn't mention his dislike to it. really polite but I know he gets a little annoyed with it at times." She admitted, not seeming to be offended at all but rather affectionate. 

I rounded the bed to her side to inspect her the leg that we'd operated on. "That's very polite of him." Another small proud smile at her son's patient nature towards her before she inhaled deeply at the firm presses around the limb. The bruising was gone. 

"It didn't fester. That's a good sign." I rested her leg carefully back down, noting the assessment in her file before closing it. She thanked me for the care and I insisted it was all part of the job but she was very welcome and a pleasure to treat. 

I wished her all the best for her home coming event this evening and made my way to the door when a tall, dark haired and snugly dressed male entered. One look at those deep ocean blue eyes and I knew this was Carla's' son. He sauntered in slowly then stopped since I was in the way. He let out a courteous warm smile, his high cheek bones lifting at the expression adding to genetically blessed face.

"Hello,-" his eyes assessed my face then the little tag clipped to the coat with my name on it. 

"Dr Miller." He said politely holding out a hand which I routinely shook. Normally you shake the person's hand and you mutually let go and move on with life but my hand wasn't let go.

"It's nice to finally meet the person behind all the exaggerated stories." At first I was confused but then he looked at Carla who was smiling like Cheshire cat. I felt the warmth build up in my cheeks knowing that she spoke to him about me. 

"I could say the same though your mother is really fond of you, Mr Grayson." He raised his free hand to stop me.

"Please call me Elliot." I smiled politely ignoring the slight clammy feeling between our still joined hands. Carlas' smirk was from here all the way to Timbuck Two. 

"Okay Elliot, I better get going." Wiggling my hand a little so he could let go, which he thankfully did, then I looked at Carla. "Remember to take the pain killers the moment you feel even the slightest of discomfort." She nodded absentmindedly, still sporting a smirk and that gleam in her eyes. It didn't matter. I was never going to see either of them again so I'd take this as one more awkward situation and add them to the already millions that had occurred in my life. 

My hand was one file lighter now that Carla's' was taken care of leaving only Mrs Pearson. The hallway had other doctors parading in and out of rooms doing regular check ups. Dr Russo exited the ward just as I was about to enter. We exchanged a greeting and he proceeded to fill me in about Mrs Pearson. 

"I've left the last basic checks for you. Your signature will be on the final report and that is good especially for an intelligent trainee doctor like yourself." He smiled genuinely and I thanked him. Dr Russo always did that, added me in on his cases so that it helped my recognition as well as training. He was like the guiding fatherly light. 

He strode away, shrugging his jacket of and a troop of nurses followed him which meant he had another major operation to carry out this morning. I took a deep breath before entering the room feeling like I needed it for some sort of mental calmer. 

The man behind this door oozed an energy that was too intimidating and dangerous to handle but some things had to be done. So I put on a small smile and pushed open the door. 

The woman was still under the thin cover although she did look a lot better since last night, a look of worry was still etched on her face and if that look was because of her health or her deceased husband, I had no idea. Her son, who didn't even turn to acknowledge my entrance, sat at the edge of the chair near her hospital bed clasping her hands tightly. I took in another deep breath. 

"Good morning, Mrs Pearson. It's relieving to see that you're much better today." The file in my hand was placed on the table while I flipped through it until I got to the roster. Her look of worry disappeared and as her eyes assessed my face a big smile caught her lips when she recognised me. 

"Oh dear, you're Scarlet Miller. Dan Miller's daughter." She stated more for herself than me I assumed and just nodded. Her warm brown eyes assessed me for a few moments longer. 

"Thank you so much, Scarlett, for saving my life. If you didn't find me when you did-" her scared voice trailed of leaving the dreadful possibility of what could have happen in the air. 

"You're very welcome, ma'am. Saving lives is what I try to do although doctor Russo did everything." I said brightly hoping to ease her mood and it did. She let out a little laugh, the worry from her eyes gone. I went on with the check up, taking in and noting the machine readings, checking her heart rate and beat as  as her cholesterol levels which was slightly higher than usual. 

I was done with the assessment and turned slightly noticing the figure was no longer next to bed. I turned fully to make my way to the dispensary for the medication when I almost bumped into a firm looking chest. Was he standing behind me the entire time I was doing the checks. I didn't even hear him move for goodness sake. 

His face was tensed as were his shoulders. Stepping a few steps back to allow for some appropriate space while Mr Pearson's' eyes bore into mine seriously. 

"Is she okay?" Was all he asked trying to sound in control of himself when he was anything but. I nodded slowly. 

"She is perfectly fine aside from a slight increase in her cholesterol level but that shouldn't be a major problem medication cannot fix." I said attempting to give some reassurance to both of them. He didn't move from my path so instead I stepped around him. 

It didn't take much time to fill the drip with the medication. Mr Pearson left not too long after and a weight felt like it was kicked of my shoulders. I ignored all thought regarding how awkward today had been and when it was a ten minutes to five the discharge forms were filled and a few pills were administered to her. 

I had just finished doing final checks on all the remaining patients when my phone buzzed. The number wasn't  familiar. I frowned since not many people that I didn't know called me.

 "Hello." Was all I said but when the person spoke my blood ran cold.