BOUND TO BE YOURS

CHAPTER 3: RYAN'S POV

My reflexes kicked in and I hurriedly grabbed the falling woman.

If I had been one step late, she would have landed her head heavily on the ground.

Under the dim lights of the nearby streetlights, I could barely see her face but I did notice that her lips and a side of her face were bruised, it was obvious that she had gotten hit by someone and her face was extremely wan and sallow, a contrast to her energetic voice.

"Get up," I said, glancing at the limited edition watch on my wrist, my brows furrowed impatiently.

It wasn't the first time a woman had accosted and pretended to faint before me just to grab my attention.

I had seen this too many times, did they all think I would be stupid enough to fall for such petty tricks?

"Get up now before I call the cops on you," I repeated but the woman in my arms did not move.

Without a second thought, I released my grip on her and let her fall like she should have.

"Erm Boss, who is she?" Nate, my assistant who had caught up to me asked, glancing at the woman who still lay unmoving in surprise.

"Get her out of my sight." A sneer graced my lips as I adjusted the creased end of my suit jacket and turned to leave, heading for my parked car.

"Boss we can't just leave her here," Nate called out.

I felt curious gazes on me and realised that some passing pedestrians were glancing at us.

"She doesn't seem to be breathing, we should get her to the hospital." Nate glanced worriedly at me.

"So burdensome, get her in the car." I waved my hands nonchalantly.

The driver had gotten down to hold the door open for me and once I got in, he assisted Nate to lift the woman and propped her up in the seat next to me then both he and Nate got into the front seats.

"Get to Chastel Hospital," Nate instructed the driver who drove off immediately.

It was almost dawn and I was getting quite irritable, especially with the presence of this unknown woman who had foiled my plan on getting some rest before I had to come in for work the next day.

I glanced at her briefly then shut my eyes tiredly, intending to get some rest.

*******

"Boss you should see this." Nate hurriedly handed his phone to me so I could take a look.

I took a cursory glance at it then handed his phone back to him, "Why show it to me, you already know what to do."

"Boss it isn't that simple this time. There's a clear picture of both of you and all the media outlets are reporting it. Even the daily financial reports had this in the pages of their papers." Nate pointed out.

"So? I don't care. Get rid of it all."

"I tried but they all received a direct order from someone to keep the news spreading." He replied.

"Who?" I asked, surprised that someone would dare go against me.

"Your mother." Nate blurted out.

A heavy sigh escaped my lips, "Let me take a look at the picture again." I extended my hands for his phone once again to get a clearer look.

The picture was taken a few hours ago, my face was clearly shown and I was holding a woman whose face had also been captured.

It was the same woman from earlier.

The angle the picture was taken was provocative and it looked like I was fondly holding her.

No wonder my Mother had reacted to the news.

"Where is she?" I asked, my gaze still fixed on the repulsive picture.

"Your Mother?" Nate asked and I shot him a cold look.

"Oh, that woman." A look of understanding crossed his eyes. "She is still at the hospital."

"Get the car," I ordered, getting to my feet.

This woman was playing with fire and she would get burnt.

We soon arrived at the hospital and my feet crossed the winding hallways hurriedly, mindlessly listening to the Hospital Director who was rambling on by my side.

"Because she was brought in by you, We paid special attention to her. She has been admitted to the VIP ward. According to the doctor who took a look at her, there's nothing clinically wrong with her, she only seems to have fainted from intense fatigue. Also, I don't know if I should say this.." He ended uncertainly and I shot him a sideways glance, urging him to go on.

"Upon examination, we discovered that she has several bruises on her body. It looks like she was physically assaulted." He explained.

"Has she woken up?" I questioned after a brief moment of silence.

"No, but by my estimation, she should be up in a few hours."

I nodded my head in understanding then pulled open the doors of the private ward we were standing before.

A single gesture from me and all the medical attendants vacated the room, leaving me, Nate and the woman who lay unconscious on the bed.

"Boss, what do you plan to do? She doesn't strike me as one of those women who intentionally approach you." Nate said.

"Don't be so quick to judge," I replied, glancing meaningfully at her.

Now that I got a clearer look at her, I couldn't help but admit that she was quite beautiful.

Her features were peculiar, and her thick mane of red hair was intriguing but that was all.

I wasn't sold on beautiful women, after all, based on my social standing, the women I got to meet were outstanding.

"This might be preposterous, but I think this happened at the right time," Nate said.

Finding my way over to the sofa in the ward, I took my seat and fixed my gaze on him, wondering what he was getting at.

"Think about it boss, just a few days ago, you were labelled gay and there was even an article that described you as a paedophile..."

He smiled awkwardly when I cleared my throat, "Sorry Boss. I know none of those rumours is true. In a nutshell, all I'm trying to say is that this woman's appearance has miraculously gotten rid of all those rumours. Since everyone now thinks she is your girlfriend, no one will doubt your s****l preferences anymore."

His proud smile once he finished was as if he had deciphered a difficult code nobody had been able to crack but he was right.

This mysterious woman's appearance did solve those rumours.

They didn't bother me, but my parents wouldn't stop talking about it, especially my Mother and it was becoming an unending vexatious cycle.

"How about we don't dispel those rumours?" Nate suggested a tinge of hope in his eyes.

"No," I stated firmly, dimming his hope.

I wouldn't give someone a chance to use me, especially not a despicable woman such as this.

A soft knock sounded at the door, Nate walked over to open it revealing an unfamiliar middle-aged man.

He looked pleasantly surprised to see me and walked in hurriedly, not giving Nate a chance to stop him.

"Who are you?" Nate queried, his expression displeased.

"Mr Oakley, I heard my daughter was admitted here and came to take a look." The unfamiliar man said to me instead.

My brows raised at the fact that he recognized me but it surprised me even more that he didn't show the slightest bit of concern or worry for his supposed daughter, he seemed too excited.

"Sorry to intrude but I overheard your conversation with your assistant." He paused as if seeking my permission to keep speaking then continued when I didn't say anything.

"I would like to propose a deal..." He went on to explain his proposition and the longer he went on, the more my face tightened in repulsion.

He was exactly like his daughter, scheming and cunning but I couldn't deny that his deal favoured me.

It went along the lines of what Nate had earlier suggested.

Once he finished, he wiped off the sweat on his brows and smiled expectantly at me.

I didn't give off any expression, neither did I respond to him but I was seriously considering what he had said.

"So Mr Oakley, what do you say?" He finally could not hold it in any longer.

"You may leave," I responded without batting an eyelid and signalled Nate to lead him out despite his reluctance.

"What sort of Father is he? Selling off his daughter just for money. Thick-skinned bastard." Nate cursed softly and cast a pitiful glance at the woman on the bed.

"Boss, will you agree to his deal?"

"Get me every information you can find about that man and his Family. Don't leave a single detail out." I ordered.

Nate nodded obsequiously then left to do my bidding.

A few minutes after he left, I heard a light cough and turned my attention to where it came from.

The unconscious woman had woken up and she took in her surroundings wide-eyed, her face pulled together in confusion.

"You're up," I stated simply, startling her.

Her eyes widened in recognition, "It's you." She gasped in surprise.

"Why am I here?" She asked once she got over her initial surprise then shook her head like a rattling drum, "No, how long was I out for?"

Slowly, I got to my feet and walked over to her bedside then peered down at her, "Enough with the act, your plan worked perfectly."

"What plan?" She scratched her head in confusion.

"Both you and your Father are perfectly in sync." I said with crude satire.

"My father was here?" She gaped in astonishment.

"Congratulations, Your creativity worked. It was a smart move, pretending to faint to grab my attention and then having your father over to propose a contractual marriage on your behalf. Your Father probably undermines my financial capability, to have requested such a measly amount in return." I said, my lips curling with distaste.

"Contractual marriage for me?" She seemed completely floored, almost like I had dropped a bombshell.

Moments later, I heard a cackle of wild laughter, "You find this amusing?" I asked.

"You're crazy." She stated between fits of laughter, her hands held over her chest.

I couldn't have been more astounded.