Chapter Four
1521 Words
“Fu-ck!”
That was the only word that escaped his lips as he slammed his fist against the steering wheel. Dr. Charles felt like vanishing into thin air, because he knew there was no escaping Mr. Damien this time around.
He cursed under his breath the moment he received the call from Damien’s house that morning, and now, stepping out of his car, he froze at the sight of Damien walking toward him like an army general, fury clearly written all over his face.
“Who is that fool that doesn’t know how to drive?” Damien lashed out angrily, still rubbing his forehead with his palm in an attempt to ease the pain.
The two bodyguards with him immediately grabbed Dr. Charles as soon as he stepped out of his car and dragged him to Damien.
The moment Damien realized it was Dr. Charles, his rage intensified. Anyone close enough could almost hear the rhythm of his heartbeat as his eyes burned with anger.
“You again? So you’re the one who wants to hit my car?” he asked, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt.
“No, sir! I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to run into you. I was only trying to meet the time you gave me to treat Miss Ariella . Please forgive me,” he pleaded desperately.
Damien remained silent for a few seconds, scanning Dr. Charles’ face with so much anger and frustration before finally letting go of his shirt.
Dr. Charles collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. He had almost been choked.
“Roy.”
“Yes, sir,” Roy responded immediately, stepping closer.
“Take him to attend to Ariella , and lock him in a room until I return,” Damien instructed coldly.
Dr. Charles could hardly believe what he had just heard. He pinched himself lightly to be sure he wasn’t dreaming, but the pain confirmed reality.
“I’m sorry, sir, but that won’t be possible. I don’t even know where you’re going or when you’ll be back. I have other patients at the hospital to attend to,” he tried to explain.
“You should have thought of that before scratching my car and nearly getting me injured. Or would you prefer I have you arrested?” Damien asked with a dangerous smirk.
Dr. Charles was speechless. His palms became sweaty as the guards led him into the house.
A flood of thoughts ran through his mind.
How can someone be this harsh to another human being? Oh… I pity the poor girl who married this man. Who knows, she might have even been sold to him to settle a debt…
He shook his head slowly and let out a deep breath.
Damien arrived at his office at Star City Company just a few minutes before the meeting began. The receptionist, upon seeing him, immediately rushed forward and collected his briefcase from Roy.
“Good morning, sir,” she greeted politely.
He didn’t respond. Instead, he gestured for her to call his secretary immediately.
Before the secretary could come out to meet him, he was already heading toward the boardroom, where everyone was seated.
“Welcome, Mr. Benson,” he said, extending his hand for a handshake.
“Thank you, Mr. Damien,” Mr. Benson replied. “I came for approval for us to participate in the upcoming gala auction, to see if we can secure an opportunity to partner with Newton Company for our upcoming projects.”
Damien was lost in thought, his mind drifting back to Ariella ’s condition, what could have caused her to faint, and what state she might be in now.
Noticing his distraction, Sophia, his secretary, pretended to show him something on her tablet and gently tapped his shoulder, bringing him back to reality.
“Mr. Damien, are you alright?” Mr. Benson asked curiously when he realized Damien hadn’t responded.
“What did you say the gala auction is about again?” Damien asked, now paying attention.
“This auction will help us market our upcoming project launch. It’s the best opportunity to connect with high-profile personalities and dignitaries before the launch day. We can also consider it a pre-launch event,” Mr. Benson explained.
“Where is it taking place?” Damien asked.
“At Festac Museum Hall,” he replied with a smile, noticing Damien’s interest.
“Alright. Get two tickets for me and give them to my secretary. And make sure the project launch is properly organized,” Damien said, his expression still tense and uneasy, as though something within him was unsettled.
He stood up and walked out of the room without another word.
He headed straight to his car outside and instructed Roy to drive him home.
As they drove, his mind filled with restless thoughts.
Why am I so unsettled about this Ariella situation? This has never happened before. I couldn’t even concentrate during the meeting… I need to control myself and put an end to this distraction, he thought.
He brought out his phone and began scrolling through his photo gallery.
Dr. Charles had already finished treating Ariella . She was now awake, though still weak. He handed her the prescribed medication and explained how she should take it.
“Please, doctor… What is wrong with me? What did the test say?” Ariella asked weakly, her fingers trembling.
“Nothing serious, miss. Just fatigue. All you need is adequate rest. I assume you’ve been stressed from work,” Dr. Charles replied, lying through his teeth. He couldn’t bring himself to reveal the true results in her fragile condition.
“Yes, doctor… life as an office worker can be exhausting sometimes,” she replied, forcing a faint smile.
“Oh, I see,” Dr. Charles responded, returning the smile. “In that case, I’ll leave you to rest.”
He turned and walked out of the room.
Dr. Charles had barely reached the sitting room when the sound of Damien’s car horn echoed through the compound.
He felt a slight sense of relief, knowing he might finally be able to return to the hospital.
He was still arranging his equipment back into his box when the door suddenly flung open.
Standing there was Damien.
He looked like a man who had just come out of a battle, his collar loosened, his eyes red like burning coal.
“Have you finished your work, doctor?” he asked, pouring himself a glass of wine from the drink stand.
“Yes, sir. She is now stable, but she will need adequate rest to fully recover,” Dr. Charles replied.
“Is that all?” Damien asked, as though expecting more.
“No… that is not all. Her test results are not very good. I think you need to take a look at them.”
“What is it? I don’t have that kind of time. Read it out,” Damien ordered, his voice slightly raised as he gulped down the wine.
“Sir, I believe this is something you should read yourself,” Dr. Charles said carefully, glancing around the room as if it wasn’t a suitable place for such a discussion.
Damien noticed immediately. Without a word, he signaled the guards to leave.
Once they were alone, he turned back to Dr. Charles.
“Don’t make me repeat myself,” he said coldly, tightening his grip on the bottle in his hand.
“Sir… she has untreated fibromyalgia. That is what caused her collapse. I’ve given her medication to help for now, but she needs proper medical treatment to manage the condition.”
For a brief moment, Damien’s heart seemed to stop but he didn’t show it.
“If that is all, you may leave,” he said in a detached tone.
Dr. Charles stared at him briefly, confused.
Who exactly is Ariella to Damien Blackwood?
Back inside Ariella's room where she was treated.
Ariella tried to piece together everything that had happened, what could have caused her to lose consciousness. Slowly, the memories began to return.
The incident at the mall… Damien threatening the life of the man who had tried to help her… and then everything going blurry the moment she stepped into the house.
She adjusted herself on the bed and turned to the maid sitting beside her.
“How long have I been like this?” she asked.
“Close to two hours, ma. Should I get you anything to eat or drink?” the maid replied with a polite smile.
“No, I’m not hungry yet. When I am, I’ll let you know. Just get me some warm water, I want to take a bath.”
“Okay, ma,” the maid said, bowing her head as she stood up to leave the room.
But she was immediately stopped by Ariella’s voice.
“Where is Damien? Did he come to check on me while I was unconscious?” she asked, curiosity evident in her voice.
“I don’t know, ma, but I think I saw him driving out a forty minutes ago. And… he looked really angry.”
- Writer
