Chapter 19

Samantha was suddenly nervous. She did not know what to do. She was scared. She was afraid of what Damon might say to Alfred and her parents.

What if he told them the truth? Yes, Damon had blackmailed her into coming with him to the island, but that didn't change the fact that she'd given her body to him. That she'd let Damon fuck her. That she'd let him claim her over and over again even though she could have stopped him. Because she knew deep down that she'd also liked what had happened between her and Damon.

She met Damon's warm stare and gulped.

"Hey, answer me! Who are you?" Alfred asked again, causing Damon to turn his gaze on her boyfriend.

The smile still lingered on Damon's lips.

She was about to answer Alfred's question when her mother suddenly spoke up. "Damon, what are you doing here?" her mother asked in astonishment.

Damon's attention turned to her mother. His dangerous smirk suddenly disappeared and was replaced by a gentle smile.

Damon walked past her and Alfred, only stopping when he was standing in front of her mother.

"I heard that Mr. Henry had been brought here, and I decided to pay him a visit," Damon answered, then turned to her again. "On the way, I happened to see Samantha waiting for a ride, so I asked her to come with me," he continued.

There was a smile on Damon's lips, but she knew it was hiding dark secrets.

Her mother turned to her, her forehead furrowed. Samantha could also feel Alfred's sharp stare behind her.

"Why didn't you tell me that Damon was with you?" her mother asked.

She was about to answer when Damon interrupted her. "It's okay, Mrs. Henry. Samantha was so worried that she must have forgotten about me," Damon lied.

If she didn't know Damon, she would've thought he was telling the truth.

The way he spoke, the way he carried himself, and the way he smiled at her mother were so gentle that anyone would've had a hard time believing that he was lying.

"So, how is Mr. Henry?" Damon asked, looking at her mother.

Her mother smiled at Damon. "The doctor just came out and told us that Macario is now stable. We're just waiting for him to be transferred to his room," her mother replied.

"That's good to hear. Anyway, I have to go, Mrs. Henry. I need to take care of something at the company. I'll come back again later." Damon's farewell made her sigh in relief.

Both her mother and Damon turned to look at her questioningly.

She looked back at them, frowning. "What?" she asked, but her mother just shook her head while Damon grinned.

Her mother returned her eyes to Damon. "Thank you so much for coming and being here for Samantha, Damon. I truly appreciate it," her mother said.

Damon smiled at her mother gently. "It's nothing, Mrs. Henry. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to ask me." He gave a small piece of paper to her mother. "Here's my cell phone number. If you ever need money—to pay hospital bills or for Mr. Henry's medication—please call me. I am more than willing to help."

Her mother smiled broadly, then took one of Damon's hands and squeezed it. "Thank you very much, Damon," her mother said, full of gratitude.

"It's not a big deal, Mrs. Henry. You are like family to me. My parents treasured you both, so I will do the same," Damon replied, making her mother's smile widen. "Alright, I have to go now, Mrs. Henry," Damon added.

Her mother nodded in response and then turned to her. "Samantha, go with Damon."

Her mother's command surprised her.

"What?"

"I said go with Damon. Just walk him to his car. It's rude to just let him leave after he helped you get here," her mother said.

She did not move. She just stared at Damon, who was staring back at her. He seemed to be waiting for her.

"You don't have to, Samantha. I can walk Damon out," Alfred suddenly said.

Samantha immediately objected, "No!"

Her loud shout earned her the attention of the people standing around them. Even Alfred was surprised by her reaction.

She faced Alfred and faked a smile. "I-I should be the one to walk him out. Just accompany Mom to Dad's room. I'll be right there after I send Damon off." And before Alfred could reply, she had turned her back on him and taken one of Damon's hands, pulling him away.

"Hey! Take it easy," Damon complained, but she did not listen to him. She refused to let go of his hand until they were safely outside the hospital.

"This is it, Damon. This is where it all ends. You will never come near me again. You won't even try to see my parents. And lastly, you will delete that video. Just like you promised," she said boldly and then turned her back on him.

But before she could start walking away, she heard Damon speak, stopping her in her tracks.

"What if I don't want to?" Damon said those words so seriously that she couldn't help but turn around to look at him again.

"What did you say?" Her hands balled into fists, and her jaw clenched.

Damon took a few steps towards her until the two of them were face to face.

Damon's lips were pulled into a mischievous grin, causing her fists to tighten. "You heard me, Samantha, and I don't want to repeat myself," he said coldly.

She gritted her teeth. "What else do you want from me? I've already done everything you've asked. Aren't you satisfied yet?" Her voice was barely a whisper, but the anger she was feeling could still be heard.

Samantha flinched as one of Damon's hands rose and gently caressed her cheek. His naughty eyes stared at her.

Damon smirked. "Samantha, Samantha, Samantha, we were together on that island for quite some time. I thought you'd know me better by now," he said, shaking his head. "When I want something, I'll do anything to get it, use every method I know. I always get what I want, Samantha."

Samantha violently removed his hand from her cheek, then backed away to put some distance between their bodies.

She stared at him boldly with her head held high. "That won't work on me anymore, Damon. I've learned my lesson. If you won't stop, then I'll find a way to stay away from you myself." She grinned. "I'm done playing, Damon. Your game is over," she added before turning her back on him again.

She could feel his hot, sharp gaze on her, but not once did she attempt to look back at him. She stared straight ahead as she walked through the hospital. She didn't even know which room was her father's. She just wanted to get away from Damon.

She considered calling Alfred until she realized that she didn't have her cell phone. Then she remembered that she'd taken nothing with her when she'd left the island with Damon.

She'd forgotten about the luggage she'd brought to the island. She'd been so worried about her parents that she'd forgotten to take her things back with her.

She slapped her forehead. "God, Samantha! How could you forget your cell phone?" she asked herself, annoyed.

"Samantha?" It was Alfred's voice calling to her.

She quickly straightened and saw Alfred in front of her.

Alfred's forehead furrowed as he looked at her. There was astonishment on his face.

She forced a smile. "Hey," she replied.

Alfred approached her until the two of them were face to face.

Alfred touched her shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked. Concern could be heard in his voice.

"Of course," she immediately answered. There was still a forced smile on her lips.

"Are you sure?" he asked again.

She nodded repeatedly. "Yep," she answered again.

"Uhm…where's Mom?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"She's watching over your dad. He's in his private room now."

"Really? That's great! Let's go to them. I want to see Dad," she happily replied.

She was about to start walking when Alfred stopped her, surprising her. "Can we talk first?" Alfred asked in a serious tone, making her suddenly nervous.

She knew that he would ask her a lot of questions, and she didn't know if she could keep lying.

Both of them chose the cafeteria to talk in. The two of them faced each other.

Alfred was staring at her intently as she sat with her head bowed, her clasped hands resting on the table.

"I'm only going to ask you one thing, Samantha. Just please, please, be honest with me," Alfred started.

She cleared her throat before meeting Alfred's eyes, which she regretted immediately.

Alfred's gaze was so intense that it was making her uncomfortable. But she still tried to smile and act as if nothing was wrong.

"Why would I lie to you? You know me. You know I can't lie to you."

She wanted to bang her head on the table. She couldn't lie to him? That in itself was a lie! Fuck!

"Okay…then answer me honestly, Samantha." Samantha gulped. "Where were you these past few days?" Alfred continued, making her gulp again.

She could hear the loud beating of her nervous heart.

She tried so hard not to avoid Alfred's gaze. She knew Alfred had a lot of questions, and if she messed up even a little, she was sure it would be enough to make him doubt her.

"Like I told Mom and Dad, I was with my friend," she answered.

But Alfred didn't seem convinced. "Which friend?" Damon asked curiously.

"Uhm…it was…uh, um…Georgina! Yes, Georgina!"

She wanted to curse herself for blurting out such a terrible lie.

Alfred raised an eyebrow. "Georgina? Who is that? I've never heard of her," Alfred asked in confusion.

The nervousness she was feeling doubled. She couldn't sit still.

"Uhm…I, uh, haven't introduced her to you yet. You see, I met her recently, so you don't know her yet," she lied again.

"You just met her and you're already going on trips with her? That's not the Samantha I know," Alfred said seriously.

She bit her lower lip. She was not any good at lying.

She averted her eyes for a moment, then let out a frustrated sigh. She had to act tough. She couldn't let her nervousness get to her or Alfred would doubt her and then he really wouldn't stop asking her questions.

"What are you implying? That I'm lying? You don't believe me?" she asked in a serious tone.

But Alfred was unmoved. Instead, he just got more serious, the intensity in his eyes doubling. "Can you blame me? You left without saying a word. Even your parents didn't know where you were. We couldn't contact you either. Do you know how worried I was? Even though Rose assured us you were fine, I still couldn't help but worry, especially because I couldn't talk to you. Did you ever think about how I'd feel, Samantha?"

Samantha let out another sigh before standing up.

"Where are you going? We're not done talking yet."

Samantha heard the annoyance in Alfred's voice, but she couldn't bear to face him and his questions right now.

"If you don't believe me, then there's no point in having this conversation," she said and turned her back on Alfred.

"You really have the nerve to be angry with me? You're the one who left without telling me, Samantha. I deserve an explanation, but you won't even give one to me. Is it because you're hiding something from me? Is that why you don't want to answer my questions?" Alfred said angrily.

"What's the point of answering your questions if you won't believe me? And in case you've forgotten, Alfred, my father was just saved from the brink of death. I need someone who will understand me and support me, not someone who won't believe anything I say," she answered before finally leaving him.

Alfred called her name a few times, but Samantha didn't spare him a single glance.

I'm sorry, Alfred. I am so sorry.