Chapter 22

The disgust on Alfred's face could not be hidden as he stared at Damon. Alfred didn't know why, but he didn't like Damon. Something was off about him. He looked like someone who could do something crazy at any moment.

"Damon," Alfred said coldly.

He knew very little about the man, just his name and that he owned one of the most well-known companies in the country, which he'd learned from Samantha's mother.

Damon grinned that annoying grin. "Alfred Dela Cerna," Damon used his full name, which surprised him. "What a pleasure to see you again," he continued, smirk still lingering on his lips—a smirk that seemed sarcastic.

Damon looked him from head to toe, and when his eyes landed on Alfred's face again, his grin widened. It was like he was insulting him.

"What are you doing here?" Alfred asked, his voice still cold.

Damon lifted his fruit basket. "I'm here to pay Mr. Henry a visit," he answered.

"Really? Are you sure Mr. Henry is the one you want to see?" Alfred asked, expression still serious.

Damon laughed lightly as if Alfred had said something funny.

Alfred's fists clenched tightly.

Damon stepped towards Alfred until their faces were only inches apart.

He smirked again. "And what if I said no? That I didn't come here just for Mr. Henry? What would you do about it?" Damon asked pointedly. It was as if he were trying to piss Alfred off, his mischievous but dangerous eyes staring him down.

But Alfred didn't back down. His narrowed eyes met Damon's, and he said, "I'm warning you, don't ever do anything to harm Samantha or her parents, or I'll—"

"Or you'll what?" Damon stepped back, putting some distance between the two of them. Then he smirked. "What can you do, Mr. Dela Cerna, besides try to threaten me? You can't even tell when you're being played." Damon's words were thinly veiled insults.

Alfred's fists clenched even tighter. He didn't know what Damon meant, but he didn't like the sound of it.

"What are you trying to say?" he asked angrily.

Damon shrugged, still smirking. "That's for me to know and you to find out," he answered playfully.

"Asshole," Alfred said through gritted teeth.

Suddenly, the playfulness on Damon's face disappeared. His smirk was gone, and only seriousness and anger could be seen in his eyes, causing Alfred to feel a strange sort of nervousness.

"But let me give you a piece of advice, Mr. Dela Cerna," Damon said, staring at him intently. "Take care of what you have. There are a lot of people who might envy you, and they'll do everything they can to take your place. So be careful. You don't want to be left with any regrets, right?" he continued, and the smirk returned to his lips.

Alfred was about to speak again when Samantha suddenly arrived.

"What's going on?" she asked, looking between the two of them.

Alfred stared at Samantha and frowned when he noticed the nervous look on her face as she shifted her gaze from him to Damon.

Was something wrong?

"Samantha."

Alfred's attention returned to Damon when he greeted her. There was something in the way Damon had said his girlfriend's name.

When Alfred looked at Samantha again, she was staring at Damon, and the nervousness he'd seen on her face seemed to double.

"How are you?" Damon asked.

Alfred saw how Samantha gulped before responding.

Something is definitely wrong, he thought as he watched her.

Samantha was about to answer Damon's question when Alfred suddenly took one of her hands and pulled her close to him, surprising her. He intertwined his fingers with hers.

"She's fine," was Alfred's answer to Damon's question.

Samantha's fingers tightened around his. He looked at her, only to find her staring back at him. There was a plea in her eyes, but he didn't know what for.

He wasn't doing anything wrong.

Alfred could feel Damon's sharp gaze on the two of them and their clasped hands.

If his hunch was right, then he needed to do something to show Damon how serious he was about Samantha.

So without a second thought, he grabbed Samantha's head and kissed her on the lips, surprising her yet again.

"Oh!" Samantha moaned, momentarily stunned as he bit her lower lip before releasing her.

He looked at Damon again, whose eyes were now blazing with anger.

Alfred grinned. "You came to visit Mr. Henry, didn't you? He's awake now, so go on inside. Samantha and I have some business to discuss," he said, emphasizing the word 'business' in a way that made it sound dirty.

"Alfred…" Samantha said his name hesitantly, and he turned to smile at her

"Let's go," he said sweetly.

Before Samantha could respond, Alfred started to walk away. And because their fingers were still intertwined, Samantha could do nothing but follow him.

He felt her turn around to look at Damon, so he looked back at her, saying her name in a threatening voice.

Samantha quickly turned back towards him. The nervousness still lingered in her eyes.

"Watch your step," he said, then faced forward once again.

Are you hiding something from me, Samantha?

Samantha, who was confused, did not complain when Alfred took her to the hospital's bathroom. He kept holding her hand, only letting go when they entered a stall.

Alfred locked the door and then faced her.

She gulped.

He was staring at her intently as if trying to read her mind.

She had been anxious since she saw Damon and Alfred talking to each other, and being alone with Alfred now wasn't helping calm her at all, especially with the look Alfred was giving her.

She was worried. What if Damon told Alfred everything that happened between them on the island? But if he did, she was pretty sure that Alfred wouldn't be acting like this.

Nervously, she forced herself to speak. "Alfred, w-what are we doing in here? Mom is probably looking for me—" But she couldn't continue because Alfred suddenly claimed her lips.

She was shocked, so she didn't respond immediately to his kisses. He didn't seem to like that.

One of his hands slipped beneath her blouse and touched her chest, making her gasp. And he seized the opportunity to shove his tongue inside her mouth. Without removing her bra, his palm cupped one of her breasts and began to squeeze—hard.

The way he kissed her, the way he squeezed her chest, she could feel his anger.

"Alfred!"

He didn't stop kissing her until she finally found the strength to push him away.

He leaned against the closed stall door as he stared at her. She gasped for breath.

"What do you think you're doing?" she said angrily, wiping her lips with her palms.

"What? We have sex all the time. What makes this any different?" Alfred answered as if what he'd done was no big deal.

"Are you crazy? This isn't the time or place!" Samantha said through gritted teeth.

Alfred laughed bitterly. "Seriously, Samantha? You were gone for more than a week. And when you got back, we couldn't even talk properly. I missed you! Can you blame me if I'm excited to see you?" he said, full of resentment.

Samantha couldn't speak. She didn't know what to say.

She bit her lower lip. This shouldn't be happening. She should want to be with Alfred. Wasn't that how love worked? If she loved Alfred so much, she should've missed him too. She should be excited to be with him now. So why wasn't she? Why did she feel the need to make him stop? Why did this feel so wrong?

Alfred straightened up and approached her. His cold gaze was piercing, and it made her shudder. "Or maybe there's another reason you're pushing me away."

She gulped.

"Is it because of Damon?"

Her mouth fell open at Alfred's question.

Did Damon tell him?

"W-what are you saying?" She faked a laugh. "What does Damon have to do with this?" she asked nervously.

But Alfred's expression didn't change. He still looked deadly serious, which only increased the nervousness and awkwardness she felt.

"Does he have something to do with this?" Alfred asked directly.

She gulped and faked another laugh. "I don't know what you're talking about, Alfred. Why are you trying to bring Damon into this? This is between you and me," she said, trying to sound calm even though her heart was pounding in her chest.

"Maybe because he's already involved! I'm not a fool, Samantha. I know that guy has a hidden agenda. Why else would he be trying to get closer to you and your family!?"

"Because his parents were friends with Mom and Dad!" was her excuse, but Alfred quickly shook his head.

"No, Samantha. That's not it. The way he looks at you—I know what that look means." She was speechless. "You were gone for more than a week. We couldn't contact you. We didn't have a single idea where you were. And when you came home, he was with you. So, can you blame me for acting like this?" Alfred's voice was loud and full of resentment.

She still couldn't speak, couldn't find the right words. She just stared at him. And gradually, her guilt engulfed her.

Just tell him the truth, Samantha. If he gets angry or decides to leave you, let him. After all, it's all your fault, she remembered Rose's advice.

But could she tell Alfred everything? Even now, when he was just suspicious, she could feel his resentment. What would it be like when he finally knew everything? He might never forgive her!

She opened her mouth. She wanted to say something, but in the end, she said nothing.

Alfred nodded with a bitter smile on his lips. "You know what? Maybe I was right not to come see you."

"Alfred…"

"Let's just cool our heads for a bit," he said.

He didn't wait for her response. He opened the door and, without a backward glance, exited the stall, leaving her wondering whether she should let him go or try to stop him and talk things over. In the end, she was unable to move. She couldn't take a single step. She just stood there, looking at the floor and her shoes. She didn't even notice when tears began to well up in her eyes. All she could feel was the pain in her heart. She just stared as her tears fell to the floor.

She smiled bitterly. "These are the consequences of my actions," she whispered to herself.

She was still in that position, bent over and silently crying, when the stall door suddenly opened, causing her to look up. She was shocked to see Damon, his eyes burning with anger as he looked at her.

"Damon…" she said his name in surprise. "What are you doing—" But she was not able to finish because Damon took one of her hands and pulled her out of the stall.

"Damon—"

"Shut up, Samantha," he cut her off as they made their way out of the bathroom.

She looked at Damon's hand, still tightly gripping hers. Somehow, she didn't dislike the feeling.