Chapter Twenty-seven

I am who I am. Life itself shaped me by throwing obstacles in my way. Love me or hate me. Take me or leave me. I am human. I stumble and fall before rising again. Always getting up after a fall. Never giving up. Building walls around me so I won’t get hurt, but they always manage to bring them down. Every single time.

Get out. I must get out of here alive.

Seeing Chad nearing me once again, I panicked and clenched my fists, lifting them up in a fighting position. Instantly, I saw Nathan smiling at me. “Rachel, relax.” His voice was smooth, inviting me to another world where everything was unknown to me. It scared me.

“Go near me and I’ll kill you,” I threatened in spite. Eyeing the door, I slowly went around in circles, hoping that I might reach it and run. I didn’t want history to be repeated. “I’ll kill you if you just take one step closer to me.”

Despite my warnings, Nathan just remained smiling and reached out a hand for me to take. “Don’t worry, Rachel. I’m not going to hurt you.”

Shaking my head at his false promises, I gritted my teeth together in anger. My fists wanting to collide against his pretty smug face that I’d once loved, but not anymore. I wasn’t going to let that face fool me once more. I’d suffered a lot after that catastrophe.

Nathan, you’re nothing more but a scumbag.

I felt my breath hitch when I felt the door’s knob against my back. One ray of hope in this dire situation. If I could get out and run, I’d be free. Free from this man’s influence and evil desires. I was wrong in thinking that he was a good man and that his life wasn’t as easy as mine, which was why he struggled. I never realized that he only loved my money and name.

Not me.

I smirked at Nathan, who pleaded at me with those eyes. “Never. I’m not going to believe you again.” With that, I turned around and grabbed the knob. Just as I was about to open it, a hand grabbed my arm and pulled me back. It made me scream and cry. I thrashed around, pulling the arms away that held me captive.

“Let me go!” I cried out. “Let me go, you monster! You bastard!” My body spun around before I collided against a hard chest, hands gripping my arm tightly. It just made me sob even more. Using my sharp nails, I clawed at his face while pleading for release. “Go to hell! Back to where you belong!”

“Rachel! Calm the fuck down!”

I gasped and opened my eyes to stare up at Chad. Nathan had disappeared. Chad’s cheek looked awful. The wound didn’t look deep, but it was bleeding badly. My jaw dropped at the sight of the damage I have done.

It had happened again.

“Rachel, are you all right?” Chad questioned. I covered my mouth in horror at the actions I’d done. Legs feeling weak, I fell to the ground. Chad bent down and grabbed my face to look into my eyes. I could only stare back in horror and shock. Shocked and speechless that I’d done it again. I’d hurt another person due to my personal issues.

“Rachel? What’s going on in there?!”

Francine’s worried voice could be heard at the other side of the door. It was soon followed by the banging of the door, then keys rustling before the door burst open. In came the bodyguards, Francine, Patton, and the restaurant’s manager.

The bodyguards quickly pulled Chad, who protested loudly, away from me. Francine quickly came to my side and helped me stand.

“You all right, Rach? What happened?” Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Patton glaring at Chad.

“Let me go! I didn’t do anything wrong,” Chad argued, trying to break free of the men’s hold on him. The blood rolling down his cheek fell to the floor and it made my heart ache. It was my fault that his cheek was bleeding.

“Be quiet,” one of the bodyguards uttered in a commanding tone. Instead of doing this, Chad continued to resist and was forced to give in, silently glaring at the men who held him.

“Rach, are you okay?”

I nodded and hugged myself. “Yeah, I’m all right.” Turning to the bodyguards, I walked towards them. “Let him go. He didn’t do anything wrong.” It was clear that they were torn between following what their mandate said and what I’d just ordered. In the end, they released Chad and backed away.

“Miss, is it really all right for him—?”

“It was my fault.” I smiled reassuringly. “I had to use the bathroom and all that. I didn’t realize that I forgot to lock the door and Mr. Montgomery entered. I was shocked so I screamed.” Will they even buy my excuse? I hope so. It’ll be even harder to explain if I told them the truth.

“But, why’s his cheek bleeding?”

I stared at Chad, signaling for him to go along with my plan. Getting it, he laughed aloud.

“Well, Miss Maxwell can be a really hard hitter. She slapped me in shock.”

Seeing my friends frowning at him, I knew they doubted his words. The manager gasped in surprise. I didn’t have to know why.

“Maxwell? The Maxwell?”

“Let’s go before we cause a ruckus,” Patton mumbled. Francine nodded and followed him out. I turned back to Chad, staring at his wound in regret.

“Miss Maxwell, if there’s anything you want, please just tell me.”

“Yes, please give me a towel or something,” I requested. The manager immediately took off and came back in a flash, holding a white towel. I smiled and took it. “Thank you.” Motioning for the bodyguards to leave, they stared at me for a moment. With one last look I cast, they left, with the manager in tow. Heading towards the sink, I soaked the towel and walked towards Chad. His eyes were cast down to the floor, refusing to look up even if I stood in front of him.

“Chad, let me,” I mumbled. Lifting his chin, I stared at the scratches that I’d caused. Guilt squeezed my heart. Gently wiping the blood away, I applied extra caution when it came to the wounds. Chad winced and hissing every once in a while. I grabbed his chin when he turned away.

“Stay still, or this will take forever.”

Chad let out a snort and remained silent as I finished up. Letting go of him, I stared at the bloodstains and sighed in regret. I stared at the floor and refused to look at him in the eyes.

“I’ll pay for the damages,” I stated aloud. “Just get those checked and tell me how much I have to pay—”

“Hold up!” he interjected. I looked up at him in confusion and surprise. Chad’s face was filled with irritation. “Don’t start doing contracts here, Maxwell. If you want to apologize, just do it.”

He’s right.

I clenched my fists and nervously breathed in. “All right. I’m sorry,” I spoke softly to him. “I’m sorry for… For doing that to your face.”

It grew silent, but it wasn’t for me. Inside, my heart wouldn’t stop beating loudly in my chest, wondering whether he’d accept my apology or not. He had the right to reject it after witnessing what had just happened.

Chad suddenly laughed, much to my astonishment. This man, what did he find that’s so funny?

When his laughter ceased, Chad shook his head at me. “I never knew you’d do it, but thanks anyway. I forgive you. It was my fault, anyway, for scaring you.” He smiled down at me and gave me a thumbs-up sign. “At least you’re sincere.”

I felt my cheeks go red and gaped at his words. “O-of course, why wouldn’t I be?” Did he think I was not genuinely asking forgiveness? “I did something wrong and I apologize.” Wait a minute. If Chad hadn’t come in and acted all strange, I wouldn’t have done that to him. He brought this all on himself. Crossing my arms together, I narrowed my eyes at him.

“To be honest, this was all your fault,” I pointed out. “If you didn’t come in here and scare me, I wouldn’t have scratched your face.”

Chad raised an eyebrow. “Wow, you have a weird way of showing your fear. You literally went insane and attacked me—’

He suddenly became silent, which made me look at him in concern. Judging from his wide eyes, it suddenly dawned upon him. “Oh.” He breathed. “I see. I forgot what happened to you.” Letting out a tired sigh, Chad rubbed his arm sheepishly. “I’m sorry.”

I lowered my head and hugged myself. “It’s all right. You don’t have to be sorry when you didn’t even know what would happen.” I can’t blame him for this. Chad didn’t even know what would occur and, right now, after learning this, he would probably be cautious.

“Tell me honestly, Rachel. To what extent?” Chad questioned. “To what extent did that idiot hurt you? Did he literally mess up your mind for you to be acting that way?” His words made me take a step back and place a hand over my heart, feeling it ache. “Did you really let him get the best of you, for you to go insane?”

“I-I…” Did I really move on? Why am I still having these fears? Did I even give those therapies justice? Seeing the anger and pity in Chad’s eyes, I couldn’t answer, knowing that he had a point. I literally gave Nathan the power to infiltrate my mind, and look where it has brought me.

“Miss Maxwell.”

Turning around quickly, my eyes fell on the door, which was halfway open. One of the bodyguards peeked inside.

“Ma’am, sorry to intrude, but we have to go. The media is heading this way as of right now.”

Chad clicked his tongue in annoyance before grabbing my wrist. “There’s no time. We have to leave,” he grumbled. “I didn’t realize that one of the paparazzi could be in this restaurant.”

Exiting the bathroom stall, we went back to our table and asked for the bill immediately. The manager continued to persuade me to ask for anything. I kindly took his offer down and thanked him for the service instead. After paying the bill, we walked out of the restaurant. Fortunately, the media had yet to arrive.

“Rach, do you want to come with us?” Francine smiled. “We can go to the movies. I heard about this new movie and I wanted to watch it together.”

Judging by the way they eyed Chad, I knew they wanted me to get away from him without appearing rude. I wouldn’t blame them for protecting me but sometimes—they tended to forget that I could deal with things alone. That I was old and I could manage everything that was thrown in my way.

“Yeah, Rachel. We can also eat dinner at my house,” Patton added. He grabbed my arm to pull me closer to them, and Francine hugged me tightly.

“Come on, Rach. What do you say? You always work. Come and have fun with us. Patton’s finally here, so let’s relive the old times!”

“Uh, actually... I still have work to do and paperwork to sign.”

The redhead pouted and faced Patton. “Pat, help me convince her!”

I mentally shook my head as I stared at Patton, who’d obey Francine’s wishes unless it concerned him to give up on her. I can’t believe these two are ganging up on me.

“She’s right, you know?” Patton stated. “It’s been so long since we hung out, just the three of us.” Is he trying to make me feel guilty? If that’s the case, then he should stop, since I’m starting to feel like it. Seeing the hope in their eyes sparked the battle within me.

“You should go.”

Francine and I gasped in surprise at Chad’s words of encouragement. “What?” Now I wished the car would just come rolling in so I could escape and go back to work; I suddenly missed the feeling of a pen in between my fingers. I can’t believe I’m missing signing paperwork when I keep complaining about having to sign it.

“Rachel, you go and accompany your friends.” Chad grinned. “They did say you haven’t hung out for a long time, so grab this opportunity and go.” I tried to find something in his eyes, whether it was annoyance or whatever. I didn’t find anything. He just simply wanted me to go with my friends.

“You heard the man, didn’t you? Let’s go!” Francine cheered aloud and followed Patton to a familiar blue car. It belonged to Francine’s Mother. They must’ve borrowed it. Before I walked towards them, I turned behind me to see Chad. His bright golden hair swayed in the cold wind, electric blue eyes staring back at me.

Come to think of it… “Chad, you never answered my question.” Who was that girl he was chasing the other night?

“Oh, is that so?” A small smile graced his lips as he ushered me to follow my friends. “I’ll answer yours if you answer mine.”

I let out a laugh. “Well, then, I guess we will know next time.” With one last look, I walked away and went along with them. Francine stood against the car waiting for me, while Patton sat behind the steering wheel. I didn’t have to turn back to tell whether my bodyguards were sticking by me. Dad’s words were definitely printed in their minds. They seemed robotic. It was scary.

“Did he say anything to you?” Francine questioned once I reached the car.

I shrugged. “He merely said farewell. Nothing more.” I didn’t have to read their minds to know that they doubted Chad and were cautious around him. Accepting my words, Francine climbed into the car and I did the same.

“All right, let’s go to the movies,” Patton stated as he started the car. The engine roared to life like flames in a burning bush. I gazed at Chad as we drove further away, until he was nothing more but a mere speck. It didn’t take a few seconds for him to disappear from my line of sight. The bodyguards followed behind us in their own car.

“Is there something wrong?” Francine asked. I shook my head and leaned back against my seat. Patton quietly drove while Francine, who sat beside me, stared at me with concerned eyes.

“Nothing. There’s nothing wrong.”

The redhead let out a breath before leaning back, and placed both of her arms under her head. “Seriously, that Chad guy is pretty strange, if you ask me. What was he even doing inside the women’s restroom?”

I shrugged silently. “I don’t have the slightest idea.”

“When you screamed, we were very startled. We immediately took your bodyguards that were standing outside and took them with us. We feared what had happened to you.” She took my hands and squeezed them with hers, eyes dead set on mine. “Tell me, Rach, did he try to force you into something?”

“It’s clear he did,” Patton interjected before I could even answer. His stoic tone brought chills up my spine and I didn’t have to see his face to know what expression he held. “She wouldn’t have screamed aloud if he didn’t do anything to scare her.”

Damn It, Patton, why do you have to figure it out so soon?

“What did he do to you, Rach?”

I scratched my head as I battled whether to tell them and just fuel their doubts on the man. Or, pacify them and end up lying? As I stared at them, my heart raced like a horse experiencing freedom after being caged for so long.

What should I do? What do I have to do?

Feeling my phone vibrate inside my bag, I held up a finger for them to wait as I fished for the ringing gadget. Once my eyes fell on the name of the caller, I bit my tongue and answered.

“Hey, Dad. What’s up?”

“Rachel, where are you right now?”

“I’m with Francine and Patton right now. We’re heading to the cinema,” I answered softly. Francine stared at me when I mentioned her name; meanwhile Patton remained the silent man he was—especially when someone was talking.

“I see,” he replied. “When are you coming home?”

“Um…” I trailed off, estimating what time we might end. “I’m supposed to have dinner together with them. Is that all right? I do have my bodyguards, I hope that’s fine.”

“Yes. It’s fine. Just don’t stay out too late. You know what I mean.”

“Thanks, Dad. See you later.”

“Goodbye.”

I hung up and checked to see if there were messages I hadn’t read. Some were associated with work, coming from Arianne, and one from Chad. I stared at it for a few seconds before pressing it. It was sent just a few seconds ago.

Chad Montgomery: Rachel, if you want to know about that woman I was chasing, meet me tomorrow at my office. I also want to discuss business with you.

“Who is it?”

Looking up, I stared at Francine’s curious expression and slowly hid my phone. I smiled at her.

“Nah, just about work. All the paperwork and the finances to be dealt with.” Much to my relief, she let it go and turn to Patton instead.

“Pat, are we almost there?”

“I’ll let you know.”

Nodding, Francine sat back once again and sighed. “Honestly, I thought that Chad guy would be a good man, but now I think he’s fishy. He acts fishy and talks fishy.” Then, she gushed. “But, I must admit, despite all that strange personality, he’s handsome.”

“Tch. I don’t get you women,” Patton grumbled. “When you already knew he had an ugly personality, you still stuck with him because he had looks.” He yelped out in pain when Francine struck his head with her hand.

“Yeah? And what about those men who keep saying they love the woman, but they leave her when told to do so?” Francine snarled. “A man who only emails her and sends her letters when he feels like it!”

“Hey. I send you emails and letters even if I’m busy,” Patton pointed out. And, just like that, they were at it again. The two continued to bicker as we headed to the movies.

How can these two end up together when they keep fighting like this?