And although all of that should have bothered me, what really did, was that suddenly it all seemed natural. For a minute, none of it seemed unusual or disturbing. I felt like this was how things were supposed to be, and that thought both excited and terrified me. I didn't know how long we just stood there, not making any movements but just feeling each other's presence but when someone cleared their throat from right next to us, I could have sworn that even if a century had passed, I wouldn't have known or cared. The CEO raised his head and I jumped and took the opportunity to put some distance between our upper torsos even though he didn't let me move away from him. We came face to face with an extremely amused looking Mr. Penson and I immediately felt my face heat up to a million degrees again. My attempts to get away from the CEO became more voracious but so did his determination to keep me plastered to him. When I looked up at him in irritation I was surprised to find him frowning in distaste, his gaze cold and terrifying, directed right at Mr. Penson. "Sir", Mr. Penson nodded at the CEO with a warm smile but received nothing but an icy glare in return. "John", the CEO's voice was hard and devoid of any friendly vibe. In fact he sounded livid and I immediately felt anxious about his cold demeanor towards Mr. Penson. Mr. Penson didn't seem too affected by it though as his gaze shifted to me and immediately turned concerned. "Ms. Winters, how are you feeling?" he asked sounding genuinely concerned as he stepped towards me. I smiled at him and was about to reply but I didn't get the chance to do so as the CEO's hand immediately came to the back of my head, pulling it into his chest again, but gently this time so that my cheek rested softly on the rich silky fabric of his dress shirt. I wanted to pull away but something told me that it wasn't a good idea so I stayed unmoving in the CEO's arms. My head was turned to the side so I could see Mr. Penson stop abruptly in his tracks. A frown of understanding marred his features as he gazed up at the CEO. "You told her to take the route through the woods", the CEO said in a dangerously low tone, sending shivers down my spine. Mr. Penson said nothing in return, his gaze briefly flickering to me then back to the CEO. Although I was stunned that the CEO was that concerned about my wellbeing, I immediately felt guilty. It wasn't like Mr. Penson had forced me to go through the woods. That was completely my own decision to make and I had made it. "You encouraged her to go all alone through a forest she knows nothing about!" I cringed. Yeeesh! That just goes to emphasize my own stupidity at having ventured into an unfamiliar forest all alone. "And she ended up getting injured in the process!" "It wasn't his fault Sir!" I cut in quickly, wondering if Mr. Talon would shoot me for having interrupted the CEO, but at least I managed to catch his attention, making him look down at me, "I made the decision all on my own. He had nothing to do with it. Besides, my injuries were completely a result of my own stupidity. Mr. Penson isn't to be blamed-" "No Ms. Winters, the CEO is right", Mr. Penson said seriously, making me want to pull at my hair. Sir! Why you make this difficult? But then I saw his eyes, and they looked sincerely sad "I am at fault here", he continued, "It was my idea and I take full responsibility for your injuries" "But you didn't-" "Yes, I did, Ms. Winters", he cut me off smiling softly yet sadly at me, "I contributed to your state, and you have my sincerest apologies for it. You may not feel that way but there are many a things you don't understand about this place, about the people and how things happen here", he stopped briefly, and then continued, more confidently, "But although I'm extremely sorry that this happened, I don't regret my decision of recommending that route to you, and I have to say, I'm rather pleased you took my suggestion Ms. Winters" Although he was addressing me, Mr. Penson's gaze fixed on the CEO's and I saw the CEO clench his jaw in anger. "Why?" he growled out glaring furiously at Mr. Penson. And as always, Mr. Penson remained strikingly calm as he wordlessly shifted his gaze to me then back to the CEO and a faint smile graced his lips as he tilted his head to side slightly as if he had proved his point. This only seemed to anger the CEO even more, "It was dangerous!" he shouted. "It was worth a shot", Mr. Penson replied calmly. "She was injured!" "She is healthy young woman. She will heal in no time" "Dammit John! It could have been much worse!" "No it couldn't have" "How the hell can you be sure of th-" "Because he was there" Mr. Penson's last statement made the CEO go quiet and although it made no sense to me whatsoever, to the CEO it seemed like a good enough reason to stop his onslaught. 'He' was there? Who is 'he'? "He wouldn't let anything too serious happen to her, I was sure. After all, he is almost the same as you, much a part of you. And I have full faith in him"