Chapter 34: Chapter 34

THIRD PERSON'S POINT OF VIEW

"Please tell me that someone was able to save me from that hell."

Garren felt a painful twinge on his heart hearing the misery laced on Cleo's voice. The intense fury that he felt last night as he take the trail down the memory lane.

•••••

"Where is your nanny?" That was the first thing that Garren asked his son as he sat back down at their table.

"She went to the bathroom. By the way, you did great, dad!"

His heart fluttered in glee. "Thank you, but this is the last time that I will do this. I won't give in to your suit next time."

The child giggled. "I doubt that, dad."

They focused their attentions on the stage as Zenith started singing songs again.

However, it has been ten minutes since Cleo left, but she hasn't come back yet. Garren wanted to ignore it, but he couldn't be at ease. Greyson was starting to get worried about her too.

"Where are you going?"

"I'll look for Cleo. Stay here, alright? I'll be back as soon as I find her."

The kid nodded. Garren left the party, and coincidentally, he came across the same staff who gave Cleo the direction of the nearby bathroom.

He didn't waste time and rushed to search for her.

When he reached the bathroom, the deafening silence greeted him. Garren was supposed to knock on the door and call for Cleo, but he was petrified on the spot when he heard something.

"N-No. P-Please don't do this."

He caught his breath when he recognized that familiar voice.

Without any preamble, Garren kicked the door open. The impact was strong enough to unlock it.

And the scenario that he found terrified him.

"You fucker! Get off of her!"

He saw red and sprinted towards them. He pulled the man away from Cleo.

His blood boiled in anger when he saw blood dripping from Cleo's forehead. He grabbed Cyrus by his collar and slammed him to the ground.

"I'll fucking kill you!"

The latter wasn't able to resist as he started punching him in the face. He didn't stop until blood began to flow out of his mouth and dripped down his white shirt.

Cyrus pleaded with him to stop, but wrath veiled his entire system. Garren felt no remorse even though he could barely open his eyes anymore and bruises started to occupy every corner of his face.

If it weren't for the staff who appeared at the scene, Garren wouldn't have stopped. Cyrus should be grateful to them because he would be dead if they hadn't appeared and restrained Garren.

When he was able to pacify himself and cleared his mind, he focused his attention to Cleo.

His knees quivered when he saw her current state. She was coiled up on the floor. Her lips were pale and blood almost covered half of her face.

"C-Cleo."

Garren tried to wake her up, but he received no response. That was the first time he didn't appreciate the silence engulfing the room.

An emotion that he hadn't felt for a very long time crept up to his chest- fear.

•••••

"I was able to bring you to the hospital, which is a good thing because they were able to treat the concussion in your head right away."

Cleo was lost for words after hearing the entire story. And honestly, she doesn't know what exactly to feel.

Should she be relieved that Cyrus failed to carry out his immoral plan? Or should she still be down in the dumps because that doesn't change the fact that she was still harassed?

In the midst of the confusion- she has one certainty, she was grateful to Garren. He was her savior.

"Thank you."

His expression softened.

"Thank you, sir. If it wasn't for you, I would've met a darker fate. If you hadn't arrived at that time, I couldn't imagine what could've happened to me. I owe you my life."

His seething fury vanished in a matter of seconds. The weak yet genuine smile plastered on Cleo's face and the tears streaming down her cheeks pacified the turbulent storm raging in his chest.

And he doesn't know why. He doesn't know why Cleo is making him feel things that he thought he's no longer capable of feeling. She's giving him a roller coaster of emotions, something that he's never felt for the longest time.

Garren doesn't know when it started. Nonetheless, he has no plans to dig deeper into it. He has no plans to unravel those peculiar emotions. He doesn't want to jump into the fire.

He averted his gaze. "You're welcome. Next time, be more watchful of your surroundings. What happened wasn't your fault, but it's better to be careful."

Cleo's heart leapt a bit. "I'll keep that in mind, sir. Thank you."

Silence once again rose between them. Cleo suddenly thought of something.

"Sir Garren."

He hummed, still not looking at her.

"W-Where's Cyrus?" That name feels like a poisonous venom in her mouth.

In a flash, the calmness in his face dissipated into thin air. His eyes narrowed like a bullet.

"He's in jail now."

Cleo breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear. He deserves to rot in prison." Anger crept up to her chest when she once again recalled what happened that night.

She shook her head. If she wants to get over that horrendous incident, she has to stop remembering that scene.

"How did you know his name anyway?" Garren asked all of a sudden.

Cleo heaved out a sigh. "H-He talked to me last night and introduced his name. But I ignored him because he was really making me feel uneasy. He was staring at me like a creep back in the party so I didn't feel comfortable with him," she narrated.

His brows snapped together. "What?! And you didn't even tell us?!"

She was caught off guard when he yelled at her. Garren felt guilty after seeing it.

"I-I'm sorry for raising my voice. I didn't mean to."

He unconsciously made his voice softer than it usually is, and he wants to punch himself for that.

"It's alright, sir." Cleo responded.

He quelled his nerves. "Was that the reason why you seemed disquieted after the light show ended?"

Cleo nodded somberly.

He hissed. "You should've told me or Greyson regarding that guy. We could have done something to prevent what happened if only I knew a creep was lurking around us."

"I'm sorry. I thought he would stop hounding me after I clearly shun him away. He also left the party, so I didn't bother telling you. I didn't expect that he was planning more vile on me," she explained.

"So that dirty scoundrel has been hitting on her? Fuck him." That's what Garren thought.

"Well, we can't do anything to change what happened."

He blew a fuse.

"I'll go downstairs and see Greyson. If you need anything, press the bell beside your bed and a nurse will come to your aid."

Cleo simply nodded.

"Take a good rest and don't move too much. It will help your recovery."

He walked towards the door and was about to leave the room when Cleo called her.

"Sir Garren."

He hummed. "What else do you need?"

"I just want to say thank you again. I'm indebted to you."

His heart fluttered, but he brushed that peculiar emotion away.

"You're welcome," he said, and shut the door.

Even after he left, Cleo remained staring at the doorway. A smile eventually made its way onto her lips.

"He may be a cold and distant person, but he's definitely not evil. Perhaps I judged him too harsh because of what he did."

Two days have passed since Cleo was admitted to the hospital. This morning, Greyson and Garren once again visited and brought her breakfast.

"How is it?" Greyson asked enthusiastically.

Cleo swallowed the waffle first and then smiled. "It's delicious. I love the cheese inside."

"Yes! I was the one who cooked that! I asked Dad to teach me."

She feels ecstatic after hearing it. "Really? You did a great job, then."

"Greyson."

"Hmmm?"

"I'm sorry for pushing you away yesterday," she apologized softly.

The child beamed. "Don't worry, I wasn't mad at you, Cleo. I understand why you wanted to be alone."

She doesn't know if the child knows exactly what happened. Nevertheless, she's glad that he's being sensitive and considerate.

"Dad and I were so worried for you. So I'm glad that you're finally awake now."

If Garren's drinking something right now, he would've choked and spat it out. He wants to chastise his son for mentioning that he's worried for Cleo too.

"But isn't it that truth? You're on the edge of your seat and couldn't sleep last night looking after her?" The subconscious part of his mind interjected.

He shrugged off those thoughts and focused on preparing their food. He's the boss but he's the one serving for them. He has no other choice, though. He's not cruel to give Cleo now the responsibility of looking after them. She's already carrying a burden on her shoulders.

"Greyson. Eat your breakfast now."

The child obliged. They eat on the table inside the hospital room.

"Once you recovered and discharged, we'll go back home."

Garren's announcement knocked Cleo for six.

"But I thought we'd stay here for two weeks? Why cut it short?" she asked.

He looked at her sternly. "With what happened, none of us will appreciate the vacation anymore."

Her shoulders fell down. Garren saw the sudden change on her expression, and he wants to smack himself for that.

He should've worded it better. He only came up with that decision for Cleo's own sake. He knows that she was traumatized because of what happened. And if they stay on that island, there's a high possibility that her trauma will be triggered.

Paranoia and anxiety will only prevent Cleo from enjoying the remaining days of their vacation.

He wants to tell Cleo those reasons, but he doesn't know how can he put his thoughts into words. And he feels like it will be awkward to tell her.

"Please don't get me wrong, Cleo. I'm not blaming you, I swear," Garren said after a while.

"It's for your own sake. Please trust us," Greyson seconded.

She turned to him. "But we still haven't seen every places that you want to visit."

Greyson smiled reassuringly. "I have enjoyed our vacation enough, Cleo. I got to spend time with dad and you. Besides, we can just do those things next time. Right, dad?"

Garren chuckled silently because his son sounded like he was threatening him.

"Of course, bud."

"See? So don't worry about me!" He purposely made his voice exultant.

Cleo stared at him for a while.

"Thank you, Greyson."

He smiled cordially. "You're welcome. Don't forget to thank dad too."

She laughed heartily and turned to Garren. "Thank you, sir."

He nodded his head in response.

Garren and Greyson spent the rest of the day in the hospital room to keep her company.

Cleo can't help but to shed tears of joy while looking at them, especially to Garren. She couldn't fathom that despite the previous enmity between them, she would found solace and protection from him.

Indeed. Life is full of unexpected surprises.