Chapter 8

"Why are you so stubborn?!! Leave here this instance!!! " Celeste yelled at the maid who still insisted on checking the backyard to make sure nobody was in danger.

"Ma I have to c....."

"I swear I will make you regret it if you don't leave " Celeste cut her off with a threat and a murderous eyes.

"What is going on here ? " Damon's cold voice echoed in the living room as he stepped inside.

Celeste body froze from fear and shock after hearing Damon's voice.

"Why is he here ?! He should be in the office!!! " She screamed inwardly.

She quickly composed herself and forced a smile then turned around to meet Damon's cold eyes.

"I believe , I asked a question ? " Damon said coldly and Celeste cleared her throat.

"This maid is being lazy boss , I was only instructing her to get back to work but she was exchanging words with me " Celeste lied and the maid eyes widened from shock.

"Is that true ? "Damon turned his attention to his maid.

The maid looked at Celeste who was shooting her daggers through her eyes and motioning for her to shut up.

The maid was afraid of Celeste but she was more afraid of getting fired so she told Damon what really happened.

"Sir I heard someone shouting for help at the backyard and wanted to go and check it but miss Celeste wouldn't let me " She said and Damon's eyebrows raised in confusion.

"Someone was screaming for help ? " He mumbled , something suddenly clicked in his mind and his eyes widened.

"Selena!! Where is Selena?!! " He yelled causing Celeste and the maid to shiver.

He ignored them and ran to the backyard , he started looking around like crazy searching for any sign of Selena but he found nothing , until he looked at the pool.

Selena's flip flops were floating in the pool.

"It can't be!! Selena!!! " He yelled and dived into the pool.

Damon’s body sliced through the water with speed and desperation.

“Selena!!” He opened his mouth in a silent scream beneath the surface, eyes burning as chlorine and panic flooded them. The water was still… too still.

He swam deeper, and then—

There she was.

Her pale body sank like a doll, long hair floating around her lifeless face. Her eyes were shut, her lips blue.

His heart stopped.

He wrapped his arms around her and kicked toward the surface, breaking through with a sharp gasp.

"Call the doctor!! Call the ambulance!!!" he barked at the panicking staff, placing her limp body on the ground beside the pool. "Selena, no... no, no, no... don’t do this to me."

He tilted her head back and started CPR, his hands shaking.

"One, two, three..." He pumped her chest, breathing into her mouth between counts, refusing to believe he could lose her, not like this, not again.

After a few seconds that felt like hours, Selena suddenly coughed water gushed from her mouth, and she gasped for air.

"Selena!" Damon pulled her to his chest, holding her like she was glass. "You're okay... You’re okay now..."

She weakly opened her eyes. “D-Damon...?”

"I'm here, baby, You're safe now "

Her lashes fluttered and her arms clung to him instinctively, like a child terrified of being left again.

The family doctor arrived moments later, but Damon refused to let go as the doctor checked her vitals.

Selena was later taken upstairs for further examination inside and Damon turned toward Celeste slowly his eyes like a hurricane ready to destroy everything in its path.

"You better have a damn good explanation " he said through gritted teeth, his voice dangerously calm.

Celeste stepped back, fear making her knees wobble. “I-I didn’t know she was....”

“SHUT UP!” Damon roared, silencing the entire house.

“If something had happened to her... I swear on my life, Celeste... you would have begged for death before I was done with you ”

Tears fell down Celeste’s cheeks. She had never imagined Damon would get so angry at her , all because of that Selena.

He stormed after the paramedics, leaving the house in dead silence.

BLACKWOOD MANSION

The grand Blackwood mansion stood silent, as the maids did their daily routine.

Upstairs in one of the rooms was Orion laying curled up on his bed, drenched in sweat, his breaths shallow.

His body ached. His throat burned. And he couldn’t even muster the strength to call for help.

He caught the flu two Days ago and hasn't been receiving treatment.

His perfect parents got furious when they found out their son Orion had beaten up his lecturer husband , so they locked him up in his room forbidding anyone from entering his room without permission food and water weren't also to be given to him.

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OUTSIDE THE MANSION

Skye stood at the gate, brows furrowed as the head maid shook her head.

"I’m sorry, Miss Skye," the older woman said with a hint of guilt. "Master Orion is not allowed to accept visitors, His parents' orders"

"Why? He wasn’t in school today , is he okay? "

The maid looked around nervously, then whispered, “He’s grounded, Something about a fight His father doesn’t want any noise, especially with the campaign ongoing , if the media learns of the fight it would affect the campaign ”

Skye’s jaw tightened. “So that is why his dad locked him up ? It isn't like who he beat up died or anything ” she said and rolled her eyes with annoyance.

“It’s not my decision, miss…”

Skye didn’t wait to hear the rest.

"It okay I understand I will take my leave now bye " Skye said and turned around, the head maid also left.

Once Skye noticed the head maid was out of sight she sneaked in through the garden entrance she normally used to sneak in to check on Orion when he was absent who school or ignoring her , scaling a vine-covered wall and sneaking in through the back terrace.

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ORION'S ROOM

The sound of his door creaking made Orion force himself up, barely opening his eyes.

“Go away,” he croaked, thinking it was a servant.

“It’s me ” came a familiar voice.

A frowned instantly appeared on his face when he heard Skye voice.

“Skye?”

She entered cautiously, with her beg still hanging from one shoulder, and her forehead was creased with worry.

“ What are you doing here?” Orion mumbled, trying to sit up but failing miserably.

"I came to check on you , are you alright ? " She walked over, placing the bag on his nightstand and feeling his temperature with her hand.

She gasped when she felt just how hot he was , he was literally burning.

“You can’t be here,” he said through gritted teeth. “If my dad....”

“I don’t care about your dad, What I care about is the fact that you’re burning up and haven't received treatment , Thank God I came with some medicine ” she mumbled.

“ I am fine , you should leave here before someone catches you here ” he said.

"I will only leave after you have been cared for " she said then went into the bathroom.

She came out after a while with a bowl of water and a small towel in her hands , she sat next to him on the bed and dipped the towel into the cold water.

Then she pressed it gently to his forehead. Orion closed his eyes, a sigh of relief slipping past his lips.

“Who did you fight with and why ?” she asked softly.

He didn’t answer at first. Then he muttered, "He hurt someone I care a lot about "

Skye’s heart tugged,she kept quiet and didn’t ask who but deep inside she was dying to know who he cared about.

He opened his eyes, locking gaze with hers. “Why do you care so much?”

She smiled sadly. "You are my friend so I have to care "

For once, Orion didn’t argue. He let her stay, He let her care.

After a while he fell asleep under her gentle care.

Skye remained sitting next to him watching him sleep peacefully, her eyes roamed around his handsome face and she smiled.

"I wonder if he knows just how handsome he is " She mumbled and stretched out her hand to touch the tattoo on his neck.

His eyebrows crased to a frown when she trailed her fingers on his neck tattoo.

She stops touching his neck tattoo and instead lay next to him , looking at him intense as her mind wanders into deep thoughts that only she knows.

LATER THAT NIGHT ~ WILLIAMS MANSION

Selena lay on the giant bed in Damon’s private suite, wrapped in warm blankets. Her eyes were shut, skin still pale, but her breathing was steady now.

Damon sat beside her, holding her hand like he’d never let go.

The doctor had just left, saying she was lucky to be alive. A few more minutes underwater and it would have been fatal.

Damon’s jaw clenched at the thought.

"Fatal" That word echoed like a curse in his head.

If she had died…

No.

He wouldn’t let himself imagine it.

He reached out and gently brushed her damp hair from her face, his thumb stroking her cheek softly.

“I should’ve protected you better…” he whispered. “I failed you, again ”

Selena stirred.Her lashes fluttered open slowly, and her gaze met his.

"D..Damon.... what happened?? " she whispered weakly.

“ I found you lifeless inside the pool ” he replied, voice rough with emotion.

Hearing the word pool , Ivy immediately recalled everything that happened and fear gripped her as she had flashbacks of her struggling inside the depth of the pool.

“I thought I was going to die, it was so horrible…”

He shook his head, leaning forward to press a kiss to her forehead. “You’re not going anywhere, I am sorry for not protecting you very well but please don't go near the pool again , how did you even fall in ? ”

Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes, then she recalled being pushed into the pool.

“i was pushed into the pool…”she mumbled.

Damon’s entire body froze and his hands started trembling with anger.

“What did you say?”

“someone... pushed me into the pool.… I… I couldn’t breathe…”

Rage ignited in Damon’s eyes, dark and deadly.He stood up abruptly.

“Stay here ” he said softly to Selena. “Rest, I’ll take care of everything ”

Selena grabbed his hand weakly. “what are you going to do ? ” she asked and grabbed his hand before he could step out.

"There are CCTV cameras all over the house I will go to my study room and check the footage " he said.

"Okay " she mumbled and let go of his hand.

Damon left the room immediately and went to his study room , he saw on his seat and started operating on his computer.

He replayed the footage from the time ivy was pushed into the pool.

After the footage ended Damon's face went red from anger infact it was rage.

He had seen Celeste his trusted assistant pushed his doll into the pool and run off.

Damon stormed out of his study room with rage brewing inside him.