CHAPTER 3. Last stage

 Elena had a crease on her face as she stared at Gerald, who had a look of anticipation on his face.

What choice did she have, really?

A million thoughts danced around her mind as she tried to think of a better solution than the one she was seeking presently.

She literally had no one who could help her except Gerald.

If her parents were not so selfish to have killed the father of her daughter, she would have had someone to share the responsibility with!

If only Lily had not been born with leukaemia! 

Well, it was not the little angel's fault.

"Tick Tock. Tick Tock!", Gerald said with a low, dark chuckle. "I don't have all day, my Elena."

She suppressed a scowl as she stared at his ugly face.

"I..."

She could not bring herself to finish her statement.

She could not for the life of herself imagine getting  married to someone as selfish and wicked as him. She pressed her lips into a thin line, and her frown deepened, deliberating about his character.

He had no care for anyone, and she knew he just wanted to marry her to prove a point.

He had a cold heart and could literally kill anyone in the most brutal ways possible with no feeling of remorse.

Was it worth it?

"I don't have all day", he repeated with a tone of impatience.

She shook her head. 

No way would she get married to such a beast!

"Thank you, Mr Gerald. I-I'll find a solution. Thank you for your...", she trailed off as she watched his face transform into a mask of greater ugliness. 

"Generosity"

Her hand reached for her tiny bag, and she made movements to stand up, but his hand on her thigh held her in place.

"I'm sick of this! Why are you so damn stubborn? Do you want your precious little angel to die?!", he growled in annoyance.

She shook her head.

Lily would not die. She would think of a better solution.

"My daughter will not die. I will find something!” 

Snort!

A laughter of mockery erupted from him. "What solution? You're wretched! You have no one but me, Elena. Let go of your stupid pride and get married to me"

"No! I won't", she snapped defiantly and made efforts to stand, but his grip grew tighter, and she could feel her legs becoming numb.

"Let me go!", she snapped, shoving his hands away hardly.

She rushed to her feet as she saw the malicious glint in his eyes.

She turned to leave, but there were men behind her. 

Gerald's men!.

She turned back to him in question.

Pah!

Before she could say a word, his palms landed on her cheeks, and she felt blinded for a moment.

"You think you have any pride, and you think you are better, but you're just a no-good trash who has been abandoned by everyone. Go out, and I assure you that you'll still come back to beg me", he seethed while a cloud of tears gathered in her eyes. "Throw this piece of trash outside", he ordered his men.

They bundled her up and threw her into the pouring rain.

"Ah!"

He was really a beast!

She felt her bones ache with pain, and a feeling of dizziness clouded her.

The rain seemed to wash away every glimmer of hope she had. She shivered as the thought of just giving up crossed her mind.

Lily needed her!

Suddenly, her phone rang.

“ Is this miss Elena? You have to come quickly. Your daughter has been taken to the emergency room and there’s a man claiming to be her father.” 

Her heart raced as she heard the message being passed to her across the phone.

Lily was in a grave condition?

And a man claiming to be Lily’s father? 

Who?

Every trace of weakness was drowned by a fire of passion for her daughter, and she rushed to the hospital, numb to every physical ache.

****

In the hospital.

General Damien had his lips pressed into a thin line, and his nose flared as he listened to his subordinate speak outside the waiting room of the hospital.

"We got some information about your wife, my lord. She has been captured by a man who is proposing the idea of a marriage to her. He wants to assist her with money for Young miss treatments", he explained.

Such a bastard!

How dare he offer such a stupid contract to the wife of the great General, the god of the central country, and the guardian of the country's borders, and the general of the whole army?

Nonsense!

He stood abruptly.

"What are the coordinates of her location?", he asked sharply.

"It's a couple of miles away in a villa on the edge of the sea", Carlos replied with a slight bow.

"Make sure my daughter is properly monitored," he commanded, and with huge swift strides, he walked towards the exit.

The same moment , the drenched and shabby looking Elena rushed into the office a few minutes later, and time froze as their eyes locked into each other!

Confusion and sparks of buried emotions lingered in the air as they stared at each other.

Elena's lips parted as she stared at him in shock, and a gasp escaped her lips.

She thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, so she blinked repeatedly.

Her mind was spinning.

What?!

Damien?

Damien's eyes slightly contracted at the sight of her. His eyes were dark, though his expression was soft as he gazed at her.

The air around him was laden with his thick aura of dominance and immense authority.

The memories of how he was brutally beaten to the point of death and thrown into the river flashed before him.

He was ever grateful for his master who had rescued him. He was an ancient master and he had trained Damien skillfully, making him who he was presently.

He felt the pent-up rage he had felt for her for years building as he recalled her parent's wickedness, but he recalled what he later found out about her being innocent. He was told that she was against her parents' plan, and she had tried to save him.

She was such a sweet soul. The person who had drugged them and made them have the one nightstand had not been found yet, but he planned to track down the culprit when he was done.

At that moment, he felt a burst of affection explode in his chest, as he stared at her from across the hallway. 

Suddenly, their electric moment was disrupted by Carlos, who rushed in.

"My lord , the doctor is done with his observation.”

"What's the observation, doctor?", Damien asked sharply as he strode back to the ward. 

The doctor’s face was white due to Damien's authoritative and mighty presence, but he managed to speak without stammering.

"She is in the last stage of the acute leukaemia. The physical and mental stress she went through today strained her and accelerated the cancer", he said and hesitated a bit, seeing how Damien's eyes grew colder with every word.

"What?!” Damien bellowed , seeing that the doctor was not done talking.

"She-She has just seven days to live!"