Damian looked at the woman that sat on his office couch. He thought this woman was rather too stubborn. She slightly glanced at him, but quickly withdrew her gaze. He went back to his work thinking she would eventually get tired. About an hour later. She was still there, snuggled up on the couch, deep into the wonderland.
****
Jasmine woke up to the sound of the door creak. She looked around and noticed she was in the inner room.
She thought of ignoring the brand new day and settle back on the bed. But she remembered she was not at home neither was she in her company.
She couldn't recall the last time she had slept so well. She either had interrupted sleep or couldn't sleep at all. But this time she had slept soundly. Like she felt safe.
She reluctantly stood up from the bed and walked towards the door. She gently pulled the door to avoid making a sound. It was unknown to her if someone was in the office or not.
She peeped from the little space, but she saw only Damian. He stood right in front of the large glass wall.
He was on a phone call.
She decided to close as not to interrupt him. But Jasmine paused as she heard a familiar name.
"Mateo Castillo doesn't seem like a low-key type. I'm certain he has something up his sleeves. He will certainly make his way to New York once he finds out she is here. Or maybe he knows already. "
He paused for a minute, like he was listening to the person on the other side.
" Just keep your eyes on him for now. Let me know when he makes a move. "
Jasmine stood there, her feet stuck. For a minute, she heard voices ringing in her ears. Memories flew to and fro. She shut her eyes and shook her head, trying hard to wave off the traumatic scenes that came to her mind.
She breathed in and out. Just exactly like her doctor had said. But then she heard her name being called out. It was a familiar voice but was a bit muffled.
Was this a dream or something? Why was everything so unreal.
But then she felt someone shake her. Not too gentle but not too strong. She opened her eyes and came in contact with hooded eyes, laced with worry.
"Jasmine. Jasmine. Can you hear me? Are you alright?"
She swallowed hard and breathed out. That was when she knew that she hadn't been breathing. Her chest felt stuck and heavy.
"I will get you some water" Damian said, he pulled away to move but was held back by Jasmine.
"What did you mean by that?"
His brows creased, his eyes demanding explanation.
"You. You said when he finds out. He already knows I'm in New York! I saw him that night. I know I did!". Her voice cracked up like she was almost out of breath.
"He wasn't there that night" Damian said, his voice clear, his eyes twitched a bit.
Jasmine's brows furrowed, her face laced with disbelief.
"The doctor said it was likely you had imagined it. You had found out he was out of prison. It was likely that you were scared by the thought that your father was coming for you. So it was probably an illusion".
"He is not my father. He is a monster". Drops of tears unwillingly fell down her eyes. She forcefully cleaned it with the back of her hands. But it didn't stop there. It flowed endlessly.
Damian drew her to his embrace, his arms wrapping around her like he could shield her from the world. "I will make sure he doesn't set his foot into New York. He won't even see your shadow. Jasmine. You have me now".
This time, her tears fell more on her cheeks. She couldn't remember crying so much. She had always been alone. Too scared. Too shut up. Too independent. At last, she had a shoulder to cry on.
Damian has spent years on business. Shielding it from rivals and foes. But this was the first person Damian wanted to protect for the first time in his life. He thought instead of preventing him from ever getting to New York, he was certainly going to make sure he got rid of him.