Sarah woke up and thought, How did I get to my bed? I was clearly sitting on the sofa last night. She couldn't smell Damien's cologne mixed with cigarette smoke in the air... Then Mrs. Blue entered.
"Good morning, dear! How are you feeling?"
Sarah: Okay... Mrs. Blue, how did I get to my bed last night?
Mrs. Blue: I helped you, dear.
Sarah: But why can't I remember anything?
Mrs. Blue: You had a high fever last night, and I had to call a doctor. I took care of you all night.
Sarah was surprised. Mrs. Blue took care of her all night?
Sarah: Mrs. Blue, did Damien come home last night?
Mrs. Blue: Oh, no, my dear. Only me and the doctor were here... Damien slept at the Sterling manor last night; he didn't return home.
Sarah was surprised and confused. She could clearly smell his cologne mixed with the cigarette smoke. "Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me," she thought. She looked disappointed. Mrs. Blue noticed a flash of disappointment on her face for a second. She felt sorry for not telling Sarah the truth, but she had promised Damien to keep it a secret. That child didn't sleep all night looking after Sarah, Mrs. Blue's heart ached for Damien. She always treated him like her own, and seeing him suffer like this broke her old heart.
Sarah understood. Damien must be creating distance between them; that's why he never came home. He must be accompanying his fiancée.
After having her breakfast, Sarah got dressed and went to work.
On her way in, she ran into James Holland, and he smiled. "Just the woman I need!" he shouted from across the room while approaching her.
Sarah: Mr. Holland. It's good to see you.
James: Please, didn't we agree you will call me James from now on?
Sarah: Alright, I'm sorry, James.
He smiled happily at her and said, "I came to the company to discuss the design, but Garth told me you took a two-day leave. Is everything alright?"
Sarah: I was feeling a little uncomfortable yesterday, but I'm ready for work today.
James smiled and said, "Shall we talk about it inside?" Sarah said, "After you," but he, a gentleman that he was, pressed the button and entered the elevator after her. Sarah went in to greet her manager, Kate, and Kate, after seeing James Holland, said, "The conference room is empty; you can discuss the details inside." Sarah thanked her and turned to James to tell him to follow her into the conference room. She gathered some files and drawings from her table, and they left.
Inside the conference room, they talked about the designs. James told her his vision, and she told him what they could do to make it better. After an hour of brainstorming together, they finally agreed.
James: I didn't know you had so many great ideas, Sarah, I'm impressed.
Sarah: Thank you. I'm glad you liked them. I would do so much more here, but since the theme is strict, there's so much we can do.
Then James said, "I've been meaning to ask you, what's your relationship with Damien?"
Sarah: Oh, why do you ask?
James: Well, it's none of my business, but the other night, it felt like he dragged you home. And in front of his fiancée, no less.
Sarah: I'm really sorry about that. I thought it was going to be a quiet dinner, but I didn't expect so much to unfold.
James: It's okay, to be honest, I was surprised. I've never seen the cold Damian Sterling so jealous and possessive before. It was an entertaining show to watch.
Sarah politely smiled. And James added, "If you ever need a friendly shoulder, I got nothing better to do anyway. But I will charge you—I can't offer my shoulder without you giving me some of your brilliant ideas."
They started laughing, and just as they were getting out of the conference room and waiting for the elevator downstairs, the elevator opened up, and Damien stood there with the CEO, Garth.
Damien saw her with James Holland, and his jaw clenched. Garth looked surprised when he saw her. "Good morning, Sarah, are you feeling better today?"
Sarah: Mr. Garth, I'm much better, thank you.
Garth then said, "Mr. Holland, I wasn't expecting to see you here today."
James: I had to go through the designs one more time, but this time with a designer.
Garth nodded and said, "Well, come on in, there's enough room for all of us." James gestured for Sarah to enter first. She stood in front of Garth. Damien noticed, thinking, Is she avoiding me? Why did she stand in front of Garth? She doesn't want to be seen close to me?
Sarah thought, I better stand far away from him... I can't be in his proximity... The pain of their time together and arguments that followed was still fresh in her mind.
James stood next to Sarah, right in front of Damien, like a dam dividing two rivers. He smiled at Sarah warmly and said, "Let's have lunch today. When do you finish work?"
Damien texted Garth, and Garth looked at Damien, opened the message: "working overtime today".
Garth understood, and before Sarah could say anything, he cut her off saying, "Oh, Sarah, I don't know if anyone told you this, but all of the employees are working overtime today. We have an important project coming up."
Sarah nodded and looked at James apologetically. But James smiled and looked at Damien behind him. He remembered Damien's possessiveness in the restaurant—him drinking Sarah's wine and taking her home. He knew the "overtime" was just his way of keeping him away from Sarah. He smiled and said, "Okay, then we should have dinner after you finish work."
Sarah nodded and said, "I'll text you."
The veins on Damien's forehead were pulsating. He looked angry and annoyed at the same time. He tried to stop the invite but made it worse instead. Sarah agreed to James's invite, and he hated it.
Then James asked, "How are you and your fiancée doing? I heard she lives with you at the Sterling manor now?" He used the word fiancée on purpose. He could feel Damien's wrath, and he loved it. James was one of those people who enjoyed making others feel uncomfortable.
Sarah's face turned pale for a moment, like her blood stopped circulating and her brain couldn't get any oxygen. She wobbled back, but James's hand caught her. He placed his arm around her shoulders and said, "Be careful, wearing such high heels is dangerous." She gratefully smiled at him. She had a feeling James knew there was something going on between her and Damien and was trying to help her, but at the same time, she saw how annoyed and angered Damien could become. Damien was initially worried about her, but after seeing his hand around her shoulders, he got furious. In that moment, the elevator doors opened, and they walked out. James said, "Text me when you're done," to Sarah and turned around and winked at Damien. Garth never said a word, but he noticed how visibly enraged Damien was. Everyone in the room tensed up after seeing Damien's angry face when he walked out of the elevator.