Ten

Episode 10

RECAP

Nick could see Celine through the glass still standing at the same spot watching him leave but then some thing else caught his attention.

Just a few feet away up the balcony, a masked man laid low,holding some thing and starring straight at Celine.

Nick turned to see the man still pointing that thing at Celine,he could see what the man was pointing at Celine.

Quickly he began to run towards her but on seeing him, Celine turned to leave and at that Instant he shot the gun.

* * *

Just as he shot the gun, Nick got to her and pulled her on the floor with him bringing out his own gun at the same time.

The masked man was gone and every one began to run around, trying to hide.

"Are you okay ?"Nick asked Celine who was still seated on the floor.

"Yes I am.....is that.....was that a gun shot?"She asked looking terrified.

"It is, we need to get out of here"He said pulling her up.

With his help, they both made it out and going straight to their car, he put her in and got into the driver seat driving out of the place.

In situation like this, the victim has to be taken away from danger zone, he thought as he drove off.

While he drove, he noticed that Celine had gone quiet and she wasn't moving, what's wrong? He thought as he pulled her by her hand.

"Hey Celine! Are you okay" he called and the only thing he got was silence.

Quickly he parked the car and faced Celine to him and it was then he noticed the blood trickling down her head, the fall they had must have made her hit her head.

"Celine! Celine! "he called but she wasn't answering.

Quickly he turned the car around heading for the hospital.

He got there and was about to get out of the car only for her to hold his hand, he turned to see that she was awake.

"Where....where are we?"She asked still a bit delirious.

" The hospital, let me just get....."

"No! Please Nick take me back home"She begged softly

"But you are injured "He said

"I know that.....but I don't ....I don't want to be here, please Nick take me back home, I will be fine at home"she begged with tears in her eyes.

This is the first time that Nick will hear her beg and what surprise him most is that she would rather beg for her to be treated at home than for her to be treated at the hospital.

He began to drive back home and at the same time, he was starring at her, wondering if she is okay.

As soon as he drove into the Clifford mansion, he got out and went to her side of the car and even though she protest weakly, he carried her in his arms.

"What happen?"Stacey yelled out

"This is no time for discussion, is there a first aid kit some where"He asked

"I will get it then" she said and while she went to do that, Nick took the now Unconscious Celine to her room.

He stopped when he saw that her clean, tidy room now unclean and very untidy.

"What happen here?"Stacey said behind him.

"This is no time to talk Stacey, we have got to take care of Celine"He said walking to her bed and putting her there.

With a bit of his training in the past, he managed to find her injured spot and then he did the necessary thing to it.

While the two maid had been cleaning the room discreetly, he left the room while Stacey changed Celine clothes.

He was pouring himself a glass of whiskey when Stacey came to him, demanding for an explanation which he gave to her.

"She was almost killed?"Stacey said looking so scared and worried.

"Are you thinking what am thinking?"Nick asked her softly

"Her life is really in danger.... All of those stunts before were not pulled by her, it was pulled by the people who wanted her dead" Stacey voiced out the words in his head.

"Who do you suspect ? Who do you think wants Celine dead?"He asked

"I....I don't know, Celine have always been a fun loving girl, even when she was being envied and talked about by her fellow colleagues, Celine never said anything, running was her only joy, her father too but when she lost those two things, she became hard and cruel to every one and every thing around her" Stacey said softly

"Who are these people she became cruel to?"Nick asked

"Well her mother and Bruce for example and then her past workers, do you think that one of them could have wanted to get even and that is why they are doing this?" Stacey asked softly.

"Could be, but for now we have to....."

"Miss Stacey! Sorry for Intruding but while cleaning, I found this CDs on the floor and I was wondering if I should throw them away or just...."

"Just give them to me"Stacey said as she took the CDs from the maid who now left to do some thing else.

"I can't believe age still has this "Stacey said softly smiling as she shuffled through the CDs.

"What are they?"Nick asked

"Just some keep sake of ours, I thought she would have thrown it away when the accident occurred a year ago but it turns out that she didn't, though she shows every one her cruel and heartless side, I know that some where in her, the Celine i know is still there"Stacey said.

Nick find it hard to picture Celine as a kind and fun loving person, he would rather stick to knowing her as the cruel, heartless heiress than as the kind, fun loving heiress.

While he had been thinking he hadn't seen Stacey walking towards the video player, slotting in the CD while it displayed on the big screen.

"Celine love! Look here"Stacey voice sounded through the video while Celine who looked a whole lot different, moved away from video

"What are you doing Stacey, stop that !"She said having a smile on face, a smile which Nick had never seen on her face before.

"This was taken a year ago, when every thing was perfect"Stacey said beside him softly.

"Since you won't be taking a video,why don't I just video your dad then"Stacey said in the video and then a man who looked so much like Celine appeared in the video

"What do you have to say about your daughter's behaviour sir"Stacey asked

"That she is shy" Celine father replied and just then Celine walked into the video, hugging her father

"Who told you that am shy?"She asked starring at her father and Stacey who held the video recorder.

"Why were you running in the first place?"her father asked having a smile for her In return

"Just didn't feel like it but since you are in it, I don't mind at all"she said giving out that smile of hers

"She is lying! Celine is shy, she told me once that during a interview......."

"Hey shut up!"Celine yelled at Stacey and she moved out of her father's arm coming after Stacey who was now running with the recorder and still some how had it the recorder on her.

"Common Celine! Worn out already?"Stacey taunted when Celine stopped

"You really drive me crazy!!!"Celine said and the last thing he saw in the video was her smile, a lovely one at that.

"It's been so long since she smiled like that, when will I get to see her smile like that again?"Stacey muttered beside him........

A while later while every one had gone to sleep, Nick stood in Celine room starring at the sleeping Celine who layed on the bed Unconscious.

He still can't picture the Celine here to the one he saw a while ago who looked full of life.

Apart from hating the fact that he didn't believe that some one was after her life, he also hates himself for what he said to her earlier in the day

His words had been cruel but it's the truth and even though it's the truth , she didn't deserve to be told that way, he thought.

He began to head out when he heard her whispering softly, he turned to see her looking troubled.

She was still asleep and she was certainly having a night mare.

"Don't leave.....please"She kept on begging and Nick found him self sitting on the empty chair beside her bed, holding her hand tight.

She clasped his hand tightly even when she is asleep.

"Celine is just like every one else, she acts cruel and say hurtful things at times but she is still vulnerable, once you get to know her , you will get to know what I mean"that had been Stacey last remark before she left the room.

Nick Remembered the way she had held his hand at the party, she had really been vulnerable then and when her friends were saying nasty things about her, he knew it had hurt her but she kept it in and made sure she gave them all a pay back.

Remembering what she had said on the podium earlier made him smile though he still didn't like what she said about Alicia.

He would still like to know the real Celine, he thought as he gently moved back a hair from her face.

THE NEXT DAY

Celine woke up the next day to find her self alone in her room.

Her head hurt and when she touched it, she saw that a band had been placed there and for a while, she wondered why but when she saw her the clothe she had worn the day before now laying ok the hair in the room , she remembered every thing.

Someone had shot at her and Nick had saved her. She wasn't expecting that accident to occur but she should have been alert, she should have known that they would stop at nothing just to get rid of her

But why ? Who wants her dead ? and why are they after her, she thought as she clutched the pillow tightly to her.

"Celine!"Stacey called as she ran into the room, running straight to her arms to hug her tight

"I was so scared"Stacey said holding her tight

"Am fine now"Celine replied softly, if every one turned their back on her, Stacey is the only one who will never do, she thought as she held Stacey back.

"Am such a fool Celine, I should have believed you but instead I chose to believe what you wrote in the diary or better yet what that person wrote in your diary ,am sorry Celine"she said as she kept on crying

"It's okay, it's not like am dead or in a serious condition"Celine said softly

"But.....but am so sorry "she said crying harder

"It's okay Stacey, am fine now and I don't think any one can kill me easily, Remember have not only survive death once but a lot of times"Celine said trying to reassure Stacey

"Don't say that to try to keep me calm okay! I know that this is a serious issue, some one is after your life Celine and they won't give up until they see you dead and I don't want that, I don't want to lose you too"Stacey said as she took hold of celine hand.

"I don't know why they are after my life, I don't know what they want from me but what I know is that they will keep trying to harm me, I will gladly welcome that Stacey and i can bear that if only you won't get hurt" the crying Stacey stared at her and Celine gave her a sad smile.

"I don't want to lose you too , have lost every thing Stacey, my father, my career ,I can't bear it if I lose you too...."

"You won't lose me Celine and stop being worried about me okay, I will be......"

"How can I not worry about you, because of me...."Celine stopped as she held back the tears that threatned to pour

"Because of me you could get hurt and I don't want that, I don't want to carry the burden of your death forever so Stacey, I want you to quit and leave this mansion, you along with Nick should leave, am the one they want, I don't want you or Nick hurt" Celine said

"Why are you still worried about us when your life is in danger?"Stacey said angrily

"Because I care about you Stacey and even though I dislike Nick, I wouldn't want him to die because of me, so please go, leave me to my own demise"She said softly.

"I don't know for you Stacey but I don't intend to go any where "Nick said standing at the door way.

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