Chapter 5 SHE'S IN TROUBLE

Her phone inside her pocket vibrated but she didn't have much time to pay attention to it.

The pain was too immense for her to bear and she could hardly endure it.

The cab stopped outside a small clinic after a few minutes and Ashley scrambled to get in after paying the driver.

"Klein!" She shouted, breathing heavily. "I need your help!"

A man similar to her age ran out of his little office, startled.

"What the hell?! What's wrong with you?"

She stared at him with a contorting face.

Seconds later, Klein cursed under his breath.

"You're in trouble! You forgot to take your shot?!" He hissed as he quickly assisted her toward his office, letting her sit on the sofa. "You've become more and more careless, Ash! What's happening to you?!" He nagged at her while searching for the special syringe inside his drawers which he prepared for her at times like this.

"I was too swarmed with work these days." She mumbled in a low voice.

"Lay down!" He commanded and she followed.

She felt the needle penetrates her flesh and it made her feel somewhat relieved.

She closed her eyes for a moment, waiting for a few minutes until she regained her strength.

Klein watched her with a guilty expression showcased on his face.

"I'm sorry..." He said, "I wasn't able to defend you against them at that time."

"You've said the same words for a couple of weeks, Klein." She grumbled under her breath. "And I told you many times that I'm fine. Stop worrying about me..."

"How could you say that?!" He hissed in frustration. "How could you say that you're fine when I know that you're not?!"

"Klein, please. Stop it." She begged. "Whenever you talk like this, you remind me of the past. I... I don't want to recall those dreadful memories."

"Why do you have to come back?! You know the consequences of coming back but you still did it!"

"Because I have to." She answered frustratedly. "But I didn't expect that I would cross paths with him and even... Even cause him pain."

He lowered his voice as he tried to convince her.

"And you decided to put yourself at risk for that? He might not recall the past by now but you know that sooner or later, he will! Time will only tell, Ash."

Thinking of it, she did observe him numerous times.

"I don't know what happened to him but during the times that I'm with him, he seemed to realize something whenever I'm closer and I guess his anger was more overwhelming compared to that feeling so..."

"So? You think it's still safe?" Klein uttered his words in a frank manner that put Ashley on edge.

"I can't leave for now." She said, "I promised him a year, and after that, I'm free to go far away from him."

Klein dragged an empty chair nearby, took a sit, and stared at her knowingly.

"You tell me honestly." He urged in a serious tone. "Are you doing this because of your guilt or there's something else behind it?"

Ashley swallowed and blinked before she asked. "What... What do you mean by that?"

Showcasing a long face, he questioned. "Do you by any chance fall for him?" 

"What are you talking about?!" She suddenly snapped as if he poked something inside her which caused her to get annoyed. "Should I choose to be miserable when I can just get rid of it so easily by running away just like in the old times?!"

He shook his head, standing up.

"I guess you're feeling better now. You may go."  He said after confirming his suspicion. "My patients are coming in a few minutes."

Ashley's mobile phone vibrated as she stood up, about to leave. When she looked at her screen, she heaved a huge sigh. It was just one of Anton's secretaries thus she answered it right away.

"Wella," She greeted while walking out of Klein's clinic.

"Miss Mills, where are you?" The latter asked seemingly troubled at the other end.

She felt uneasy as she asked. "What's wrong?"

"I... I made a mistake. Can you come right now, please? I badly needed your help!"

Wella sounds pleading so Ashley hurriedly agreed without thinking too much after telling her the location.

*****

It's been almost half an hour since he saw her enter the clinic.

Anton didn't know what was running through his mind when he watched her leave urgently from the restaurant.

He was curious about where she was going therefore he followed her out and this is where she took him.

"A small clinic? Why?" 

He was grumbling when he saw her running out while answering her phone. Then he saw her taking a cab.

His curiosity spiked up again therefore he tailed her. 

The location seemed close as he saw her cab stopped at a five-star hotel.

Similar to earlier, she also ran into the hotel and now he felt something was not right.

He began to hesitate if he should still follow her inside when he recalled that he sent Wella, one of his secretaries to meet one of his business partners to sign a document in this place.

He stilled in his seat for half an hour unable to think straight when he saw his secretary looking troubled while storming out waving at the cab nearby.

He frowned then he decided to ask about the matter he ordered her to fulfill so he dialed her number.

"Mr. Stanford," Her voice trembled on the other end.

"How's the matter I asked you to deal with?"

Wella faltered as she spoke. "I... I don't feel well so I..."

"What?" He asked.

"I... I asked Miss Mills to take over the task." Wella uttered nervously.

"She agreed to it?" He sounded suspicious.

"Ye-yes," Wella answered.

"Then why do you seem..."

"Mr. Stanford, you hated her so much, right?" Wella suddenly asked out of the blue.

"What do you mean by that?"

Anton suddenly sensed something wrong with Wella's question but remained oblivious deciding to listen more.

"Don't worry, Mr. Stanford. I will get rid of her. After this, she won't be able to go to work in the company. I assure you that." Wella said beginning to sound confident.

"What did you do?"

"She's so shameless to keep on pestering you so I made you a little favor. I hope you will consider firing her after this..."

"Just tell me what you did!" He urged the latter impatiently.

Wella then blurted out a few words that caused his veins to bulge in extreme fury and the next moment, he saw himself running into the building, searching for the woman.

'Damn fool! She's in trouble!' He furiously thought while walking hastily.