Panic Attack
"What happened?" Noah rushed over, looking at Sarah's bleeding hand.
"I'm sorry." Sarah looked pale, her eyes glancing towards a corner. "I dropped the vase."
"Vase?" Noah's eyes followed Sarah's gaze. "Ah, never mind the vase. How did you hurt your hand?" He held her hand and checked. The broken pieces of the vase must have pierced into her palm and caused the wound.
Noah sighed. "Wait here, let me get the emergency kit." He stepped out of the room only to meet Lynda, who was smiling in front of the room.
"Care to introduce your mother to the girl that you try your best to hide from me?" Lynda said, her eyes trying their best to catch a glimpse of Sarah.
Noah pulled the door closed behind him and glared at Lynda. "Enough. I think I've given you more than enough time to play, just go back home," he said, heading to the end of the hallway and pulling open a drawer from the cabinet there.
"You know if I open my mouth, your dad will surely take action against her, right?" Lynda said, hinting at a threat.
"She is no one, and I don't know where you're going with this," Noah's voice became tense. He didn't want any interference with his plans.
"You never bring anyone to this house, Noah, unless they force themselves in or there's an emergency need. She must be someone important for her to be here, or specifically, in your room," Lynda stated the fact, forming a smile just to annoy Noah.
Noah clenched his fists at Lynda's spat. It was true, he would never bring anyone to his house just for the sake of showing it off or for fun. Trying to control his rising anger, he closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath. "Leave the house now, before I call security."
"Chill," Lynda raised both her hands mockingly. "I'm going." Her grin widened as she headed back towards the stairs. She turned around briefly. "Are you sure you don't need my help?"
"No thanks," Noah immediately refused the insincere offer. He knew there must be something Lynda wanted in return, and he wasn't interested in playing her games.
After confirming that Lynda was finally out of the house, Noah entered the room. Sarah was still standing in the same spot, looking scared.
The moment Sarah saw Noah approaching, she once again apologised, her voice trembling. "I'm sorry."
Noah couldn't understand why she seemed so afraid.
"I told you, it's okay," Noah reassured her gently. He guided her to the bed and opened the emergency kit. He cleaned the wound on her hand and applied antiseptic, his touch gentle and reassuring.
Sarah winced slightly but didn't pull away.
"There," Noah said softly, after he finished dressing the wound. "It should be fine now. Just be more careful next time." He looked into her eyes, trying to comfort her with his gaze.
Sarah nodded, her expression looking slightly better. "How much do I need to pay for the vase? It looks expensive. Can I pay it in instalments?"
Noah chuckled at Sarah's words. "No need to pay," he said, pausing for a moment. His hand was still holding Sarah's, and he could feel his heart racing with anticipation. "But can I suggest something in return for the vase?" Noah's mind was working actively, making sure his plan would work this time.
Sarah blinked several times, her heart starting to beat faster than usual. She had a feeling she knew what Noah was going to say. Her eyes met his, and she waited eagerly for his next words.
Getting no reply from Sarah, and noticing her panic-stricken eyes, Noah continued, "Let's help each other. I know you heard everything just now." He took a calculated guess.
Sarah's eyes fluttered in panic once again, and she quickly responded, "No, I didn't hear anything. I promised you." She raised her palm as a gesture of swearing.
Noah smiled. "Then should I explain why I need your help?"
"I don't think I can help you in any way regarding your family matter, Mr. Noah," Sarah replied hesitantly.
"Noah," he chuckled, correcting the way she addressed him. "Did I ever mention it's about family matters?" He leaned closer just to tease her.
"Oh, ah, I mean," Sarah paused, thinking of a word to fix her slip-up. Her mouth had clumsily let out the fact that she had overheard their conversation earlier.
Noah let out a small laugh and shook his head. "It's okay. So now, can we talk about it?"
Feeling hesitant, Sarah sighed but still nodded.
"So the thing is, my family arranged for me to get married to someone I've never loved," Noah began. "And the girl is pushing for the marriage to happen as early as next month."
"Okay," Sarah replied, starting to understand the situation slightly.
"Can we pretend to be married?" Noah dropped the shocking suggestion suddenly, leaving Sarah wide-eyed.
"Ma...married?!" She stood up and stepped back. "No!" She covered her ears, suddenly experiencing a panic attack. The word 'married' itself triggered the attack. Her body started to tremble in fear, and she flopped down on the floor as her legs started to weaken.
"Be careful!" Noah quickly pulled her back before she could hit any of the broken pieces on the floor. "What happened? Is there something wrong?"
"I promise you, I will never mention anything related to marriage. I promised." Sarah bowed her head, held her palms together, and rubbed them as a gesture of begging to let the topic pass.
"What do you mean?" Noah frowned in confusion. He gently held her hands and pulled her trembling body into a hug. "I seriously don't understand what's happening right now, but let's stop here for now." He calmly rubbed Sarah's back to help her calm down.
Sarah's body, which had been shaking with panic just moments ago, had now calmed down, and she was peacefully asleep in Noah's embrace. "That easy?" He shook his head, marvelling at how quickly he had been able to calm her down.
Gently placing her on the bed, he reached for his phone and made a call. "Matt, where are you?"
"I just finished registering the thing you asked me, sir," Matthew replied.
"Great! Now, dig deeper into Sarah's mental health. There's something bothering me." He glanced at Sarah, who was sleeping soundly, unaware that she had already fallen into Noah's revenge plan.