Ash Walter

Ash stared at the girl lying unconscious on his bed, even in her sleep she looked distraught, creasing her eyebrows and tossing around every second as if she was fighting battles even in her sleep.

"Her immune system is weak and she'll need proper nutrition to regain her strength." The doctor said.

"What about the bruises on her body? Don't you have anything to help with that?" Ash said, with his eyes still glued on Skye.

"I can recommend some ointments for her but I still think we should take her to a hospital."

"All she needs is a good doctor...or are you doubting your skill, Mr. Dean?" He gave a mocking look to the doctor, making him keep quiet.

Ash felt more comfortable with Skye being in the comfort of his home where he could guarantee her safety.

"Who is this woman to you, Ash? you seem to care about her."

"I don't remember paying you to question me about my personal life...You may leave now."

Not wanting to worsen Ash's already bad mood, Mr. Dean left the room immediately.

The sound of the door shutting after Dean made Skye wake up.

"Where am I?" She said, slowly rubbing her eyes to adjust to the brightness of the room.

"You're finally up." Ash calmly spoke.

"You-what do you want with me? where did you take me?"

"Is that the thank you I get for taking care of you these few days?" He smirked.

"Days? How long was I out for?"

"Three days."

Skye's eyes widened as she began to panic, she was afraid of what Theo would do to her for being gone so long.

"I need to leave, I-"

"And go where? Don't tell me you're considering going back to Theo even after everything he put you through."

"At least that's better than being here, with you, a man I've never met before, not until four days ago that is."

Ash stood up angrily feeling frustrated, he couldn't understand why she would want to go back to Theo despite all the abuse he put her through.

"He humiliated you! dumped you in public, even physically abused you, isn't that enough reason to stay away from him!"

"How did you-"

"The bruises on your body tell their own story, besides, when you gave me the files that night, it was pretty obvious he had slapped you."

Skye began to cry on hearing Ash's words, deep down she knew he was right and she hated herself for still feeling attached to Theo even after everything he did to her.

Ash let her cry her heart out without disturbance, he simply stood by and watched her release her pent-up emotions until she was all done.

"I'm sorry for being rude and thank you for helping me out. May I know your name then?" Skye said once she was done crying.

"Ash, you can call me Ash." 

"That's an odd name for a guy don't you think." She chuckled, finally breaking the constant frown she had on her face.

"Isn't Skye also a weird name?" He countered.

The two stared at each other before bursting into a fit of laughter, breaking the ice that was in the room.

"It's nice to see you smile for a change." Ash stared at her fondly.

"You're Theo's boss, right? CEO of Reignz law firm."

Ash frowned at the mention of Theo's name but he still nodded, urging her to keep talking.

"Then why are you being so nice to me, a stranger with nothing to offer." 

"What if I told you I've taken an interest in you for a while now and I want to court you." He spoke, taking slow steps closer toward her.

Skye moved backward in fear and noticing her distress Ash stopped with his advancement.

"You don't have to feel pressured about that, bedsides, we have important things to deal with right now." He spoke with a serious look on his face.

Noticing the change in his expression, Skye instinctively straightened her back to listen better. "What important thing are you talking about?"

"Revenge."

That one word made Skye's blood boil. Hearing Ash mention it made her realize she wanted to get revenge on Theo and his family for everything they put her through over the years.

She was just too scared to take action against him.

"Can we do that?" She asked in a fearful tone, part of her was still afraid of Theo.

"We can, but the decision is all on you."

Skye did not waste time before answering him determinedly, "I- I want to get revenge on him."

Ash smirked, patting her head fondly in the process. "Your wish is my command princess."

Skye chuckled slightly before her expression turned grim again.

"Truth be told Ash, I'm still scared of him. He-he was abusive and controlling and-" She couldn't finish her sentence before the tears started rolling down her face.

Remembering all she went through in the hands of Theo felt like she was reliving all those moments all over again. The fear, tears, pain, and trauma felt too real to be just memories, she couldn't handle all that.

Ash got up and pulled her into his arms as he stroked her back gently, an act that soon calmed Skye down.

"It's alright, you don't need to say anymore."

They stayed like that in silence for a while until Skye had fully calmed down and fell asleep in his arms

Ash laid her gently on the bed before walking out of the room.

"Did Doctor Dean leave a message for me?" He said to the guard by the door.

"Yes, sir. He left a list and told me to give it to you." The guard handed over the list to Ash, it contained a list of ointments he had to buy for Skye's bruises.

"Good. Send someone to go get everything on this list as soon as possible." He spoke as he walked away before stopping once more, "Also, inform the chef to prepare a proper meal for the lady before she wakes up."