Bound to You

Chapter 25: The Concert

She widened her eyes in fear as she heard Sierra, angry voice's raging above her head. She instantly lowered the glass and exclaimed, "It's just grape juice!" 

Sierra demanded as she ignored her and turned to James, "What are you doing here with my niece? Give me a bloody good reason not to kill you right now, Mr Torres." 

He smiled at her. She looked so beautiful in that purple dress which draped her slim body. "You know you can't kill me, Ms Danvers. Now I believe you're interrupting a fantastic dinner. Can you leave us alone?" 

She gaped at him. She opened her mouth to say something and then shook her head and opted for the easiest words, "I hate you. Both of you." 

James signalled to a waiter and he quickly approached, "Sir?" He kindly instructed, "My friend, escort this woman back to her table, offer her a bottle of the most expensive wine and put in on my bill." 

The waiter, not used to these awkward requests, gently grabbed Sierra's arm to make her move and she pulled away, "I know my way. Thank you." She stormed back to where Henry was waiting for her.

Ileana shivered as she sipped in the wine and cringed, putting it aside, "She's so scary when she gets angry." 

James agreed, "I swear she was eyeing the knife on my plate. I could see her attacking me with it." 

She laughed, indulging into the aromatic food. They were so palpable and exquisite. They melted in her mouth and as she tasted each and every menu, taking a bit here and there, she realised she had never eaten anything so good before. The 9 course meal was excellent. She was careful to leave a place for the desserts that were going to come in a few minutes. 

James never knew he'd have so much fun dining with her. She was remarkably smart. He chuckled as she gave her verdicts on the different menus like a food critique. She had a rich vocabulary and it was entertaining to listen to her. 

From time to time, he watched Sierra. Sometimes their gaze would collide into a longing before she would coyly return her attention to that damn Henry Stone. They were holding hands, sharing laughs and it just annoyed him.

"So...you've always stayed with your aunt?" "Oh no...It's just that...my parents..." James cleared his throat, "I apologise if I touched a sensitive subject." 

She shifted uncomfortably, fidgeting with her fork for a minute, "No it's okay. My dad has been hospitalised since almost a year now and my mom's taking care of him. She's a nurse at Wellbeing Hospital. She has to be there for him all the time and she didn't want to interrupt my college life." 

He nodded, "So she sent you to live with Sierra temporarily?" 

"Yes...but I didn't know that temporarily would be so long. I really wish my dad would recover soon."

He could hear the strain and worry in her voice, "If I may ask, what happened to him?" 

She sighed, "He worked in security. When he was on the job, some terrorists ambushed his team and they were exposed to dangerous toxins. They managed to get through and apprehend the criminals though...as well as save those people...but symptoms showed weeks later. My dad wasn't feeling well. He kept coughing blood. His friends also began to suffer similarly. They were hospitalised urgently. In the past year, they all succumbed to the illness but my dad managed to survive... He's still fighting for his life though..." 

A knot formed in her throat as she briskly stopped and James offered her the chilling non-alcoholic cocktail which he had ordered for her. She gladly sipped into it. "Thanks for sharing this with me, Ileana. Now to be fair, you can ask me anything."