Deception | (Part 1)✔️

Chapter - 35: Confrontation in Sterling's Study

Right now, we're seated in Sterling's living room, which may I add is huge, with a fireplace.

We all sit silently exchanging glances as Leo sits there, processing what just happened a few hours before.

"Okay, so...... Uhm ...... Catherine. Catherine, you will go to school tomorrow. I'll manage the Damon situation. You don't have to worry about that. Also, I heard that a friend of yours collaborates with the detective agencies. I want you to inform her about your situation, okay? So, they can provide some protection. I've avoided this all these years, thinking I'll be able to protect you on my own, but now things are getting out of hand, so ... Uhm.... You do that." He explains. I can tell that he's really upset.

"Hey, Leo, it's not your fault." I get up and sit beside Leo, putting a hand on his shoulder, I rub his back as I share a look with Sterling.

"Yeah, if anyone here is to blame for, it's Damon. Besides, you're great; you've done a great job protecting Catherine all these years." Sterling reassures Leo, which works because I feel Leo relax under my hand. I smile at Sterling gratefully. He winks at me, making my heart flutter as I blush furiously before clearing my throat.

"Uh... Aunt Carol, you have to find a place to stay. You can't stay there anymore, it's not safe there, okay?" I ask

Nodding her head, she agrees, "She can stay with me. Nobody lives there besides I have a spare room." John offers. After deciding the living arrangements, Leo stands up, turning to me, "Give me a call if something unusual." I nod as he turns to Sterling, "You. Me. Out now." he glares at him hardly, causing him to gulp hard. I snicker under my breath.

Once they are gone, my aunt is already dozed off on the couch. Not wanting to disturb her slumber, I signal Jhon to follow me. Once inside, Sterling's dad study I turn to him "Now listen here and listen well, if you ever even think of hurting my sweet aunt, I'll blast your head off and feed it to the wolves. You hear me?" I poke my pointer finger to his chest threateningly. As he gulps, an automatic smirk appears on my lips. "I wouldn't dare. She means a lot to me," he says solemnly. Smiling, I signal him to leave. As I'm about to leave and check upon Sterling, my eyes fall on an envelope that is peaking out of the drawer with the same sign on the top right corner exactly like the folders, I found in my dad's wheelchair. I quickly stuffed it in my pocket and went out of the study.

Once everyone went home, Sterling led me to the guest room, "Will you be okay? I mean, with all what happened... will you be able to sleep soundlessly.... It's just a lot to take in." he worriedly asked me.

"I'll be fine, you should get some sleep; tomorrow is going to be exhausting." I patted his cheek and went inside.

Around 1 a.m., I was still not able to sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, that stupid monkey came in front of my eyes. Giving up, I opened my laptop after booking my tickets for Australia and doing some research on some important stuff I'll be needing there. I got up for a glass of water. That's when I heard a crash in Sterling's study. I quietly tiptoed to the study, peaking through the slit between the wall and the door, I saw a black figure rummaging through Mr. Johnson's desk drawer. As soon as the figure turned his back to me, I jumped on his back, making him fall, grunting in pain.

We scrambled on our feet. Soon, he took out the pocket knife and launched at me, dogging his stack. I tripped him over my foot. Stradling him, I tried to take his hood, but he kept choking me with his hands around my neck. I could feel my face turning purple due to lack of air. Spotting a glass vase next to his head, I jumped towards it before smashing it on his head. He groaned in pain before stabbing me with his pocket knife and throwing me aside. As I was pulling myself up but failing constantly because the knife was still in my thigh, grunting, I pulled the knife out of my thigh. I threw it at the figure.

I could feel him panicking before as I got up and limped towards it. He quickly picked the chair up next to the plant and smashed the window, and jumped out before I could make it halfway.

Screaming in anger, I dropped on the floor, and just then, Sterling barged in the study, spotting me on the floor he rushed towards me. Without saying a word, he picked me up in his arms before placing me on the kitchen slab. We both stayed silent as he kept stitching and dressing my wound. Finally, when he knew I won't speak, he asked, "What the heck happened?"

"I couldn't sleep because I was getting flashes of today every time I closed my eyes. So, after booking tickets and checking any loopholes in tomorrow's plan, I came down to drink a glass of water when I heard a crash from your dad's study, so I tiptoe to check. That's when I saw a black figure going through your dad's study drawer. So, I attacked him... you know the rest." I explained it to him.

Sterling scowled; I rolled my eyes knowing what's coming next as he turned his back towards me while rubbing his temple as he started to lecture me, I mouthed the words along with him "You should have called me .... It's too dangerous, what if he had a gun or something. You could've been seriously hurt because of your stupidity...." He continued lecturing until he finally turned around to see me mouthing his words

"Are you mocking me right now?" he frowned.

Rolling my eyes, I got off the counter. "Yes, I am because you are underestimating me.... Well, what would have you done if I had called you? You would've fought him just like I did. Also, have you forgotten I've been trained for this my whole life, I can protect myself quite nicely, thank you very much, just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I need protection. That prejudice doesn't work on me, I'm very much capable of protecting myself. If you think what I did was stupid, then you're an idiot. What if an important document was stolen, then? What would you have done?" Glaring at him, I went straight to my room and slammed the door as loudly as I could.