Rise Of The Discarded Husband

Chapter 5: Drake Saves The Day

In the quiet hotel, Drake took a deep breath and wore his gloves carefully as he stared at the woman on the operating table. She was barely conscious, energy drained completely from her face. He had to act fast or she would die.

Bloodletting was an old treatment method, but it worked. It would draw the toxins from her body before it spread any further. He began the procedure, creating a small cut in the veins on her arm. A tiny bead of blood welled up and he carefully collected it in a small container.

The burning determination in him fueled him to push past his limits, and as he worked, he moved with precision, his face calm and his mind focused. Occasionally, his eyes lingered to her sleeping face and he couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked —like a walking goddess.

How had she fallen victim to those bad guys?

Finally, he finished and he released a sigh of relief. He wiped off the sweat that had gathered on his forehead and waited anxiously. But then realizing that he had to grab an antiseptic for her wounds, he stepped out of the room.

Aria awoke with a start and a stifled sound escaped her mouth. She gasped in panic and looked around the unfamiliar environment. Pain slithered through her forehead and she groaned. “H…how did I end up here?” She said, her question directed to no one in particular.

Slowly, her eyes shifted to her body, widening as she saw red marks all over her skin. Panic spurned in her and she let out a horrified scream. Were those love hickeys?

She jumped to her feet as the memories of the previous hours came crashing in her mind, intensifying the ache in her chest.

“Oh God, no…no, no, please…” Tears welled up in her eyes as she checked herself. The blood on the bed confirmed her wildest fear. Her body had been tampered with —used like a mere toy.

Just then, the door pushed open and in rage, she grabbed a nearby flower vase, hurling it at the intruder. “You filthy rapist! Have you come to finish what you started?!”

Drake was fast to dodge the vase and watched as it smashed against the wall, scattering into tiny pieces. He looked at the woman, surprise written on his face. That was the least reaction he was expecting. “Umh, miss, this is a misunderstanding, can you calm down and let me—”

“What did you do to me, huh? What sort of depraved animal can't control his sexual urge? But you know what?” She fumed, crossing the distance and grabbing Drake tightly by his shirt. “You won't get away with this. I'm going to get you arrested and locked up, you pervert!”

Drake sighed helplessly. Really? That's what he got for being the good guy? “You really don't remember?” He said finally with a calm tone. “Those three guys at the cemetery. Think about what really happened last night,”

The anger in her eyes immediately vanished, but the hard look remained. Then her mouth opened in shock and she gasped as recognition dawned on her. “Y…you. It was you who saved me. You chased off those thugs,”

Quickly, she released her hold on him, her look flustered. “Shit, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have come at you that way,”

Drake nodded. “It's fine. How are you feeling?”

“I…” She started, but then remembering that she had been drugged last night, her face suddenly paled and she stammered, biting her lower lips like she was ashamed. “I'm… sorry, but did anything happen between us last night?”

Drake sighed, but instead of a response, he called a name, and almost immediately, Silas entered, followed by an elderly doctor in white robe. They bowed respectfully and the doctor walked over to Aria, requesting for her wrist.

He examined her pulse for a while, then nodded satisfactorily and fixed his tools back into his bag. Walking over to Drake, he bowed again. “Her vitals are okay, sir. You handled everything well. All the toxins are gone,”

Drake let out a small smile. “Thank you. I'm glad she is okay,”

When the room became quiet, Drake set his bottle of whiskey on the table as he looked at the confused woman. “Nothing happened between us, okay? Those red marks are as a result of bloodletting,” Confusion deepened on her face and he explained. “It is an old treatment method used to detoxify the blood,”

“Oh, I see—” She blushed in embarrassment, her cheeks turning red. “Thank you so much for saving my life, and I'm sorry for calling you a rapist,”

Drake nodded. “It's fine, I understand,” There was a pause, then he asked. “What's your name?”

“Aria. My name is Aria,” She said.

“Aria,” he whispered, the name rolling off his tongue as if the word itself had been laced with sugar. “Aria, where do you stay, so I can have somebody escort you home,”

At the question, Aria's expression suddenly changed into that of a sad one. It was obvious that something was upsetting her. “Uhm…I don't have a home,”

Drake lowered a brow. “I don't understand,”

“I've been living in the streets for a few months. That's how I fell victim to those thugs,”

He frowned in surprise. “What happened to your home?”

There was a slight hesitation and Drake could sense the awkwardness in her expression— something that told him that she was not comfortable with telling her story to a stranger. But then, he saw her throat bubble before she spoke. “My rent has been overdue for three months now. The landlord ran out of patience and kicked me out,”

Drake lowered a puzzled brow, finding it difficult to believe her words. She looked beautiful. Too beautiful to be homeless. Her aura was far from ordinary, with fair skin and delicate features. Was she by any chance lying to him?

Aria released a bitter sigh. “The truth is that I went bankrupt,” Her voice tingled with sadness. “I used to be the CEO of Aeuriel Limited, but after the company's IPO failed, the investors massively pulled out and everything came crumbling down. I lost all that I owned,”

Drake's face pulled into a tight frown. His teeth clenched as the thoughts played in his mind. He remembered that in order to expedite the IPO process, he had arranged for Lydia's company to go through the VIP channel. His eyes widened. Aeuriel Limited, yes, that company was right in front of Lydia's firm at the time. But how could it collapse just because its IPO was delayed?

Wait, could it be that…

At that moment, his eyes caught Silas who was sweating nervously, but trying to hide it. Realization dawned on him and he cursed under his breath. Of course, it must have been him, eager to curry favor, who had gone too far. Instead of simply smoothing the process, he had kicked out every company ahead of Lydia. Utter recklessness!

He stood to his feet and walked forward. Seeing that, Silas hurried closer, fearing his boss's wrath.

“Fix this madness,” He ordered, his voice gruff. “Put everything back the way it was. Now.”

Without waiting for Silas's shaky response, he turned to Aria and forced a smile. What he was about to say was awkward. “Umh…I have a spare apartment. You can stay there if you want,”

Hearing that, Aria quickly shook her head. “No, no, thank you. It's fine. We're strangers and you've done enough for me already. I really can't accept further help,”

“I don't mind,” Drake insisted. “The house is empty, so you can stay as long as you want. Besides you're in need and I can't look the other way, especially with what happened yesterday,”

He gave her a soft smile and walked to the door, opening it to give her access. “Come on, I'll take you there myself,”

Aria shook her head. “This is too much, you can't—”

“I insist,”

Aria froze in surprise. For a stranger she had just met, she could not understand why he was this kind to her.

Turning to her side, Silas was already smiling at her. Inside him, he wanted to ease the guilt that had built up in him. Because of him, a woman almost got raped. And the other companies he had pushed out of the list? Were they also ruined because of him? Forcing a steady time, he said. “You should take the offer, miss. You won't regret it,”

The doctor nodded in agreement, and overwhelmed, Aria stood to her feet, wrapping the pieces of her torn dress around herself with a bright chuckle. “Fine then, let's go!”