FEW HOURS AGO Angela and Damon were seated at the backseat of a Bentley Mulsanne. The car hummed along the highway, the steady whir of the engine filling the silence between them, the only sound the rumble of the engine and the hum of the tires on the road. Damon stole a glance at Angela, who was staring out the window, deep in thoughts watching the moving scenery. He wished he could think of something to say, some way to make her smile. But the words wouldn't come, his brain failed him. Finally, he cleared his throat and spoke. "How are you feeling?" he asked, softly. Angela turned to look at him, her eyes tired and sad. "I'm okay," she said, her voice sounding hollow. "Just... tired." She dried her wet cheeks and smiled back at him. "Hey, you don't have to cry, you are with me now. I am taking you home." "I know".. she sobbed. "I am just happy you came for me..I thought you didn't care, I asked the maid about you they said you never came to check on me. Thank you for coming to get me," Angela said then sniffed before concluding. "I'm not sure what I would have done if you hadn't shown up." "What! Of course I longed to check on you but I don't want to make it obvious, that we have something going on between us, it will make the whole issue more complicated," Damon said, his tone full of frustration. "But I hate the thought of you being there alone with that brat. I should be with you, helping you to feel better and recover." Angela reached out and took his hand, her touch gentle and comforting. "I appreciate that so much, Damon," she said. Damon squeezed her hand, his eyes shining with emotion. "I just wish I could do more," he said. "I felt so useless that I wasn't able to save you from that brat, the moment he dragged you out of my room. I can't believe what that freak did to you, you could have died! Look at how lean and pale you look!” Damon snapped out, his voice tight with anger. "Thank you for worrying about me," Angela said slowly with her eyes downcast, her tone full of sadness and shame. "Is that part of the contract? You know you can quit if you want all that time". He added roughly. "It's not that easy Damon, see I am indebted to Antonio, and our agreement is that I will pay with my body until I can pay with the full money," she replied. "Who makes such an agreement!" Damon snapped. Angela sighed. "I know …I know..I was just desperate. My nieces were in danger about to be taken away from me and molested, I can't just stand back and watch it..I pleaded with Antonio and he gave his conditions frankly I wish I had other option than to agree to it, that was the moment I ruined my own life, if I ever pay his money he won't have any rights over my body anymore." "You could have asked me for the money I would give it to you," Damon replied not hiding his anger. "That was before we met, I wish I had known you earlier," Angela replied slowly. Damon glanced at her and found her shoulders sagged and face pale with sadness. "It's not too late to pay it off." He said lightly. Angela felt a lump in her throat. "I'm not sure I can ever pay him back," Angela said, her voice shaky. "It's a lot of money." "How much is the money?" Angela closed her eyes, as if steeling herself for his reaction. "Eighty thousand dollars," she said, her voice trembling. Damon sat up straight, his eyes wide. "Eighty thousand dollars?!" he exclaimed. "Angela, that's a lot of money. How could you have possibly borrowed that much? Or even spend such an amount of money!" Angela looked down at her lap, shame coursing through her. "I know it's a lot," she said, her voice small. "It was used to settle some loan sharks, my immediate younger sister Kerry took a loan from them to gamble." "A sister you said?" Damon asked in surprise. "Yeah she is that wild". Damon sighed. "Fine, I will settle the debt". "What!" Angela felt a rush, she immediately shook her head, a wave of guilt washing over her. "No, Damon," she said. "You can't do that. It's not your responsibility. I'm the one who made the deal with Antonio. I have to be the one to deal with the consequences." Damon looked at her, his expression serious. "Really you love that he toys with you?" he said with a frown. "No ….it's just that…I don't want to be a burden to you". She replied. "Well, I don't want you to be under Antonio's thumb anymore, and don't worry about being a burden to me...I will be more than happy to help you" he replied. Angela cheeks stained. "But I don't want you to put yourself in a bad position because of me". "Stop already Angela, you know you need my help, you can't pay that money back you know right?" Angela knew she had no choice but to confess. "You are right Damon. Thank you," Angela said, a feeling of relief flooding through her. "I just... I don't want you to get in trouble with Antonio because of me, he is very dangerous" "I'm not worried about that," Damon said, his tone confident. "I'm not afraid of Antonio. I'm not going to let him control your life anymore". Angela glanced at him, even from his side profile this prince charming is a heart stealer, she wondered why women are not drilling over such a man, a kind hearted man with such physique. However on a brighter side it's a bonus, she won't have to worry about some women taking him away from her. Antonio noticed her stare and gaze at her she looked away immediately, her heart racing. He smiled at that. She looked at Damon, feeling a rush of gratitude. "You've always been so good to me," she said, her eyes shining with emotion. " I don't know if you are aware but I like you Damon, I really like you...more than anything even more than Bryan the wolf." Damon looked at her and chuckled. "If I am aware? Those pink cheeks do tell me every damn time". He teased her and gave her a small smile. "Stop!" Angela snapped in annoyance looking away to hide her pink cheeks. Damon laughed and shook his head. "Yes ma'am".