Chapter 315: Outburst

After Olivia's departure, Peter remained unable to focus. He wondered how long Olivia had had a crush on him and why he had not noticed. He even asked Matthew who was just as bewildered as he was.

"I guess she was a little more reserved around you, but I always took it as a sign she was uninterested," Matthew said.

"Same," Peter agreed, but maybe that was Olivia's way of showing the man he was different to her. She had been subtly trying to let him know that she set him apart from the rest.

Peter excused himself from his friend needing a stronger drink. He passed by several people he was familiar with and after the short trip to the bar, he joined a group of men who just so happened to bring up Olivia.

They had seen the woman speaking with Peter before she left with her cousin, and they were trying to figure out if the pair had anything going on. One of the men warned Peter by saying something crude about Olivia carrying a disease, and that finally got Peter's undivided attention.

"Didn't you say you were with her? Hopefully you got yourself checked," another man said.

"I never said I did anything with that woman," lied the man. "You all just assumed." It was Peter who spoke next.

"That is a lie. You have told me in straightforward terms that you have been with Olivia," Peter said.

"And I heard you and director Porter share her," the man responded with a shrug. He clearly did not see any problem with his words.

"Heard that from where? You didn't hear that lie from me," Peter replied.

"Well then, I guess I am not the only one guilty of embellishing the truth." Peter's face darkened and without thinking, he punched the actor in the face so hard his own knuckles split. Matthew who was a short distance away intervened immediately.

"Sorry, he is drunk. Have your manager send your information my way for my next production," Matthew said as he pulled Peter away.

Outside of the venue, Matthew pushed his friend against a wall.

"Are you crazy?" Matthew asked. "I don't even want to know what happened, but you better pray I can fix it." Matthew released his friend and he walked back into the party, hoping he could clean up before the word spread to the celebrant.

If Peter was being honest with himself, he did not know why he had punched the man. He owed Olivia nothing, but if he had known that the woman was a victim of gossip, he would never have invited her to a nearby motel, nor would he have been in the position he was in now. CEO Rue had been blocking all Peter's attempts at acquiring funding for his independent project, and it could have all been avoided if his mind were not polluted by false allegations.

Of course, Peter still blamed himself. As Olivia had said, it was easier to believe things about a person when you did not know anything about them to begin with. It was why he believed his fiancé was an upstanding woman, why he believed Olivia was into casual sex, and probably the reason Olivia liked him in the first place.

No longer trusting himself to stick around, Peter left the party. There was no reason to stay when he could not guarantee that he would not have another outburst. Fortunately, the one he had already was in an isolated corner of the event. Otherwise, he could have permanently damaged Matthew's career in the same way he had destroyed his own.

----

Dom opened his eyes and was greeted to the sight of the nicest set of breasts he had seen in a long time. Thinking he was dreaming or had crossed the finish line; he spoke without regard.

"Do all angels have breasts as nice as yours?" Dom's question was replied with a slap to the side of the head. He could feel the pain of it and that told him he was not dreaming or dead.

"Cedrick," an annoying voice called out, and Dom rolled his eyes. "Have you never learned to properly cross a road?" the woman asked, and Dom sat up wanting to jump out of bed, but could not. His arm and one of his legs had been fitted into a hard cast that hindered his mobility.

"What happened, where is Mina?" Dom asked. He knew if he was being treated it had one of two meanings, either Mina had been found and had negotiated for his treatment or Mina had not been found and they needed more information from him.

"Who is Mina?" The doctor asked.

"Now is not a good time to annoy me Doc. Where is your brother?" The woman scoffed.

"It's doctor," she replied which made Dom want to strangle her. Of all the women who worked for the Lee family, Rebecca Witt was by far the most arrogant and annoying of them all. She was like a robot; without any emotion at all, and when she was angry, she hit people, and it was not in a cute way like Mina did.

"Cut the sh*t Doc," Dom said through gritted teeth. He was always at odds with the woman, and anytime he was injured he would specifically request for her brother to treat him instead of her.

Dom and Rebecca had gone through basic training together, and he had subtly tried to sleep with her, but she not so subtly denied him by saying that 'idiot DNA' was not compatible with her body. It was the first time he had been rejected so brutally, and since then, he had been trying to get even with her, but the only thing he found that bothered her was calling her Doc.

"He is with our less educated brother," Rebecca responded coldly. Dom knew that Bressaw had been struggling with a bacterial lung infection that he picked up during his stint at 'camp'. He had not told Mina about it because he knew the girl would never forgive herself and Might even offer her own lungs as a penance.

"Where is President Lee?" Dom asked. He was trying to be stern with his words, so that Rebecca would know he was serious, but as always, she was uncaring.

"I will notify him that you are awake. Until he arrives you are forbidden from trying to leave. Your credentials have been revoked and your rank has been demoted. If you try to exit this facility-"

"I get it," Dom said. Although he knew Rebecca was following protocol, it did not stop it from being annoying, nor did it help to ease his tensions. His mind told him that Mina was still missing, and it was his fault for allowing her to walk away with that conniving Miss Lisa.

----

President Lee could not stand how Cylus was scanning Mina's face. The man had convinced Mina to remove the bedding from over her head, yet again, by reminding her of her contract and the penalties for not meeting her obligations. In theory, Mina's injuries could be deemed as a breach of contract, and Mina was allowing her face to be scanned to avoid paying a fine.

"It's not as bad as it looks," Cylus said. "It will take a couple of weeks to heal, but the swelling will be gone in a few days."

"I didn't know you were a doctor," President Lee said sarcastically.

"I'm not, but I have seen this sort of injury before. You'd be surprised what rival actresses will do to one another." President Lee scoffed in disgust. He hated that Mina was friendly with everyone except him. In anger, he excused himself from the room, but not before instructing Zane to stay behind.