8. The Agreement

"This is bad!" Max sighed as he moved the limp body onto the bed.

"Aunt Minnie! Come here!"

While his hands were looking for doctor's contact, his eyes occasionally checked toward the door. As soon as the butler appeared, Max immediately gave instructions.

"Find clothes for this girl, please. Then, bring me a basin of warm water and small towel."

"Do you want me to clean this girl?"

Max shook his head quickly. He was afraid that evidence of his brutality would be seen by the servant.

"No, I'll do it by myself."

The middle-aged woman's winking turned stiff. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Max nodded while maintaining his expression.

"Okay, wait a moment, Sir. "

As soon as he got the requested items, Max immediately closed the door and wiped Gabriella's face. He did not have time to think about reluctance or compulsion. His brain was too busy getting rid of guilt.

“Tch, this girl .... Why is she so selfish? She's trying to knock me down, but now, she's asking for my attention?"

The towel in Max's hand continued to rub the bruised neck. When it was his turn to wipe the girl's chest, the man sighed.

"Why did I get out of control like last night?" the CEO muttered, noting how many marks he had left. He must have been overjoyed under the influence of drugs. Max couldn't deny it anymore.

"Tsk, that shouldn't be happened."

After wiping the girl's hand, Max moved to the lower area. As soon as the man was about to get rid of the dress, he suddenly flinched. His attention was caught by the red stain on the torn yellow dress that had piled up on Gabriella's stomach.

"W-what is this?" Max lifted the cloth and brought the stain closer to his eye. "B-blood?"

The CEO's pupils began to shake. He remembered that the dress was covering the bed at the first time he got into the girl.

Swallowing hard and taking a brief breath, he glanced at Gabriella's pale face.

"You were still a virgin before I screwed you?"

Max thought for a moment. His feeling began to be haunted by regret.

“Am I being too hard on her? What if this girl turns out to be innocent? What if she isn't a messenger woman like I thought? ”

Suddenly, the cell phone in his pocket rang. Max's daydream shattered with a focus on the incoming message.

“Max Evans, the successful CEO who's always at the top, ended up falling because of a girl. So, how's that woman's taste, sir? Is it hot? May that satisfaction be of comfort to you during these dark times."

Max's breath suddenly roared. His hands were clenched tightly without caring about the cellphone in his hand. The eyes that had sagged were now tense again. The CEO's gaze at Gabriella no longer conveyed compassion.

“What did I just think? I can't go easy on her. A girl like this can be dangerous."

Shortly after Max had dressed Gabriella, a doctor finally arrived.

"Who is this woman, Sir?" asked the old man with glasses after he finished putting in the IV needle.

"I found her unconscious on the street," the CEO lied to hide his depravity. "What's the matter, Doc?"

"This woman is dehydrated. Maybe, some bad people force-fed her and then didn't give anything to eat or drink for a while.”

Max blinked stiffly. After scratching the tip of his nose, he tilted his head and gave a look of innocence.

"Then, how is this woman now?"

"You don't need to worry, Sir. She will soon regain consciousness after her body absorbs the intravenous fluid."

Max nodded before showing a little smile. "Thank you, Doc."

"I am pleased to be of assistance to you, Sir. Now, do we need to report this to the police? This woman seems to have been subjected to abuse."

Max's brows spontaneously stiffened. With a tense wink, the man looked at the doctor questioningly. "Abuse?"

"Yes, Sir. Pay attention! There are suspicious marks on the neck as well as bruises on this woman's wrist."

The doctor lifted Gabriella's hand, which was connected to the IV tubing. There are bruises around the pulse point.

"Someone has pressed her hands for quite a long time," the old man explained with an innocent look. He was completely unaware that the CEO's expression had stiffened.

“Really? If so, I will confirm later when this woman has regained consciousness."

The doctor nodded in agreement. Glancing at Gabriella with drooping brows, he said, "How unlucky this girl is."

"Unlucky?" thought the man who almost snorted. The more guilt he was trying to deny, the more annoyed he was with her.

After the doctor left the room, Max continued to observe the girl lying in front of him. The corners of his lips lifted in disgust.

“Just her face is innocent. In fact, her behavior's not. If she really is a good girl, how can she possibly want to enter a stranger's room?"

The longer he stared at Gabriella, the more furious his heart grew.

“Tsk, this girl's play must be stopped. She can't keep me blamed."

When night fell, Gabriella's eyelids finally lifted. After grimacing and checking what hurt her hand, she turned her head to check the surroundings.

The first thing the girl found was a man sitting with his arms folded across his chest.

“I've been waiting for you since earlier," Max said with mysterious curves.

Without waiting for orders, Gabriella tried to lift her weight. When she managed to sit up, she looked at Max uninspired.

"Why did you help me? Why didn't you just let me die?" Gabriella asked in a hoarse, choking voice.

Max's heart involuntarily trembled with sadness. However, that man still maintained a cold and indifferent look.

“I told you, I'm not a bad person. I can't possibly let someone die in my room. And, since I am such a kind man, I would like to offer you a deal."

"If you were a good man, you wouldn't be talking about a deal now. I just woke up from a long sleep."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Dinner, Sir."

"Come in!"

A young servant entered carrying a small table with plates of food, while her older colleague brought a tray filled with teapot and glass.

"Put it on the bed!" Max ordered while pointing at Gabriella.

The girl was suddenly amazed to see the servant placing a small table in front of her.

"What is this? You want to poison me?"

A sigh escaped without hesitation from the mouth of the CEO. After thanking and letting the servants went, Max got out of the chair and sat on the edge of the bed, on the right side of the girl.

"What do you want?" Gabriella muttered as she shifted away. The shaking of her eyeballs and fists conveyed wariness.

“I want to make sure you eat well. Don't you pass out again. I don't want to be bothered."

Max stabbed a piece of melon and brought it to the girl's mouth. Instead of welcoming, Gabriella brushed off.

"I don't want. You must have put something in this food.”

Max chuckled in annoyance.

“Put what? Sleeping pills? What for? Haven't you been sleeping for hours? Or poison? If it really contains poison, then why do you hesitate? Haven't you asked me twice to kill you?”

Gabriella was silent for a moment. After shaking for two seconds, his lips spoke again. "What do you want from me? You are kind because you want to ask something, right?"

Max's smile was automatically perfect.

"Precisely."

The man put the melon piece back on the plate, then took out a folder from the side table.

“I want you to sign a contract. That way, you don't have to worry about your house anymore. You will receive five times the compensation and be free from here.”

Gabriella took the folder and threw it right away. Witnessing the unexpected response, the CEO could only gasp.

"Do you think, everything in this world can be replaced by money?" Tears began to form on the edge of the girl's eyes. Her shoulders shaked rapidly to keep up with the lungs.

"Then, what do you want, huh?"

"Admit your mistake and apologize to me!"

Max looked up releasing the heavy air in his chest.

"My mistake?" He was completely disgusted by those words. "I told you, I'm innocent. It wasn't me who destroyed your house."

"Yes, it is not you, but your men. Those who worked on your orders." Gabriella tried to speak firmly even though her voice was fading.

"That's not true! Someone hacked my email and sent the wrong order."

The girl shook her head with a sigh. "Then, don't expect me to agree to your request."

Max's eyes closed in anger. The girl before him was really stubborn.

"Okay, that means you agreed to continue languishing in this room. As long as you don't agree to the contract, you won't be able to step out of this house, including on the competition stage next week.”

The girl's firm expression suddenly faded. The word competition had knocked her mind off. A tear flowed without warning. "I have no hope of winning."

Listening to the girl's desperation, the corners of Max's lips curved upward. This was the perfect opportunity to break through Gabriella's defenses.

After clearing his throat, he got up and started picking up the papers on the floor.

“Too bad you refused this agreement. If you agreed, you could find a place to live and also a new piano. You can go back to practice and take part in the competition."

Max glanced quietly at the girl, checking to see if there was any change in the expression on the bowed face.

"Let me ask you one more time. Are you really rejecting this contract and all the benefits it offers?” Max raised an eyebrow while moving his head.

"Try to consider which one is wiser. Agreeing to this contract and getting back to chasing your dream or locking yourself in here with bad memories for nothing.”

Gabriella swallowed hard. The blink of her eyes conveyed doubt.

"Would your mother be proud if she knows her daughter give up?" Max whispered successfully deepening the girl's brows crease.

After closing her wet eyes and sighing, Gabriella raised her head and met Max's gaze.

"I just need to sign the contract, right?"

"Yes," the CEO nodded with a flat face.

"Well then ... I agree."

Max's smile immediately grew satisfied. However, a second later, the curves of his lips were trying to flatten out. He shouldn't be happy yet.

"This ... sign here." The CEO pointed out the blank area beside the seal with the tip of the pen.

Gabriella picked up the pen with trembling fingers.

As soon as she pressed the paper about to scratch ink, the pen suddenly slipped out of her hand. The girl's sad eyes spontaneously opened wide without blinking. She had never seen her hands shake so violently.

"M-my hand?"