Chapter 5

I was surprised when the bodyguards showed up with someone else, namely, Rowan Rathbone.

He led them, pushing open the door I'd quietly left ajar, and pinned Felix to the ground the moment he came in.

Perhaps the pain or the post-throw-up sobriety cleared Felix's mind, for he recognized Rowan right away. "Hey, hey! Easy there! I-Is there some misunderstanding between us I don't know about, Mr. Rathbone?

"I just got your transfer memo this morning, but I've never met you before this! Ow!"

Rowan ignored Felix. He was probably annoyed with the latter's rambling, for he twisted Felix's arm even harder, eliciting cries of pain from him.

One of the bodyguards asked me, "Ms. Winslow, what should we do with this guy?"

I glanced at Mom's ashes scattered across the ground. Stepping forward, I delivered a few hard slaps across Felix's face. "Don't go easy on him, but don't kill him, either. I don't care what you do with him otherwise."

The bodyguards accepted my orders and took Felix away.

Felix gaped at me in astonishment. This was the first time he'd seen me give orders, and he was rendered speechless by it.

After he left, I felt my fraying nerves finally calm down. I crouched and then carefully scooped up Mom's ashes.

Rowan stopped beside me and crouched, too. He took my hand, which was cut by the broken pieces of porcelain and bleeding. "I'll take over from here. You should go to the hospital and get your wounds checked out."

I shook my head. "I can't rest easy until my mom is properly put away."

Rowan patted my shoulder. "In that case, go sit on the couch and leave this to me. I'll clean this up."

I wanted to turn down his offer, but he frog-marched me to the couch. "Mrs. Winslow would be upset if your blood got on her ashes."

My nose pricked, and tears nearly rolled down my cheeks.

Mom had always been a gentle soul. She hardly ever argued or picked fights with anyone, but when it came to matters concerning me, she was a different person entirely.

It was no secret that she would confront anyone who picked on me. She'd never go easy on them.

She was the reason I could stand my ground and hold my head high. I wanted to prove to her that I could take care of myself even when she wasn't around.

I wanted her to rest in peace.

"Mrs. Winslow was kind to me when I was younger. I remembered everything she did for me. I couldn't make it back for her funeral, but I guess this is my way of seeing her again and thanking her for looking out for me during my childhood days."

Rowan's warm and pleasant cadence accompanied his careful movements. He scooped up Mom's ashes by the handful, then gently picked out the broken pieces of porcelain.

"She'd always prepare a fruit platter for us whenever I dropped by your house for a playdate. She didn't have other children besides you, but she'd always get me toy cars or action figures as holiday presents."

His words brought childhood memories to the surface of my mind. Back then, I could always run to Mom when I was tired of playing.

I couldn't help smiling at the memory of her smile and voice.

Rowan spent over half an hour cleaning up the mess Felix made. After that, he took me to the hospital.

We were the only two people in the car, and the silence that stretched between us was deafening.

I tried to break the ice. "What were you doing at my place?"

He explained, "I went back to the company to grab some documents and ran into your bodyguards as they left for your place."

Only then did I recall Felix's words, which had left me baffled earlier. "The company? As in, my family's company? Now that I think about it, Felix addressed you as 'Mr. Rathbone' earlier, too.

"When were you appointed as a director in my company? Why wasn't I told about it?"

Rowan nodded. "I was only appointed less than two days ago, just before the transfer memo was sent out to the various departments. I made sure Mr. Winslow wouldn't tell you.

"I already got in through my connection with your dad. I'd be embarrassed if you decided to look out for me as a special favor."

Dad had been doing business abroad for the last two years. He was an opportunist, if nothing else.

The car rolled to a stop outside the hospital entrance.

Rowan led me to the ER department. He checked me in, paid the fees, and kept me company while I did my tests.

He didn't behave like a typical scion accustomed to comfort and privilege.