Not only that, if they took off the shirt he was wearing, blue and red bruises would be visible, marring his otherwise perfect skin.
However, Dillon couldn't do anything but try to get through this without saying something that could make things even worse.
"I will ask again," Mr. Dawson growled angrily, walking over to the helpless Dillon. "What have you done to Giana? How could she be in your apartment?"
Now the five of them were in one of the dirty and dark corners of the hospital where Giana was being treated.
Dillon's original intention to come to this place was to visit Giana and make sure that she was fine, but who would have thought that Mr. Dawson would go to him first and bring him here.
This harsh beating even didn't cross his mind when he followed him innocently. Who would have thought that such prominent figure like Mr. Dawson would use this raw method to teach him a lesson or two.
And what was more unexpected was; Dawson family was one of the five respectable families in city A, and now he committed such a brutal act against a minor like Dillon.
"Giana came alone to my apartment," Dillon said breathlessly, repeating the answer he had given hundreds of times already.
"DON'T YOU DARE TO LIE TO MY FACE!" Mr. Dawson was furious again. And this time it was he who came forward to kick Dillon in the face until he fell back down, adding a new wound to his face. "YOU THINK I WOULD BELIEVE YOUR BULLSH*T?!"
In Mr. Dawson's eyes, Dillon was just looking for an opportunity to enter into Giana and Aidan's married life, which was now almost in the end of the story.
Dillon was taking advantage of this situation to get Giana and raise his status in such a disgusting manner. At least, that was what Giana's father thought.
That was because Mr. Dawson was very skeptical of words like; guy best friend, old friend. According to him, people would not be able to become friends if they have unequal status. Because those with lower status would always try to climb the social ladder by taking advantage of others.
Mr. Dawson was indeed very famous for his orthodoxy and because he was in a social environment that had such views, then those were the norms that were ingrained in him and he tried to instill them in Giana as well.
Unfortunately… his daughter was too fragile to be able to act like that, maybe because she was a woman, therefore Mr. Dawson did not really incline to her.
At times like this, Mr. Dawson would regret why he got a daughter instead of a son...
"You are the most ignorant human being!" Mr. Dawson said fiercely. He was looking at Dillon with a piercing gaze, and if looks could kill, of course Dillon would be dead by now.
This time, Dillon managed to stand up. He coughed a few times, then took a deep breath before he lifted his head and met Mr. Dawson's eyes in the same way.
Dillon's eyes flashed with hatred and disgust that he couldn't hide. At this point, he realized that things would not go to the way they were before and there would be nothing he could do to change that. Not even with an apology.
It went without saying that an apology was the last thing Mr. Dawson wanted to hear from Dillon's mouth.
It was just that unfortunately, Dillon did not intend to apologize, for he felt that it was not his fault. How could this be his fault?
The scorching heat of the sun burned Dillon's skin, especially when his sweat mixed with blood, making him feel very uncomfortable and even more annoyed with his current state.
"You are Giana's father, you should know how stubborn she is. You think I can persuade her?" The scale of Dillon's success in persuading Giana was deplorable, and Mr. Dawson knew that, how dedicated his daughter was to the company, but this middle- aged man always looked at his daughter with a look as if what Giana did wasn't enough.
Mr. Dawson never satisfied with whatever Giana had achieved. It was such a pity that he couldn't see how much his daughter had put effort just for him to acknowledge her hard work.
Meanwhile, on the other hand, Mr. Dawson was surprised enough by Dillon's audacity to stare back at him with a piercing glare, as if the blows he had just received meant nothing to him.
And under the scorching sun, his figure looked so conspicuous and like someone of great influence, despite the scars on his face and dirty clothes.
Luckily, they were on the side of the hospital building which was deserted and not many people passed by, so no one saw this moment.
"You can say anything to her." Mr. Dawson squinted, looking for fear in Dillon's eyes, which he didn't find. "You know she's mentally unstable."
Dillon snorted disdainfully when he heard these words. Mr. Dawson described Giana as if his daughter was suffering from an acute mental illness.
How could a father think like that? When he was the one who had made his own daughter go through a hell in her life called marriage?
"You really can't be trusted with such narrow- mindedness, I doubt you are really worried about Giana, or maybe you are just worried about the rumors out there," Dillon mocked Mr.Dawson defiantly. He wouldn't lose anything now, because this situation was beyond repair.
With a muffled growl and clenched jaws, Mr. Dawson said in a very clear and low voice. "You are fired!"
Dillon was not surprised at all when he heard those words. Mr. Dawson couldn't help but think that Dillon hadn't anticipated this, could he?
Therefore, upon hearing those short sentences, Dillon simply snorted and picked up his suit that was lying on the ground, a silent witness to his futile struggle against three men who had more fighting experience than he had any management skills.
Dillon flicked the coat a few times, to remove the dust that had stuck to it, then turned and walked away without saying a word.
"You won't get a job anywhere!" Mr. Dawson added as his anger had reached its peak when he saw Dillon acting arrogantly as if his words had just been a mere passing wind.
Dillon didn't budge, he kept on walking, leaving the lonely corner of the hospital. The job problem was another matter that he could think about later, because he had enough savings to support the next few years of his life without working.
However, the problem now was; how could he meet Giana? He wanted to know her condition.
The news that was broadcasted, which showed the figure of Giana wrapped in a blanket and being carried by Aidan from his house to avoid the reporters, really worried him.
Giana was not okay and he knew it.
But how bad was she now? That was what Dillon wanted to know. Only, after this incident, he wasn't sure he had even a one percent chance of seeing that woman in this hospital.
And this left him angry and restless…
================
"Hey, are you sick?" Zia repeated the same question, when she saw Hailee's face which looked a little pale while she looked lethargic.
However, Hailee shook her head again and smiled faintly, answering her with the same answer. "I'm fine, it's just that I didn't feel much appetite lately."
"You didn't try to see a doctor?" Zia suggested, sipping the cappuccino in front of her.
Hailee frowned again when the distinctive smell of the drink hit her sense of smell. Maybe her reaction wasn't as strong as when Candice drank her espresso, but it still bothered Hailee.
"No," Hailee then took a sip of her orange juice to get rid of the pungent smell of Zia's coffee, but that didn't help. "I still feel fine, I don't have a fever anyway."
Zia shrugged, as if to say; Good.
This afternoon, Zia called Hailee to ask her to meet at this mall and because Hailee didn't have anything to do while waiting for the new school year to begin to enter college, and continue her education, she agreed, and here they were.
Actually, Zia's original purpose in asking Hailee to meet was so she could forget about her problems with Aidan for a moment.
The incident that Aidan facing now was really bothering her, especially when it even became difficult to contact that man.
Zia knew that Aidan had a lot of things to deal with, but at least he should have told her or gave some update. This was one of Aidan's bad habits that Zia didn't like. When a man got into trouble, he tend to walk away and try to solve the problem on his own.
But, couldn't Aidan share his problems with Zia? He didn't need to be so stubborn to deal with it alone.
"This news is like a wildfire right now," Hailee commented when she saw the news that was reporting about Giana's condition on the television there.
And because there were no journalists who could uncover what was happening to Giana now, because of the tight security, there was a lot of speculation that developed in the community, where their opinions were far from the reality.
"But, I am not sure if Giana is having an affair with her personal assistant," Hailee commented again, not capturing Zia's expression which suddenly turned stiff. "That crazy woman is not insane enough to have an affair with her personal assistant." Hailee was still upset about the phone accident with Ramon that night.
"Why would you think that?" Zia asked in a voice that sounded very tense. She didn't like this topic of conversation.
This time, it was Hailee who looked a little flustered. She just said her opinion without giving it a second thought. "Nothing, just an instinct." Hailee answered nonchalantly and finished her drink, hoping Zia wouldn't ask any further. "I will order another drink."
"You can call the waitress, you don't need to go yourself," Zia reminded Hailee that this was a fine dining restaurant.
"I would like to order it straight away," Hailee replied as she got up from her desk, one of the only ways she could think of to stop the chattering about Giana there.
However, perhaps because Hailee stood up too quickly, trying to get away from Zia as soon as possible, she felt the floor beneath her feet shake, making her fall onto the ground.
If it wasn't for Zia who swiftly extended her hands, it was certain that Hailee's head would have hit the corner of the table.
"HAILEE!" Zia shrieked in fear when she stared at her.
Not only that, if they took off the shirt he was wearing, blue and red bruises would be visible, marring his otherwise perfect skin.
However, Dillon couldn't do anything but try to get through this without saying something that could make things even worse.
"I will ask again," Mr. Dawson growled angrily, walking over to the helpless Dillon. "What have you done to Giana? How could she be in your apartment?"
Now the five of them were in one of the dirty and dark corners of the hospital where Giana was being treated.
Dillon's original intention to come to this place was to visit Giana and make sure that she was fine, but who would have thought that Mr. Dawson would go to him first and bring him here.
This harsh beating even didn't cross his mind when he followed him innocently. Who would have thought that such prominent figure like Mr. Dawson would use this raw method to teach him a lesson or two.
And what was more unexpected was; Dawson family was one of the five respectable families in city A, and now he committed such a brutal act against a minor like Dillon.
"Giana came alone to my apartment," Dillon said breathlessly, repeating the answer he had given hundreds of times already.
"DON'T YOU DARE TO LIE TO MY FACE!" Mr. Dawson was furious again. And this time it was he who came forward to kick Dillon in the face until he fell back down, adding a new wound to his face. "YOU THINK I WOULD BELIEVE YOUR BULLSH*T?!"
In Mr. Dawson's eyes, Dillon was just looking for an opportunity to enter into Giana and Aidan's married life, which was now almost in the end of the story.
Dillon was taking advantage of this situation to get Giana and raise his status in such a disgusting manner. At least, that was what Giana's father thought.
That was because Mr. Dawson was very skeptical of words like; guy best friend, old friend. According to him, people would not be able to become friends if they have unequal status. Because those with lower status would always try to climb the social ladder by taking advantage of others.
Mr. Dawson was indeed very famous for his orthodoxy and because he was in a social environment that had such views, then those were the norms that were ingrained in him and he tried to instill them in Giana as well.
Unfortunately… his daughter was too fragile to be able to act like that, maybe because she was a woman, therefore Mr. Dawson did not really incline to her.
At times like this, Mr. Dawson would regret why he got a daughter instead of a son...
"You are the most ignorant human being!" Mr. Dawson said fiercely. He was looking at Dillon with a piercing gaze, and if looks could kill, of course Dillon would be dead by now.
This time, Dillon managed to stand up. He coughed a few times, then took a deep breath before he lifted his head and met Mr. Dawson's eyes in the same way.
Dillon's eyes flashed with hatred and disgust that he couldn't hide. At this point, he realized that things would not go to the way they were before and there would be nothing he could do to change that. Not even with an apology.
It went without saying that an apology was the last thing Mr. Dawson wanted to hear from Dillon's mouth.
It was just that unfortunately, Dillon did not intend to apologize, for he felt that it was not his fault. How could this be his fault?
The scorching heat of the sun burned Dillon's skin, especially when his sweat mixed with blood, making him feel very uncomfortable and even more annoyed with his current state.
"You are Giana's father, you should know how stubborn she is. You think I can persuade her?" The scale of Dillon's success in persuading Giana was deplorable, and Mr. Dawson knew that, how dedicated his daughter was to the company, but this middle- aged man always looked at his daughter with a look as if what Giana did wasn't enough.
Mr. Dawson never satisfied with whatever Giana had achieved. It was such a pity that he couldn't see how much his daughter had put effort just for him to acknowledge her hard work.
Meanwhile, on the other hand, Mr. Dawson was surprised enough by Dillon's audacity to stare back at him with a piercing glare, as if the blows he had just received meant nothing to him.
And under the scorching sun, his figure looked so conspicuous and like someone of great influence, despite the scars on his face and dirty clothes.
Luckily, they were on the side of the hospital building which was deserted and not many people passed by, so no one saw this moment.
"You can say anything to her." Mr. Dawson squinted, looking for fear in Dillon's eyes, which he didn't find. "You know she's mentally unstable."
Dillon snorted disdainfully when he heard these words. Mr. Dawson described Giana as if his daughter was suffering from an acute mental illness.
How could a father think like that? When he was the one who had made his own daughter go through a hell in her life called marriage?
"You really can't be trusted with such narrow- mindedness, I doubt you are really worried about Giana, or maybe you are just worried about the rumors out there," Dillon mocked Mr.Dawson defiantly. He wouldn't lose anything now, because this situation was beyond repair.
With a muffled growl and clenched jaws, Mr. Dawson said in a very clear and low voice. "You are fired!"
Dillon was not surprised at all when he heard those words. Mr. Dawson couldn't help but think that Dillon hadn't anticipated this, could he?
Therefore, upon hearing those short sentences, Dillon simply snorted and picked up his suit that was lying on the ground, a silent witness to his futile struggle against three men who had more fighting experience than he had any management skills.
Dillon flicked the coat a few times, to remove the dust that had stuck to it, then turned and walked away without saying a word.
"You won't get a job anywhere!" Mr. Dawson added as his anger had reached its peak when he saw Dillon acting arrogantly as if his words had just been a mere passing wind.
Dillon didn't budge, he kept on walking, leaving the lonely corner of the hospital. The job problem was another matter that he could think about later, because he had enough savings to support the next few years of his life without working.
However, the problem now was; how could he meet Giana? He wanted to know her condition.
The news that was broadcasted, which showed the figure of Giana wrapped in a blanket and being carried by Aidan from his house to avoid the reporters, really worried him.
Giana was not okay and he knew it.
But how bad was she now? That was what Dillon wanted to know. Only, after this incident, he wasn't sure he had even a one percent chance of seeing that woman in this hospital.
And this left him angry and restless…
================
"Hey, are you sick?" Zia repeated the same question, when she saw Hailee's face which looked a little pale while she looked lethargic.
However, Hailee shook her head again and smiled faintly, answering her with the same answer. "I'm fine, it's just that I didn't feel much appetite lately."
"You didn't try to see a doctor?" Zia suggested, sipping the cappuccino in front of her.
Hailee frowned again when the distinctive smell of the drink hit her sense of smell. Maybe her reaction wasn't as strong as when Candice drank her espresso, but it still bothered Hailee.
"No," Hailee then took a sip of her orange juice to get rid of the pungent smell of Zia's coffee, but that didn't help. "I still feel fine, I don't have a fever anyway."
Zia shrugged, as if to say; Good.
This afternoon, Zia called Hailee to ask her to meet at this mall and because Hailee didn't have anything to do while waiting for the new school year to begin to enter college, and continue her education, she agreed, and here they were.
Actually, Zia's original purpose in asking Hailee to meet was so she could forget about her problems with Aidan for a moment.
The incident that Aidan facing now was really bothering her, especially when it even became difficult to contact that man.
Zia knew that Aidan had a lot of things to deal with, but at least he should have told her or gave some update. This was one of Aidan's bad habits that Zia didn't like. When a man got into trouble, he tend to walk away and try to solve the problem on his own.
But, couldn't Aidan share his problems with Zia? He didn't need to be so stubborn to deal with it alone.
"This news is like a wildfire right now," Hailee commented when she saw the news that was reporting about Giana's condition on the television there.
And because there were no journalists who could uncover what was happening to Giana now, because of the tight security, there was a lot of speculation that developed in the community, where their opinions were far from the reality.
"But, I am not sure if Giana is having an affair with her personal assistant," Hailee commented again, not capturing Zia's expression which suddenly turned stiff. "That crazy woman is not insane enough to have an affair with her personal assistant." Hailee was still upset about the phone accident with Ramon that night.
"Why would you think that?" Zia asked in a voice that sounded very tense. She didn't like this topic of conversation.
This time, it was Hailee who looked a little flustered. She just said her opinion without giving it a second thought. "Nothing, just an instinct." Hailee answered nonchalantly and finished her drink, hoping Zia wouldn't ask any further. "I will order another drink."
"You can call the waitress, you don't need to go yourself," Zia reminded Hailee that this was a fine dining restaurant.
"I would like to order it straight away," Hailee replied as she got up from her desk, one of the only ways she could think of to stop the chattering about Giana there.
However, perhaps because Hailee stood up too quickly, trying to get away from Zia as soon as possible, she felt the floor beneath her feet shake, making her fall onto the ground.
If it wasn't for Zia who swiftly extended her hands, it was certain that Hailee's head would have hit the corner of the table.
"HAILEE!" Zia shrieked in fear when she stared at her.
