Chapter 3 Knight In Shining Armor

Nathaniel Watson entered the venue of his company's party with conviction; he was going to be signing off on a big deal that night for his newly completed project Mi Amore. It was a perfume brand, and due to its simplicity and elegance, it attracted the attention of other international businesses.

He rarely attended his company's party, he was hardly ever around. But the importance of this party made it compulsory for him to be present.

He passed by the guards at the door, his security details surrounding him, he made his way to his private elevator that would take him to the room of the meeting.

He didn't need to practice his speech, nor flash anyone a bewitching smile like he did in his early days in the business. He had grown to understand how unnecessary it was, signing a contract depended on what he had to offer.

He hardened his face to prevent a smile and walked into the room to meet his other business associates from all over the world. It was a multi-billion dollar deal, and he had made up his mind to negotiate the terms.

"Good evening everyone" He announced as he extended his hand for a shake. They all took turns shaking their hands, each person muttering a greeting in reply. He took his seat after the round of camaraderie, and the meeting started.

In the middle of the meeting, he started hearing noises from the opposite room, he clenched his fist to stop himself from growling. He had instructed the guards not to let anyone into this particular floor. So what the hell was going on?

"I'm sorry everyone. Please excuse me" He apologized to his bewildered guest and excused himself from the room.

He was going to give his men a piece of his mind, and if provoked further, maybe a piece of his fist. Anger surged in his veins, his nostrils flared as he thought of what to do to his interrupters.

Nathaniel clenched his jaw, furrowing his eyebrow, before barging into the room, ready to lash out at his disruptors. What he saw stopped him in his tracks, three men were molesting a lady in the room.

He couldn't see her face clearly because they were sprawled all over her. Her clothes had been ripped to expose her bra. With how weak she was, he could guess she had been drugged.

To say he was angry was an understatement, Nathaniel became livid. "Get the fuck away from her" He growled.

He despised weak men with much passion, especially the ones who were cowards. They usually choose the easy way out of their problems, like spiking a lady's drink instead of speaking to her like a gentleman.

He saw the men turn to look at him, and he unbuttoned his cuffs to roll up his sleeves, prepared for a fight.

One of the men who looked like the leader of the group, approached him with angry eyes. Probably angry that Nathaniel had disrupted his vile action.

Nathaniel took a fighting stance, dodging the man's punch seamlessly. He threw him a punch in retaliation and was satisfied to see him fall backwards. He proceeded towards him, having the upper hand, Nathaniel continued to punch until blood sputtered out of his mouth.

When he was done, he let out a breath, then faced the remaining two who now looked frightened. He took a step towards them and they scurried away, dragging their boss along with them.

Cordelia watched weakly as her saviour beat up her assaulters, she wondered how a person would be involved in a fight and not a single scratch could be seen on his body.

He was a light-skinned, dark-haired figure. He towered above everyone in the room, she guessed he should be about 6'3" tall. He looked mysterious, and also very cold. Nevertheless, he had saved her life.

She felt the soft material of clothing on her face, then she realized he was the one who had thrown it to her. "Cover-up" She heard him grunt curtly.

She couldn't lift her arm, and she didn't know how to tell him that. Shy and a little bit ashamed of herself, she mustered the courage to talk.

"I can't feel my hands" She finally managed to whisper, the cloth he threw at her was still there on her face.

Nathaniel sighed in despair, making up his mind to send one of his most trusted men to attend to her, and most importantly, get her a new dress.

"I'll send someone here to help you. I have to go" he gritted out and left the room. He still had a business proposal to deal with.

Cordelia watched him leave. She was curious about who he was, he looked so enigmatic and fascinating at the same time, he piqued her interest to find out more about him.

He had saved her effortlessly from being molested, even though he didn't cast her a second glance after. She still felt compelled to appreciate his help.

Someone else came into the room some minutes after he left. She was then treated to wash away the drugs from her system, and given a new cloth to wear. Overall, she was grateful to her helper, she made a note to find out about who he was so she could thank him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cordelia was at her studio, working on another painting for a client. She still couldn't put the baffling night behind her. Anytime she thought of it, the pictures of those men ripping off her dress kept flashing into her head. It was as if it had become attached to her memory, and no amount of encouragement could shake the image away.

She had tried to look for her saviour after he left that night, but she couldn't find him anywhere. She made a note to herself to thank him whenever she saw him. He had saved her life and also prevented her from being scarred for life.

Cordelia dipped her brush into the acrylic placed on the table beside her canvas, rubbing enough oil on it, she continued working on her painting.

She was so concentrated on completing her task that she didn't hear her phone ring. The incessant noise finally dragged her attention away from the canvas.

She reached out to pick up her phone from the easel. Looking at the screen she discerned that the caller was unknown. Confused about who it was, she answered the call.

"Hello! Am I speaking with Cordelia Woods?"

Naturally, Cordelia wouldn't have answered. But the voice sounded so official that she was prompted to reply.

"Yes please" She responded.

"Good! This is from Watson's empire. We saw a copy of your painting at the party the other night, and we would like to place an order for 10 pieces of one of it, called 'midnight bloom'." She heard the voice say.