Chapter 11 Something Precious
- The sudden sound startled Samantha, and as she turned around, she accidentally touched the box, causing it to fall to the ground with a loud crash.
- Henry stared at her, his furious expression sending chills down her spine.
- She hurriedly explained, "I-I didn't mean to…"
- She squatted down, intending to reach out and pick the box up, but just as her fingers were about to touch the box, he grabbed her wrist with a force that almost crushed her bones.
- It hurts! It felt as if her hand was about to snap in half, and the pain caused her to break into a cold sweat.
- Henry's eyes were bloodshot with uncontrollable fury as he roared, "Take your filthy hands off!"
- As he spoke, he forcefully shoved her away. Caught off guard by the push, Samantha fell backward and hit her head on the corner of the cabinet. The pain was so intense that she lost her senses for a short time. Her brain was buzzing, and she could feel a warm liquid flowing down her head. When she reached for the back of her neck, she felt a sticky sensation. To no surprise, it was blood, but there wasn't much. She lifted her eyes, and through a messy curtain of her hair, she saw Henry carefully picking up the box. She could also sense that it was important to him simply from his actions.
- Henry opened the box, fearing that the contents would be broken, and carefully examined it. Fortunately, with the protection of the box, the contents were not damaged. He breathed a sigh of relief. However, when he thought that this woman almost broke it, he was still seething with anger, so much so that he wanted to kill her.
- He shot a cold glare at her, his eyes red and bloodthirsty. "Samantha, do you have a death wish?!"
- Samantha struggled to get up. By this time, the numbness had passed and the intense pain was irritating her nerves, but she endured the tremors and clambered to her feet. "I'm sorry…"
- She could tell that it was extremely important to him.
- "Sorry? Do you think I'd accept that?" Not only is this woman shameless, but she's even audacious!
- He approached her with a strong and pressuring aura that terrified Samantha. Cowering in fear, she gradually retreated until she bumped against the wall with a thud. She warned in a frightened voice, "D-Don't come near me…"
- Henry grabbed her jaw roughly, and Samantha could hear the sound of her bones dislocating. It was so painful that she couldn't make a sound, but she continued to look at him with fear in her eyes. He was like a demon that walked out from the depths of hell—insane, cruel, and terrifying.
- He drew closer, and his intense aggression washed over her. She resisted, but could not break free, and could only allow his lips to come closer to her ear. "I will destroy everything you care about!"
- As he spoke, he made sure to emphasize his words.
- She trembled at his tone, and he threw her aside. As if she were a rag doll, her body tilted to the side; she would have fallen to the ground if not for the wall. She shakily stood up, but her body could not move away from the wall as she could not stand without something to support her.
- Henry placed the box back to its original position. Next to it was a photo frame consisting of a family portrait of him and his parents.
- Samantha inadvertently cast a glance over. Her eyes remained fixed on it for a brief moment.
- The contents of the box seemed a little familiar, but before she could get a closer look, she was berated by Henry. "Get out!"
- Samantha had no time to investigate and panicked, reaching for the door. She was afraid to be sure that if she continued to stay in the house, she would be killed by him. She left the room as fast as she could, as if she were escaping from a crime scene.
- The moment she left the room, Henry's cold expression finally loosened a little. He lowered his eyes and looked at the box, and a rare gentleness appeared in his eyes.
- After the death of his parents, his heart had gone cold, and the owner of this box was the last remaining bit of warmth in his heart. Even after more than ten years, he still remembered the tiny yet determined body straining to drag him, and those clear eyes that were the purest eyes he had ever seen. In the water, her body had a scorching heat that made his cold heart feel a trace of warmth.
- …
- Outside the room, Samantha clutched the wound on her head and was spotted by Philip who had rushed over. Upon seeing her pale face, he asked, "How did you get hurt?"
- "I injured myself a little," she replied in a small voice.
- Philip's face darkened. He knew that Henry had a bad temper, but he wouldn't hit a woman for no reason.
- "What happened?" he asked.
- "I accidentally touched a box…"
- "Is it the one next to the family photo?" he immediately questioned.
- Samantha nodded. "Yes."
- Philip immediately understood and let out a deep sigh. "I'm afraid I can't defend you, then. That box is so important to him that even I dare not touch it."
- Samantha could grasp how important the box was to Henry as he put it together with his parents' photos. Once, she also owned something just as precious, but she had lost it. It was the first birthday gift from her grandfather.
- She still remembered clearly how she had lost it as well. That time, she was seven years old. Her grandfather brought her to the Baker Residence. Back then, she didn't know much except that the Baker Family was having a funeral, and she wasn't sure who had passed away either. It was only when she grew up that she learned that it was Henry's parents' funeral. As a young girl, she was running around in their huge backyard when she saw a woman throwing a teenage boy into the water behind a rock garden.
- That was the first time she had seen the wickedness of humanity. She was so scared that she wanted to run, but when she saw the boy struggling desperately, she waited for the woman to leave before she, with her petite body, bravely leaped into the water to his rescue.
- Fortunately, she knew how to swim, but she still struggled and nearly wasn't able to pull herself up to the shore. However, her grandfather arrived in time to pull her and the boy up. The boy was already unconscious, but with her and her grandfather's resuscitation, he coughed up the water. Just as he was about to wake up, her grandfather pulled her away and fled the scene.
- She didn't understand why her grandfather was so flustered and asked curiously, "Grandpa, who is that kid? Why would someone want to harm him?"
- He replied, "He's here for the funeral, just like you."
- She didn't know that her grandfather had lied to her as he was afraid that someone would try to take revenge on her.
- "You have to forget what happened today, and no matter who asks, you can't tell them," her grandfather warned repeatedly.
- She listened to him and followed his instructions obediently.
- When she got home, she realized that she had lost her jade pendant. It was a jadeite pendant, and her grandfather said it was a blessing in hopes that she could grow up to be a compassionate, forgiving, optimistic, and open-minded person. That was her grandfather's blessing to her, and she had been wearing the pendant since she was one year old.
- Hence, she understood Henry's anger and did not resent him for using violence against her. Still, she felt fear toward this man in her heart. He was just too sadistic.
- "Stanley, ask Dr. Cuomo to come over and check on Samantha," Philip ordered.
- At his voice, Samantha returned to her senses and hurriedly refused, "It's alright. Is there a first aid kit in the house? I can take care of it myself."
- She knew that her injury was not serious, and when met with Philip's uncertain gaze, she assured, "I'm a doctor, so I know my limits."
- Sensing her confidence, Philip agreed.
- Her injury was indeed minor, and it was only a small cut that had bled because it was a little deep. Using a mirror, she cleaned it up simply and opted not to use a bandage as it was not good for her wound. Besides, there was no way for her to use band-aids in her hair either.
- Stanley glanced toward the bathroom. After making sure Samantha could not hear them, he whispered, "Miss Yeager has just joined the family, and she has already gotten injured, not to mention in your presence. If she wasn't in the Baker Residence, would Mr. Baker be more…"
- He did not finish his sentence, but Philip understood. "Just in case she can't bear Henry's temper and wants a divorce, we have to take some preventive measures."