Chapter 7 Caring Embrace

• Damian sat back on his chair, scrolling through the iPad in his hand as he read the file Chris had prepared. It contained all the information about Ander’s sister. Her name was Leah Gilbert, and she wasn’t Miguel’s biological daughter rather his stepdaughter.
• No wonder that pig could never have such an angelic daughter.
• She had turned 19 just three months ago and was originally from Texas, United States. She had grown up there with her mother and grandmother before moving to Spain when her mother married Miguel. But her mother died three years ago.
• Damian’s jaw clenched as he processed the information. He had assumed she was involved with Ander, but now he realized the truth was likely far worse. With her mother gone, it wouldn’t be surprising if Ander had been abusing her in some way.
• "Boss, do you still want to keep her?" Chris asked, watching how Damian’s expression had darkened.
• "We’ve already brought her here, and she needs proper medical treatment," Chris spoke up, his fingers zooming in on a picture of Leah attached to the file. "So we can’t let her go just yet. Besides, we still don’t know if she knows any secrets about Ander that we could use to our advantage."
• Damian’s eyes stayed locked on the picture. Leah looked too young in the picture, probably still a teenager when the photo was taken. A beautiful smile played on her lips, making her look almost unreal like something pure that didn’t belong in their world.
• "For now, I want her to be treated and fed well so she can regain her health," Damian said with a sigh, still staring at her photo.
• Chris was about to respond when Damian’s phone suddenly rang. He glanced at the screen and saw Dr. Garza’s name. Without hesitation, he answered.
• "Is she okay?" Damian asked urgently.
• But he wasn’t prepared for what he heard on the other end.
• "What?" His voice rose, and in the next second, he was already on his feet, exiting his office in a rush.
• Damian took long, furious strides up to the third floor, his pulse hammering in his ears. Leah had been moved from the basement to a proper room, but now he was rushing there like his life depended on it. As soon as he pushed the door open, his heart stopped.
• Blood.
• It oozed from her wrist, soaking the white bedsheets in deep red. Leah lay unconscious, her face pale and body lifeless. Damian's blood ran cold.
• "What the hell is going on?" Damian’s voice thundered through the room. His men flinched at his rage. His eyes burned with fury, scanning the room for any sign of an attacker.
• "Did someone dare to hurt her again?" His voice was sharp as a blade, his hands curling into fists.
• Silence.
• "Tell me who did this to her?" He roared again, pulling his pistol from inside his jacket, ready to end whoever was responsible.
• "Mr. Santoro, calm down," Dr. Garza said firmly, not even looking up as she worked on Leah’s wrist, already stitching the deep cut. "She did this to herself."
• Damian’s grip on the gun loosened slightly. His brows furrowed as he stared at the doctor.
• "When we offered her food and medicine, she refused," Dr. Garza continued. "She begged us to let her go, but when we denied, she asked to be alone. I thought she just needed time to calm down. But when I returned, I found her like this."
• Damian felt something heavy drop in his chest. He stared at Leah’s unconscious face, twisted in pain even now. The girl in the picture, the one with the bright, beautiful smile, was nowhere to be found.
• Did he push her this far? His hands clenched at his sides.
• No.... No.... she couldn’t die.
• He wasn’t going to let her die so soon.
• "Is the wound severe? Do we need to take her to the hospital?" Damian asked worriedly.
• Dr. Garza shook her head as she finished securing the bandage on Leah’s wrist, pressing a final piece of tape against it.
• "This wound will heal," she said with a sigh. "But I can’t guarantee the next ones won’t be worse if she tries to hurt herself again."
• “Nothing will happen to her again,” Damian said firmly, making Dr. Garza frowned in confusion.
• Even Damian himself didn’t know what was wrong with him at that moment because the decision he made next was the strangest thing ever. Without a word, he walked toward the bed, bent down, and scooped Leah into his arms.
• "Where are you taking her? She needs rest, Mr. Santoro..." Dr. Garza’s eyes widened in shock.
• Damian didn’t explain. He didn’t need to. He simply strode out of the room, carrying Leah as if she weighed nothing.
• The men outside watched in silent confusion, but none dared to question him. Exiting the warehouse building, Damian walked straight to the garage, where the driver quickly snapped to attention and opened the car door.
• Damian placed Leah gently onto the back seat before sliding in beside her. He adjusted her carefully, making sure she was leaning comfortably against him.
• "Drive to my home," he ordered.
• The car pulled away from the warehouse, speeding through the city toward Damian’s villa. The ride was silent except for the steady rhythm of Leah’s soft breathing. Damian found himself glancing down at her every now and then.
• When they arrived at his villa, the maids inside were visibly shocked. Their master never brought women home, let alone carried one inside like she was something precious. But Damian ignored their stunned faces. His focus was solely on the girl in his arms.
• He walked straight up the grand staircase to the second floor, heading to his master bedroom. Once inside, Damian carefully laid her down on the massive bed.
• For a moment, he just stood there, staring at her. Her pale skin stood out even more against the dark sheets. Turning away, Damian called the head maid of his house.
• "Clara, cook something light but healthy," he ordered as soon as she arrived in front of him. "And prepare the guest room beside mine. I want everything done fast."
• "Yes, Master," Clara responded obediently before getting to work.
• But Damian wasn’t done yet. He turned back to Leah. The bruises on her face angered him. He didn’t want them to leave a scar. She needed proper medical treatment.
• Damian's mind instantly went to Dr. Freya Larma, a renowned elderly doctor in his city. She had been his mother's physician and had taken great care of her until the very end. She was also the only female doctor Damian knew besides Dr. Garza, and a part of him refused to let any man see Leah’s exposed body, even if it was just a doctor.
• Without wasting another second, he dialed Dr. Larma’s number. As soon as she picked up, he got straight to the point, making all the necessary arrangements for Leah’s treatment.
• Once Damian finished talking with the doctor, he found himself staring at Leah and lost in complicated thoughts.
• He couldn't understand why he was so desperate to help a girl who was nothing more than his enemy's stepsister. He had been trained to be ruthless, to rule his mafia empire without emotions or attachments. Even though Leah was innocent and had suffered abuse, it wasn’t his problem. He could have easily let her die or allowed her to take her own life.
• Yet, here he was, standing in his bedroom with her lying on his bed where no other woman had ever been allowed to do.
• Was he really becoming an emotional fool for a girl? An unknown girl?
• Damian had never helped anyone without expecting something in return. He was a man of power, control, and calculated decisions. But Leah had nothing to offer him. No wealth, no influence, nothing he could use to his advantage. And yet, he was still being strangely generous to her. The thought unsettled him.
• Just as he was trying to make sense of his actions, Clara returned.
• "Master, we’ve prepared the room," she informed him, casting a quick glance at the unconscious Leah.
• Damian said nothing. He simply scooped Leah into his arms once more and carried her to the prepared guest room. He laid her gently on the bed before stepping back, watching her fragile form for a moment longer than necessary.
• Shortly after, Dr. Larma arrived. Damian wasted no time and led her to Leah’s room.
• "I’ve already explained her condition to you over the phone," Damian said as the doctor took a seat beside the bed. "Do whatever you think is necessary. I want the marks on her body and face healed completely. Make sure she recovers as soon as possible."
• Dr. Larma examined Leah’s bruises, her fingers brushing lightly over the darkened skin on her neck and face. Then, she turned her gaze to Damian, who stood on the opposite side of the bed, arms folded over his chest.
• "Have you seen her naked?" she asked suddenly.
• Damian stiffened, caught completely off guard.
• "What...N-No.. I didn’t..." he snapped, irritation flaring in his voice.
• He couldn't understand why the hell was she asking him that when he had already explained Leah’s abuse?
• The doctor didn’t react to his anger. "Alright, then. Please wait outside. I need to examine her body properly."
• Without another word, Damian left the room and waited impatiently in the hallway. Forty long minutes passed before Dr. Larma finally called him back inside.
• The first thing Damian saw when he stepped into the room was Leah’s discarded clothes on the floor. On the bed, a white sheet covering her entire body, making her look like a corpse.
• "What's wrong? What happened to her?" Damian asked urgently, staring at Leah's unconscious form.