Chapter 209 - Mayhem

Through watery eyes, Damien painfully watched her retreating back. Her last words rang in his ear as he stood rooted in the same spot, afraid to move.

His entire world came crumbling down before him. He hadn't felt so much pain like this one; not even when his father died.

And he could only imagine how much pain Katherine was in. He was sure she must be hurting so much more than he was.

Before he even knew it, a long time had passed. He didn't even know how long he remained in the same spot where she left him, barely holding himself up. His entire body was trembling and his mind was in chaos, he should have fallen but his knees were probably the only ones awake and keeping him from falling.

"President Park? Sir?"

A tap on his shoulder dragged him out of his trance. He turned to look at the security guard next to him, realizing that he had been idle for a while. 

"Is everything alright, Sir?" asked the security guard in concern after seeing Damien's mournful eyes.

"No," Damien whispered before he walked past the guard and entered the building. "It's all my fault."

Images of that dreadful night kept flashing in his mind as he rode the elevator to the top floor. Mixed emotions of anger, regret, pain, sadness, and numbness filled him up. And as soon as he entered his office, a wave of realization hit him – Katherine walked out of his life... and she was never going to forgive him.

"You were there that night, weren't you? That was you."

Katherine's face from earlier while she said those words appeared in his mind. The sound of hundreds of broken glass pieces shattering to the ground didn't relieve him of the heartache. He had trashed his office with anything he could grab and it didn't matter what.

He had screamed… once… twice. Punched a wall. He didn't know what to do.

He picked up a whiskey decanter, the only thing he didn't smash into pieces, and drank straight from it. The firey, smooth liquid burned his throat yet he drank it like it was water before crashing the almost empty bottle against the wall.

Damien thought that leaving his family was going to cut him from his past. But his past still caught up to him. And in the most devastating way.

His knees finally gave up… and he fell to the ground. Squatting on the floor with his head hung low, he rested his arms on his knees and his shoulders shook from all the crap that he was feeling, wishing that he could turn back time. Wishing that he wasn't a member of the Park Family. Wishing that he wasn't born.

Fate played with him so badly.

How could he fall in love with Katherine?

Because of what his family did to her family, he might as well have died that night all those years ago. That way, he would never have to suffer like this.

Damien could still remember everything that happened that night very clearly. He remembered how Katherine was so frightened. How she cried and begged when he pointed the gun to her head.

He was so close. So close to putting a bullet between her eyes. The screaming and the sound of gunshots in the background didn't help mask how anxious he was that night.

How foolish was he to think that he was capable of redeeming himself after that horrible night?

Damien didn't know what to think or feel. He was so confused as to why Katherine was still alive. He thought she had died that night.

A lot of things didn't make sense, but with the way that she looked at him earlier, he was sure that she wasn't the same innocent girl from that night. So what happened to her all these years?

Pushing himself off the ground, Damien's first thought was to find her. But for what? Ask for forgiveness? That would be ridiculous. What happened was not forgivable.

He couldn't even begin to imagine facing her again. He was far too ashamed. Of himself. Of his family.

Without much thought, he arrived at the ground floor of his building and got in his car. Damien drove the car away from the driveway and joined the traffic, feeling as though he was buried alive with guilt and regret.

He stepped on the gas, recklessly maneuvering his way on the busy streets of Harbor City that he nearly collided with a truck, barely making it out if not because of his quick thinking.

However, his life was his least concern at the moment. 

Damien increased his speed and floored it. In less than ten minutes, he arrived at one of Harbor City's luxurious high-rise buildings. He had only been in this place once but the plate number of his car was known in the city, so as he stepped out of the vehicle, a valet greeted him politely by his title and name as he tossed the key over, not bothered that his car was parked unceremoniously. 

He didn't waste too much time and took long strides towards the elevator, riding the car until he reached the top floor and pressing the doorbell to the first penthouse door on the right.

Damien was impatient. He knew that man would be there at that hour even on a Friday night, so his index finger never left the doorbell button. He pressed it constantly until the door swung wide open and revealed a tall man with a scowl on his face — he was almost the same built as Damien.

"What the fûck are you pounding that bell for? Jesus." William's glare could cut glass as he faced Damien. He was still in a suit but his dress shirt had been unbuttoned all the way down, his toned torso showing unabashedly.

Damien glanced past William's shoulder and saw a disheveled flight stewardess—still in her maroon uniform, only her bra was now visible. He dragged his gaze back to his cousin and did not say anything. His expression was unreadable. 

It was only then when William noticed Damien's state. Pale, red-rimmed and exhausted eyes… and his stare went lower, noticing the blood dripping from Damien's hand.

"Hey, Jenny? Can I take a raincheck? I'm afraid our flight's been canceled," William called over his shoulder.

The woman scowled at the two men and did not even bother to button her blouse as she grabbed the handle of her trolley case and wheeled towards the door. "It's Josie," she said under gritted teeth.

"What?" William raised a brow.

"My name's Josie, you as*hole!" 

She walked past them and raised her chin as she pressed the button on the elevator. Turning her head towards William just slightly, she said, "You better call me."

A glint flashed in William's eyes as he smirked. His smug look slipped when he met Damien's dark gaze, which he ignored as he stepped aside for his cousin. 

"Why are you looking at me like that, you cock blocker? Come inside." William rolled his eyes.