Overbearing CEO's Contract Love
Chapter 57: Compensation

Chapter 57: Compensation

Emma Hart gazed into Damien Sterling’s bloodshot eyes, sensing an imminent eruption, while the bystanders stood petrified, too scared to make a sound.

"Are you testing my patience?" he asked.

A medical checkup, that’s all it was. Was there anything to fret about? Should she still be concerned about the marks on her neck?

To survive in his world, she knew she had to put aside considerations of dignity.

Emma stiffly turned her body, exposing her neck and the glaring marks on it.

No matter how much she tried to console herself, the sympathetic glances from Mrs. Harris and the doctor pierced her heart like needles.

The pity in their eyes inflicted more pain than the physical marks themselves.

The personal doctor, Dr. Smith, momentarily taken aback, hurried forward to inspect the marks on Emma’s neck meticulously, then proceeded with a thorough examination using his instruments.

Damien, on the other hand, watched Emma intently, his body leaning forward involuntarily.

"How is she?" he asked as soon as the doctor finished, his voice unsettlingly calm, devoid of any warmth or discernible emotion, as if asking about something trivial.

Dr. Smith approached Damien, hesitant to meet his gaze, yet compelled to speak. "Mr. Sterling..."

Sensing Dr. Smith’s hesitation, Damien spoke with impatience, "Speak plainly."

Dr. Smith, avoiding a glance at Emma in the background, cautiously stated, "Miss Emma is currently in a fragile state. She must avoid stress at all costs, as it could adversely affect the child."

Delivering this news was a challenge for Dr. Smith.

As a personal physician, how could he fully comprehend Damien Sterling’s thoughts? Who knew how much Damien truly cared for this woman?

Yet, considering Damien’s repeated late-night calls for minor medical issues concerning Emma, it was evident she held a significant place in his heart.

What puzzled Dr. Smith equally were Damien’s demeanor and the marks on Emma’s body. What man would inflict such harm on a woman he loves?

After much deliberation, Dr. Smith voiced his concerns, then waited apprehensively for Damien’s response.

"I understand," Damien replied evenly.

Turning around, Damien saw that Emma had already covered the marks on her neck with her clothing.

Dr. Smith left behind a bottle of ointment with strict instructions for Mrs. Harris to apply it to Emma Hart’s wounds in due time.

Mrs. Harris, with the medication in hand, was about to enter Emma’s room when Damien Sterling intercepted her, "Let me handle this. You may rest."

Damien closed the European-style white door behind him, his figure draped in silver-grey pajamas, exuding an unmatched noble aura against the white backdrop.

Emma, cocooned in her blanket on the bed, didn’t budge.

"Get up. It’s time for your medication," Damien commanded, his voice still holding the edge of an order.

A flicker of scorn crossed Emma’s face.

His imperious tone made her wonder, did he see himself as the ruler of the world, commanding everyone at his whim?

Standing up, she met Damien’s gaze with a frosty indifference, "I don’t need you."

In a swift motion, Damien peeled back the blanket tightly wrapped around Emma, his stern eyes landing on the red and now slightly bruised marks on her neck.

"Come here," he commanded, opening the medicine box and dabbing his finger in the ointment.

Why should she comply just because he said so?

Emma felt repulsed by Damien’s arrogant demeanor. Was this feigned concern part of a new charade?

"Who was it that caused these marks on my neck just now?"

Was she resenting him for his actions?

"I’m here to apply the ointment. If you behave and refrain from saying things that provoke me, I won’t be forced to act that way again."

Emma stared at him incredulously.

The words coming out of his mouth were hardly believable.

Even Damien himself was astounded by his own patience, his unusual attempt to pacify her.

He, Damien Sterling, had always been the one to be appeased, never the appeaser.

Emma Hart was the first to challenge this norm, yet she dared to maintain a cold demeanor towards him.

"I don’t need your feigned concern!" Emma dodged Damien, stepping back, but he was quick to grasp her leg and pull her towards him.

Emma reacted swiftly, kicking and striking Damien with considerable force.

Her kicks only served to ignite Damien’s fury once more.

"Emma Hart, if you continue to resist, I have ways to make you calm down," he warned.

His eyes storming with brewing rage, a threatening aura enveloping him, making Emma recoil in fear, yet unwilling to be subdued by his wrath.

Trapped between defiance and fear, she understood his methods all too well and the fear they instilled.

"All this is your doing!" Emma Hart glared at Damien Sterling with disgust.

With a subtle bend in his long legs, Damien knelt down, moving closer to Emma.

His broad, silver-grey pajamas couldn’t hide his imposing figure.

Skillfully, he used his knees to pin down Emma’s blanket, trapping her between his legs.

A mischievous smile played on his lips, and his eyes sparkled charmingly as he spoke in a magnetic voice, "As compensation, then, I’ll personally apply the ointment for you."

Emma Hart attempted to evade, yet found escape impossible from Damien Sterling’s grasp.

Her only defense lay in her glare of anger and the mocking laughter she directed at him, a silent challenge to his authority.

A chill spread over her neck as Damien applied the medication, the coolness a stark contrast to the heat and pain that had lingered there moments before.

Whether it was the effect of the ointment or Damien’s methodical application, Emma couldn’t discern, but the icy sensation brought an unexpected calmness, soothing the fiery sting on her skin.

Damien’s fingers gently traced the red marks on her neck, his touch delicate.

A few strands of hair fell beside her ear, and with his pale, slender fingers, Damien tucked them behind Emma’s ear.

Her beauty was increasingly captivating to him, yet the defiant expression on her face seemed at odds with her exquisite features.

Strangely, he found her stubbornness, so unlike that of other women, appealing. Damien even hoped this stubborn streak wasn’t just an act.

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