Chapter 126 I'll Protect You

The unexpected interruption of a knock on the door brought our conversation to an abrupt halt. It turned out to be one of our professors, and she requested that all of us accompany her to the dean's office because the dean was already waiting for us. We went with her to the meeting room after following in her footsteps. While we were walking there were a lot of students standing around waiting for us to arrive at the destination. The dean was already seated in the front row of seats when we entered the conference room. After entering, we looked around for a seat, and eventually spotted one. Following what seemed like an interminable period of waiting, the volunteers finally started to make their way into the room. They gave off an air of luxurious wealth and sophistication.

We rose to our feet and greeted them warmly. "We are pleased to have you join us here at the University of Cavite."

"All right, let's get started," the speaker said.

“Wait! My apologies, I've been running late."  I turned my head and heard a voice coming from behind me. I didn't waste any time and turned around right away, and I couldn't believe it when I saw him still standing there. What is he even doing in this place?! Is he recognized as a benefactor by this educational institution? Something like this can't be...

"Mr. Rivera! Have a seat, please."  It was the dean who made the offer.

“Vincent?!”

"What on earth!"

Miaree and Marcy both let out a shout. When Vince unexpectedly appeared in front of me, I came dangerously close to losing my balance and falling from where I was sitting.

"What brings you to this place?" I inquired because I was feeling bewildered by what I was witnessing at that that moment.

“Oh! Are you familiar with one another already? If this is the case, then you won't have any trouble cooperating with one another..."  The dean made the following statement.

"It's been a while, Kianna...," he said. Vince said something while he was staring straight at me. After that, he proceeded to an available seat next me and took a seat there.

The events that are transpiring right now have taken me by surprise. I couldn't move from where I was sitting because I was pinned down. Even though he was staring at me with that stare of someone who is harboring some nasty ideas behind their eyes, I felt helpless and unable to move. When I turned to see who had touched my hand at that moment, I was surprised to see Miaree. Everything that I had been considering at that particular moment was immediately thrown out of my head.

“Alright. Given that everybody is here already, we are free to begin..." The dean of the college commented as she went around the room introducing each of our organization's generous donors one at a time.  "And of course, last but certainly not least, Mr. Rivera," the dean continued.

After the dean announced his name, he stood up and smiled broadly at everyone in the room before waving his hand and making a sweeping motion with his hand. "Hello everyone! It fills me with joy that I was given the opportunity to take part in the development of such an important project for the administration of this university. Hello, my name is Vincent Rivera, and I am the Chief Executive Officer of the Rivera Company."

After everyone had a chance to briefly introduce themselves. I raised myself to a standing position and bowed my head in their direction. "I hope your morning goes well... I am the ace at this institution, and they are the individuals who make up my organization..." After I had finished speaking, every member of the committee quickly rose up. Following that, we lowered our heads respectfully.

"Since everyone has already introduced themselves, it is now appropriate for us to talk about the business that will be conducted during today's meeting.  I extended an invitation to each and every one of you to participate in a discussion over the initiatives that we are going to organize... So, as you can see on the board, we have three different projects or events that the organization submitted, and as of right now, these three are the only ones that I have approved."

The dean continued to go over all that was necessary for us to accomplish in order to organize the event as we proceeded with the meeting. I was unable to maintain my concentration from the moment we started the meeting until the moment it came to a conclusion. While Vince is standing next to me, I can't shake this strange sensation that's taking place inside of me. Because of this, as soon as the meeting was over, I exited the room as quickly as possible. As I was heading down the corridor, someone suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me into the corner.

"What the f*ck is wrong with you?? Argh! Leave me alone and take your hands off of me!"  I yelled right into his face.

“Okay! Okay! Kianna, you need to take some deep breaths. I'm only interested in having this conversation with you..."  Vince murmured something as he turned his attention to me and fixed his stare on me.

"There is nothing for us to discuss at the moment. I beg you, from now on, to please stop being a nuisance. I have absolutely no more patience for this." I responded, and at that moment I was going to leave when he unexpectedly said something that caused me to pause.

"This is about your husband, Kianna!" he exclaimed. Loudly, Vince yelled.

"What did you just say?"

"I've already told you that this is about your husband, and that it's very important, thus, I ask that you listen to what I have to say. I have decided that going forward, I will not engage in any foolish behavior. I just wanted to speak with you and give you a word of caution regarding that demon—"

“Stop! Do not even dare to speak to my husband in such a manner, Vincent. You have no business addressing him in such a manner and have no right to do so. You have no idea who he is."  I yelled back in an angry tone.

"Oh, yeah? What about you, do you even have a clue who your husband is?"

"I've known him for a long time and know him better than you..."

He narrowed his eyes and reached out to take my hand, but I quickly pushed him away and he released his grip.

"Are you sure, Kianna? Are you certain that you are familiar with your husband?

"Why don't you just get a life?! Why can't you just give up? Vincent, I am finally at a point in my life where I can say that I have found peace. I would appreciate it if you would stop being so bothersome. You are an independent person with your own life. Why are you constantly interfering with my life when you should be concentrating on your own?"

"Because I'm worried about you! Kianna, I can't seem to shake the feeling that my thoughts keep coming back to you. I won't allow that evil to harm you in any way, and you can count on it. Even if I don't know him very well, I can tell you something interesting about him that you didn't already know, Kianna. I will always be here for you. I came into this college just to speak with you, but I can't stay too long because he is keeping an eye on me, so I'll have to leave soon. He follows me around wherever I go, and I can feel his eyes on me at all times."

"What in the world are you talking about, Vincent?" I inquired, appearing bewildered by everything that he had just shared with me.

"Kianna, he is not at all like the version of him that you have in your head. He is not being completely honest with you about this matter. Here, wait—" he began before immediately pulling his shirt down over his head. I had to take a step back since what he was doing seemed so strange to me. “Here! Look, Kianna! This is all his fault. This was his way of dealing with me. During the past few months, my sole focus has been on ensuring that you are safe from anyone or anything that could cause you harm, with a particular emphasis on Asteria... But then, all of a sudden, someone kidnapped me and took me to an abandoned place, and guess who that is..."

"That simply isn't possible—"

"Yes, Kianna! It is! Stop pretending like you can't notice anything that's going on around you right now. Do you not get the distinct impression that there is something strange about him?"

"Vincent, I'm afraid I have to leave. This is the very last opportunity you will have to have a conversation with me. I'd appreciate it if you could just stop being so bothersome—"

"He is a strong and capable man, Kianna! More powerful than you may have imagined."