Chapter 7 *** Panic Attack ***

Chapter 7
**||BLAKE'S POV||**
I heard her little conversation with my German Shepherd and it felt weird. German Shepherd’s have very keen senses and are extremely sensitive to the people around them. My dog was overly sensitive and never let anyone touch him except for me and Victoria. Even though I was exercising, my mind was focused solely on them. I even heard her cursing softly as she ran after the dog. I wasn’t alarmed because my guards were all around to stop my mischievous animal from wreaking havoc. However, I was happy that she was being taught a lesson by my dog not to just do anything she pleased. Then, I heard the loud splashing sound.
Frowning hard, I got up from the ground when I heard the shrill cry of my housekeeper.
“Madame! Madame! Somebody help! She has fallen in the water!” she yelled.
Annoyed, I closed my eyes with a deep sigh and made my way to the pool. I spotted her head under the water and my German Shepherd was barking to notify me that someone was in danger. The fur on his body was dripping wet and, putting two and two together, it took me no time to understand what just happened. I saw one of my men running towards us, already taking off his shirt and was ready to jump into the water.
“No! Wait.” I commanded.
He halted in his tracks and gave me a confused look. Without breaking my eye contact from the water, I walked over to the chair and sat down leisurely before reaching for my lemonade. Since she didn't heed my warning, she deserved some form of punishment.
My housekeeper was panicking. Turning towards me, she said, “Sir…S-she might die! Please, help her!”
I shrugged, gave her a half smile and took a sip from my lemonade. “She can survive a couple of minutes under water. Don't worry so much.”
I continued sipping on the tart drink while occasionally glancing at my watch. Only one minute had passed. That wasn’t enough… I wanted her to feel like she was about to die. When the clock hit the right time, I got up from the chair and jumped into the pool. The cold water shocked my muscles, which were still warm from working out. I swam out to where she was and pulled her out of the water. She gasped, inhaled a ragged breath and started to choke violently. I kept a firm hold on Veronica’s waist and placed her near the pool’s edge. Her eyes were watery and her face was deadly pale. Struggling to regulate her breathing she continuously coughed. I climbed out of the pool and grabbed myself a fresh towel for without exchanging a single word to her. The housekeeper rushed to help Veronica sit up straight and started to pat on her back gently. After a while, she finally relaxed and her breathing eased.
Her brows furrowed as if in concern and her eyes wandered around to look for something. “Where's the dog? It fell inside the pool. Please call someone to look for it,” she said.
“He’s all right. Have you lost your mind, Veronica?” I asked.
I moved to sit in the lounge chair. She frowned and, stumbling to get up, rushed over to me.
“I swear that he fell in the water. How come you are so–”
“He is absolutely fine,” I interrupted.
I was amused by her baffled expression. She looked so pure and kind after getting soaked because she thought my dog was in trouble. I found myself wishing that was who she really was on the inside. But… that was impossible. I shook my head at the foolish thought.
“Tell me Veronica, do you know of any dogs that don’t know how to swim?” I asked in a mocking tone.
Her mouth gaped open like she couldn’t believe what she just heard and I had to work hard to suppress the smile that threatened to form on my lips.
“H-he jumped off...to swim?” she stuttered.
I shrugged getting up to walk over to her, I said, “Not really… He was just playing.”
Veronica looked at me astonished and then let out a frustrated sigh. “Motherfucker!” she muttered.
My eyebrows lifted upon hearing her curse the dog and I immediately felt the urge to laugh. I never knew that Veronica Knight, the famous model, actually knew how to curse at anyone! Turning to go back towards the garden to resume my workout, her soft voice reached my ears.
“Um… Blake! Thanks for rescuing me…”
I paused midway and spun around to face her with a dark chuckle.
“Well, while it was fun to watch you drown and all, I still have business with you. So I decided to jump in after a couple of minutes.” I drawled.
Her mouth hung open in shock and I turned back around and went straight to continue my pushups.
**||VERONICA'S POV||**
I watched him walk off, seething.
“That freaking asshole!” I cursed.
No wonder I felt like no one was coming to save me! I was on the verge of dying, while that sadist was watching me drown?! Being afraid of water since my childhood, I never learnt to swim.
“Since you hate me so much, why didn't you just let me die, asshole?” I thought.
The housekeeper was a kind hearted woman. She tried to comfort me while placing a towel around my shoulders. “Don't take his actions to heart, dear. Madame's sudden disappearance has had a great impact on him,” she said.
I nodded and walked along side her back toward the house. My body was heavily soaked and I know that I looked miserable.
…
Throughout the rest of the day, Blake was busy in contacting the ministers of C Nation. Having nothing else to do, I just stayed in my room while playing with my phone. At 9 p.m. I came down for dinner.
“What the fuck are you saying, Mr. Manor? I need to see him now! What do you mean by he’s leaving?”
I heard his enraging voice echo throughout the hallway. I didn't overhear everything, but I understood that it had something to do with the military. He was desperate for their help and it wasn't easy to get assistance from them. I wished Lucas would hurry up and find Asher’s number! I heard Blake’s phone go off again.
“General Asher, isn't that his name? Can’t you find out where he is now? Did he already leave for A Nation?” he asked while walking toward the front door.
My mind was racing after hearing Asher's name. Before I gathered my thoughts enough to go and talk to Blake, he had left. Cursing under my breath, I ran outside barefoot just in time to see his Maybach drive through the front gate. I ran across the front lawn to the main entrance to try and catch him, but I was immediately stopped by the guards.
“Move out of the way.” I commanded while panting for breath. I didn’t have time for this.
One of the guards bowed his head slightly, and said “Pardon us, Young Miss. But Mr. Davidson has forbidden you to step outside of the estate alone.”
“What rubbish! I am not a prisoner here. Now, move!” I yelled.
The guards, making no effort to follow my orders, continued to stop me from going outside. My thoughts were all over the place. I knew that Asher wouldn’t hesitate to help me. However, these meat heads posed a problem. If Asher left today, I would never find him again. I stood there racking my brain on how to get out of this hellish situation! Frustrated, I started to have a panic attack.
“I have to get out of here. I have to catch Asher!” I muttered in determination.