Chapter 128 - Sweet Memories

????A slow dance with you

Spinning you around by the Walmart sign

And moving our feet over the painted white lines

Getting close to you

Making the most of whatever we got

Even if it's just a slow dance in a parking lot????

As the song came to end, Persephone crashed into reality. Her eyes unknowingly turned glossy. Muttering an excuse, she walked out to have a moment in the washroom. 

But she just needed fresh air to breathe. Instead of walking to the ladies room, she walked in a different direction. 

When Persephone was walking on her own, she heard voices of help. Not knowing what to do, she just opened the door and found two people beating each other. A man was getting beaten by a lean and frail teenager who was a head taller than the adult. What shocked her wasn't how a teenager overpowered the well-built adult but the face of the teenager. 

"Cameron! What are you doing?" Persephone shrieked in horror. "Leave him!"

She should call Val, right? 

But right now, she couldn't even do anything! 

"Percy! Don't stop me! You don't know what this bastard has done!" Cameron was not listening to anyone. He was beating the man black and blue and the other man didn't leave a chance in attacking his attacker. "This fucker assaulted my sister! How dare he touch her?!"

Only when she heard him, she saw that the man who was getting beaten was James, the fucker. 

"Dammit, he is James? The asshole?" Persephone growled. "I'm going to call Salvatore to assist you."

Persephone was about to leave the room when James caught her hand. He looked dead into her eyes and growled in a sinister voice, "So, you are the bitch! Who talked shit about me to my Val!"

"Don't you dare call her your Val," Persephone roared at him. She would be damned before leaving him intact. If she could, she would beat him black and blue and throw him into Hudson "She ain't your Val." 

James was about to hit her when Cameron caught him by his hair. In the process, Persephone got free of his hold but he started slamming Cameron badly into the wall. Cameron's nose was bleeding, his jaw had a tear and his knuckles were badly bruised. 

Persephone couldn't call the police as she should, but if she did, Cameron would be arrested too. As she was stuck in a dilemma, the door to the room was kicked again and another angry growl was heard. 

When Santiago saw Persephone leaving the table with teary eyes, he felt as if someone had hit him in the gut. Nobody found anything wrong with her but he did. He was sure that she didn't remember anything. He knew the effects of hypnosis that he had on her but it didn't mean she could never recover her memories. In the veil of attending a call, he followed her. But he was shocked when he heard a familiar shriek. When he walked ahead, he found a boy getting beaten by a man twice his age. Without looking here and there, he yanked the man and punched him straight in his stomach. 

Santiago rendered the man unconscious with a few of his punches. He was a man taught to hit to kill. And so his punches weren't light. Only when James fell on the ground, he straighten his suit and then indifferently look at the boy. 

"Are you fine?" Santiago asked the boy as if unconcerned. 

Cameron looked at him suspiciously before nodding. "You didn't have to help me. I was managing it all too well."

"Of course, you were," Santiago muttered. 

"You could have killed him, "Cameron accused. 

"If I hadn't hit him, he would have killed you," Santiago told him. 

Cameron grunted, avoiding his gaze. He didn't know why this man was making him anxious for no reason. Remembering that Persephone was still standing behind the tall man, he muttered in a sheepish voice while scratching his head, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." 

Only when Santiago turned back, he find his Red standing in the corner looking at both of them with wide eyes. " Do you know this boy?" he asked her and she shook her head. 

"No, how can I know this man?" Persephone was quick to answer.

She gulped before giving a sharp look to Cameron who was looking at him in bewilderment. How could she tell him that this dangerous man before them was her father's snitch! And if she told Santiago that she knew Cameron, he might tell her papa who would make Cam's life hell if things go south. It was better to stay away from people she cared for, to keep them out of danger. 

'Really?' Santiago narrowed his eyes on him but she just nodded in return. Turning towards Cameron, he asked, "Do you know her?"

Cameron was halfway in his nod when he felt a glare in his direction, so he turned his nod in to a shake of the head. 

"What's happening here?" It was Salvatore's voice. Persephone in horror turned her head to find both Salvatore and Nico standing there. Their eyes on the unconscious man on the floor. 

"Isn't it Simon?" It was Nico who said this. Simon aka James Simon was the doctor the mafia families had on payroll to stitch them up whenever they were in fights, which was very common. 

"You know him?" Persephone asked him. 

"He is your father's doctor on payroll," Santiago indifferently replied before any of them could. 

"What's he doing here?"Nico asked with furrowed brows. His question was pointed towards Cameron. 

"Ah, "Persephone winced. "My stomach aches." 

Both Nico and Salvatore glanced at Persephone in worry. "What happened? We should take you to the doctor now."

Persephone shook her head at Salvatore. "No, it must be because I have caught a cold. But I am still feeling pain. Take me home. I want to rest."

Salvatore could just nod.

"I will take her home," Nico said and she shook her head. 

"It would be a waste of time for you to specifically come to drop me at home. I will just leave with Sal and Belle," Persephone replied. "Moreover, the boy is hurt, Nico. Why don't you take him to the hospital?"

"No," Cameron shrieked. He was still underaged. If he went to the hospital, they would call his guardian who was his sister. And if she got to know, he got into a fight… He dared not to fathom the consequences. "My friend is outside the restaurant waiting for me. I will just leave with him." Before anyone could do or say anything, he disappeared from their sight. But Persephone was still gesturing to Nico to run after him and take him to the hospital. 

Santiago scowled at her. Could she not tell him to take the boy to the hospital? Why must she ask everything she wanted to be done to this tool? Was he better than him? 

However, nothing happened there as all of them went back to their table, still in discussion. 

"If she is not feeling well, you have to take her to the doctor," It was Isabelle who shouted at Salvatore.

"No, I'm fine--"Persephone was about to say when she felt a gaze in her direction. Gulping her words, she said, "Bro, Belle is right. Take me to the doctor. But who would drop Belle and Sophia?"

Nico had left after a while as he was allotted the duty by Persephone to take Cameron to hospital. So, he wasn't present there. 

Persephone looked at Santiago and opened her mouth to say something but Sophia cut her off."Don't worry. The driver will take us back." 

As if on cue, Santiago's phone rang. It could be seen on his face that he had to leave for somewhere immediately. Since Sophia was his fiancee, it was his responsibility to drop her at home but in this situation, he couldn't… 

Thus, Persephone left with her brother and Isabelle and Sophia with the driver and their respective shadow guards. 

…

"Where is he?" Santiago asked as soon as he came out of the restaurant. His right-hand man was the same man from the island. He was standing there to share some information. 

"Boss, as you said, he was lying earlier. We checked that he was indeed lying. No friend of his was waiting for him outside. In fact, he came here all alone," His right-hand man informed him. 

Santiago frowned. This restaurant wasn't a regular one where just anyone could enter without a reservation. And how come that seventeen years old boy had the means and connections to enter the high-end restaurant? 

"Then, how did he come inside and what for?"Santiago asked him. He had to know why Cameron beat James Simon. 

"This is still unclear to us. But our boys are looking for information," He answered. 

"Stop them,"Santiago ordered. "It shouldn't be known to anyone that I was investigating the boy, Billy. And erase any trace that shows he met me." 

Billy frowned but then nodded his head. 

"Where is he now?"Santiago asked him. 

"Back at the alley."