32 32. Why are you protecting me?

Katherine rang the door bell and waited for an answer. "How is it possible that you leave before me and I arrive before you." Paul asks as she walks in.

"Why are you here? Don't you have work?" She asked him.

"Come on, what's the benefit of being and heir if I can't play?" He smiled.

"Of course" She gave him a fake smile.

"You're here?" Jason asked walking down the stairs.

"Yes, where is Jessie?" Katherine asked.

"She's upstairs, she's probably sleeping." He said.

"Alright, I'll be quiet. I'll check the wound then go." She said.

Jason nodded and she went upstairs.

Katherine opened the room quietly and crept in, the curtains were drawn close and the light was off. She knew if she turned them on she would wake Jessie so she resigned to tip toeing and her phone's flashlight.

"Jason is that you?" Jessie asked softly from within the darkness.

"No, it's me, Katherine."

"Katherine? What are you doing here?" Jessie asked sitting up and turning on the lamp. The light quickly illuminating the room.

"What do you think? Jason asked me to come check on your wound." She smiled.

Jessie sighed rubbing her forehead. "I don't know why he hired a nurse if he keeps bothering you."

"Oh it's no problem, I actually didn't come because of them, I came because I'm concerned. How are you doing? And I'm not talking about how you're doing physically." Katherine asked.

"How do you think?" Jessie replied.

"Paul said you threatened to kill yourself?" Katherine asked softly as if she was approaching a hurt animal. She walked to the bed and sat at the foot.

Jessie laughed lightly. "It's not what you think. Don't worry I'm not suicidal. I didn't mean it, it was the only way I could get them to let me go." She explained.

"But why did you want to leave all of a sudden?" Katherine asked.

"Because I was angry, I still am. I didn't have a lot of time to think, but all through out last night I kept replaying what happened to me. I couldn't understand why what happened to me happened. But now I know, it's all Patricia, I know it." Jessie said.

"Does she really hate you enough to do this?"

"I didn't think so before but I guess. I'm so stupid not to have realized what type of sly snake she was. Or how much she must have wanted my position. I honestly just saw her as another one of the many rivals I had." Jessie said with so much anger.

"How did you even find out?"

"Chase, the chef. He showed me the news on his phone, and I just couldn't control myself any longer."

"It must have been hard watching everyone slander you like that." Katherine said.

"Chase?" The two women looked to the door and saw Jason leaning on the door frame.

"Were you eavesdropping?" Katherine asked in disbelief.

"It doesn't matter." Jason stated firmly. "Is he the reason for your outburst earlier?" He asked Jessie.

"No..." She said.

"But you just said that he was the one that showed you the news." Jason said.

"Yes... but-"

"So he is at fault. He done with this job." Jason spat, walking out of the room.

"Jason! Jason!" Jessie screamed jumping out of bed and limping after him. Katherine was right behind her.

Jason was hard to keep up with, in a moment he was already downstairs and stalking towards the innocent chef that just finished cleaning up the mess in the kitchen.

"Hey!" He yelled grabbing Chase and punching him.

"Jason!" Jessie screamed at him. Before he could land another blow Jessie threw herself in between the two men.

"What the hell are you doing!" He yelled.

"I could ask you the very same thing!" She screamed back.

"Get out of my way Jessie." Jason warned.

"No! Are you mad? Why are you doing this? What did he do?" She asked Jason.

"What did he do? Jessie you held a knife to your wrist today, because of him" Jason pointed at the chef behind her.

"It wasn't because of him, it was because of the news!" She groaned.

"I don't care, he should never have shown it to you." Jason said. Jessie scoffed in disbelief.

"Hey! You're fired. Get out of my house right now." He said.

"No! no. You're not going anywhere" she turned to inform Chase. "He's not going anywhere, He did nothing wrong." She told Jason.

"I really don't care what you say Jessie, he's gone." Jason said.

"What is wrong with you?!" She screamed. "He is not going anywhere."

"What are you still doing here?" Jason said ignoring Jessie.

Chase started to walk away, but Jessie grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"Okay then, If he is leaving them so am I." Jessie said.

"Don't be foolish, were are you going to stay? You can't go back to your house and if you reveal yourself now, you'll go to prison." Jason scoffed.

"I'll stay with Chase then." She said, and Jason fisted his palms to control his anger. Chase had a look of bewilderment on his face.

Jessie turned to look at him, "You have a spare bedroom in your house right?" She asked him.

"Uh... no?" Chase said.

"Then you have a couch?" He nodded.

"Good I'll stay there then." She said turning back to look at Jason.

"Hey! Jessie!" Jason warned.

"I'm not joking Jason." She said still holding on to his hand.

"Why are you protecting him?" Jason asked.

"Because you are attacking him, and plus he's the only person I know from when I was still... When I was still myself." She said.

"What do you mean?" Jason asked.

"I met him when I was an actress, when I was my really myself." She said.

"What do you mean yourself? You are yourself right now." Jason said.

"I couldn't care less, Chase is not going anywhere or else I'm leaving with him." She said.

"And what? You think I care? I'm doing you a favour here Jessie" Jason spat.

"Well thank you so much, I should get out of your hair then." She said.

"You're really going to do this because of some common chef?" He asked.

"Common chef? Do you think you're anything special?" She glared at him.

Jason reached out and grabbed her arm and pulled her away from Chase, disregarding her bad ankle he pulled her upstairs and flung her into his room.

"What is wrong with you? Can't you see I'm only trying to protect you? Look what happened after you watched the news. Why would he show you that?" Jason said.

"And so? Should I never have seen the news? You realise eventually I would find out right? And how was he supposed to know I would react like that?" She asked him.

"No you wouldn't have, I would have made sure of it."

"Why?! Look where that ignorance got me. If you had a television or something in this house of yours, I would have found out about this early enough. And perhaps I would have been able to stop things from escalating like this!" She screamed.

"So now it's my fault? Look at what has happened to you? Look at yourself, look how hurt you are." He said.

Jessie stared at him in silence for a moment. "Don't blame Chase, infact I'm thankful to him. Now I know why all this is happening to me."

"And me? What do you feel towards me?" Jason asked.

"What do you want me to feel? When you keep acting this way." Jessie sighed.

"Acting what way? All I'm trying to do is protect you."

"Why? You don't have to. Why are you acting like this? Do I look that pitiful?" She asked.

"Do you think I'm protecting you because I think you're pitiful?" He asked.

"Yes, it's either that or you feel guilty about what you did. Am I correct?"

"No, that's not it. I'm not doing this because I think your pitiful, or because I'm guilty."

"Then why would you hit someone like that?" She asked angrily.

"Him again? Do you really care for that man?" He asked.

"Yes, so don't touch him again."

Jason clenched his teeth and struggled to control his anger.

"Fine, I won't touch him. But I won't sit by and just let you get hurt. Anybody that dares hurt you from now one I'll destroy. And that includes that chef!" He spat, walking out and slamming the door behind him.

Jessie sank into the ground as soon as he left. What in heavens name just happened?