Binding Agreement- Book 1 of the Tipton Dynasty

Questioning My Integrity

"Damon." I shook him gently to wake him up.

"What?" He responded groggily.

"What happened last night?" I asked. I tried to search for some type of memory but it was all foggy to me.

He opened his eyes and looked at me with a curious expression. "You don't remember?"

"No. The last thing I remember was getting sick from the food." I answered.

He sat up slightly in the bed. "Well I'll tell you what I remember. I left you for a moment while I entertained some guests with my father. When I went to find you one of the staff said that you weren't feeling well so you came up to the room. When I got up here you were on the bed passed out."

"I don't remember any of that." I knew my face looked puzzled as I tried to think back again.

"I helped take the dress off of you which woke you up. You seemed as if you were drunk. You probably just had one too many drinks." He responded, giving what seemed like a reasonable explanation to him.

"I don't remember drinking any alcohol though." I was still confused even with the information he had provided.

"Maybe you blocked it out? If you don't remember last night after you got sick you might not remember bits and pieces of you drinking. That's at least how it used to be for me when I used to get drunk." He looked at me slightly concerned as he spoke.

I nodded. "Yeah, has to be something like that."

"How does your stomach feel now?" he asked.

"It feels fine. I just feel like I'm starving now." I answered.

"Well, let's get working on going home and we'll get you fed." He suggested as he got out of the bed.

"Okay." I got out of the bed as well and put on a t-shirt and pants.

Once we were dressed we left the penthouse and made it down to the car. I closed my eyes as we headed home to the mansion. I couldn't stand the bright sunlight right now. Damon put his hand on my lower thigh while he drove as a way to comfort me for not feeling well.

I didn't realize how much time had passed until the car came to a stop in the garage. I opened my eyes when Damon spoke. "You still don't look super well. Go get in bed and I'll have Rose bring you some soup."

I nodded. "Okay."

I got out of the car and went inside of the home. I went upstairs and made myself comfortable in the dark grey sheets. I hadn't been up very long but I was grateful to be in my own bed. My stomach began to feel uneasy again and I was feeling a little light headed and dizzy.

Damon came in with Rose following behind him. She had a bowl of soup on a tray for me to eat. I propped a pillow up and used it for support as I sat up. I need to get some food in me and I would feel better. Especially since the last thing I remember eating was fish and it had been thrown up soon after it was eaten.

Rose placed the tray on my lap and left the room. Damon sat next to me on the bed and watched me as I ate. I could see a slight concerned expression on his face. "What?" I asked as I brought a spoonful of soup to my lips.

"You seem a little pale. I'm thinking I should have the doctor come and take a look at you. Just to be sure." He responded as his eyes studied me.

"I'm fine. Just not feeling that great since last night. I don't want to bring a doctor in for one minor case of food poisoning. Let me rest up today and if I'm still this way tomorrow we'll have me go to the doctor. Okay?" I didn't want to make a big deal out of the situation.

Damon nodded in response.

We spent the rest of the day in the room. He watched over me carefully as if he was afraid something serious was wrong. He did seem to relax as I improved as the day went on. For dinner he had Rose bring me more soup to eat. We finished the night off still in bed relaxing. He wrapped me in his arms and stroked my back as we watched the television in the room. I eventually drifted off to sleep.

I woke up to the sunlight peeking in through the curtain. I turned over and noticed that Damon was no longer asleep beside me. He's usually woken me up and told me goodbye when he left for the office. It seemed strange that he had just up and went without a word.

I picked up my phone to see if maybe had sent a message about why he had rushed off. There was nothing from him though. I sat up in bed and pulled up his number to call. The phone rang multiple times before it ended up going to his voicemail. I would have to try again later.

I got out of the bed and got myself dressed in a black skirt and a pink blouse. I couldn't dwell on why he would've rushed off, I had a store to run. I quickly put my hair into a ponytail and went down the stairs. I grabbed a muffin from the kitchen and met Cody outside in the car.

He started to drive into town to take me to Amethyst. The ride was the usual silence until my phone started to ring. Damon's name was on the screen and I answered it in a hurry. "Hello?"

"I can't talk very long right now. I'm dealing with a mess here. I may not be returning home for a few days while I get this straightened out." I could tell in his voice he was irritated, but it wasn't at me.

"What's wrong?" I was concerned about what came up so suddenly.

He let out a sigh of frustration. "My father apparently has reason to believe I've had ill intentions lately and is questioning my integrity. He hasn't told me what brought this on, all he's said is once I admit the wrong that's been made we can talk further."

"What do you think happened?" I asked.

"I don't really know. I've been trying to get all the information I can but it hasn't been easy. This apparently is big enough of a matter that it's jeopardized him handing over the company like he was going to before." He answered. "I'm sorry Love but I have to give this all of my attention. I need to get this resolved as soon as possible."

"I understand, just keep me updated okay?" I responded.

"Of course Love." his voice tone was a little softer.

"Damon, you don't think Justin has anything to do with it do you?" It was the only reasonable explanation for the sudden change in Martin.

"I wouldn't be surprised at this point. But I will figure it out and if he does he will be finished." Damon's words weren't a threat. They were a promise.

**Author's Note**

Hey guys, hope you're enjoying the story so far! Let me know what you think and leave a comment!