Chapter 185
~LAYLA~
I walked into the office with a migraine already pulsing behind my eyes. The security detail was doubled today since Tye wasn’t taking chances after Marco’s visit, and the lobby felt more like a fortress than a place of business.
When I stepped off the elevator, the first person I saw wasn’t a temp or a security guard, but Helena.
She was sitting at her desk outside my office, staring blankly at a spreadsheet. And honestly, she was looking awful. Her skin was pale, and there were dark, heavy bags under her eyes that the concealer couldn’t hide. She looked like a ghost haunting her own life.
I walked over, keeping my voice low. “Helena? What are you doing here? Axel gave you the week off p>
She jumped, her hand knocking over a stapler. “Sir… sorry, ma’am. Hi.” She scrambled to pick it up. “I… I couldn’t stay at the apartment p>
“You need rest, sweetie. You look exhausted p>
“I can’t rest,” she whispered in a tight voice. “If I stay in that apartment, I just… The thing is, I think too much. The silence is too loud. I needed to be somewhere busy. Please, don’t make me go back home p>
My heart broke for her. She was trying to outrun the truth she’d found about her brother.
“Okay,” I said softly. “But keep my door shut, okay? And if you need a break, you take it. No actual work is required today p>
“Thank you, ma.” She offered me a weak, brittle smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“Layla p>
I stiffened at the sound of my name.
I turned and saw Henry coming from down the hallway, looking fresh, energetic, and completely unbothered. He held a tablet in one hand and a coffee in the other.
“Henry,” I said in a clipped tone.
“We need to sign off on the logistics for the Singapore shipment,” he said, stopping beside Helena’s desk. He glanced down at his sister, and for a second, and his expression eased into that ’doting brother’ look.
“Helena? I thought you said you had a few days off? You look like you haven’t slept in days p>
“I’m fine,” Helena said, fixing her eyes on her screen. She didn’t look at him. “Just catching up p>
“You work too hard,” Henry chided gently, placing a hand on her shoulder.
I saw Helena flinch. It was microscopic, a tiny tightening of her muscles, but I saw it. Henry, in his arrogance, didn’t notice.
“Actually, Henry,” I interrupted, stepping between them to draw his attention. “Can we handle this later? Axel is waiting for me inside p>
Henry’s smile didn’t waver, though his eyes stayed on me. “Of course. Don’t keep the boss waiting p>
I turned and headed to Axel’s office. He was already there, standing by the window, looking out at the city skyline. His shoulders were tense.
“Hey,” I said softly, closing the door behind me.
“Hey.” He turned, and I could see the strain in his face, the weight of everything pressing down on him. “How are you holding up p>
“Better than Helena. She came in today. Couldn’t stay home p>
“Damn.” Axel ran a hand through his hair. “I should talk to her p>
“Maybe later. She needs space right now.” I walked over to his desk and stopped. There was a small, elegant box sitting in the centre, wrapped in expensive paper. “What’s this p>
“Courier dropped it off this morning. Said it was from Xu Zhongyu p>
Xu Zhongyu was one of our new partners in the Shanghai expansion deal. I raised an eyebrow. “Ooo, what’s in it p>
“Haven’t checked yet.” Axel moved closer, looking at the box with mild curiosity. “Why don’t you do the honours p>
“Me?” I reached for the box, then paused. “Did Zhongyu say he was sending something p>
“Not that I remember, but he’s always doing these gesture things. Cultural courtesy or whatever p>
I picked up the box carefully. It was heavier than I expected. There was a small card attached to the ribbon. I pulled it free and opened it.
The words were handwritten in a masculine scrawl.
Enjoy her while you can. Time is running out. – M
My blood turned to ice. “Axel.” My voice came out strangled. “I don’t think this is from Zhongyu p>
“What?” He stepped closer, taking the note from my trembling hand. His face went white, then red, then a cold, terrible blank. “Marco p>
“We need to call security. We need to p>
“Let me have it,” Axel said calmy. He took the box from my hands carefully, like it was a coiled snake.
“Axel, wait p>
He was already moving, striding toward the heavy metal waste bin in the corner of the room. “It’s trash. Just like him p>
“Maybe we should check what’s p>
He tossed it. The box hit the bottom of the bin with a hollow thud.
CLICK.
The sound was tiny, almost insignificant. But Axel’s eyes widened in horror. He turned around, launching himself at me.
“GET D p>
BOOM.
The world turned white, and a roar shattered my eardrums. The force of the blast was like being hit by a truck. I felt myself flying backwards, the air leaving my lungs in a violent rush.
Then I hit the floor, but I didn’t feel the impact of debris. I felt a heavy warmth covering me completely.
Axel was on top of me. He had tackled me, covering my entire body with his own, and shielding me from the blast. I could feel his heart hammering against my back, his arms wrapped around my head.
Thick smoke filled the room in an instant, burning my nose and throat. The fire alarm began to shriek.
“Layla?” Axel’s voice was a ragged cough right by my ear. “Layla, move! We have to move p>
“Axel?” I gasped, coughing as the smoke burned my lungs. “Are you p>
He didn’t answer.
He just grabbed me, hauling me to my feet with strength that shouldn’t have been possible. Through the smoke, I could see that the wall behind his desk was scorched black. The windows had blown out completely, and glass was scattered everywhere.
“Go!” he roared, shoving me toward the door.
He was limping.
I saw blood dripping onto the carpet, dark red stains following his every step, but he didn’t stop. He practically carried me, his arm around my waist, dragging me through the haze and out into the main hallway.
“Help!” I screamed, my voice cracking. “Help us p>
We stumbled out of the office and into the open bullpen. Helena was standing there, screaming, her hands over her mouth. Staff members were ducking under desks. The sprinkler system kicked in, drenching everything.
Axel took two more steps, ensuring I was clear of the smoke, and then his legs just gave out.
“Axel p>
He collapsed to his knees, then pitched forward onto the floor. The back of his white shirt was shredded, soaked in dark red blood. Shrapnels; he had taken all of it. All of it.
“Axel! No, no, no!” I dropped to my knees beside him, my hands hovering over his back, terrified to touch him. “Call an ambulance! Someone call an ambulance p>
“I’m… fine,” Axel groaned, trying to push himself up, but groaning in pain. Blood dripped from his mouth. “Layla… you hurt p>
“I’m fine, you idiot, stop moving!” I was crying now, tears streaming down my soot-stained face. “You’re bleeding! You need to stay still p>
Helena was there in a second, dropping to her knees on his other side, ripping off her cardigan to press it against a jagged cut on his shoulder. Blood immediately soaked through the fabric. “Mr. O’Brien! Stay down p>
“Someone call 911 p>