Chapter 87
“Morning,” Axel greeted, his voice rough with sleep.
“Morning p>
Neither of us moved for a long moment, the silence stretching between us. I don’t know if he was doing it on purpose, but the way his thumb traced lazy circles on my hip sent warmth spreading through me.
“We should probably get up,” I finally said, though I made no move to do so.
“Probably,” he agreed, but his arm only tightened around me slightly.
“Axel p>
“Just… just a moment p>
I nodded. “Okay p>
Just a moment ended up closer to ten minutes before we finally, reluctantly, untangled ourselves. Axel headed to the bathroom first while I sat up, running my fingers through my tangled hair.
While he bathed, I headed to my room to brush my teeth and wash my face.
By the time I made it downstairs, the smell of coffee and something cooking filled the air. I followed it to the kitchen, where Axel was standing at the stove, flipping what looked like French toast.
“You cooking breakfast?” I asked, surprised.
“Don’t sound so shocked. I just wanted to pamper you a bit, wifey p>
“Hmmm, if you say so, husby.” I poured myself a cup of coffee, leaning against the counter. “What else don’t I know about you p>
“Plenty. We’ve only been married a few months, remember? Still getting to know each other p>
“Fair point p>
He plated the French toast, drizzling it with syrup, and slid a plate toward me. “Eat. You barely touched anything at the party last night p>
“Too busy worrying about being sabotaged p>
“Well, today we celebrate. One hundred twenty thousand orders as of this morning p>
“What? When did it hit that p>
“About ten minutes ago. Check your phone p>
I did, and sure enough, the numbers had climbed even higher. “This is insane. We’re going to need to scale up production immediately p>
“Already sent an email to the warehouse manager. We’re meeting with them this afternoon p>
I took a bite of the French toast, my eyes widening. “Okay, this is really good p>
“Of course it would be. I made it p>
He sat across from me, and we ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes. Then he looked up, with a slight smirk on his face.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing. You just look good in my shirt p>
I glanced down at the oversized t-shirt I’d borrowed, suddenly very aware of how it hung on me, and how little I was wearing underneath. Heat crept up my neck.
“Don’t,” I said, but I was smiling despite myself.
“Don’t what? Compliment my wife p>
“Don’t make this weird p>
“I’m not making anything weird. I’m simply stating a fact. You look good in my clothes p>
“Axel p>
“Fine, fine. I’ll stop.” But the smirk didn’t fade. “For now p>
We finished breakfast, and I was heading upstairs to change when my phone buzzed. Erica.
Can I stop by? Need to talk about the launch. Feeling bad about how I left in a hurry last night.
I stared at the message, my earlier suspicions flooding back. Her timing felt too convenient, but this could be the perfect opportunity to probe her.
I showed Axel the message. “What do you think p>
“I think we let her come. But I’ll have security ready, and we keep our guard up p>
“Agreed p>
I texted back: Sure. Noon work?
Her response came immediately: Perfect. See you then.
“She’s coming at noon,” I told Axel.
“Good. That gives us time to prepare p>
Erica arrived exactly at noon, all smiles, carrying a bottle of wine wrapped in a ribbon. “Congratulations!” she said, pulling me into a hug. “I’m so sorry I had to leave early last night. I had the worst headache coming on p>
“It’s fine. Thanks for coming p>
We settled in the living room with coffee; Erica declined the wine she’d brought, saying it was a gift for later. She looked genuinely apologetic, but I couldn’t shake the image of her handing that bag to Daniel.
“I saw Cassandra’s meltdown online,” she said, her eyes searching mine. “It’s everywhere. She’s unhinged. You must be on edge p>
I kept my tone light, playing along. “It’s been a lot. First the breach, and now her tantrum, we’re just trying to stay focused on Eclipse Beauty p>
“Well, you’re doing an amazing job. How’s the numbers coming along p>
“Around 100k plus now p>
“OMG!!! Layla, that’s incredible p>
“Thanks. We’re actually heading to the warehouse this afternoon to make sure everything’s ready for distribution. With numbers climbing this fast, we need to scale up immediately p>
“That’s smart. Are you nervous? About fulfilling all those orders p>
“A little. But we planned for high demand. The warehouse team is solid p>
Her gaze lingered a bit too long, and I knew she was fishing for something, probably details, weaknesses, anything she could report back to Cassandra.
“Well, if you need anything, let me know,” she said finally. “I’m here to help p>
“Actually, there is something. Do you know anyone in logistics who might be available for consulting? We might need extra support as we scale p>
“Oh, I might. I will check my contacts and get back to you p>
We chatted for another twenty minutes, surface-level pleasantries that felt increasingly hollow. When she finally left, I watched her car pull away, a knot of unease in my stomach.
“She’s definitely reporting back to Cassandra,” I told Axel. “Did you catch how interested she was in our warehouse plans p>
“I did. We’ll need to be careful what information we share from now on p>
“Agreed. Come on, let’s get to the office before we head to the warehouse p>
The afternoon at the office was routine: meetings, emails, and coordinating with the warehouse team.
By the time we finished, it was nearly six. Axel had to stay for a video call with international suppliers, so I headed home alone, one of our security guards following in a separate car.
Traffic was heavy on the main road, cars crawling along bumper to bumper. I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel, mentally running through tomorrow’s schedule.
That’s when I noticed a car behind me, weaving erratically between lanes. A crimson sedan that looked disturbingly familiar.
“No way,” I muttered, checking my rearview mirror.
The car swerved closer, and I caught a glimpse of the driver—blonde hair, visible even in the fading light. My heart started to race.
“Isn’t that Cassandra?” I asked no one in particular.
I grabbed my phone to call Axel, but before I could hit dial, her car suddenly sped up. She swerved across two lanes and pulled up next to me, her face full of anger as she glared through the window.
“What the hell p>
She jerked her steering wheel hard to the right.
The crash happened in an instant, and it was brutal. Her car collided with mine, pushing me toward the median. I gripped the steering wheel tightly, struggling to keep control, but then she hit me again, and it was even harder this time.
My car spun out of control, the tires screeching on the asphalt. Horns were honking all around us. I caught a glimpse of Cassandra’s face; her eyes were wide, her mouth opened in a scream, just before my car hit something and came to a sudden stop.
My head slammed against the steering wheel, and then everything went black.