The Billionaire Who Saved Me

Amber left Garrett’s office, leaving him alone. He was not working right away as usual, apparently the lingering grief was preventing him from concentrating.

A single knock drew Garrett’s attention to the door, which opened to welcome Carolus inside.

As he approached Garrett, Carolus sat directly in front of him after a brief handshake. It was enough for him to notice how tired Garrett looked. His face seemed truly disheveled from the mixture of fatigue and sadness.

“I apologize for keeping you waiting.”

“It’s okay,” Garrett replied quietly. “I’m actually grateful that you could find the time to come.”© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

It was a strange thing for Carolus. Something that made him wonder. And Garrett could read the expression clearly. The man’s face looked cynical for a moment.

“I can’t trust anything back home. I don’t want to take any chances with walls that have ears.”

Carolus understood. Thanks to the incident with Yocelyn and Regina, Garrett was undoubtedly more cautious now. Especially since they were about to discuss something very important. Something that no one was supposed to know about.

Although Garrett’s fear wasn’t easy to calm down. With everything that had happened, it wasn’t surprising that his vigilance had increased. The same was true when it came to discussing things in the office.

“Or should we talk somewhere else?” Garrett asked thoughtfully. “Who knows what could happen here?”

“You needn’t worry, sir. I assure you it’s safe here. Even if it concerns your second secretary.”

Carolus’ words made Garrett close his eyes dramatically. It was implied, but Garrett understood what he meant. And that was an indirect answer to Garrett’s curiosity. If Daphne and Carolus knew about his movements while investigating Dirk and Dakota.

“But I can assure you that Sherly only works for the Morales family.”

Garrett let out a long sigh. He was not going to argue with that. Especially since he knew the reasons why Daphne did what she did. She wanted to protect them and keep them safe.

When Garrett thought about that, the feeling of suffocation came back. His chest felt tight and his conscience screamed at the tragic fate that had befallen Daphne.

“I’ve seen it over and over again. All the media reports say it was a traffic accident.”

Carolus nodded. “The investigation is still ongoing. And I’ve assigned the family’s legal representative to oversee it. So far, driver negligence is suspected as the cause of the accident.”

That’s what the media reported. That the driver of the minibus fell asleep and accidentally pressed the accelerator harder than necessary. The accident happened. The car carrying Daphne was thrown several meters and collided with other vehicles as it landed, killing her instantly.

This time Garrett shook his head. With a burst of hatred that just slipped out.

“Driver negligence?” Garrett asked, his jaw clenching. “An accident?”

Carolus was taken aback. It was the first time he and Garrett had actually had a serious conversation. Until now, they had only spoken casually. Sometimes they just greeted each other.

That didn’t mean Carolus didn’t notice the man. Garrett seemed calm and collected. Something different from what he was experiencing now.

Garrett clenched his fists. Carolus could see how every book there instantly turned white. A bead of sweat appeared on Garrett’s forehead, dripping down the side of his jaw as his breathing became labored.

“I want you to examine them carefully. I’m sure this was no accident.”

Carolus found those red eyes staring back at him. He nodded briefly.

“Of course it wasn’t an accident, sir,” Carolus agreed with Garrett. “I’ve instructed my people to investigate the driver’s activities over the past month. Hopefully I’ll have news for you soon.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

“And, sir.”

Carolus showed a moment of hesitation, then exhaled deeply as he made up his mind.

“All previous evidence is still neatly stored with me.”

*

“How about this month’s sales performance?”

Flipping through the company’s sales report files in his hands, Ariel directed the question to his secretary, a woman named Nikita Johnson. She promptly answered politely.

“Stable, sir. There’s a slight uptick in some products, but nothing significant.”

Ariel continued to study the report carefully. He hoped his eyes were mistaken, but Nikita’s answer only reinforced his suspicions.

“Stable?” Ariel repeated the word rhythmically. He flipped through the report again, looking at the next graph. “Stable?”

Ariel let out a long sigh. He decided not to read the report any further, because he could already conclude everything. Thanks to that one word.

“Stable?”

The report file landed on the desk with a loud thud. Ariel slammed it down forcefully, releasing his frustration.

“Stable means the company’s sales have not increased. Stable means the company’s sales are still the same as last month. Stable means the company’s sales still haven’t surpassed Progun’s.”

Ariel pounded on the desk, making Nikita jump as she closed her eyes. She tried to compose herself, but her slender fingers still showed their tremors.

“I’m sorry, sir.”

“I don’t need your apology!”

Ariel rose from her seat. It was clearly a bad Monday. A start that didn’t bring him any happiness. Quite the opposite.

“I want us to have a meeting. After lunch. Prepare everything.”

Nikita nodded. “Yes, sir.”

With that, Ariel left the room. He left his office alone, while the clock still showed nine o’clock. He couldn’t work now. Ariel felt restless as his mind was consumed with emotions due to the company’s sales not meeting expectations.

As he drove his car down the street, Ariel didn’t know where to go for a moment. He needed to clear his mind for a moment. Try to calm down and find a way out. Because no matter how much he wanted to keep Lostic, Ariel didn’t want to be outwitted like that.

There was a certain dignity that Ariel was risking here. Especially when he remembered Garrett’s success in running Pacific Energy in its first months. It was like a real slap in the face.

Ariel gripped the steering wheel tightly, feeling the anger at everything Garrett was getting right now. But the anger didn’t last long on his face. Moments later, the anger was replaced by a smile.

“It’s okay, Garrett. Enjoy what you can enjoy now,” Ariel said earnestly. “Because in the end, everything you have will be transferred to me.”

Because Ariel was sure of something. A solid thing that couldn’t be denied by anything in this world.

“You have no one to protect you anymore.”

*