The Billionaire Who Saved Me

Just by hearing her voice, Garrett could guess what had happened to Elice just by hearing her name. Of course, the woman was not in a good condition. And that immediately made him uneasy.

“Elice,” Garrett said her name. “Where are you now? Are you okay?”

Inside the moving car, driven by his private chauffeur, Garrett couldn’t contain the pressure. He had contacted Elice after learning that Daphne and Carolus had met her at his office. He was sure that Elice must be in shock.

“I’m in the office, Garrett. And what is happening right now? I don’t understand at all. Earlier there was an old lady…”

Garrett dramatically closed his eyes. His jaw tightened immediately.

“… talking about a lot of things I don’t understand. Oh God. I’m really confused right now.”

Garrett took a deep breath. He had to stay calm. That was the most important thing right now.

“I think we should get together, Elice.”

Amber, who was sitting right next to the driver, quickly turned around and stared at her boss with big eyes. At that moment, Garrett put down his phone and spoke to his secretary in a low voice.

“Get Elice out of her office right now. Bring her in. I want to meet her.”

Amber had no choice. She quickly obeyed her boss’s order.

“Elice.”

Garrett returned to his call. His ears faintly picked up Elice’s nervous breaths on the other end, along with her trembling voice.

“Yes?”

“Someone of mine will pick you up. It might be better for you to take a break from work for a while.”

“Garrett, what do you mean? I-I…”

“We’ll talk later. The important thing right now is that you get out of this situation.”

Unilaterally, Garrett ended the call. He immediately turned to Amber.

“How is it going? Has someone been sent to pick up Elice?”

Amber nodded. “Yes, sir. I’ve also arranged a place for Elice and her family to stay. I was afraid it might escalate.”

It was a very bad possibility. Garrett didn’t want to imagine it, but it made sense. Finally, Garrett couldn’t contain his frustration.

“Argh! Damn it! Who is behind all this?”

For the first time in Amber’s history of working with Garrett, she found the man losing control. It was surprising, but not unexpected. Amber understood that no one was going to stay calm in this situation.

“I’ll try to find out who’s behind this, sir,” Amber said. “I’m afraid it might have something to do with people who don’t like your presence in the Pacific.”

Garrett clenched his fists. His jaw tightened even more and the faint sound of teeth grinding could be heard.

Of course. It made sense. Someone who considered him unworthy of leading Pacific Energy would undoubtedly be willing to do anything to eliminate Garrett. But not this way. Not by dragging Elice into it.

Garrett felt guilty. That was certain. He couldn’t imagine how panicked and confused Elice must be right now.

*

Talking to Garrett on the phone obviously didn’t provide the explanations Elice needed. Instead of getting answers to all of her confusion, she found herself even more perplexed. Then, about five minutes after Garrett’s call ended, another call came in.

“Miss Elice, I’ve been instructed to pick you up. I should be there in about fifteen minutes. Can you meet me in the parking lot?”

Elice felt her world spin. She was confused, and now her confusion was escalating. However, she realized that her current situation was truly dire. Taking a step back might actually be the right choice. Besides, she wasn’t sure if she could work with all those eyes staring at her-curiosity and eagerness openly displayed.

“Sir, I apologize. But it looks like I won’t be able to work today. I hope you can understand.”

Elice took the time to inform Hollis, seeking unofficial permission from her superior. It might seem unprofessional, but Hollis certainly understood. The current situation was chaotic.

Less than twenty minutes later, Elice found herself in a black car speeding through the streets. Not knowing where she was being taken, she could only suppress the constant nervousness and trembling that had been plaguing her since earlier. Especially since the driver didn’t say a word, which made Elice’s situation even more miserable.

Elice was taken to an apartment she had never visited before. Wearing large sunglasses and a hat provided by the driver, she entered the building and was directed to a unit. Then she was left alone after the driver said, “Please make yourself comfortable, Miss. Mr. Garrett will be with you shortly.”

A wry smile caught in Elice’s throat. Of course, she wouldn’t be comfortable in this luxurious unit, especially with all the rumors circulating about her right now.

Elice sat on the sofa and rubbed her cold face when her phone rang. She quickly answered it.

“Garrett.”

“Are you at my place?”

“Yes,” Elice replied. “Y-you’re coming here, right?”

“Yes, but not right now. I have to take care of something first. But don’t worry. I’ll meet you as soon as I can. And in the meantime, you’ll be safe there.”

Elice swallowed her saliva. The hope of meeting Garrett was fading fast. But there was nothing she could do about it, especially when she got the next call. From someone who made Elice feel like she was losing her life.

“Mom?”

Wilda’s heavy breathing could be heard on the other end. Elice didn’t want to imagine it, but the image of her panicked mother immediately flashed through her mind.

“Elice, what’s going on? There are a lot of journalists at home now. We can’t even go out.”

Elice’s fear became uncontrollable. Her hands were cold and sweaty now.

“D-don’t go outside, Mom,” Elice stuttered. She shook her head reflexively. “Just stay home. If anyone wants to come in, never open the door.”

Certainly, Elice’s words didn’t provide the comfort and answers Wilda had hoped for. Instead, it only raised more questions in her mind.

“What’s going on, Elice? Tell me the truth. What’s happening to you right now?”

Elice didn’t know how to answer this question. Should she be honest about the news that was spreading all over the country? That she was in the spotlight after intimate photos of her were circulating everywhere?Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

“Is what they wrote in the news true?”

Elice’s heart might as well have stopped. When Wilda finally asked the question, Elice knew her mother already knew.

“Mama…”

“Are you involved in a scandal with this man?”

Elice froze. She couldn’t answer. She couldn’t even say a word.

“Is it true, Elice?”

*

As much as Garrett wanted to meet Elice right away, he couldn’t ignore who he was right now. He had responsibilities to fulfill-work where thousands depended on him. And instead of heading straight to where Elice was, Garrett found himself at Pacific Energy.

“I’ve rescheduled some meetings that could be postponed, sir. But considering this is the first day after your conference, there’s not much I can do. In fact, your schedule is extremely full today.”

Garrett could only let out a long sigh of frustration. He didn’t say anything, just clenched his fist in front of his mouth. Perhaps an attempt to refrain from cursing in the near future. Honestly! Keeping his emotions in check was a challenge for someone like Garrett right now.

To make matters worse, when Garrett arrived at the office, he could see several pairs of eyes looking at him with different expressions. But he ignored them as best he could.

“Good morning, sir.”

Garrett was greeted by Sherly, his second secretary, who had just turned twenty-eight. She looked fresh and neat in the black skirt suit she was wearing that day.

“Good morning.”

Garrett answered the greeting nonchalantly. He continued immediately when Amber gave him an understanding look. Sherly nodded in understanding.

Upon entering his office, Garrett immediately took off the suit he was wearing. Amber immediately greeted him and decided to take the garment before Garrett casually placed it on the back of the chair. Using an upright hanger made of expensive polished wood, Amber hung the suit.

“At nine,” Amber said as she opened her tablet. “There’s a meeting with investors, sir. Scheduled for an hour.”

At that moment, there were three knocks on the door. Sherly entered with a cup of coffee, which she placed in front of Garrett. And since the man remained motionless, Amber expressed her thanks with a subtle nod.

“Sir, please take a sip.”

Garrett enjoyed black coffee in the morning. But not this time. With his mind feeling so chaotic, he needed only one thing: time to pass quickly.

Whether it was an advantage or a disadvantage, the reality was that the consecutive schedule eventually allowed Garrett to get through the day. In an exhausted state where he thought he might collapse, he found himself impatient as the car took him to the apartment where Elice was.

“There’s nothing we can do for Elice’s family, sir. Journalists have already swarmed their house.”

“Find a way. Make sure they can get out as soon as possible.”

Amber nodded. “Yes, sir.”

If Garrett wanted to find something amusing in this situation, he might. The fact that the current state of chaos was at least not complicated by his limitations. Armed with the position and authority he currently held, almost everything he ordered was an absolute must to be carried out by all parties involved, especially when it came to this issue.

Arriving at the apartment building, Garrett wasted no time. He hurriedly made his way directly to the unit where Elice was. He opened the door and entered, only to find Elice immediately getting up from her seat.

“Elice.”

Garrett approached Elice, reaching out to her and seeing how her eyes looked puffy – more than enough evidence that many tears had been shed.

Elice held on to Garrett, squeezing his hands with a desperate look on her face.

“G-Garrett,” she whispered, stuttering. “What happened?”

Instead of answering the question immediately, Garrett took a deep breath. His eyes saw the fear reflected in Elice’s eyes, something he hadn’t seen the night before. And Garrett realized something. After six months of trying to turn a new page in her life, there was a possibility that he might be the one scribbling on that page.

“Elice, forgive me.”

*