The Billionaire Who Saved Me

The facts shook Elice to the core. It was deeply surprising for her to face it. That Daphne was behind all the chaos. And now a question arose in Elice’s mind. Does Garrett know?

As if Elice had said it, Daphne seemed to growl. “Of course, Garrett doesn’t know.”

Daphne really seemed to have the ability to read her interlocutor’s mind. Something clearly made Elice shiver. Now she fully realized that Daphne was not to be underestimated.

“He is too absorbed in his work. Unfortunately, I only add to his burden. Uh… you won’t mention this to him, will you?”

It was not a casual question. It was an implied threat. Thanks to the newly acquired facts, Elice was able to gauge what kind of person Daphne really was.

Elice shook her head. Daphne smiled.

“So… I think we’ve come to an agreement. You are still going to marry Garrett,” Daphne said with a meaningful smile on her face. “How about that?”

Could Elice back out at this point?

*

When Elice returned to her apartment after the sun had disappeared, she walked wearily. She slumped down on the sofa, feeling her body extremely tired.

How could this happen?

In fact, Elice never thought that Daphne was the mastermind behind all the rumors circulating. At first, she thought it was the work of a stalker obsessed with Garrett’s life as the new owner of Pacific Energy. But the reality was quite the opposite.

Elice should not be surprised. When she thought about it for a moment, it seemed that only Daphne had the power to do all that, especially when she realized how quickly the gossip surfaced. The night she met Garrett again, Elice was sure he had left before midnight. It was already late, right? Then how could the gossip about them appear the next morning? Just within a few hours?

Oh, Elice knew how the news channels worked and how they could be enjoyed by everyone. And the gossip appeared not only online, but also in the print media. It was as if everything had been prepared as well as possible. It just needed the right time to be presented to the public. Especially with the photos of her and Garrett at the hotel adding to the excitement. Didn’t it take a long time to find the surveillance footage? Especially footage from six months ago?

Only Daphne and her influence could do that.

Elice knew that she was currently in an unfavorable position. Anticipating what Daphne might do in the future, she realized that she couldn’t take any risks.

Maybe that’s why Elice finally took her cell phone out of her work bag. She thought for a moment. Then she sent a message to Garrett.

Garret:

Can you come to my place tonight?

When the message was read, Elice took a long breath with closed eyes. She couldn’t back out.

*

“Sir?”

Amber’s voice was full of surprise. For while she was busy explaining the company’s proposal, the middle-aged woman suddenly realized that Garrett was no longer standing next to her.

Amber stopped her steps. She looked around several times. Then she turned and found Garrett standing a few feet behind her.

Oh God.

It turned out that Amber had been walking alone down the office corridor while talking to herself. Something she really hadn’t expected.

Amber took a deep breath before changing direction. She walked over to Garrett, who was standing in his seat, looking stunned, with a phone in his hand.

“Sir? What’s wrong?”

Amber’s voice brought Garrett back to consciousness. His face lifted from the message he had just read.

“Cancel the meeting with Mr. Hugo. Reschedule. I have an urgent matter.”

Amber’s eyes widened. “Cancel an appointment within an hour, sir?” she asked convincingly. “Uh… we are currently scheduled to meet with him, sir.”

Garrett nodded and slipped the phone into his jacket pocket.

“I know. But this is urgent.”

“More urgent than this million dolar proposal, sir?”

Garrett’s jaw tightened.

“Very well, sir,” Amber said then. “I will reschedule the meeting with Mr. Hugo.”

“Good. And tell Dariel to wait outside immediately. I’ll drive myself tonight.”

Amber, who had already taken out her phone to contact Hugo, was stunned. But her expression meant nothing to Garrett, who left immediately. Leaving Amber alone.

Shaking her head, Amber immediately contacted Dariel.

“Hello, sir. We’re not going out tonight. But Mr. Garrett asked you to wait outside. Mr. Garrett will be driving himself tonight.”

Done with the car matters, Amber immediately contacted Hugo as per Garrett’s instructions.

“I apologize in advance, sir. But there is an extremely urgent matter. The meeting must be canceled. I will provide a new schedule soon. Thank you for your understanding.”

Amber’s long exhale flowed like that. She put the phone in her pocket. With a puzzled expression, she guessed.

“Urgent?” Amber asked herself. “It seems there is nothing more urgent for him now than Miss Elice.”

Because that’s the reality. When Garrett received the incoming message from Elice, he did not think twice. Of course, Garrett answered the question he was given. And now he did not waste any more time. He immediately drove to her apartment.

Arriving about forty minutes later, Garrett was lucky not to be stuck in traffic for too long. At exactly half past eight in the evening, he was at Elice’s apartment door. He rang the bell and found that the door opened shortly.

Elice was waiting for him. That was clear.

“Come in.”

Garrett entered and immediately sat down on the sofa. He gave Elice time to close the door before asking him.

“Would you like something to drink? Coffee or tea?”

Garrett’s gaze lifted. His eyes narrowed slightly as he observed Elice’s appearance that night-a state he had never seen before. She was wearing a casual sleeveless shirt with a loose cut and knee-length shorts made of soft cotton.

“Just tea, I think,” Garrett suggested.

Elice nodded. “Just a moment.”

Until now, Garrett had often met Elice in formal attire. Now, for the first time, he saw her in a different outfit-one that seemed comfortable to her. Unconsciously, Garrett found himself looking at Elice often.

“Is there something wrong with the way I look?” Elice’s question made Garrett blink. He shook his head and then reached for the cup of tea that had already been served in front of him.

“Not wrong,” Garrett said afterwards. He savored his first sip before continuing, “It’s just the first time I’ve seen you look so relaxed.”

Elice nodded, remembering vividly that what Garrett had said was indeed true.

“So…” Garrett’s voice resounded, drawing Elice’s attention back to the bronze-skinned man. “… why did you want us to meet tonight?”

Elice’s chest tightened momentarily. She needed oxygen to fill her lungs, to strengthen the determination she had gathered throughout the day.

“It’s about our conversation yesterday, Garrett.”

The teacup returned to its original position. Garrett adjusted his sitting position slightly to get a better view of Elice.

“Have you made your decision?”

Elice nodded. In her heart, she hoped that Garrett wouldn’t suspect the slightest thing about what she was doing this time.

“What?”

Garrett felt his heart pound uncomfortably. Full of hopeful anticipation, various possibilities crossed his mind. But he didn’t want to get his hopes up too high. They could be dashed. Maybe Elice had only invited him out of courtesy. That…

“I think we can try to get to know each other first.”

Time seemed to stand still in Garrett’s world. It took him a few seconds to process Elice’s words, especially with the fact that she seemed to be looking down.

“What do you mean?”

Elice’s face lifted, watching Garrett with a look he couldn’t interpret.

“I can’t promise if this will work, Garrett. But…”

Maybe there would be a time when the word ‘but’ would have a positive meaning. Like this time.

“… I think we can try.”

A bright smile immediately spread across Garrett’s face. Unable to contain it, a smile also appeared on Elice’s face. Her breath caught in her chest.

“I’m not promising anything, Garrett.”

“That’s okay,” Garrett said. “We’ll both see how this turns out.”

For Elice, it would look suspicious if she accepted Garrett’s proposal right away. To try to get closer to him first was the most sensible thing for her to do, even if it still raised some doubts in her mind.

Why did she suddenly change her mind?

Elice waited for this moment, expecting Garrett to express his uncertainty. But it didn’t happen. Instead, the opposite happened.

“We will get to know each other slowly. And I hope that in the end you will realize that the decision you made tonight is the right one”.

Not only Garrett hoped so. Elice did too. Because she really did not want to take any risks. She could not risk what Daphne might do in the future. If Daphne could make a mess of her life now, it would not be hard for her to make trouble for Elice’s family. The woman would not take such a chance. There was her mother who Elice would not involve in all that chaos.

“I hope so too.”

*Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

“Mr. Garrett is meeting Miss Elice, madam.”

Through the phone line, Daphne received the message. News that made her smile, but not too much, as a thought crossed her mind.

“He came on his own initiative or…?”

“Because of Miss Elice.”

Only now did a perfect smile spread across Daphne’s face. She leaned back in the chair she was sitting in and let it rock a little. It gave her a comforting sway.

“Mr. Garrett was to meet with Mr. Hugo this evening. To discuss the proposal for the new factory. But he canceled and went straight to Miss Elice’s unit.”

Daphne nodded in agreement. She seemed pleased with the news.

“Thank you. I’ll wait for the next update.”

“Very well, madam.”

The call ended. Daphne placed the phone on the table and returned to her comfortable position. She leaned back and let the swing continue to lull her.

Daphne closed her eyes. With a smile still on her face, she decided to rest there for a while. Before finally ending up in bed for the relief she currently felt.

*