"Oh no…"
They tried to drag the wardrobe door open, but it wouldn't budge.
Axel was holding it shut from inside.
"Seems they locked themselves in," another guy said.
He pointed his knife and jabbed it through the crack in the door.
The blade's edge stopped right near my nipple. My heart thudded so loud I thought it would explode.
Axel moved fast he pulled me onto his bare body, lying down with his knees bent since he was too tall for the small space. He placed me on his waist, letting me lie against his chest, one arm around me while the other gripped the door knob tightly.
His heartbeat stayed calm completely normal while mine went wild.
The knife jabbed again, but he shifted his body, turning me toward the edge of the wardrobe, shielding me.
"Ah, they're not here," one of them said.
"Wrong room," another added, and they all rushed out, heading straight for the private room instead.
They burst into my dad's office, grabbed a few documents, and left.
Axel finally released the knob.
We were both drenched in sweat, like we'd just stepped out of an oven. His chest glistened, drops running down slowly. I was in a thin singlet, no bra my body reacting uncontrollably.
He gently lifted me off him and set me down.
"Were you expecting this? Is that why you offered to stay with me tonight?" I asked.
He didn't reply.
"This isn't the time for you to ignore me."
Still quiet those dull eyes holding no emotion as usual.
"At the hospital," he finally said, "they were already following you."
*****
Hospital POV:
When Calliah went to look for her parents and Axel was buying her drugs, he noticed someone following them from the parking lot even inside the hospital.
One of the men came closer to him.
"I want to visit my niece, private ward 5," the guy said.
Axel stared straight into his eyes. He was about to tell Calliah for them to leave, but when he turned, she was already gone and so was the man.
The same guy dressed in black followed her to her father's private ward, then to the general ward where she met her parents. He was about to cover her mouth when Axel appeared, standing between them.
That was why Axel hid her from her mom because the man was right there.
He told her to wait in the car so he could confirm his suspicions, and he was right. They were going to the house too.
********
Back to me.
I looked at him again, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
This man had saved me twice in one day.
My life was in danger but he kept saving me.
"You can't come back here anymore," he said. "Your ex wants you gone before he executes his plan."
"I'd prefer you call him Zane," I said.
He nodded slightly.
"Thank you," I whispered with a small smile and walked to the room.
We slept in the same room that night.
I faced the other side of the bed, while he lay straight one leg raised, the other bent, his arm behind his head.
Meanwhile, Axel couldn't sleep. His eyes stayed open.
After a while, he got up and went to my dad's private room, quietly checking the documents and observing everything.
******
Next Morning:
Bright light hit my eyes. I checked my phone 11 a.m.
"Oh, shoot, I overslept."
Axel wasn't on the bed.
Then my phone buzzed a message from him:
"Meet me. Our next plan is about to begin."
Finally!.I stood up, full of energy and relief. I walked to my dad's dressing room everything was clean. No signs of knives or struggle.
Axel must have fixed everything.
I went to Axel's house.
He was sitting in his parlor, sipping coffee, facing the window.
"So, what's our plan?" I asked, dropping my bag on the chair and walking toward him.
"See this," he said.
On the screen, my dad's company was being shown Zane had taken over. Cameras surrounded him; reporters flooded the scene.
****
At the Hospital:
"Isn't that Calliah's husband?" Mom asked, scrolling through her phone.
"And that's Xena her maid," Dad added.
They both watched in disbelief.
Zane stood with a lawyer beside him.
Reporter: "Is this company yours now?"
Reporter 2: "Wasn't it supposed to belong to the heir?"
Reporter 3: "Why didn't you attend your wedding?"
Reporter 4: "Who is she?"
Questions came nonstop.
"Aren't you going to answer us, Mr. Zane?"
Flashes hit his face, microphones in front of him.
Zane smiled coldly.
"I'm Zane Raines formerly engaged to Calliah Aaric. The day before our wedding, I caught my fiancée cheating on me."
"What?!" I shouted. "I never cheated on you, you pimp!"
"Shh," Axel said, keeping me calm.
Zane continued smoothly, "I couldn't bear the pain. She begged me not to tell anyone and promised to hand over her father's company to me. I didn't want to ruin the wedding, so I stayed quiet."
"Wow, he's such a liar," I scoffed.
Reporter: "Who's the woman beside you?"
Zane: "She's Xena my sister."
"Sister?!" I screamed. "No way! That's a lie!"
He was fooling the media to make himself look innocent.
Reporter: "Who's the new guy, then?"
Reporter 2: "So you're saying she cheated, and it's all her fault?"
Reporter 3: "Shouldn't she still get part of the shares?"
Zane ignored them all and walked into the company.
Then, the lawyer played a voice note:
"I'm sorry, Zane. Please forgive me by taking my dad's company. Don't tell my family. We can just pretend. I never intended to cheat… I just felt horny and lonely, and you never agreed to touched me, so I told someone else to do it."
The VN stopped.
"She's a liar a ho and a whore," someone shouted.
"She never deserved anything."
"Calliah would never do such a thing," Dad said, but Mom stayed silent.
"They forged my voice!" I yelled. "My voice isn't even that high-pitched! God, what a liar. We should get him a Grammy, right? His 'sister'? Next, he'll announce he's marrying her!"
I laughed but it wasn't real.
"Don't pretend," Axel said coldly.
"The plan is this…" he began