FULL NOVELXO Chapter Chpater 77
Chapter 77
~MILLIE~
My entire world froze when he advanced in my direction. My knees buckled on his next step, and my heart sank in my stomach on his third.
had no luxury to ponder whether this was real or not, that maybe he was just some random guy wearing a black hoodie at the same place at the same time as me.
‘If he really knew me, how could he possibly know that I’d be here? I didn’t even know I wanted to be here until this morning.’
Through the waves of the crowd, someone taller than a hoodie guy blocked his view of me. It was the break I needed, waking me up from my reverie. Whether this was real or not, whatever his intentions were, I will not stand here and be a damsel in distress.
In those split seconds, I spun on my heels and walked briskly with my head hung low. I had no direction of where I was headed, but when I looked over my shoulder, the guy in the black hoodie was already trailing behind. He’s still wearing that menacing smile.
I fought off the chills that were melting my knees into marshmallows.
‘What was it with guys in black hoodies and me? Am I a magnet of dangerous hoodie guys or something?’
Squeezing myself between pedestrians, I tried to blend in, stooping as low as possible. For the first time in my life, I’m cursing my height. If I was a foot shorter, I’d have an easier time making myself disappear in this sea of people.
Legs working overtime, I crashed into a solid wall of muscles. Warm hands gripped my arms, holding me hostage. I screamed, pushing off the person holding me, slamming my fist on his chest as I yelled, “Get off me! Get off!”
Like oil dropped into the water, people moved away from us, distancing themselves from the girl throwing fists like mad while losing her mind.
“Hey… hey, Millicent, it’s me,” Damian’s voice cut through the fear that wrapped itself around me in a tight blanket.
gazed up at him, my balled hands resting against his chest.
Chapter 77
I licked my parched lips, swallowing hard as I opened my mouth to explain my side of the story, but no sound came out.
“What’s wrong?” Damian frowned, inspecting my face for answers.
Pinching my eyes shut, I shook my head and gulped down again, grateful that I found my voice again. “Uhm… there was,” I gestured towards my back; my hands were shaking. Hell, my entire body was trembling.
I looked over my shoulder. Like he was only a figment of my imagination, the hoodie guy was nowhere in sight. I combed my fingers through my hair, stepping away from Damian as I craned my neck and searched for any sign of the mysterious guy that scared the sh i t out of me.
‘Where the f c k is he? Did I only imagine him? What the hell is going on?’
“Millicent?” Damian’s voice was low and steady.
I blew out a breath and faced him. “I swear someone was following me. There was this guy; he was wearing a black hoodie. I saw him across the street when I got out of Aaron’s car. Then I ran inside the cafe, and when I crossed the street, he was standing there. He smiled, and I swear to G o d, he knew me. I panicked. I ran, then I bumped into you-”
“Baby,” Damian gripped my shoulder, bending a little to catch my jaded eyes. “Look at me, breathe.” He inhaled and exhaled. I followed his lead, feeling the knots in my belly loosened, and the weight on my shoulder eased. “You’re okay. You’re safe now.”
Nodding, I giggled nervously. “I was probably imagining things… My G o d.” I swiped a hand over my forehead, touching beads of cold sweat on my skin, and parked my free hand on my hips. “Right? That’s right. I’m imagining things. I must be tired from the flight, or must be because of lack of sleep.”
Who was I kidding? A two-hour flight wasn’t that exhausting, and I slept like a baby last night.
Damian threw an arm over my shoulder, tucking me by his side. “Danny, check the CCTV footage around the building. See if you can find this guy in the hood.”
I didn’t even realize Danny was standing beside Damian.
“Hey, Danny,” I smiled and acknowledged him.
Chapter 77
He tried and failed to hide the worry on his face with a gentle smile. “Hey, Millie.” Then he turned to Damian, his jaw set on a hard line. “Should I call in Riggs to escort you?”
Damian shook his head. I was probably imagining it, but they exchanged meaningful glances. Danny nodded and walked back inside Damian’s building.
Looking behind me, I calculated how far the building was from the pedestrian crossing. It’s only fifteen meters away. If the guy intended to hurt me, he could have caught up with me so quickly.
“Come on.” Damian stirred me towards the SUV that halted in front of us. He opened the backseat and placed a hand on top of my head as I climbed in. He followed suit and addressed the driver. “Beach house,” he said, then pressed a button on the side, the partition rolling up.
Once we had a little privacy, Damian cupped my face and forced me to meet his eyes. They were soft and gentle emeralds, worry making them shine under the low light coming from outside the car. “Are you hurt anywhere?”
I shook my head no. “Just a little shaken, but I’m fine,” I said. “Now that I’m with you, I’m okay.”
His smile was tight, his jaw clenched, as he murmured, “This was a pleasant surprise, and I appreciate it a lot, Millicent, but please don’t put yourself at risk for my sake.”
I frowned. His voice might be calm, but a lingering sharpness accompanied his statement.
As if he was mad.
“Not that kind of risk, Millicent,” he sighed, correcting himself. “Look at you; you’re as pale as snow. This city isn’t good for you.”
Pursing my lip, I detached from his hold and stared at the window, watching the city in question go on with its busy nightlife while I gathered myself together. Maybe my friends and Damian were right. Even Mom and Dad didn’t want me to go back to this place.
Damian reached for my hand, lacing our fingers together. He kissed my knuckles, then blew out a harsh breath. “If I had a choice, I’d move Black Enterprise elsewhere. After everything that happened, this was the last place I’d rather be, Millicent. It was filled with memories I’d like to erase from my mind.”
His pain and sorrow softened my resolve.
Chapter 77
I wasn’t the only one who took the heavy punches in the past two months. Damian was also a victim of Rome, Natalie, and Aidan’s schemes, and he got sucked into the middle of this fiasco because of me.
“But this is our home, Damian,” I said. “One way or another, we’d have to go back here and face our demons. We grew up here. It’s a part of our lives, and turning my back on this city for good is a big decision I am not ready to face yet. There are many memories I’d rather forget, too,” turning to face him, I smiled at him sadly, squeezing his hands. “But there are also the ones I’d treasure forever. Like the memories I had with you.”