Chapter 108: Casted Away
Henry Jackson glanced at her, his voice steady and protective. "Breathe, Eliana. In and out, like I showed you last night. You’re not alone in this. I’ll be right there. And remember, you’re fighting for love—real love. That’s worth the fear."
They arrived at the company, the parking lot buzzing with early commuters. Henry parked and turned to her, his warm eyes locking onto hers in a pep talk that felt like a lifeline. "Okay, listen. You’ve got this. Walk in there with that hopeful smile of yours. Tell him everything—the fear, the running, the regret. Don’t let him shut you down. And if things get rough, I’m waiting in the lobby. You’re strong, Eliana. Go show him."
She nodded, drawing on her emotional resilience, and they entered the grand lobby together. Marble floors gleamed under crystal chandeliers, the air humming with corporate energy. The receptionist, a poised woman in a tailored uniform, looked up and recognized Eliana instantly. Her eyes widened with a flicker of surprise and warmth. "Miss Bennett? You’re back. Mr. Vexley brought you here himself a few days ago—you two looked so... together. Is he expecting you?"
Eliana’s cheeks flushed, her voice soft but steady. "Not exactly, but it’s urgent. May I go up?"
The receptionist hesitated only a moment, then nodded. "Of course. Elevator to the top floor. Good luck." She glanced at Henry. "Sir, if you’d like to wait here?"
Henry squeezed Eliana’s hand. "I’ll be right here. Go get him."
The elevator ride felt eternal, the ascent mirroring the rise of her anxiety. When the doors opened to the executive floor, Eliana stepped out, her modest heels clicking on the polished tile. Rafael’s office loomed ahead, a fortress of glass and steel. She pushed the door open unannounced, her heart in her throat.
Inside the office, Rafael sat behind his sprawling glass desk, a fortress of contracts and reports stacked high around him. The morning light poured in from the floor-to-ceiling windows, but it did little to soften the hard lines of his face. His athletic frame was caged in a perfectly tailored designer suit, the crisp fabric pulling slightly against his shoulders as he leaned forward, pen scratching across another contract.
Yet for all the appearance of control, his body betrayed him. The tension in the set of his jaw. The faint shake in his hand when he signed his name. His dark wavy hair—usually immaculate—was rumpled, as though he’d fought with sleep all night and lost. He had risen before dawn, rolling his wheelchair into the building with the same cold precision that made investors revere him, but inside, he had been unraveling.
Heartbreak had shadowed him into the office. Eliana’s disappearance, her reappearance with another man by her side had carved a hollow through his chest, a betrayal he couldn’t stop replaying. So he buried himself in the empire he had built: tech negotiations that stretched across continents, billion-dollar real estate acquisitions, breakthroughs in pharmaceuticals meant to save lives. If he drowned in the ceaseless grind, perhaps he could quiet the echo of her laughter, the memory of her lips, the sting of her absence. Work, at least, didn’t lie. Work didn’t leave.
And then—
A flicker of movement echoed in the vast office.
He looked up, and the world tilted.
There she was. Eliana. Standing in the doorway like a phantom pulled out of his most fragile dream. Her figure framed by the sleek lines of his office, her presence at once achingly familiar and unbearably foreign. His chest clenched, a raw instinct flaring beneath the practiced steel of his composure. For a split second, every wall he’d built, every ounce of control, splintered.
Her being there was a jolt, an earthquake that cracked the polished mask he wore for the world. His pen stilled mid-signature. His breath caught, sharp and uneven. Rafael Vexley—the man who could stare down CEOs, dismantle empires, and dictate the pulse of markets—sat motionless, undone by the sight of the woman who had left him bleeding in silence.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Rafael’s voice thundered, his piercing steel eyes flashing with raw fury. He rose to his feet, towering at 6’3", his chiseled jaw clenched. "How did you get in?"
"Rafael, please," Eliana began, her voice quivering but resolute, stepping forward. "I just need a minute. To explain—"
"No!" He slammed a fist on the desk, the sound echoing like a gunshot. Without letting her speak further, he sat back on his wheelchair and grabbed the intercom. "James! Get in here now!"
James hurried in, his stoic face paling at the scene. "Sir? What’s—"
"How did she get in?" Rafael demanded, his sarcastic edge cutting like a blade. "You were supposed to keep intruders out!"
James straightened, his voice calm. "I wasn’t at my desk when she arrived, sir. I stepped away briefly—"
"Save it!" Rafael snarled, turning to Eliana. "You think you can just waltz back in? After disappearing? After everything?" He picked up the phone. "Security. My office. Now. Remove this woman."
Eliana’s eyes widened in terror, her lips parting in shock. This wasn’t the Rafael she’d known—the one whose cold facade had cracked for her, revealing vulnerability. Now, he was a stranger, ruthless and unyielding. "Rafael, wait! You have to listen. Those three days—I was scared, overwhelmed by my mother, the baby—Rafael please listen! I love you. Please!"
He ignored her, his emotional detachment a shield. "Don’t test my patience, Eliana. This ends now. If I see you again, it will be worse. Far worse."
James tried to intervene, his loyalty warring with concern. "Sir, perhaps hear her out? She looks—"
"Shut up, James!" Rafael roared. "And fire those receptionists downstairs. All of them. For letting her this far."
The guards burst in, two burly men in uniforms, grabbing Eliana’s arms with rough efficiency. "Ma’am, you need to leave."
"No! Let me go!" she cried, struggling as they bundled her toward the door, her handbag slipping to the floor. Fear gripped her—this couldn’t be happening. The man she’d loved, now orchestrating her humiliation.
Down in the lobby, Henry leaped to his feet as the elevator doors opened, revealing the chaotic scene. "Hey! Get your hands off her!" he shouted, running after them as they dragged her toward the exit. "Eliana! Let her go, you idiots—she’s pregnant!"
The guards ignored him, roughly shoving her out onto the sidewalk, where she stumbled, catching herself against a parked car. Henry caught up, pulling her into a protective embrace as she sobbed, the city traffic roaring indifferently around them. The storm had broken, but the chains binding her heart felt tighter than ever.