13 Text and Bullets

Rapid tapping on the keyboard echoed through the hallway as Ley rush through some documents for an important deal they're working on. She had been working on it throughout the whole day as it was urgent.

She threw a glance at the window for a second and was startled that it was already dark outside. She was stretching her neck and arms when she heard a beep coming from her phone.

She checked it and saw that it was a message from her dad. She stared at her phone like it was a bomb. Should she just ignore it? Ugh. Better not or he might find him at her doorstep instead.

She opened the message and saw his impatient text.

'What's taking you so long to come here?'

Uh-oh. He's running out of patience. Better play dead for as long as I can do it. No chance in hell that she's going to marry.

She bit her lip while hesitating on deleting the message when a tapping sound on her table drew her attention away.

She looked from the tapping finger to its owner and saw Landon leaning on the countertop with his other hand propping up his neck.

What's he up to now?

"Do you need something?" she asked hesitantly. After last night happened, she decided to be more careful around him though he hasn't done anything since then so maybe she's just exaggerating.

"Let's go home. I'll drop you off," he said with finality like it's a done deal already and he doesn't need her opinion.

It irked her that he just decides everything without even asking her if that's what she wants

"I don't think it's needed since I can perfectly go home by myself."

"They've seen your face and accidentally got involved the last time too, so it's better to be safe."

"I doubt they'll bother with a mere secretary like me," she rebuffed him.

"You don't get a chance to say no now, not when I asked you to stop working or just do it remotely before. I allowed your way before but now the threats escalated. This time we're following mine," he calmly said then walked away back to his office leaving Ley fuming in anger.

"And one more thing, I don't play around when it comes to your safety," he uttered after turning around halfway with his eyes burning with unclear emotion.

This time he walked all the way to his office leaving her stunned. When Ley recovered, she was still angry over being coddled. Of course, he couldn't be blamed since he thought she's human but she's still annoyed.

The pen she was unconsciously holding since earlier snapped into two with how tight she was gripping it. She dumped it into her third drawer full of broken pens.

She gathered her things and went ahead of Landon to the parking lot, muttering all the way about demanding jerks.

***

The car ride was unbearably quiet with Ley still stewing over the earlier episode and Landon just acting like he didn't do anything wrong. Even Sebastian must be finding it awkward, since she kept catching his frequent glances at them through the mirror though he wisely stayed silent.

She glanced at Landon and steeled herself to speak her mind when the car suddenly swerved in his direction.

She found herself thrown against him as she didn't bother wearing seatbelt earlier. She felt Landon's arms supporting her back so she immediately found her bearings and returned to her seat.

"What happened?" Landon directed a question to Sebastian while looking at Ley with a silent question in his eyes.

She nodded tersely to indicate that she's alright while he was in close proximity so he can grab the seat belt to strap her on.

"I had to avoid a bump on the side of the car and we have two cars chasing us too," Sebastian answered from the front.

Not long after he finished speaking, bullets rained down on the car making the already tense situation escalate even more.

The two didn't even flinch since the car was bulletproof and she was just preparing to take action in case she needs to. Landon glanced at her and saw her fake panicked expression while holding on for dear life in the seat. He reached out his hand and placed it on her shoulder in reassurance.

"I called for backup already. They're on their way to intercept and I can lose them once that happen," Sebastian updated them.

After a few tense minutes, the bullets ceased. It looks like they've been intercepted already.

"Are you alright?" Landon inquired.

She nodded without a word acting like she was too shaken up to speak.

Landon withdrew his hand and stared ahead while frowning.

Ley lost her chance to speak to Landon and just glanced at the window. She looked closer and realized that they're not taking the route to her apartment.