PANG IN MY HEART

ARMAND'S POV

I had not spoken to Eli since he left the office looking worked up as Max and I discussed the security breach on our servers. It was close to midnight when I arrived home after having dinner with Max at the private club and we discussed how we were going to deal with my brother Mark and Bruno.

The housemaids were still awake, and I only raised my hand to indicate that they needed to go to bed while I got on the lift to take me up to my private wing. After a shower, I settled on the bed and decided to bite the bullet and call Eli. He answered the call on the fourth ring, and I spoke up "Hey."

"Chairman Armand, why are you calling me so late at night "His voice rasped, and I could have sworn he was crying.

"What is wrong? Where are you? Do you need me to come over? "I sat on the bed and asked.

. "I... I don't know what to do. Everything feels so overwhelming. I can't breathe, can't think straight." He whispered and I heard the sniff that came through the phone.

"Just breathe for me," I encouraged him as I stood up from the bed, paced up and down the bedroom, and added "In and out, slowly. We will get through this together."

"Chairman Armand, I feel so lost. I was happy when I joined Arman Inc but right now, I feel like I made a mistake." He added and he bit back a sob.

"I'm here. "Even if you can't see me, I'm right here with you. Talk to me. Tell me what's going on." I encouraged myself as I closed my eyes and fisted my hands in rage.

"Everything's been so chaotic," His voice trembled. "My life is a rollercoaster, I never managed to get a break. And worst of all today, I got framed. How could a normal person bear all this?"

He was right. No sane person could bear all that he had been going through. I thought bringing him to Armand Inc., would help him escape some of the brutality that his father took him through. But today's actions proved me wrong as it was my people who framed him.

"Eli, you're not alone in this," It's okay to feel overwhelmed. It's okay to not have all the answers. But remember that you're stronger than you think, and I believe in you." I assured him.

He was silent for a moment as I heard him breathe heavily over the phone and then finally, he whispered. "Thank you"

"Do you need me to come over?" I hurriedly asked him.

"No. It will only make it worse if Pa sees you." He confessed.

"I will come up with a plan to get you out of Gregory Mark's mansion. I promise you" Those were the last words before I disconnected the call and threw the phone on the bed in frustration. I walked to the cabinet next to the dressing mirror, took out a cigar, lit it moved to the balcony window, slid the doors open, and stepped into the night. I puffed out the smoke realizing that the moment he spoke, I had felt the pain in his voice, and a knot clamped around my heart. I felt a sharp, twisting ache, an almost physical response to Eli's suffering as my chest tightened, my breath caught, and an unsettling wave of helplessness washed over me.

It was as though I could feel Eli's anguish in my bones, each throb of his pain resonating through me with an excruciating clarity. I wanted to reach out, to pull him close and absorb his hurt into myself, but instead, there was an unbearable distance between us. I stood on the balcony for hours even after I extinguished the Cigar, as I planned and plotted on how to get Eli away from Gregory Marks.

I moved out of the balcony, slid the doors, walked to the bed, picked up the phone, and called Max who connected the call after the first ring.

"Chairman Armand," He spoke up.

"How do I get Eli Marks to move out of Gregory Mark's Mansion?"

There was a silence on the other end of the phone before Max responded "We can offer him a package as part of his salary and give him an apartment near the office. "

"That is a good idea. Have the package extended to Grace and Bruno" I spoke up.

"Yes, Chairman Armand. "

"Add one more apartment in your name and ensure it's an executive one in the same building. "I instructed Max.

"Noted, "He responded without question, but I knew that he guessed the Executive apartment would be mine as I wanted to be close to Eli."

"Thank you, Max. Goodnight," I disconnected the call.

Lying in bed, I tossed and turned, but sleep remained just out of reach. Each time I closed my eyes, the pain in my chest flared up, an insistent, gnawing ache that refused to let me rest. It's like a heavy weight pressing down on me, making it impossible to find any comfort in the darkness. My mind churned with thoughts of Eli, his pain intertwining with mine in a way that was both agonizing and relentless. My eyes were glued to the Ceiling counting the seconds, hoping for the blessed relief of unconsciousness. But sleep, like a cruel tease, evaded me, leaving me trapped in a cycle of sleepless nights and aching heart.

I slid out of bed, walked to the cabinet, and picked up the bottle of whiskey, the cold, hard glass offering a temporary escape from the relentless ache gnawing at my insides. I uncapped the bottle, walked back to the bed, and sat down to drink. Each swig burned down my throat, a fiery reprieve from the chill of despair that settled deep within me. After an hour, the room blurred around the edges, and I leaned back on the headboard. The room tilted and swayed, I lay back as the world started spinning around I chunked down the liquor that remained in the bottle and dumped it on the floor beside the bed as sleep finally engulfed my eyes.