The Billionaire Who Saved Me

“I might be home a little late today.”

That morning, as Elice was helping Garrett get ready as usual, her husband spoke up. Elice, who was adjusting Garrett’s tie, glanced over. Without stopping her gentle tug, she asked.

“Do you have a schedule?”

Garrett nodded. He lifted his head as Elice adjusted his tie. “There’s a dinner with some colleagues. I might be home around nine or ten tonight. You don’t need to wait up for me. Go to bed early tonight. Don’t get too tired.”

A smile spread over Elice’s face. She was touched by her husband’s small gesture of consideration.

“Alright.”

Elice made sure for the last time that Garrett’s appearance was neat. Her eyes scanned quickly as her hands reflexively smoothed Garrett’s chest. When nothing was missing, she breathed a sigh of relief. She felt satisfied.

“Thank you.”

Not forgetting to say the words, Garrett sealed the deal with perfection. With a kiss on Elice’s forehead.

It was clearly a perfect routine to start the days. Where a series of tasks would enliven the day, a few touches and gentle actions full of care were an incredibly powerful boost of energy. They brought a positive aura and a sense of excitement.

The couple left the house about half an hour later. After enjoying breakfast with Norah and Daphne, they both drove to their respective offices in separate cars.

Arriving at the office, Amber immediately greeted Garrett as usual. With a tablet in her hand, she reminded Garrett of some important appointments for the day.

“Dinner with Mr. Merten Harris at seven.”

For the last appointment, Garrett gave Amber only a brief nod. More than enough to indicate to the secretary that Garrett was not particularly excited about this particular event.

However, when Garrett and Merten finally sat down at the same table with various dishes on it, he was on his best professional behavior. He was friendly and polite. He showed not the slightest sign of fatigue from the day. He even talked with enthusiasm. A different scenario from what happened at the Morales residence.

The dinner that night seemed unusual. Because Garrett was not there. It was as if something was missing.

“Garrett might be home late tonight, Nana.”

Elice’s voice was heard. When she saw her mother-in-law looking at the chair Garrett usually sat in for the umpteenth time, Elice spoke up. Daphne and Norah looked at her immediately.

“There’s a dinner event he has to attend outside.”Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

As she finished her sentence, Elice noticed Daphne’s expression change. Even when the soft murmur was heard from her lips, the strange expression remained.

“Oh.”

Elice furrowed her brow, realizing that something was not quite right. While Norah nodded in understanding of Garrett’s demanding work schedule, Daphne seemed different. She seemed uncomfortable.

“Nana?”

Daphne, looking uncomfortable as she looked down at her plate, lifted her face to meet Elice’s gaze. The woman asked her.

“Is everything okay, Nana?”

With a sigh, Daphne nodded weakly. “It just feels strange to see this chair empty.”

Elice turned and looked at the chair next to her. Normally, Garrett would always be sitting there during meals.

“Tomorrow morning that chair won’t be empty, Nana.”

“I hope so.”

That statement caused an uneasy throb in Elice’s heart. Was it her misinterpretation or was there something behind Daphne’s hope? Something that kept her from sleeping that night.

Elice shifted again on the bed. Now that she thought about it, what Daphne had said seemed to be true. It felt unusual not to have Garrett around at that moment.

Maybe that was what Nana felt when she saw Garrett’s empty chair.

Elice’s hand caressed the pillow Garrett usually used. As well as the bed where Garrett always lay next to her. It seemed that Daphne’s words affected her more than she thought.

Elice got up, giving up trying to force herself to sleep if sleep still had not come. She had to do something to tire her body out. It was the only way she could sleep.

It was almost eleven at night. Elice grabbed her nightgown. She left the room and went to Garrett’s study. As far as Elice remembered, there was a cupboard there with several books on various subjects. Maybe reading would make her eyes tired.

The bookcase was right next to Garrett’s desk. Standing firmly against the wall, Elice opened the glass door. She pulled out an ordinary book. Looking at the title, it was clearly a book about the development of world civilizations. It seemed to be the right choice to induce drowsiness.

At first, Elice wanted to sit right on the couch. But as she turned around, she found something that caught her attention. Garrett’s desk drawer was not closed properly.

Elice paused for a moment. Instead of sitting down on the couch and starting to read, she placed the thick book on the table. She wanted to quickly close and lock the drawer, but her eyes fell on a folder inside. With a slight tilt, it revealed some documents inside.

Instead of closing the drawer, Elice did the opposite. She pulled out the drawer and took out the folder to straighten it. But what Elice saw inside the folder made her frown.

“This?”

Elice blinked once. Now, instead of straightening up the folder, Elice began to unfold each sheet of paper inside.

“Dirk Thomas? Uh… isn’t that the policeman who dealt with Garrett’s late father’s accident?”

Despite her doubts, Elice was inclined to trust her memory. She would not be wrong, since she had read through the year’s archives just a few days ago. Although in reality the draft article Elice had read ended up in the folder of articles deemed unfit for publication. In other words, the article never made it to the public.

“Dakota?”

Elice read another page. This time she found the name Dakota Spencer. Just like Dirk, Elice would not be wrong if she was the doctor who performed the autopsy on the late Harlan. This led Elice to believe that there was no professional connection between Garrett and Dirk or Dakota. Moreover, she doubted that Garrett even knew either of them.

The strangeness kept spinning around in Elice’s head, raising various questions. Until the confusion led to one question.

“Why would Garrett be looking into their biographies?”

*