~LAYLA~
The door clicked shut behind my father, but his last words remained with me. You have no idea who he really is.
I was still standing there when Helena appeared again, lingering just outside the doorway, and looking pale. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. O'Brien," she blurted, clutching her tablet against her chest like it was a shield. "I tried to stop him. I really tried to…"
Axel's gaze snapped to her. "It was your responsibility to call security before he made it this far. That is part of your job."
Helena's voice faltered. "I—I know. But he told me he's her father and I didn't think he—"
"That's my point, Helena. You didn't think," Axel cut in sharply. "And that lapse could've put my wife in danger. I don't keep people who can't do their jobs."
Her shoulders sagged, and I could see the panic in her eyes.
"Axel…" I started, but he was already dismissing her with a curt nod toward the door.
She left, her head bowed, and I couldn't shake the twist in my gut. Whatever she'd done wrong, I didn't want her to lose her job because of my family's problems.
With Helena gone, I expected him to lecture me about boundaries or security protocols. Instead, he walked to the cabinet in the corner, opened a drawer, and pulled out a white box.
I blinked. "Is that a first aid kit?"
"Sit," he said, already opening it.
I frowned. "That's not necessary. I'm not hurt."
He took my hand gently but firmly, turning my palm upward. "Look again."
I followed his gaze, and my breath caught.
The skin around my wrist was reddened, and faint bruises were already forming where my father's fingers had dug in. Tiny crescent-shaped breaks dotted my skin where his nails had been. I didn't even realise.
Axel didn't say anything as he cleaned the area with a cool antiseptic wipe. The sting made me flinch, but I stayed quiet. Next, he gently applied the ointment as if I was fragile.
"If it swells, request an ice pack," he said in a lower voice.
I nodded, not trusting my voice because my skin felt too aware of his hands.
When he was done, he set the ointment down but didn't move away. Instead, he looked at me. Like really look at me.
"How are you feeling?"He sighed, running his palm down his face. "I should've been there sooner. It's my job to protect you. Your family shouldn't be able to touch you again."
"It's fine…"
"It's not fine," he cut in. "I'm assigning you a personal security detail, and Helena's position will be reviewed."
I sat up straighter. "Wait, no. Don't fire her.
She's good at her job. She just…"
"... failed at it today," he finished for me. "I don't work with failures or keep them around."
"Axel, please," I said, holding his gaze. "This was my father, not some stranger trying to break in. She was just caught off guard. Please, don't make her pay for my problem."
His jaw worked for a moment before he finally exhaled. "You're too soft."
"Or maybe I just don't fire people over one mistake," I said with a frown.
There was another pause before he finally replied. "Fine, she stays. But you're still getting a security detail."
I let out a small sigh of relief. "Not much choice there, so yeah. Deal."
He stood, closing the first aid kit and tucking it away again. At the door, he hesitated. "Do you want to have lunch with me later?" he asked in a casual tone, but his eyes were anything but.
I blinked, surprised. "Sure."
"Good."
He left, and the rest of the morning passed in a blur of file-reading and getting lost in project summaries.
By the time Helena popped in to remind me it was almost two, I realised I'd immersed myself in work.
I met Axel downstairs, and together we walked to a stylish little restaurant just five minutes from the company.
Inside, the lighting was low, and the conversation was soft. It was the kind of place where deals were made over wine instead of contracts.
We slid into a booth, and I noticed his eyes flick down to my wrist more than once.
"I'm fine," I said, offering a small smile.
His gaze lifted to mine, but the tension in his jaw stayed.
"He lashed out because he felt threatened," I added. "That's all this is."
Axel didn't respond right away. "You think that excuses it?"
"I'm not excusing it. I'm saying he's not abusive, at least not physically."
His eyes sharpened. "You're not in the best position to judge that. You've been living under his influence for so many years, you don't even know what normal is."
I leaned back, looking at him with a challenge. "You say that like you know him."
When he didn't answer, the thought hit me like ice water. "Wait… have you ever interacted with my father outside of business?"
There was still no response, just the smallest shift in his posture.
My father's low, bitter voice echoed in my head, his last words haunting me: You have no idea who he really is.
"You do know him," I realized slowly. "How? And come to think of it, you never actually said why you're helping me. What do you stand to gain? And don't give me that marriage excuse, because you, Axel, can marry any woman you want in the twinkle of an eye."
For the first time since I'd met him, Axel faltered. His gaze slipped away from mine, and he wouldn't look at me.
"Axel?" I called just as the waiter arrived with our meals, breaking the tension, but Axel's appetite seemed to vanish.
"Enjoy your lunch," he said, signalling for the bill before touching his food.
I frowned. "You're leaving?"
"I have work to do. Take your time and return to the office."
And just like that, he was gone.
I sat there, staring at the barely touched food between us. Part of me wanted to follow him back and demand answers.
But another part, the smarter part, knew better than to chase a man who'd just shut his emotions.
So I stayed.
But now, more than ever, I was certain of one thing.
I needed to find out what Axel O'Brien was hiding from me before I ended up as just another pawn in someone else's game.