The Billionaire Who Rejected Me

Episode 5

The Billionaire Who Rejected Me

Chapter 5 — Blood Under the Door

For several seconds, neither Adrian nor I moved.

The thin line of blood continued spreading beneath the office door.

My heart was pounding so hard that I could hear it.

“Adrian…”

“Stay here.”

He moved toward the door.

I grabbed his arm.

“No.”

He looked at me.

“You just told me someone threatened me. Now you want to walk toward a door with blood underneath it?”

A faint smile appeared on his face.

“Still stubborn.”

“I learned from the best.”

His smile disappeared.

He carefully opened the door.

The hallway was dark.

“Stay behind me.”

We stepped outside.

A few emergency lights flickered above us.

The blood trail continued along the floor.

I followed it with my eyes.

It disappeared around the corner.

Adrian took out his phone and turned on the flashlight.

We walked slowly.

Then we saw him.

A security guard was lying on the floor.

Blood covered his shirt.

I covered my mouth.

“Oh my God.”

Adrian immediately knelt beside him.

“James!”

The guard groaned.

Adrian checked his pulse.

“He's alive.”

I breathed again.

“What happened?”

Before James could answer, he grabbed Adrian's sleeve.

“Sir…”

His voice was weak.

“Someone… came looking for her.”

Adrian looked at me.

“Who?”

James tried to speak.

But his eyes closed.

“James!”

Adrian stood.

“We need an ambulance.”

I pulled out my phone.

But there was no signal.

“There's no network.”

Adrian looked at his phone.

“Mine too.”

Then we heard footsteps.

Slow footsteps.

Coming from the end of the hallway.

Adrian immediately stepped in front of me.

“Who's there?”

No answer.

The footsteps stopped.

Then a voice came from the darkness.

“You should have listened.”

I froze.

Adrian's entire body became tense.

“Show yourself.”

A figure stepped into the emergency light.

I couldn't see the person's face.

They were wearing a black hood.

Then they raised something in their hand.

A knife.

I screamed.

Adrian grabbed my hand.

“Run!”

We ran.

The figure chased us.

My heels slipped against the polished floor.

“Adrian!”

“Keep going!”

We reached the elevator.

Adrian pressed the button repeatedly.

Nothing.

“Come on!”

The footsteps were getting closer.

Adrian pulled me toward the emergency staircase.

We rushed down the stairs.

One floor.

Two.

Three.

Suddenly, I heard a loud crash above us.

The attacker had reached the staircase.

“Faster!”

I ran until my legs hurt.

Then my foot slipped.

I fell.

“Elena!”

Adrian caught me before I hit the floor.

For one second, we were pressed against each other.

His arms were around my waist.

My hands rested against his chest.

Our eyes met.

Everything went silent.

His face was inches from mine.

Three years disappeared.

The hurt.

The anger.

The memories.

All of it.

Then I heard footsteps above us.

Adrian pulled away.

“We have to go.”

We reached the parking garage.

Adrian unlocked a black car.

“Get inside.”

I climbed into the passenger seat.

He started the engine.

The car sped out of the building.

For several minutes, neither of us spoke.

Then I noticed something.

“Adrian.”

“What?”

“Your hand.”

Blood was running down his fingers.

“You're hurt.”

“It's nothing.”

“You're bleeding!”

He glanced at his hand.

“When we ran down the stairs, the attacker cut me.”

I grabbed a tissue from the dashboard and pressed it against his wound.

“Hold this.”

He looked at me.

“You're still taking care of me.”

I immediately pulled my hand away.

“I would do it for anyone.”

His eyes remained on me.

“No.”

“What?”

“You wouldn't.”

I looked out the window.

“Don't start.”

He sighed.

After a moment, he said:

“I lied to you that night.”

I turned toward him.

“What?”

“When I said I didn't love you.”

My heart stopped.

He kept his eyes on the road.

“I loved you.”

Silence.

“Then why?”

“Because I received the threat.”

“The one in the photograph?”

“Yes.”

“What did it say?”

He swallowed.

“If I didn't end things with you, you would die.”

I stared at him.

“Why didn't you tell me?”

“Because I knew you.”

“What does that mean?”

“You would have stayed.”

He looked at me briefly.

“And I couldn't risk that.”

My eyes filled with tears.

“You could have trusted me.”

“I couldn't.”

“Why?”

His voice became quiet.

“Because you were the only person I couldn't survive losing.”

I looked away quickly.

I didn't want him to see me cry.

Then his phone rang.

He answered.

“Hello?”

A man's voice spoke from the other side.

I couldn't hear everything.

But I saw Adrian's face change.

“What?”

He slowed the car.

“Say that again.”

A long pause.

Then Adrian whispered:

“That's impossible.”

He ended the call.

“What happened?” I asked.

He didn't answer.

“Adrian?”

He looked at me.

“Sophia wasn't killed three years ago.”

I stared at him.

“What?”

He tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

“She disappeared.”

I felt a chill run through my body.

“Then why did everyone say she was dead?”

Adrian looked straight ahead.

“Because someone wanted us to believe she was.”

Then his phone received a message.

He looked at the screen.

His face went pale.

I leaned closer.

There was a photograph.

A woman standing outside a hospital.

Underneath it was one sentence:

“Tell Elena the truth before Sophia tells her herself.”

My heart stopped.

Sophia was alive.