What If?

Chapter 13 - Nightmare

The elevator chimed open on the ground floor. Launa immediately took long strides, half-running through the grand main lobby of the Ellsworth Group. Her breath was already catching in short gasps as her eyes darted to the watch on her wrist.

Buzz!

Just as Launa had feared. The phone in her hand vibrated, flashing a new message notification from her little sister, Laura. Even though Laura was only seven years old, Launa had raised her strictly to always send a text message when school let out. Thanks to that discipline, at her current age, Laura was already reading and typing very smoothly.

"Where are you, Launa?"

Reading that short text sent a fresh jolt of panic through Launa’s chest. She was forced to abruptly stop near the lobby stairs, by a massive pillar, so she wouldn't block the way for others. Her thumb quickly pressed the microphone icon to send a voice note.

"I'm on my way right now. Wait for me at the usual spot, okay? Don't go anywhere!"

Bam!!

Just as Launa was about to lower her phone and slip it back into her bag, a hard, sudden impact from behind slammed straight into her shoulder. The violent jolt knocked the phone clean out of her hand.

Smash! Her beloved phone went flying, hitting the marble floor of the lobby with a loud crash.

Launa gasped in shock, her heart leaping into her throat. However, the anger rising in her chest instantly froze in her tracks the moment she spun around and realized exactly who had just bumped into her.

It was Glenn Ellsworth.

His handsome face was incredibly serious and cold, his eyes staring straight ahead with a gaze so sharp it practically pierced through Launa for a split second, giving her goosebumps.

Instinctive fear completely hijacked her common sense. Without a second thought, Launa bowed deeply.

"I-I'm so sorry, sir! I—"

Launa expected Glenn to at least pause for a moment to acknowledge her apology or look even slightly guilty. But she couldn't have been more wrong. The guy ignored her completely. Glenn strode right past her, his long, hurried steps taking him straight toward the lobby exit, heading directly for a luxury car already waiting at the drop-off zone.

Watching her boss vanish like a hurricane, Launa let out a panicked sigh. She instantly spun around, looking toward her phone lying miserably on the floor. Just as she was about to kneel down to pick it up, a hand wrapped in a sharp blue suit sleeve beat her to it, scooping up the device.

Launa looked up. Standing in front of her was a guy wearing glasses, his expression painted with sheer guilt.

"I’m so sorry. Here’s your phone," the guy said, handing it back politely with both hands. "We’re in a massive rush right now, so he probably didn't even see where he was going."

Launa took her phone back while giving a stiff, polite bow. "It's fine, sir. Honestly, it was my fault for abruptly stopping right in the middle of the walkway like this," Launa replied, feeling self-conscious. From his demeanor and positioning, Launa could instantly tell that the guy in front of her was the personal assistant to that arrogant young master, none other than Jerry himself.

"But... the screen is pretty cracked," Jerry said, pointing to the surface of Launa’s phone, which was now webbed with several severe fractures from the impact.

"It’s really no problem, sir. Seriously. It’s just the tempered glass that’s cracked. The actual screen is fine," Launa declined gently. She genuinely did not have the time to make a fuss about this right now. her mind was completely occupied with thoughts of Laura waiting for her at the bus stop.

However, Jerry shook his head firmly. As an assistant tasked with maintaining a good reputation, he felt responsible for his boss's reckless behavior. "I can't just let it slide. This was entirely our fault. So, what is your name? And which division are you from? That way, once we're done with our business outside, I can look you up to handle the compensation for your phone repair."

"Oh, no, that's really not necessary, sir, honestly—"

"I insists. Please, just tell me your name—"

"JERRY! HURRY THE HELL UP!"

Jerry’s sentence was cut dead by a sharp blare of a car horn, followed by Glenn’s shout from inside the car through the rolled-down window. Inside, Glenn's face was twisted into a sour scowl, pressuring his assistant to get in because they were completely out of time.

Hearing that deathly command, Jerry let out a helpless sigh. He turned back to Launa, giving her a polite nod as an urgent sign of departure. Understanding the situation, Launa quickly nodded back. "Yes, sir, please go ahead."

Jerry immediately spun around and dashed toward the luxury car. The moment the door slammed shut, the car sped off, tearing through the streets at high speed.

Meanwhile, Launa stood frozen on the lobby stairs for a couple of seconds, staring at her cracked phone screen as she let out a long sigh. "Patience, Launa... patience. Right now, just focus on picking up Laura!" she whispered, psyching herself up.

Launa gripped her damaged phone, but right before she could take another step, a sudden visual flash crossed her mind. A flicker of confusion appeared in the girl's almond-shaped eyes.

Back there... when Glenn bumped into her and strode off to the car, she had caught a glimpse of what he was wearing. Glenn was no longer wearing the thick, gray oversized wool coat he had on in the archives room earlier. Instead, he was now sporting a cropped leather jacket that looked incredibly stylish, expensive, and accentuated his broad, well-proportioned frame.

Launa blinked in bewilderment by the edge of the stairs. As far as she could recall, when Glenn took that phone call and walked out of the room, he definitely hadn't been wearing that leather jacket yet.

Is this guy coming to the office or walking a runway? Launa thought, utterly speechless. Just how many outfits does he bring to this building in a single day? It’s barely half a workday, and his wardrobe changes are already outdoing a top model. Genuinely unbelievable.

However, Launa quickly shook the random thought out of her head. Even if Glenn brought his entire wardrobe to the office, it was none of her business.

Launa tightened her grip on her bag strap. The exact second her feet hit the pavement outside the lobby, she bolted, running as fast as her legs could carry her down the baking sidewalk to get to Laura.

*****

Slam!

Jerry slammed the car door, his breath coming in short gasps, only to be instantly greeted by a cynical, searching glare from Glenn, who was already revving up behind the wheel.

"You took forever. What the hell were you doing?" Glenn snapped, shooting his assistant an impatient look.

Jerry shot Glenn a sour look right back, completely annoyed. "Well, you're the one going around bumping into people!" Jerry snapped back.

Thank God he had the next-level initiative to cover for Glenn's borderline demonic behavior. Jerry couldn't help but think that if Glenn were a top-tier celebrity, he’d probably be a super stressed-out manager running around putting out fires and issuing public apologies every single hour. Just imagine, it was barely half a workday, and the entire office had already been stressed to death by his antics.

Glenn furrowed his brow, looking thoughtful for a moment as he backed the car out of the drop-off zone.

"When did I bump into someone? I didn't feel a thing," Glenn replied deadpan, as if the person he had just plowed into was nothing more than a stray pebble on the road.

"I swear, it’s not that girl who’s a ghost—it’s you. That’s why you didn’t feel a thing when you ran her over," Jerry grumbled, completely fed up.

Glenn let out a scoff, the left corner of his mouth curving into a smug, mocking smirk. "Well, it’s her own fault for standing in the middle of the walkway like a statue. We're in a rush, Jer. Like I have time to look at trivial things like that."

"Her phone is ruined. The screen cracked because of you," Jerry fired back, hitting him with the facts.

Glenn fell silent for a brief second, his eyes flicking over to Jerry through the rearview mirror before refocusing on the steering wheel. "Oh, come on, it's just a phone," Glenn said dismissively, his tone completely nonchalant about the money. "Just wire her some cash later. Tell her to buy the most expensive phone out there so she shuts up. Just ask for her name, check her employee ID card, and you're good, right? Don't make a big deal out of it."

Jerry scoffed immediately, staring at Glenn in utter disbelief. Was his boss really this clueless about what he had just done? "Are you kidding me? I was just about to ask for her name when you started screaming out the window like an orangutan. I didn't even get a chance to ask!"

The exact moment the luxury car sped out of the Ellsworth Group gates, the car's interior was suddenly filled with the piercing blare of a warning sensor. Glenn clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Put your seatbelt on, Jer. This car is losing its mind."

Jerry rolled his eyes lazily, pulling the seatbelt across and clicking it into place with a sharp jerk.

"But you remember her face, right?" Glenn asked out of nowhere, breaking the silence over the roaring engine.

Jerry went quiet for a moment, his eyes staring straight at the road ahead as he tried to replay the memory from the lobby. The image of Launa’s panicked yet incredibly sweet face suddenly replayed vividly in his mind.

"Yeah, I remember. But..." Jerry trailed off.

"What?"

"No, seriously," Jerry began, his tone suddenly shifting to one that was remarkably grave and heavy.

"Spit it out, what is it?! Speak properly before you make me crash the car!" Glenn snapped, his irritation flaring as his curiosity started messing with his driving focus.

"This is the first time... I've ever seen a girl that beautiful," Jerry confessed honestly, his eyes drifting off slightly.

Glenn scoffed dismissively, letting out a deeply cynical, mocking laugh. "Oh, give me a break. You're so weak! You get fooled by a pretty face way too easily. I thought it was actually something important."

"Pretty girls are cheap, Jer. They’re a dime a dozen. You just need to get out more, which is why the second you see someone slightly attractive, you turn into a total amateur," Glenn added, throwing a brutal, incredibly jerkish insult.

Jerry stared at Glenn with a flat, deadpan expression.

Get out more? That comment completely ignored reality. After all, Jerry had been following Glenn everywhere like a shadow—even to the sketchiest places and nightclubs just to drag his boss back home.

"I'm serious," Jerry pressed once more, refusing to back down. "This is different. She is way prettier than those club girls you usually pick up."

Glenn raised an eyebrow, flashing a casual, annoying smirk. "And? You hooked and want to pick her up too? Go ahead and take her, if you can handle it."

"Ugh, no way! She looks like a good girl. Totally innocent," Jerry defended quickly.

"Please, nobody is actually innocent these days. That’s probably just her outer shell, Jer. Don't judge a book by its cover. Have you seen how twisted she might be on the inside? For all you know, she could be wilder than anyone," Glenn replied, arching his brow with a super smug, dirty look.

"Get your mind out of the gutter!" Jerry snapped back, tossing a crumpled tissue at Glenn, who easily dodged it while laughing triumphantly.

"Alright, that’s enough. Just handle the damages later and take the money from my account. You're giving me a headache with this puppy love of yours," Glenn concluded, shutting down the argument like an absolute boss.

Jerry just scoffed. Yes, he knew every single passcode and financial access of Glenn’s without exception. Glenn placed absolute trust in him for matters of life and death. As for whether Jerry would ever disappoint him one day, Glenn was the type of person who chose to cross that bridge when he got to it. To Glenn, once he trusted someone, that person held the keys.

"Yeah, yeah," Jerry replied, giving in. He was so sick of it; in the end, cleaning up Glenn’s messes always fell right back onto his shoulders anyway.

Leaning his back against the car seat, Jerry turned to his side. "Seriously, where are we even going? Traffic is a nightmare." Honestly, this time Jerry was completely in the dark, having no clue where Glenn was taking him after that mysterious phone call earlier.

Glenn didn't answer right away. He simply flashed a cold, enigmatic smile, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel as he stepped on the gas.

"Just tag along and stop asking so many questions. You'll find out soon enough."

*****