The Billionaire I Used for Revenge

Under His Protection

The drive to my apartment felt longer than usual. I kept thinking about the wooden box. I had not opened it in years. My father had given it to me on my seventeenth birthday and told me it was important. At the time I had thought it was just another strange thing he did. Now I wasn't so sure. Zack sat beside me in silence. I looked at him. "Do you really think the box contains the list?" "I don't know." "You sound like you do." "I know your father well enough to know he wouldn't hide something without a reason." I looked out the window. "Why didn't he tell me?" "Maybe he was trying to protect you." "That didn't work." Zack looked at me. "No. It didn't." His answer was quiet. The car turned onto my street. I immediately noticed something was wrong. A car was parked across from my building. The same car I had seen earlier that morning. I sat up. "Stop." The driver slowed down. Zack followed my gaze. "Do you know that car?" "I think so." His expression changed. "Stay inside." He opened the door. "Where are you going?" "To check something." "Zack." He looked back at me. "Lock the doors." He walked toward the building. I watched him disappear through the entrance. A minute passed. Then two. My phone buzzed. Unknown number. I opened the message. You should have stayed away. My hands went cold. Another message appeared. Give us the box and this ends. I quickly locked my phone. They knew. They knew about the box. The car door opened and Zack got back inside. "Someone has been in your apartment." My heart dropped. "How do you know?" "The lock was damaged." I stared at him. "Is the box still there?" "I don't know." He looked at me. "You're not going inside." "I have to." "No." "It's my home." "And someone is waiting for you to walk through that door." I shook my head. "I need to get the box." Zack leaned closer. "Ariel, listen to me." His voice was firm. "You are not going back inside." I stared at him. "What am I supposed to do?" "Come with me." "Where?" "My house." I hesitated. "I can't stay with you." "You can." "I don't trust you." His expression softened slightly. "You don't have to trust me." He paused. "Just trust that I won't let anyone hurt you." Those words stayed with me. I finally nodded. The car pulled away from my building. I watched my apartment disappear behind us. For the first time since my parents died, I had nowhere that felt like home. Zack's house was enormous. It was also completely silent. A security team waited outside when we arrived. Zack spoke to them quietly before turning toward me. "You'll stay here tonight." "Tonight?" "Until I know who is behind this." I looked at the house. "Where will I sleep?" "Guest room." I nodded. He started walking away. "Zack." He stopped. "Thank you." He looked at me. "Don't thank me yet." Then he walked inside. I followed. Later that night I stood by the window in the guest room. The city lights stretched across the distance. I should have been thinking about the box. Instead I was thinking about Zack. The way he had protected me. The way he had looked at me when I told him I didn't trust him. I heard a knock. "Come in." The door opened. Zack stood there. "You should sleep." "I can't." "Why?" "Too many questions." He leaned against the door. "Ask one." I looked at him. "Why are you protecting me?" He was quiet. Then he answered. "Because I know what it's like to lose someone." I studied his face. "You lost someone?" "My father." "Is that why you hate him?" His eyes darkened. "I don't hate my father." "Then what?" "I hate what he left behind." I didn't know what to say. He pushed away from the door. "Try to sleep." He turned to leave. "Zack." He looked back. "Did you ever care about my parents?" His expression changed. "Yes." The answer surprised me. "I respected your father." "Even though he told me to stay away from your family?" "Especially because he did." I frowned. "What does that mean?" Zack looked at me for a long moment. "It means your father knew something about my family that I didn't." Then he left. I closed the door. But sleep still didn't come. Near two in the morning I heard a noise downstairs. I quietly opened the door. The hallway was dark. I walked toward the stairs. Then I heard Zack's voice. "Who sent you?" I froze. A man's voice answered. "You already know." I moved closer. Then Zack said something that made my blood run cold. "Tell him Ariel is under my protection now." There was silence. Then the man laughed. "That's exactly what he was afraid of." I stepped back. My heart was racing. Someone was afraid of Zack protecting me. And suddenly I realized that staying close to Zack might be the most dangerous thing I had ever done. But it might also be the only thing keeping me alive.