Chapter 4
779 Words
Lexi’s POV
I had just eaten and taken a warm shower.
They’d moved me into another room, better than the first. Curtains, soft sheets, warm light. For a moment, it almost felt like home.
Except it wasn’t. I didn’t have a home. Nowhere to go.
I kept replaying the words I’d blurted hours ago, the ones I hadn’t meant to say aloud.
‘Take me with you.’
What kind of person begs a stranger for shelter? But the thought of being left alone again was worse.
A knock pulled me from my spiral. The door opened, and he stepped inside as if the room already belonged to him. Tall, composed, his dark suit fitted him perfectly. He carried presence the way others carried weapons.
In his hand was a small black box.
He crossed the room, set it on the table beside me. “This is for you,” he said.
My brows furrowed. “What is it?”
“Thought you might need a new phone, it’s already set up.” His voice was gentle, almost careful, as if he didn’t want the gesture to overwhelm me.
Before I could say anything, his attention shifted back to me. “I don’t believe I introduced myself properly earlier.” His voice was low, steady. “My name is Floyd Woods.”
He stopped a few feet from the bed, gaze steady but unreadable. “I trust you’re more comfortable here.”
“Yes,” I managed. My voice was thin. “Thank you… for everything.”
He nodded once, then took another step toward me.
“We leave tonight.”
My breath caught. Did this mean he actually accepted to take me with him?
Just like that?
Fear began to creep in, threading through the edges of my relief.
What had I gotten myself into?
“Leave?” I muttered, my throat tight.
“Yes,” he said simply. “To Monaco. I have an important meeting to attend.”
The silence that followed was thick, awkward. I didn’t know what to say.
I had asked him to take me with him, but I hadn’t thought he would agree. Not this soon. Maybe not at all.
Finally, I gave a small nod.
His eyes flickered, catching something in me, before his voice softened.
“There will be doctors on board, so you don’t have to worry.”
He paused, his gaze steady on mine. “Except you change your mind.”
I didn’t answer. My throat felt locked, the words trapped behind it. What if I’d just traded one disaster for another? What if leaving with him only led me somewhere worse?
The silence stretched, pressing down until I couldn’t bear it anymore.
“I’m Lexi.” I swallowed hard. “Lexi Sinclair.”
His eyes flickered at the name, but his face smoothed quickly.
“Lexi,” he repeated, letting the syllables linger before giving a small nod, as if committing it to memory.
“Rest while you can,” he said finally, his tone measured. “We leave at midnight.”
“What if…” My voice caught, thin and unsure. “What if I don’t want to?”
A small smile curved at his lips, quick and fleeting.
“Then you don’t have to. It’s your choice, remember?”
I hesitated, the thought circling like smoke. If I stayed, I had no idea what would become of me. But leaving for Monaco with a man I barely knew didn’t sound much safer.
He glanced toward the door, his hand brushing the handle before he looked back at me once more.
“Think it over. By midnight, I’ll need your answer.”
The door closed with a quiet click, leaving me alone with my racing thoughts.
For a long time, I just stared at the box he’d left on the table. My fingers itched before I finally reached for it, lifting the lid.
A brand-new phone lay inside. Sleek. Untouched.
A small smile tugged at my lips, it felt like a piece of normalcy handed back to me.
I powered it on. The screen lit up immediately, fully charged and already set up, just as he said.
Without thinking, I opened i********:. My heart pounded as I typed in my login, desperate to reach someone familiar. To reach Ava. At least I could tell her about the decision I was about to make.
I searched her name, and her profile appeared. The familiar handle glowed on the screen, and relief washed over me like air after drowning.
Until my eyes froze on the top post on her page.
What I saw drained the colour from my face.
- Writer
