Under My Protection
1058 Words
Elena barely remembered falling asleep at Florista the previous night.
Everything after waking up inside Adrian’s hidden room felt blurry.
The humiliation.
The fear.
Adrian carrying her.
The terrifying coldness in his eyes after hearing what happened.
Even now, lying on the small couch inside Mrs. Waynes’ office area, Elena still felt emotionally exhausted.
Mrs. Silvy Waynes quietly placed a warm cup of tea in front of her.
“Drink.”
Elena accepted it softly.
“Thank you.”
Mrs. Waynes sat beside her carefully.
For several moments, neither of them spoke.
Then finally—
“That man was worried about you.”
Elena’s fingers tightened slightly around the teacup.
“Mr. Stormfield?”
Mrs. Waynes nodded slowly.
“I’ve met many powerful people before through customers,” she said quietly. “But yesterday…”
She paused briefly.
“That wasn’t normal concern.”
Elena looked down immediately.
Nothing about Adrian’s behavior yesterday felt normal.
Not the way he carried her.
Not the way the entire office became terrified.
Not the way his voice sounded after hearing what happened.
It still unsettled her deeply.
“I think he was just angry because it happened inside his company,” Elena answered softly.
Mrs. Waynes looked unconvinced.
But she didn’t push further.
Instead, she gently touched Elena’s hair.
“You need rest, sweetheart.”
And for once—
Elena didn’t argue.
---
Meanwhile, inside Stormfield Corporations—
The atmosphere had become terrifying.
Nobody spoke loudly anymore.
Nobody lingered near the executive floor unnecessarily.
And absolutely nobody mentioned Elena Hart carelessly again.
Inside his office, Adrian Stormfield stood near the glass windows overlooking the city.
Untouched coffee sat beside him.
Three meeting reports remained unread on his desk.
Which was unusual.
Very unusual.
Ethan noticed immediately.
“You’ve reviewed the same document for fifteen minutes.”
Adrian’s expression remained cold.
“And?”
Ethan carefully closed his tablet.
“She affected you.”
Silence.
Dangerous silence.
Adrian slowly looked toward him.
“Be careful what you imply.”
Ethan remained calm.
“With respect, sir, I’m not implying anything.”
Another long silence followed.
Then Adrian spoke quietly.
“They cornered her.”
The memory alone darkened his expression instantly.
“She was unconscious.”
Ethan watched him carefully.
Interesting.
Because Adrian Stormfield almost never repeated emotionally significant details aloud.
Yet today—
He clearly couldn’t stop replaying the situation internally.
“She looked terrified,” Adrian continued coldly.
And somehow that sentence revealed more emotion than shouting ever could.
Ethan finally understood the truth completely.
This was no longer curiosity.
Adrian Stormfield had become emotionally attached.
And that was dangerous for everyone involved.
---
The next morning, Elena returned to Stormfield Corporations quietly.
The moment she stepped onto the executive floor—
Silence spread immediately.
Employees looked up instantly.
Then quickly lowered their eyes again.
Nobody whispered.
Nobody stared openly.
Fear had replaced gossip completely.
Elena immediately felt the difference.
And honestly…
It made her uncomfortable.
She quietly walked toward her desk.
A few moments later, Ethan approached her calmly.
“Mr. Stormfield wants to see you.”
Of course he did.
Elena’s heartbeat immediately became nervous again.
Slowly, she entered Adrian’s office.
He sat behind his desk reviewing documents calmly.
Completely composed.
As if yesterday never happened.
Yet somehow—
The atmosphere between them had changed permanently.
“You’re late.”
Elena blinked softly.
“I’m actually early.”
Adrian looked up briefly.
Then unexpectedly—
“You argued back.”
For a brief second, Elena almost smiled.
Almost.
“I learned from the best.”
Something unreadable crossed Adrian’s eyes immediately.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
He gestured toward the chair in front of him.
“Sit.”
Elena obeyed quietly.
Adrian studied her silently for several moments.
No visible injuries.
But her eyes still looked tired.
Emotionally exhausted.
That irritated him more than it should have.
Finally, he spoke.
“Your schedule has been cleared for today.”
Elena looked surprised.
“What?”
“You’ll stay inside the executive office area only.”
“Sir, I can still work.”
“I know.”
The calm certainty in his voice immediately silenced her.
Adrian placed another document aside before continuing.
“You’re still shaken.”
Elena lowered her eyes slightly.
Because again—
He noticed too much.
“You didn’t have to do all that for me yesterday,” she said quietly.
The room fell silent instantly.
Adrian’s gray eyes remained fixed on her calmly.
“Yes,” he replied evenly. “I did.”
Her heartbeat suddenly felt unstable again.
Because he said it without hesitation.
Without embarrassment.
As if protecting her had become obvious to him.
Dangerously obvious.
Elena looked away first.
The tension inside the office became almost unbearable.
Then Adrian spoke again.
“You won’t use the executive washroom alone anymore.”
Elena blinked.
“…What?”
“It’s already been reassigned for private access.”
“You changed an entire executive policy because of me?”
“Yes.”
The immediate answer stunned her completely.
Adrian leaned back slightly in his chair.
“You’re under my protection now, Miss Hart.”
The words landed heavily between them.
Not romantic.
Not gentle.
Possessive.
Absolute.
And somehow—
That frightened Elena more than it comforted her.
---
The rest of the day passed quietly.
Adrian remained colder than usual toward everyone else on the executive floor while Elena stayed mostly inside his office organizing documents beside him.
Nobody disturbed them unnecessarily anymore.
Nobody dared.
By evening, Elena finally began packing her things quietly.
“I’ll head to Florista now.”
“No.”
The immediate response startled her.
Elena slowly looked up.
Adrian didn’t even lift his eyes from the documents in front of him.
“You’re not going there tonight.”
Confusion crossed Elena’s face instantly.
“Mr. Stormfield—”
“You need rest.”
“I already missed yesterday.”
“You’re missing today too.”
The calm authority in his tone immediately irritated her slightly.
And for the first time—
Elena pushed back.
“You can’t control every part of my life.”
Finally, Adrian looked up.
Those cold gray eyes locked onto hers completely.
The room suddenly felt smaller.
More dangerous.
Then quietly—
“No,” Adrian said calmly.
“But I can control who hurts you.”
- Writer
