Broken Memories, Intertwined Hearts

Chapter 168

The crowd outside the office building seemed to grow larger, and their excited and angry quarrels could be heard inside.. Ines stood outside the window and saw that there were only a few people making trouble, but now dozens of people had gathered, which was quite spectacular. Jaime was up high, megaphone in hand, apparently trying to explain something.

But his explanation was pointless, it only stirred up the investors even more.

"Looks like we're stuck in the office today. We can't go anywhere," Ines said.

"We can't work as usual in the office either, it is safe for us to stay inside. I heard it's worse at Huner Corporation, with more people causing a scene. We're lucky by comparison, things will settle once the cops arrive," Amelia said, trying to cheer up the disheartened Ines.

"Plus, our team never got involved in Huner Corporation's audit. Otherwise, all the qualifications we earned over the years could be revoked, and that'd be it for our auditing careers," Ines sighed and felt a little lucky. She joined the group Amelia at the time.

"Izzy, don't overthink it. They had choices, they probably got tempted by the benefits, and they deserve the consequences for their mistakes. They're accomplices in this mess, causing damage to investors nationwide," Amelia said, having little sympathy for those involved. She thought they had brought this upon themselves, choosing the path of greed over integrity.

Ines nodded, glancing at her dispirited colleagues outside. The economic situation wasn't improving, and the downfall of Huner Corporation and EM Enterprises would likely mean more people out of jobs.

Just then, someone knocked on Amelia's office door.

Looking up, Ines saw Aaron standing at the door. Amelia blinked and said, "Come in." Aaron nodded at Amelia, then turned to Ines. "Is Ethan not in A City?" he asked.

Ines, puzzled by his question, simply nodded. All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

Aaron frowned, "Don't rush when it's time to leave. I'll take you home. Given the volatile state of the investors, I don't feel comfortable with you going alone."

Ines didn't know what to say. Before she could respond, Aaron had already left. She let out a long sigh.

Amelia, seeing Ines's reaction, joked, "So you and Aaron had a falling out because he's into you. Izzy, you sure have a way with men. You've attracted both Ethan and Aaron, and even after your marriage, they can't let go. Aaron even came to make sure you get home safe."

Ines wasn't in the mood for Amelia's teasing. "Amelia, stop making fun of me. I don't know what to do."

She didn't want to hurt Aaron, but she didn't want to upset Ethan either. To make Ethan happy, she had to stay away from Aaron. It was a vicious cycle.

Seeing Ines's frustration, Amelia couldn't help but tease her a bit more, "You must've owed them something in your past life, and they've come to punish you."

"Amelia," Ines said, amused and exasperated. She hadn't expected Amelia to be such a joker.

Amelia, seeing Ines was about to lose her patience, stopped teasing. "It's not a big deal, just go with the flow. Love isn't always steadfast, everything will pass with time."

Ines paused, pondering Amelia's words. Aaron had been madly in love with Leila, but that had faded over time, and his attention had shifted to her. Maybe time would heal all wounds.

With that in mind, Ines felt less troubled. Perhaps she should just take things as they come.

By late afternoon, the crowd outside the office had dispersed. Jaime notified Amelia that they could go home for now, and they would be informed when to return to work.

As Ines was packing up, Aaron arrived. "Ready to go?"

Ines nodded, "Thanks for your help, Aaron."

Aaron didn't say anything.

Downstairs, the crowd had been dispersed, with only a few remaining police officers. Seeing no immediate danger, Aaron told Ines, "Izzy, wait here. I'll go get the car."

"Okay."

As they were talking, a man suddenly lunged at Ines without warning. She felt a sharp pain in her abdomen, and before she could react, Aaron pulled her into his arms. He yelled at the nearby officers, "Arrest that man, he has a knife!"

The two officers quickly snapped back to reality and pursued the attacker.

Looking down, Ines saw her abdomen was bleeding, quickly soaking her clothes. There was also a cut on Aaron's shoulder, tearing through his shirt.

Aaron was so shocked he could barely speak. "Izzy, are you okay?"

Ines slowly came to her senses. The area around her abdomen was numb at first, but now it was excruciating. She was sweating, her face turning pale. With great effort, she managed to utter, "It hurts."

"Damn it."

The sight of her blood triggered Aaron's panic. He cursed and swiftly picked her up, hailing a taxi.

When the taxi set off, Ines was already unconscious and was held in his arms unconsciously. With tears in his eyes, Aaron covered her wound with his hand, but the blood wouldn't stop. His heart was filled with fear like he'd never felt before. His voice shaking, he said, "Izzy, hang in there. I'm taking you to the hospital."

Then, unable to contain himself, he yelled at the driver, "Drive faster!"

The car was zooming towards the hospital, and Aaron was back on his phone again, ringing up the hospital to tell them to get their act together and be ready for an emergency. He also put in a call to the Meyer family.