Close Call
“I’ll take the deal.” he said, sounding grudgingly impressed. “But only if you make one more concession.”
“What is it?” Alexander asked, his voice wary.
“I want you to sign over full control of your company to me.” Jaime said. “I want to be in charge of it, with no interference from you.”
Marissa felt her heart sink. That was too much to ask, wasn’t it? There was no way Alexander would agree to that. But to her surprise, she heard him speak.
“I accept.” he said, his voice steady. “If it means Marissa is safe, I’ll do it.”
Marissa felt tears well up in her eyes. She didn’t know whether to feel happy or sad. She was glad that Alexander was protecting her, but she hated the thought of him giving up his company. It was his life’s work, and he’d put so much into it. Was it really worth it to save her?
Then she realized something. Alexander loved her enough to make that sacrifice. He was willing to give up everything he’d worked for to keep her safe. And that was the most amazing thing she’d ever heard. She felt a rush of love for him, more powerful than anything she’d ever felt before.
“I love you.” she said, the words slipping out before she could stop them.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.
There was a moment of silence, and then Alexander spoke. “I love you too.” he said, and the words sounded like the most precious thing in the world.
Marissa felt as if her heart was going to burst. She’d never been so happy in her life.
“You’ll really sign over your company?” she asked, still not quite believing it was true.
“I will.” Alexander said. “But there’s one thing I need from you in return.”
“What is it?” Marissa asked, a little nervous now. What else could he possibly ask for?
“I want you to be my wife.” Alexander said, his voice soft but full of conviction. “I want you to be my real wife, not just a contract wife. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
Marissa couldn’t help but smile. She didn’t need to think about it. She already knew her answer.
But, Jaime cut their little romantic discussion short.
“Enough! I need you to call your personal assistant and inform him to do all the paperwork to hand over the contract and the company to me.” Jaime said.
Just then Jaime felt something hit him from behind and when he turned he realized that Jessie had hit him with a hard object and Jaime was pissed as he touched his head that was bleeding.
“What the hell did you do that for?” Jaime demanded, his face twisted in rage. “You’ve just made the biggest mistake of your life.”
“I did what I had to do.” Jessie said, her voice quivering but firm. “You were never going to let Alex go, and I couldn’t let you take his company away from him. He’s worked too hard for it.”
Jaime stepped towards her, his eyes blazing. “You stupid girl.” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “You think you can stop me? You think you can stand in my way?”
Jessie took a deep breath, trying to keep her fear under control. She had to stand up to him, for Alex’s sake. She couldn’t let him win.
“I won’t let you win.” she said, her voice steady. “You may be stronger than me, but I’m not going to give up. I’ll fight you until the end.”
For a moment, Jaime just stared at her, as if he was trying to figure out whether she was serious or not. Then he started laughing, a low, mocking laugh that sent a chill down Jessie’s spine.
“You really think you can stop me?” he said, still laughing. “You’re nothing but a weak little girl, trying to play at being a hero. You’re not a hero, Jessie. You’re just a fool who’s going to get herself hurt. And for what? For a man who doesn’t even love you?”
Jessie felt the tears starting to well up in her eyes, but she wouldn’t let them fall. She wouldn’t let him see her cry. She had to stay strong, for Alex’s sake.
“You’re wrong.” she said, her voice steady despite the tears that threatened to spill over “I’m not doing this for Alex. I’m doing it for me. I won’t let you control my life or anyone else’s. You’re a bully and a coward, and I won’t let you win.”
Jaime’s face darkened, and for a moment Jessie thought he was going to hit her. But instead, he just shook his head.
“You’re more foolish than I thought.” he said, his voice full of contempt. “You’ll regret this, Jessie. You’ll regret ever crossing me.”
And with that, he rushed at Jessie, but Alexander rushed at him and punched him and they both started fighting. Jessie rushed over to Marissa and gave her the antidote to help her regain her strength back.
“We need to call the police.” she informed Jessie.
“Don’t worry, I’ve called the police, they should be here any minute.”
Marissa nodded, feeling a wave of relief wash over her. But that relief was short-lived, as she heard the sound of gunshots from the other room. Jessie and Marissa looked at each other, their eyes wide with fear. They didn’t dare move, frozen in place by the terror of what they might find if they went to see what had happened.
Finally, they heard footsteps coming towards them, and they both held their breath, not knowing what to expect. But it was the police, who had arrived to break up the fight.
The officers arrested Jaime and took him away, and Alex and Marissa were both taken to the hospital to be checked out. Jessie was relieved to see that Alex was okay, but she couldn’t help but feel shaken by the whole experience.
She had come so close to losing everything – her job, her freedom, and even her life.