The Billionaire Who Saved Me

When consciousness returned, Elice opened her eyes and blinked a few times. She tried to adjust her retinas to the surroundings-bright and slightly blinding from the light that managed to get in through the ventilation.

Elice remembered vaguely. It was one of the things she liked about the unit Garrett had prepared for her. The layout and equipment of the room allowed the light of life to enter, providing illumination that could disturb her peaceful sleep.

Just like what Elice had experienced this morning. Although, in reality, it wasn’t just the sunlight that was the sole reason for her awakening. Instead, there was also a faint touch that had been greeting her hair ever since. Something that had become a trigger.

Elice turned and looked back to find Garrett staring at her with a pair of clear eyes. A clear sign that he had been awake longer than she had.

“Good morning.”

Garrett’s deep voice greeted Elice’s ears, making her brow furrow for a moment. Perhaps he was trying to gather fragments of last night’s memories. She took a breath.

“Good morning to you too,” Elice replied with a hoarse voice. “Have you been up long?”

As she asked the question, Elice squirmed and tried to change her position, only to realize that she was currently lying with Garrett’s arm serving as a makeshift pillow.

Oh, God. Since when?

Elice was sure she wasn’t going to ask that. But she decided to get up and moved to rest her head on the actual pillow.

“About an hour ago,” Garrett replied.

Elice’s eyes widened. “Has it been that long?” she asked incredulously.

Faintly, a mischievous smile appeared on Garrett’s face. With his hands now free from his duties, he supported his head and looked at Elice meaningfully.

“I woke up and decided not to go anywhere until you woke up. Um… because I was afraid someone might run away again this morning.”

Elice’s face felt hot. A blush she couldn’t stop spread over both of her cheeks.

“I-I don’t think I’m going anywhere, considering I live here.”

Garrett laughed. “You’re right.”

Elice decided that she had to get out of this embarrassing situation. Still, she refused to let the memory intimidate her morning. She quickly brainstormed and found a way out.

“Do you want breakfast?”

Garrett’s laughter stopped abruptly with this powerful question. Humanly speaking, no one would turn down an offer of breakfast in the morning. Including Garrett.

“Of course. I won’t refuse.”

Elice nodded and rose from her bed, holding the blanket to her chest. “Great then. I’ll go to the kitchen and see what breakfast we can enjoy this morning.”

Saying that, in reality Elice did not get up right away. She was confused. Garrett’s presence in the bed and the state of her body-how could she get out of this situation?

Garrett, of course, understood. So, he got out of bed as well, tousling his black hair for a moment.

“Mind if I use your bathroom?”

Elice turned, looked at the man and shook her head. “Not at all.”

For Elice, everything in there belonged to Garrett. Instead of her.

“Thank you.”

Garrett got up from the bed, causing Elice to stare and quickly look away as the man’s modest appearance hit her retinas. She really wasn’t used to it.

Holding her breath, Elice waited a moment with her hearing senses alert. She listened carefully to Garrett’s footsteps. Finally, the sound of the door gave her an instant relief.

Elice sprang into action when she was sure that Garrett was no longer there. She quickly dressed and decided to leave the room. She washed her face in the outside bathroom, trying to calm herself as much as possible. And preparing breakfast was the most effective way to do that.

About twenty minutes later, Elice and Garrett were sitting together. At the same dining table with a plate of fried rice in front of each of them. Enjoying breakfast in a slightly awkward atmosphere.

Sitting in front of Elice, Garrett’s appearance this morning was the messiest she had ever seen. Wearing yesterday’s clothes, no tie, and a suit jacket, Garrett had his shirt buttoned carelessly. The top three buttons were intentionally left undone.

“Do you have plans today?” Garrett broke the silence. He raised his face and looked at Elice, who immediately stared back at him.

Elice interrupted her breakfast for a moment and seemed to think for a while. Then she nodded.

“I think I’ll go home for a while. I haven’t seen Mom since last week.”

Because of Ariel’s actions, Elice had indeed decided not to go home last weekend. The situation at that time didn’t allow it.

“I’ll come with you.”

Elice was sure that her decision to interrupt her meal was the right one. She seemed to be shocked by Garrett’s words.

“W-what?”

Garrett swept the remaining fried rice on his plate with a full spoon. Every grain disappeared into his mouth and he chewed it with remarkable efficiency.

“I’ll go with you to your parents’ house,” Garrett repeated. “I don’t think I’ve ever met your parents, have I?”

It seemed he hadn’t. But that wasn’t the point. Just as Elice was about to argue about it, Garrett had already gotten out of his seat and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. Calling someone.

Elice couldn’t say anything when Garrett finally left the room holding the phone to his ear. But before he did, he didn’t forget to say.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

“The fried rice was delicious. Thank you.”

Like Elice, who still needed compliments for her cooking that morning. Because now there was only one thing on her mind. That Garrett wanted to meet her parents. Garrett wanted to meet Wilda.

Elice had no more appetite for breakfast. So she didn’t finish the fried rice.

Meanwhile, Garrett decided to contact Amber. The secretary who had to be willing to work a little on this Sunday morning. To prepare his clothes from afar.

*

This wasn’t the first time Elice had brought a man home to meet her family. She had done it before with Ariel. But that didn’t mean that Elice was experienced. In fact, she was still nervous.

What will mom think?

That was what kept turning in Elice’s head. Until it made sense to see that the tension had managed to make her beautiful face stiff. Something that, of course, did not go unnoticed by Garrett.

Garrett’s car pulled up in front of Elice’s house. He unbuckled his seat belt and turned to Elice, who did the same. They waited a moment before getting out of the car.

Perhaps most restaurant owners had experienced that Sundays, which were usually days off, became busy days for them. Sometimes there were many events on that day, which made the rest time less valuable compared to the piles of bills.

Wilda and Rita had to temporarily delegate the remaining work to their four employees. As soon as Elice said that someone wanted to meet her, they rushed to the living room. They found a man, six feet tall, with a large build and dressed in an expensive suit, standing up from his seat.

Garrett introduced himself and shook hands with Wilda and Rita in turn. He sat back and noticed that Elice had not yet joined them.

“Elice’s friend?”

Wilda paused at this question and felt the hesitation in her voice. For some reason, her feelings said the opposite. Moreover, she suddenly felt a whisper in her mind. Saying that the man in front of her was not really someone she didn’t know.

Garrett rubbed his hands together. He took a deep breath. He nodded uncertainly as his answer.

Truthfully, Garrett had prepared himself. But he really had not expected that the preparation would be completely useless. And when he noticed that Elice had joined them, bringing four cups of tea, he felt that the situation became even more difficult.

“First of all, I apologize for coming today.”

Wilda didn’t understand. Neither did Rita. Even Elice frowned.

“I apologize for the unfortunate events of the past few days that have made your daughter a topic of conversation.”

Now Wilda understood why she had felt uneasy since she had met Garrett. Surely it was because the man in front of her was the same man in the article with Elice back then. Wilda took a deep breath. She had to calm herself.

Meanwhile, Elice was naturally shocked when she heard Garrett’s words. She hadn’t expected Garrett’s visit to be about apologizing.

“I-it’s… you?” Wilda asked later, her voice shaking. She looked at her daughter for a moment, trying to find an answer. And she found it. Elice, frozen, made her look back at Garrett.

Garrett nodded. His expression was unreadable.

Wilda quickly took Rita’s hand beside her. Her younger sister returned the squeeze. Obviously, her sister was deeply shaken by reality. As they slowly tried to forget it, the tangible form of that chaos appeared before them.

“S-so is there a reason for your visit here?” Wilda asked as she swallowed her saliva. “D-do you want to embarrass Elice again? By coming here and having journalists catch you again?”

Garrett was sure that wouldn’t happen. Even if there were journalists who managed to catch them in the same photo, that picture would never be news again.

“I apologize.”

Wilda’s face seemed to harden. A mother’s anger was clearly visible on her otherwise gentle face.

“Do you think that by apologizing all these bad things will just go away? You’re not a woman, Garrett. But Elice is. And Elice bears all the consequences.”

Rita, trying to calm Wilda down, inadvertently confirmed her sister’s words. She did not mean to provoke, but it was an emotional reflex.

“You must have slept soundly that night while we could barely sleep.”

Elice had to get up and move. Approach her mother and aunt. Trying to calm them down. In her heart Elice cursed.

Why did he bring up a subject that everyone had almost forgotten about?

Because, in reality, Garrett had not brought it up for no reason at all. Because of something he mentioned later, which became the essence. The reason why he had decided to accompany Elice home that morning. Also by discussing the article.

“I know that an apology won’t change everything that happened. But my visit this time will change everything that hasn’t happened yet.”

Wilda’s anger was interrupted by confusion.

“What do you mean?”

Because if Wilda felt confused, Elice felt panic at that moment. In the form of a possibility that popped into her mind and she immediately tried to dismiss it.

Garrett couldn’t possibly-

Garrett seemed to catch his breath. Just before he confidently answered Wilda’s question.

“With your permission,” Garrett said, looking at Wilda without blinking. “I want to marry Elice.”

*