'I Do' For Revenge
Chapter 208: Vacation To Greece
CHAPTER 208: VACATION TO GREECE
~LAYLA~
FOUR MONTHS LATER
The camera flashes were so bright the y blinded me, even with the SUV’s tinted windows.
"They’re still camped out, " I noted, wa tching the paparazzi swarm the entrance of O’Brien Group o f Comp anies Headquarters. "You’d think after four months, they’d get bored ."
"We gave them a good story," Axel said from beside me. "The ’Phoenix CEO’ and the ’Resurrected Tycoon.’ It’s goo d for stock prices, and bad for privacy."
I turned to him, and I must say, he looked good. Li ke re ally good.
The three surgeries to repair his fractured spine had been successful, though the doctors said it was a miracle he was walking at all.
The skin g raft on his back where the shrapnel had hit was still healing , but the scarring was minimal.
The w heelchair he was gone now, repl aced by a stylish ebony cane with a silver wolf’s head handle that he used more for styl e than necessity these days.
Axel’s stylish suit had been tailored to fit his now slightly leaner frame, and the scar on his temple had faded to a thin white li ne that only made him look more dangerous.
"Ready to hand over the keys to the castle?" I asked, squeezing his ha nd.
"Please," Axel scoffed. "I’m ready to t hrow the keys at them and run. Greece has been calling our names for months. "
The car stopped in the private undergro und gar age, avoiding the circus upstairs. We took the e xecutive elevator to the penthouse floor, the rhythmic tap - tap-tap of Axel’s cane against the marble filled the silence as we walked.
The office was b uzzing. Everything was back to normal. No more scorch marks, no broken glass, nothing to remind any one of the bomb.
Helena was wa it ing for us at the main desk. He r transformation over the last four months had been nothing short of m iraculous.
The shy, terrified girl was gone; in her place was a woman with a sharp bob cut, a fitted navy blazer, and an air of authority that terrified the interns and commanded respect from the executives.
"Morning , b oss la dy. So, here’s your update in a minute. The jet is fueled and waiting at Tet erboro, " she reported without missing a beat, handing me a table t. "Your luggage was transferred an hour ago. I’ve cl eared your schedule for two weeks and set up auto-replies on both your emails. If an yone calls, I’m t elling them you’re on a silent retreat in the Himal ayas."
"You’re evil," a voice said from behind her.
Tye emerge d from the conference room, grinning. He was wearing a bespoke suit that fit him perfectly, looking every inch the Chief Se curity Officer who now ran day-to-day operations. "I love it."
"Be professional, Tye," Helena chided, though she couldn ’t hide th e smile that tugged at her lips. She swatted his hand away when he tried to steal a pen from her desk.
"That’s what you said this morning too," Tye murmured low eno ugh tha t only Helena heard, but I caught the way her che eks flushed pink.
"T ye," Helena warned.
I smiled to myself. It was obvious to everyone in th e offic e that they were together, even if they tried to keep it ’professional’ during work hours. The way Tye stood a little too close,and the way Helena’s eyes always found him in a room was quite sweet. They were good for eac h other.
Axel walked over to the main desk and picked up a heavy set of keycard s, the master security clearances that controlled everything from the serve r room to the vault.
"You have th e con," Axel said in a serious tone, holding them out to Tye. "Codes to the server room, the safe, and the executive override for the accounts. Don’t burn it down."
Tye took the cards, his expression soberin g immediately. "I’ll guard it with m y life, Axe. You know that."
"I kno w," Axel nodded, then he turned to Helena. "A nd you, keep him in check. You’re the only one w ho can."
"Consider him handled," Helena promised, straightening her blazer. "I’ve got a full schedule of meetings to ke ep him occupied. By day three, he’ll be begging you to come back."
"Day three?" Tye protested. "Have som e faith in me!"
"I ha ve plenty of fai th in you," Helena said sweetly. " That’s why I scheduled back-to-back meetings with accounting and legal."
Axel laughed, and the deep sound made my heart swell. Four months ago, I wasn’t sure I’ d e ver hear that sound again.
"Seriously though," He lena said, looking at both of us. "Go. Enjoy yourselves. Tye handles security. I handle everythin g else. If anything and I mean any thing catastrophic happens, we’ll call. Otherwise, you do n’t exist fo r the next two weeks."
"Go," Tye commanded, pointin g to the elevator. "Drink wine. Eat cheese. Have sex on a beach. We got this."
"Tye!" Helena gasped, but she was laughing.
"What ? They’re married. It’s allowed," Tye said innocently.
"You’re impossible," I said, shaking my head.
"Let’s go," Axel sai d, adjusting his grip on his cane and looping his free arm thr ough mine. "Before I remember I have quarterly reports to review."
"Too late. Already deleted them from your cal endar," Helena called out.
A s we walked toward the elevator, I glanced back one last time. T ye was leaning over Helena’s d esk, whispering something that made her laugh and slap his arm playfully.
She was smiling in that way tha t lit up her whole face, and he was lo oking at her like sh e was t he only person in the room.
The company was in g ood hands.
The elevator doors slid shut, enclo sing us in silence.
"Finally," Ax el murmured, kissing my temple. "Just us."
"Just us ," I agreed, leaning into him. "And the Aegean Sea."
"You okay?" Axel asked, his hand finding mine.
"I am," I said, f eeling the truth of it settle in my bones. "I finally feel like we can breathe."
Fo r months, it had been chaos.
The FBI investigation into Henry and Charles, th e board restr ucturing, press conferences, an d the endless meetings with lawyers and accountants.
Charles was still on the run. Henry had been extr adited b ack to the States and was await in g tr ial for embezzlement, mo ney laundering, and conspiracy. Marco had gotten his money back and, true to his word, had left us alo ne. The O’Brien Grou p was clean, legitimate, and thriving.
And Axel was alive.
"Then let’s go breathe," Axel said, kissing the top of my head. "For two whole weeks, we’re just Axel and Layla. Not CEO and Acting CEO. Not Phoenix and Tycoon. Just us."
"I like the sound of that," I whisper ed.