Chapter 9
The Apex Airlines headquarters was quiet at this hour, the entire top floor sealed in glass and silence.
Inside the CEO’s office, Elias sat behind his desk, documents spread neatly in front of him, the glow of the city skyline reflecting off the sharp lines of his black suit.
A knock broke the silence.
Without looking up, he spoke coldly. “Come in.”
A few seconds later, the door opened, and Felix walked inside with a thick stack of files clutched tightly in his hands. His expression was serious as he crossed the room quickly, the polished floor clicking beneath his shoes. He stopped in front of Elias’s desk and carefully placed the files down.
“Mr. Creed,” Felix said, straightening slightly, “these are the reports on the incident. I made sure to investigate everything in detail and pull every document possible to ensure there are no mistakes.”
Elias finally stopped writing. He placed the pen down slowly beside the file in front of him before leaning back slightly in his chair. His sharp eyes lifted toward Felix.
“What did you find?”
Felix straightened immediately. “It was exactly as it seemed, Mr. Creed. There was nothing suspicious.”
He opened one of the files and continued carefully, “I reviewed the full footage and tracked Mrs. Creed’s movements during the party.
From the moment she arrived to the moment her car collided with Miss Bishop’s vehicle, there were no abnormalities.
She didn’t consume any alcohol—only a single glass of water. ”
Elias’s jaw tightened slightly as he listened in silence.
“But when Mrs. Creed was driving back,” Felix continued, “Miss Zoe Bishop’s car was also on the road.
The accident happened on a dark stretch of highway, and it’s still unclear whether it was Miss Bishop’s mistake or Mrs. Creed’s.
The visibility was poor, and there’s no way to determine whether they saw each other in time. ”
He lowered his eyes to the file for a moment before continuing.
“So it’s impossible to confirm whether the accident was deliberate or simply an unfortunate accident on the road.
” Felix looked back up at Elias. “But one thing is clear, Mr. Creed. Mrs. Creed had no involvement in causing the accident. There’s no evidence of intoxication, recklessness, or foul behavior from her side. ”
The office fell silent.
Elias slowly leaned back deeper into his chair. A long breath escaped his lips as though something heavy had finally loosened from his chest. His fingers curled lightly against the armrest while he stared at the reports in front of him.
“That’s good,” he muttered quietly.
“That means Amara had no fault in this.” His voice was low, almost relieved. “And now that there’s solid proof…” He lifted his eyes coldly toward Felix. “I can protect her better from whatever comes next.”
Felix nodded immediately. “Yes, Mr. Creed. With this evidence, it’s pretty clear Mrs. Creed wasn’t at fault.”
Elias gave a small nod before suddenly asking, “Where is Amara today?”
Felix blinked slightly at the sudden shift in topic.
Elias stood from his chair, buttoning his suit jacket as he spoke. “I want to have dinner with her tonight. Make a reservation for a table for two. I’ll pick her up myself.”
At those words, Felix visibly stiffened.
He shifted awkwardly on his feet before forcing out a nervous laugh. “Mr. Creed… maybe it would be better if you went tomorrow instead. I can arrange your date with Mrs. Creed for tomorrow night.”
Elias lifted his head.
His eyes sharpened on Felix, dark and dangerous. The air in the office seemed to grow colder.
He tilted his head, staring at Felix with a cold expression.
“Now you are going to decide when I can go on dates with my wife?” he asked darkly.
Felix’s throat bobbed nervously.
“No—Mr. Creed, that’s not what I meant—”
“Then tell me what the hell you meant.”
Felix finally let out a deep breath.
“Actually, Mr. Creed…” he started hesitantly. “As far as I was able to track Mrs. Creed’s activities today…” He swallowed hard. “I found out that she’s going on a blind date tonight.”
The second the words left his mouth, Elias snapped straight in his chair.
“What?!” he barked.
His sharp gaze locked onto Felix so intensely that Felix almost stopped breathing.
“A date?” Elias repeated slowly, his voice dropping lower. “With who?”
Felix immediately straightened nervously. “I—I’m not sure, Mr. Creed. I only found out that her friend Juliet arranged it for her. Mrs. Creed is apparently meeting someone for dinner tonight.”
A loud bang suddenly echoed through the office.
Felix jumped so violently that he stumbled backward several steps in shock.
His heart nearly stopped when Elias slammed both hands against the desk and shoved himself to his feet. The chair rolled back violently behind him.
The next second, Elias rounded the desk and stopped directly in front of Felix. His face was dark with fury, and there was a terrifying smile pulling at the corner of his lips.
“And you thought,” Elias said slowly, his voice dangerously low, “that it was a smartest fucking idea to hide this from me instead of telling me the moment you found out?”
Felix immediately took two nervous steps back. His stomach dropped.
“Mr. Creed, it’s not my fault,” he said quickly. “I didn’t want you to feel hurt finding out your wife was going on a blind date with another man. I was just trying to help you.”
“Yeah, you are so helpful, Felix.”
Elias’s voice dropped so low that it sent chills down Felix’s spine.
Elias loosened the cuffs of his sleeves while staring at him.
“Since you’re so intent on helping,” he continued coldly, “go help the security guards this week.”
Felix blinked in confusion. “Sir?”
Elias stepped closer.
“You’re going to stand at the entrance doors, bring coffee for the entire office whenever they ask for it, and handle every small task the security staff usually does.”
Felix looked horrified.
“Mr. Creed—”
“For the next week,” Elias added calmly, “you’re replacing the security guards' duties.”
“But—”
“Since you’re so determined to help people,” Elias cut him off with a chilling smile, “then help properly.”
“Mr. Creed, I was just trying to be compassionate,” Felix muttered weakly. “Why are you punishing me for that?”
Elias shot him one final murderous glare before grabbing his coat and storming toward the office doors.
“Keep trying to help me,” he snapped coldly over his shoulder, “and one day I’m going to murder you.”
Felix froze in terror.
He yanked the office door open violently.
“Then you can go help someone else,” Elias yanked the office door open. “From six feet under would be ideal.”
The door slammed shut behind him so hard the walls nearly shook.
***
Amara slowed her steps as she looked up at the luxurious restaurant in front of her.
Silver lights glowed around the elegant name displayed above the entrance of The Silver Arbor, and the expensive decorations shining through the glass walls made it obvious the place catered only to the rich.
She suddenly felt slightly underdressed.
She wore a light blue knee-length dress with a light cardigan over it, a pair of diamond earrings, and a bracelet around her wrist. It was simple enough to look casual, yet elegant enough for dinner.
As Amara slowly walked toward the entrance, she held her phone tightly against her ear.
“What is wrong with you, Juliet?” she hissed under her breath while walking toward the entrance. “How could you arrange a blind date for me without even asking me first?”
On the other side of the call, Juliet giggled completely unbothered.
“Are you serious right now? You spent years chasing after Elias, and now that you’re finally free of him. Aren’t you tired?”
Amara rolled her eyes so hard it almost hurt.
“You need someone else to distract you,” Juliet continued casually. “Someone better. And trust me, Maverick Bishop is way better.”
Amara nearly choked hearing the name. “Maverick Bishop?! Elias’s friend?”
Juliet practically squealed excitedly into the phone.
“Yes. Friend. Ex-friend. What’s that got to do with anything? Have you seen that man? He looks like an actual god.” She lowered her voice dramatically. “Honestly, your luck in men may be terrible, but at least they’re ridiculously good-looking.”
Amara pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration as she stepped through the restaurant doors.
“Trust me, it’s destiny,” Juliet declared confidently.
“A friend of a friend somehow managed to set you up with Maverick. There’s no way him suddenly being single and back in Manhattan at the exact same time you’re single is just a coincidence.
The moment I heard my friend was about to set Maverick up on a date, I immediately sent her your profile. ”
“You WHAT?”
“To be honest,” Juliet added shamelessly, “if I wasn’t trying to save your pathetic love life, I would’ve jumped on Maverick myself.”
“Juliet—”
“No, listen to me first,” Juliet interrupted quickly. “The man is gorgeous. Rich. Successful. And unlike Elias, he probably won’t emotionally traumatize you every other day if he falls in love with you at first sight. Which is obviously going to happen in like five minutes.”
“Oh my God, Juliet,” Amara groaned in frustration, squeezing her eyes shut for a second as she rubbed her forehead. “How can you send me on a date with Elias’s friend?”
She lowered her voice sharply as she continued walking slowly.
“I don’t know what happened between them, but they were close. Like… really close.” She exhaled heavily.
“And what exactly does that matter?” Juliet shot back immediately.
Amara could practically picture her dramatically throwing her hands into the air on the other side of the phone.
“You are seriously overthinking this,” Juliet continued. “How many friendships have you lost over the years? People drift apart all the damn time. Stop acting like you are committing some unforgivable sin.”
“That’s not the same thing—”