His Staged Abduction, My Broken Vows - Chapter 8: Chapter 8
You are reading His Staged Abduction, My Broken Vows, Chapter 8: Chapter 8. Read more chapters of His Staged Abduction, My Broken Vows.
The phone lay shattered on the ground—until it rang.
Emeric's gaze dropped to the screen. Marie.
Once, just seeing her name would send his pulse skyrocketing. Now? It grated on his nerves.
Fading Love, Fading Hate. A Forever Farewell.
He was waiting for Pierre's call.
Why the hell was Marie calling now? Couldn't she read the room? It was the worst possible time—just another weight on his already frayed patience.
Without a second thought, he did something he'd never done before—he rejected her call. Then, after a beat, he blocked her number.
Temporarily. He'd unblock her once Pierre checked in.
As if summoned, his phone lit up again—Pierre.
Emeric answered before the first ring finished.
On the other end, Pierre hesitated, then stumbled over his words. "Boss… she—she's gone. Left the country. Do we… keep looking?"
"Book a flight." Emeric's voice was ice.
"But—the company's stretched thin. With your brother gone, you and that woman could at least—"
"Book the damn flight! NOW!"
Pierre fell silent. A second later, Emeric heard the frantic clicks of a keyboard.
He hung up without another word.
Marie flickered through his mind—her number still blocked.
But for some reason, his fingers didn't move to unblock her.
The second the plane's wheels hit the tarmac, I felt it—freedom.
A new country. No familiar faces, no ghosts from the past. For the first time in years, I could breathe.
I barely had my luggage before a chorus of voices erupted near the arrivals gate. Signs with my name waved wildly in the air. Leading the charge? Adrien Morel—my old college senior, still radiating the same boundless energy as if time had skipped over him.
I'd caught my reflection in the plane's bathroom mirror earlier. It hadn't even been that long since graduation, but I looked… tired. Worn down.
"Flora! Finally! We've been dying out here!" Adrien's voice cut through the crowd as he and the others surged forward.
Before I could react, someone—overcome with excitement—lunged at me, arms outstretched for a hug.
My body moved before my brain could catch up—I shoved them back, hard.
Adrien's eyes flickered to my face, and in an instant, he was stepping between us, hands up. "Whoa, easy! We've got months to catch up—no need to suffocate her the second she lands. And no surprise hugs! Hands to yourselves. Now, grab her bags."
As the others scrambled to collect my luggage, Adrien turned back to me, his expression softening. "Sorry, Flora. Too much? I should've warned them to dial it back."
"No, it's not—"
"I get it," he cut in, voice dropping. "When I asked you to come six months ago, it wasn't just about the lab needing your skills—though we really do. It was about… everything else. I thought a fresh start might help. But that's over now. You're here. From here on out? Just work. Nothing else."
His forced casualness made my throat tighten.
Emeric had always warned me—people were selfish. They only cared about what they could take.
But this?
Adrien and I had only been classmates—four years undergrad, three in grad school. And yet here he was, shielding me, reading my discomfort like an open book.
The kindness of it burned behind my eyes.
Maybe it was nostalgia. Back in college, I'd been naive—still believing in the good in people.
Or maybe scientists were just different. Simpler. Purer.
Emeric's gaze dropped to the screen. Marie.
Once, just seeing her name would send his pulse skyrocketing. Now? It grated on his nerves.
Fading Love, Fading Hate. A Forever Farewell.
He was waiting for Pierre's call.
Why the hell was Marie calling now? Couldn't she read the room? It was the worst possible time—just another weight on his already frayed patience.
Without a second thought, he did something he'd never done before—he rejected her call. Then, after a beat, he blocked her number.
Temporarily. He'd unblock her once Pierre checked in.
As if summoned, his phone lit up again—Pierre.
Emeric answered before the first ring finished.
On the other end, Pierre hesitated, then stumbled over his words. "Boss… she—she's gone. Left the country. Do we… keep looking?"
"Book a flight." Emeric's voice was ice.
"But—the company's stretched thin. With your brother gone, you and that woman could at least—"
"Book the damn flight! NOW!"
Pierre fell silent. A second later, Emeric heard the frantic clicks of a keyboard.
He hung up without another word.
Marie flickered through his mind—her number still blocked.
But for some reason, his fingers didn't move to unblock her.
The second the plane's wheels hit the tarmac, I felt it—freedom.
A new country. No familiar faces, no ghosts from the past. For the first time in years, I could breathe.
I barely had my luggage before a chorus of voices erupted near the arrivals gate. Signs with my name waved wildly in the air. Leading the charge? Adrien Morel—my old college senior, still radiating the same boundless energy as if time had skipped over him.
I'd caught my reflection in the plane's bathroom mirror earlier. It hadn't even been that long since graduation, but I looked… tired. Worn down.
"Flora! Finally! We've been dying out here!" Adrien's voice cut through the crowd as he and the others surged forward.
Before I could react, someone—overcome with excitement—lunged at me, arms outstretched for a hug.
My body moved before my brain could catch up—I shoved them back, hard.
Adrien's eyes flickered to my face, and in an instant, he was stepping between us, hands up. "Whoa, easy! We've got months to catch up—no need to suffocate her the second she lands. And no surprise hugs! Hands to yourselves. Now, grab her bags."
As the others scrambled to collect my luggage, Adrien turned back to me, his expression softening. "Sorry, Flora. Too much? I should've warned them to dial it back."
"No, it's not—"
"I get it," he cut in, voice dropping. "When I asked you to come six months ago, it wasn't just about the lab needing your skills—though we really do. It was about… everything else. I thought a fresh start might help. But that's over now. You're here. From here on out? Just work. Nothing else."
His forced casualness made my throat tighten.
Emeric had always warned me—people were selfish. They only cared about what they could take.
But this?
Adrien and I had only been classmates—four years undergrad, three in grad school. And yet here he was, shielding me, reading my discomfort like an open book.
The kindness of it burned behind my eyes.
Maybe it was nostalgia. Back in college, I'd been naive—still believing in the good in people.
Or maybe scientists were just different. Simpler. Purer.
End of His Staged Abduction, My Broken Vows Chapter 8. Continue reading Chapter 9 or return to His Staged Abduction, My Broken Vows book page.