The Billionaire Who Saved Me - Chapter 24: Chapter 24

"You knew Oliver escaped—why the hell did you come out without a bodyguard?" Mason demanded.
I stared at him, stunned, my mouth hanging open. It took me a while to respond, "I just thought the restaurant's so close to the office, and it's broad daylight. I didn't think Oliver would be bold enough to try anything."
Mason let out a cold laugh. "You thought? You also thought you'd be a housewife forever. How did that work out?"
I shot up from my seat. "Mason, you're way out of line. You can't say that to me. I've changed—I'm not the same person anymore."
Realizing I was too worked up, I sank back into the chair. The kale smoothie and dark chocolate almonds in front of me sat there like they were mocking me.
So I started eating the almonds one by one and took another sip of the smoothie, which was already turning bitter from oxidation. Tears rolled down my cheeks and dropped straight into the cup. I felt completely wronged.
What gave Mason the right to say that? I'd been through so much these past few months. Hadn't I improved a lot already? And yet here he was, acting like I was still worthless.
Mason probably figured I'd reached my limit. He waved over the server and had him clear away my food. Then Mason asked for the menu again.
"I'll have another kale smoothie," I said defiantly.
Seeing me throwing a tantrum, Mason simply made the call for me. "Bring her the exact same meal I'm having."
"Of course, sir. Right away," the server replied.
After the server left, Mason's expression turned serious again. "This isn't real change. All you've changed is your appearance. What you really need to change is that gutless kindness of yours.
"You need to understand this—mercy toward your enemies is the same as cruelty toward yourself. Forget about forgiveness. True success is making your enemies too scared to even haunt you after they're dead."
I nodded, kind of understanding what he meant, but I didn't take it to heart. I thought Mason was just being dramatic. I had no idea his words would come true so fast.
Mason said, "You're staying at the company. I need you to help me with one more thing. Xander embezzled a lot of money. Oliver's scandal gives us the perfect opening to dig it out."
"Okay." I nodded.
In the end, we went over a few more details. Even though I acted like I wasn't convinced, I had to admit to myself that Mason really did think things through better than I ever could.
After lunch, we stepped out of the restaurant. Mason offered to walk me back to the office, saying, "Come on, I'll walk you back."
I knew he was worried about my safety, and that touched me a little. I actually wanted Mason to walk me back too, but I still acted stubborn. "No need. It's not that far away. I'll be there in no time."
"Better safe than sorry. Stop talking nonsense," Mason said.
"Fine." I didn't argue anymore and walked beside him. On the way back, I got plenty of envious stares when I was with Mason.
We made it to the company entrance without a hitch. I smiled, "See? I told you everything would be fine, but you didn't believe me. This time, I win—"
Before I could finish, Mason suddenly pulled me into his arms. The next second, I saw the flash of a knife.
My heart jumped. Before I even had time to react, Mason had already pushed me aside and was wrestling with Oliver.
Oliver had been hiding around the corner with his back to me. He lunged out without warning and went straight for me with a knife. The blade was at least eight inches long.
My heart was pounding. That was close. If Mason hadn't insisted on walking me back, I might've already been bleeding out on the ground.
Mason and Oliver were locked in a fight. They were about the same height, but Oliver had a knife. I yelled in panic, "Mase, watch out."
Each time the knife slashed by, it came dangerously close to Mason, but never touched him. Still, it scared me half to death. I shouted at the top of my lungs, "Somebody help. Help us."
At that hour, there were barely any people around the office. And even if there were, they stayed far away, no one daring to step in.
Lunch break wasn't over yet, and most of the security guards had gone to eat, leaving just one on gate duty.
That guard was at least responsible enough to come over when he heard the commotion. But faced with a man swinging a knife, he was just as helpless as I was.
I ran over to the flowerbed and grabbed a brick. I came back ready to smash it down, but I was scared I might hit the wrong person.
Mason and Oliver were tangled up, moving around so much that I couldn't get a clear shot at Oliver's head.
"Mase, move a little," I shouted in a panic.
Mason didn't move. Instead, he snapped, "Idiot, take pictures."
I was stunned. Take pictures? Now? But I still did what he said.
I snapped more than a dozen shots. Then, out of nowhere, Mason twisted around and disarmed Oliver with ease, pinning him down.
Then the security guard finally stepped in and tied Oliver up with a rope.
Oliver kept swearing at me nonstop, yelling, "You bitch, why couldn't you just stay out of my business? I hope you'll rot in hell. If you ever hurt my child, I swear I'll kill you."
"Hurt your child?" I got it now. Oliver must have talked to either Jennifer or Xander before this ambush.
Whatever they told him, it worked. Oliver came at me ready to kill. If it had worked, they would've gotten rid of two problems at once. What a perfect little setup—kill by proxy.
I didn't feel like arguing with Oliver, so I said to the guard, "Take your shoes off. Stuff your socks in his mouth."
Oliver roared, "Don't you dare. You vicious bitch, I'll haunt you even if I die—" But before he could finish, his mouth was stuffed, and finally, the world went quiet.
The police arrived soon after, having been called earlier, and took Oliver away. Before they left, Mason told me to send them the pictures I took. That would add escape and attempted murder to Oliver's list of charges.
Just thinking about how close I'd come to dying again had cold sweat running down my back. If Mason hadn't been there, I might've been killed by Oliver all over again.
"Thank you," I muttered.
Mason gave me a sideways glance, his face still full of disdain. "Wow, your thank-yous must be worth a fortune. One for every time I save your life."
"I'll treat you to a meal. Order anything you want," I said sincerely this time.
Mason chuckled, "I'm already full."
I watched Mason's back as he walked away and suddenly remembered there was something I hadn't told him. "Wait, I need to tell you something." I ran up to him and leaned close to his ear. "Jennifer's baby isn't Oliver's."
"How's that my business? It's not mine either," Mason replied.
The gratitude I felt for him saving my life instantly vanished. I was so angry I almost exploded. "Can you not be so annoying? The baby's Xander's."
"Oh really? And how do you know that?" Mason was finally interested. "Come on, we'll talk at home."
Something in my chest softened. The way he said "at home" so naturally sounded surprisingly nice.
After we got home, Mason and I went into the study. I asked Nadia to bring in a pot of coffee, then closed the door. Only then did I start mimicking everything I overheard this morning, word for word.
Mason listened carefully, asking about a few details now and then. When I finished, he still looked like he hadn't had enough and asked, "Why didn't you say anything at the restaurant?"
"I forgot," I said. I couldn't admit that I hadn't planned on telling him at all, that a part of me wanted to give Jennifer a way out.
But Mason wasn't the type to be merciful. If he wanted to go after Xander, he'd definitely use this to his advantage.
As long as there was a stain on Xander's reputation, it would make uncovering the rest of his dirt that much easier.
If Mason wanted to destroy Xander's reputation completely, the fastest way was to make a public spectacle of Jennifer's pregnancy. And yet, right before I returned to the office, I was still worried about how she'd survive.