Taming the Billionaire

#12 Home Alone

Elise finally got out of her bed after trying to sleep. Her entire body ached because of the struggle from last night. Her head was aching terribly because of all the negative thoughts, horrible rumors from the office that kept getting creative in the worst possible ways, Sara's absence at home, and Nolan's absurd offer. She was worried she was becoming an insomniac patient. It had been ages since she last slept without worrying too much.

As she paced her new room, she realized it could fit their previous house entirely. She scoffed! How rich were these people? She couldn't help but wonder how big Nolan's room would be if her room were this huge. And it was only the company guest house! She felt like going through the house to pass some time for a change.

Elise was about to unlock her room's door, but the memories from last night began to flash through her eyes. She stood there petrified.

Elise shivered, glued to her place. How much she wished Sara had been there! Why did she act so brave when Sara offered to reject the offer? If she needed Sara to stay with her, she should not have said those preposterous words. Now she was shaking with fear, worried that she was alone in that big house. What happened to her determination? To her terrified mind, the gated, guarded house seemed more dangerous. Because if anyone barged inside to seek revenge on her, no one would be able to come to her rescue, even if she screamed for it.

Elise gathered all her courage. At least she needed to leave that spot.

"Elise is strong! Elise is powerful! Elise is a superwoman! Elise has Sara!"

She began chanting them to get some courage. She had a lonely childhood. In the beginning, she would feel afraid at night. And after that dreadful night when she had to witness the worst, terrible nightmares haunted her. She stopped feeling lonely and frightened after Sara came into her life. Sara was the one who had advised her to keep repeating those words when she was too scared. It had always worked. And today, she had no reason to believe anything else. In a way, Sara was her strength.

Elise had gained some strength to move when the light outside switched on. She screamed in fear, running towards her bed as if it was the most secure place on the earth. She covered herself with a blanket, repeating her spell.

"Elise is strong! Elise is powerful! Elise is a superwoman! Elise has Sara!"

"Elise is strong! Elise is powerful! Elise is a superwoman! Elise has Sara!"

"Elise is strong! Elise is powerful! Elise is a superwoman! Elise has Sara!"

Click! Click!

The door began unlocking!

Elise grabbed the blanket, worried that someone was there to kidnap her. Or worse, what if someone was here to kill her? What if a member of the gang was still free? Or worse, what if one of them got free? Did they follow her here to kill her?

Elise swallowed hard. All kinds of pessimistic and dangerous thoughts flooded through her head. She had lost all hope of survival, but something kicked in. She wanted to live desperately.

She summoned all her remaining strength and got up from bed. She picked up a metal flower vase and hid behind the door. As soon as the door opened, she prepared to attack the person with all her might. And once the person tripped, fell, or at least got startled, she would use that opportunity to run like her life depended on it.

Elise was breathing heavily. But her focus was on the lock of the door. The person outside was trying a little too hard. Couldn't he leave? Elise could only hope for such miracles!

Bang! The door opened with a thud!

Elise was hiding behind it. As soon as it opened, she rushed to attack. But instead, the door slammed on her. The flower vase she had raised to hurt the attacker hit her forehead with a considerable impact. Instead of the person who barged into her room, Elise was the one who fell and ended up getting injured.

"Ah!" Elise groaned in pain. She had twisted her ankle, and her forehead was hurting like hell. Also, her body was now aching even more. What did she deserve to feel because of all those pains?

But at that very moment, as soon as her groan escaped her mouth, she realized she had made a sound. It was enough to give away her hiding spot. Was she about to die now? Or worse, were they here to kidnap her? She didn't want to think about getting raped or abused. The other two seemed far better options than getting violated.

Elise's whole body was hurting, but she kept her mouth shut. She raised the metal flower vase close to her. It was her only weapon.

"Elise?" a manly panic-filled voice called out her name.

But to Elise, it felt like he was threatening her. The man closed the door with a bang to create some space. He bent over to check on her, but Elise hit him with all her might, startling him. Before he could stop her, he smacked him hard. It was definitely going to swell and leave a bruise mark on his head.

"Ah!" the man groaned, checking his wound. He thought he would be bleeding. But it was a minor bruise.

"Nolan?" Elise was about to hit again when she suddenly realized it was Nolan. She blinked her eyes and rubbed them to ensure she saw things correctly. The room was dark. The only light was her night lamp, and Nolan's sturdy body covered most of it. She was in the shadow.

"Hmm!" Nolan sighed, taking the vase from her hand. It was dangerous. She had not only managed to hurt him with it, but herself.

"What are you doing here? At this hour?" Elise complained, but she was feeling much better after seeing him. It had scared her to be alone. After seeing Nolan, all her fear and anxiety evaporated. She felt safe and secure.

"Duh! I was worried about you, stupid. Sara is going to stay at the hotel. I couldn't help but feel bothered that you were alone. I had to go and ensure you were alright. I thought I was discreet. But when I heard you making those weird noises, I got worried. Man! We have to change that lock on the door!" Nolan kept talking as he looked for the switchboard.

Nolan had dropped his phone, and the light from the night lamp was good for nothing! He was worried Elise was severely hurt. So, he kept talking to keep her a little engaged. Maybe that will make her feel a little less painful. He wasn't sure if it would work, but there was no harm in trying.

"Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself too much?" Nolan finally found the switchboard. He switched on the light to check on her properly. Her head had become red at the place where she had hurt herself with the vase. Otherwise, she seemed okay. "Can you get up?" He asked, looking for any injuries that he might not have seen.

"Your head! It's bleeding!" Elise cried, trying to get up but landing with a scream.

"Did you twist your ankle? Let me see how bad it is." Nolan crouched to examine. Her right ankle was swollen. It might not be a fracture, but she would need a couple of days before she could walk properly.

"You are clumsy!" Nolan shook his head, picking her up.

"What are you doing?" Elise stuttered, avoiding his eyes. She felt her heart thumping.

Nolan placed her on the sofa and looked for other injuries. There were a few, but those were from last night. "Even if there is no other injury than the small bruise mark on your head and the twisted ankle, we should go to the hospital."

"What? No! I get sprains all the time. But you should go. You are bleeding!" Elise tried to avoid his eyes. They were full of concern and care. She was not used to such affection. It was true she got hurt a lot. But Mike never cared about them. He hardly noticed them.

"We both need to go to the hospital. Period." Nolan didn't want to argue over something like that. He didn't care about his wound. But he couldn't ignore Elise's wounds, especially since last night she had alsogottent hurt.

Nolan picked her up and carried her in a bridal style. Elise hid her face against his chest to hide her blushing face. Nolan smirked at her timidity. His imagination ran wild when she snaked her arms around his neck for support. He yearned for a time when he could carry her like that to a bed rather than to the hospital. He wanted to hold her close to him always. But not because she was hurt.

Nolan helped Elise get seated inside the car before moving to the driver's seat. He put on her belt, making her body stiffen and swallow hard. It wasn't necessary since her hands were okay. But Nolan saw her like a patient who couldn't even pick a feather. His small yet powerful actions made her heart flutter. She felt drawn towards that incredible man.

Was he really a playboy? Was she someone who could tame that playboy? Or does she already have one? Elise wondered as she gazed at his handsome face without blinking her eyes. Her world had stopped. The only thing she could see was his perfect face. The only thing she heard was her heartbeat. What was that she was feeling then?

The things that kept happening to her made her feel strange, in a good way.

The emotions she was feeling were new to her.

She felt livelier despite all that pain in her body. What was that feeling called that she was feeling then? Was it love?

Elise kept staring at Nolan in admiration and more with affectionate eyes and a pleasant unforced smile. Her face was gleaming with joy and fondness. Nolan tried to snap her out of her trance with his antics or spoke to her. But she wouldn't flinch or respond. Her world had narrowed down to her thoughts and his presence.

"You are making me blush now!" Nolan looked away, shying.

Elise wouldn't stop looking at him, no matter what he said or how many times he waved his hands. Her smile only kept broadening, and the shimmer in her eyes kept increasing. She had never seen him with so much adoration before. Was she finally beginning to feel something for him? Or was she finally accepting those emotions that she was feeling? Whatever it was, it made Nolan happy.

Nolan blushed hard. He couldn't drive with ease since Elise wouldn't stop looking at him. It was like her eyes had fixed themselves on his, unwilling to look elsewhere. She would look outside for a while as if to analyze something, but her eyes would be back at him in no time. If there were no need to take her to the hospital, Nolan would probably have taken her somewhere where it was just the two of them. It was becoming harder and harder for him to resist her when she was showering him with all that profound attention.

After reaching the hospital, Elise didn't agree to show her wound on the forehead and ankle to the doctor until Nolan got a dressing and a scan. It was a minor injury. So she felt a little less guilty about hurting him. But when the doctor checked her ankle, he advised her to rest for at least a week. Elise was worried that she had consumed all her leaves. Also, the rumors would worsen if she took another absence from work.

But Nolan didn't hear any of her excuses. So, she finally stopped giving any. Soon, she fell asleep because of the medicine and tiredness. She was finally feeling safe, secure, and happy.

Nolan had decided that he was going to stay by her side. He had to take care of her as much as he could. He immediately texted Drake to free his schedule for the coming week. After that episode on the street and her injuries, it was wise for her to heal mentally and physically before resuming work. Moreover, there was that horrible rumor about her in the office. He had to find the truth behind it. It was only wiser for him to be beside her.

Also, Nolan planned a thousand ways to use that time to convince her to date him. A sly smile crossed his face as he looked at her sleeping face. She was a beauty, he thought! His heart fluttered, making him smile wider.