The Billionaire Who Saved Me

“She hasn’t come back since that night.”

A voice caught Garrett’s attention, causing him to turn on the backless round chair. When his hand landed on the bar, Garrett realized it was the bartender speaking to him. He offered Garrett a glass of drink.

“Thank you.”

Expressing his gratitude, Garrett immediately took the glass. He enjoyed a sip and noticed the bartender taking a deep breath. She was leaning against the bar.

“The last time I saw her was that night. With you. And she never came back after that. Not even once.”

While Garrett could ignore the first statement, he could not ignore the second. Of course, he couldn’t pretend that the bartender wasn’t talking to him. Because, in fact, he was.

“What’s your name?”

Finally, Garrett decided to join the conversation. Starting with a basic question.

“Bert.”

Garrett nodded once. “I’m Garrett. And the one you mean…”

Garrett decided to leave his sentence hanging. He didn’t want to speculate, even though it seemed impossible if he was wrong. A moment later, Bert continued Garrett’s words without hesitation.

“The woman you introduced that Sunday night. The one in the black dress. The one who was drinking and crying.”

It was an unbelievably detailed explanation. Which made Garrett nod again, holding his breath in his chest. The man seemed a little uncomfortable.

“I’ve seen you coming a lot lately. But it’s different than usual. You seem to be looking for someone. So, I thought you came on purpose to find her.”

In fact, that’s what Garrett was doing. Thanks to his conversation with Nelson the other day, he suddenly remembered Elice. The woman crying alone in the crowded club. With glasses of drinks accompanying her.

Garrett knew. That he, as a grown man, should consider that meeting and the events of that night to be nothing more than a passing breeze. Especially in light of the fact that Elice had left him alone the next day. Without a message or anything. It was literally a silent message. That Elice hoped not to see him again.

They were no longer teenagers easily swayed by one-night stand. And in events like this, there was only one conclusion. It’s all over.

However, if he had to go by Nelson’s words, Garrett’s memories focused on Elice for some reason. He had dismissed the idea at first. But the fact that Elice had caught his attention at their first meeting made Garrett give in.

Garrett returned to the club. With a hope. Maybe he would meet Elice again. But no. His hope was only a hope. For almost three weekends, he tried his luck, and the result was the same.

“Oh.”

A short statement was all Garrett could offer in response to Bert’s earlier words. A safe expression for any situation, especially this one. And hopefully it was enough to signal that he didn’t want to continue the subject.

“Didn’t you ask for her phone number?”

However, it seemed that Bert had his own point of view. The bartender, who looked to be in his thirties, leaned toward Garrett. Both of his hands pressed against the bar, leaning slightly toward his interlocutor.

The glass in Garrett’s hand moved briefly to his lips. The man took a second sip. He paused before answering, which was only a shake of his head.

Bert chuckled. “You should have asked for her phone number. Just in case. Look. Eventually you’ll be lost without her.”

In truth, Garrett never thought he would see this day. The day he would search for Elice. But what could he do? Besides having no other choice, Garrett honestly couldn’t get Elice out of his mind. Even more than that. When he remembered the moment, he opened his eyes and found the woman no longer at his side, his chest tightened.

Garrett was disappointed. He had never imagined that Elice would leave just like that.

“If you want, if she comes later, I’ll let you know,” Bert said with a smile. “You just have to leave your phone number. How about that?”

Actually, Garrett wasn’t sure if that was a good option. But after thinking about it for a few seconds, he thought it wasn’t a bad idea. Garrett nodded.

Bert handed Garrett a piece of paper and a pen. On it, Garrett wrote down his phone number. Then he handed it back to the bartender.

“I’ll contact you if she comes back.”

“Thank you.”

The conversation ended and Bert got the next customer. After nodding goodbye to Garrett, he moved on. Leaving Garrett and his drink in the untouched silence amidst the club’s bustle.

After about thirty minutes, Garrett decided to leave. The night was about to turn to dawn, and he was tired. He was tired of waiting in vain. Quite different from the situation around him.

The atmosphere in the club would always be lively. Filled with different people looking for comfort. Under the flickering lights, interspersed with alcoholic beverages and the laughter that accompanied them.

With slightly hurried steps, Garrett navigated through the sea of people. He tried to get out quickly. But when he almost reached the exit, a hand suddenly grabbed his.

“Garrett.”

A woman’s voice called Garrett’s name. It clearly wasn’t Elice’s voice. Garrett was sure of that. But that didn’t mean that Garrett ignored it. In fact, the man turned around immediately. Only to be surprised when he saw who the woman was.

“Brenda.”

*

“One year. You have one year, Garrett. And don’t complain if it feels too short. Oh, my goodness! I almost died staking out this one year.”

When Garrett arrived at his office early in the morning, he found Nelson immediately berating him with various words. He could barely hear all of them, just the important ones. Although, in reality, everything Nelson said was worth paying attention to.

“Okay,” Garrett sighed. “Hopefully a year will be enough for me.”

“Oh, my goodness. Seriously. A year should be enough. And you need to find your bride soon.”

“I’m sure living longer in this world can prove to you, sir, that finding a mate is not an easy thing.”

Nelson laughed. Despite the fatigue he had felt over the last few weeks dealing with the immense inheritance, Garrett’s anxiety inevitably amused him as well. And that was more than enough to comfort him.

“If you can’t find a new wife, what about the old one?”

Garrett’s eyes narrowed. His forehead furrowed slightly when he heard the question. And when he didn’t answer the question, Nelson continued.

“Don’t pretend, Garrett. I know you dated the daughter of the Cooper family.”

The change in Garrett’s gaze made Nelson laugh again.

“You had a relationship with Brenda, didn’t you?”

“How did you know?”

“I don’t know where I heard it, but I’ve known it for a long time. So why don’t you try to get close to her again?”

“No,” Garrett replied immediately. Without hesitation he refused. “That’s the worst choice you’ve ever given me. And I can assure you that if I get married, Brenda won’t be the bride.”

Nelson seemed to nod. But his expression was not very convincing. As if he felt that Brenda wasn’t a bad choice.

“She’s beautiful, smart, and comes from a respectable family. At first glance, she seems to be the right choice for you.”

“At first glance. And I’m sure wisdom is one of the qualities I must have. Judging something at first glance is clearly contradictory.”

“Hahahahahaha.”

Nelson couldn’t stop laughing. Garrett countered his words so firmly. Especially since they were his own words.

“Basically,” Garrett said later. “I’m not going to be impulsive about this. I still have a year. And everything will be all right in that time.”

Nelson believed in Garrett. The man had always been able to handle all his affairs well, even when it came to marriage.

“All right. I believe in you, Garrett. You can take your time. And while we leave your marriage aside, let’s talk about the Pacific Energy transfer.”

Garrett took a deep breath. When he heard the name of the company, the numbers immediately spread out before his eyes. It was the tangible form of a pile of money. Something that would soon be his.

“Broadly speaking, you will be dealing with Pacific Energy right after the big meeting. You don’t have to worry. Everything will go smoothly. But of course. That means you need to prepare for your move.”

Perhaps taking over Pacific Energy wasn’t the only thing weighing on Garrett. In fact, leaving Apex Builders and Co. made it even more difficult. The company was truly a tangible testament to all his hard work over the years.

“I’m going to wrap things up here as soon as possible,” Garrett said, taking a deep breath. “I need to find a reliable CEO to run Apex Builders and Co. After all, this is my real company.”

Nelson nodded. “Don’t worry. I will try to help you. I will see who the candidate is to replace your position here.”

At least Nelson’s words made Garrett feel somewhat relieved. He knew the man would help him, especially when it came to the smooth transition of Garrett taking over Pacific Energy.

It actually made Garrett wonder. Why was Nelson so much more excited about the legacy than he was? It was a bit amusing, wasn’t it?

“I will keep you informed about the big meeting and other plans. In the meantime, you also need to settle all your affairs in Apex Builders and Co. as soon as possible. Because if everything goes as smoothly as we predict, you won’t be here anymore within three months, Garrett.

Garrett had to leave Crestdale. He had to move to a place where the Pacific Energy building proudly stood. Ashford City awaited his arrival.

“Of course.”

About thirty minutes before noon, as Nelson was tidying up all the documents on his desk, something suddenly occurred to him. Something he hadn’t asked since the night Garrett had announced his decision.

“By the way, I’m curious about something.”

“What?”

“How did your mother react when you decided to do all this?”

Garrett was stunned. He didn’t answer the question right away. But eventually he sighed deeply. Without looking at Nelson, he whispered his answer.

“I didn’t tell her.”

Naturally, Nelson was surprised. He hadn’t expected that Garrett hadn’t even told Norah. For someone who was extremely obedient to his mother, Nelson saw Garrett’s action this time as something rare.

“You didn’t tell her?”

Grimly, Garrett shook his head. And frankly, it made him dizzy. How could he tell Norah? How would his mother react to his decision?

*