Chapter 53 Night chaos

Chapter 53 Night chaos
At the office, everyone looked worn out. Their faces carried the fatigue of endless days, yet they pushed on  duty before rest. Zara was one of them. The meeting room buzzed faintly with the sound of shuffling papers and low whispers as they all waited for their boss.

There was one thing Zara had already noticed in her short time at the company: whenever he entered, no one stayed seated. The air always seemed to shift when he walked in.

And then he did.

Adrisn stepped into the room, as usual with Rosey beside him, carrying his files. Chairs screeched as everyone rose to their feet. But before Zara could stand. 

“Zara, don’t stand up. Stay in your seat.”

The room went dead silent. Eyes widened. Even Zara froze, unsure if she had heard him right. Whispers broke out almost immediately, quiet ripples of shock spreading across the room. Rosey’s expression darkened, anger flickering in her eyes.

Zara wished she could vanish under the table. Why would he say that in front of everyone? she thought, her mind racing. Was it because of my injured leg? Or did he just want everyone to envy me? God, Adrian …unbelievable.

“Zara,” Claire whispered with a teasing grin, “I ship the two of you.”

Before Zara could respond, Adrian  began speaking, his tone calm but commanding.

“I know the trip ended sooner than expected, but we have an important target to meet. Once we hit it, we’ll sign a huge contract with a foreign company. So, I expect everyone to give their best  even if it means working through the night. I hope for your full cooperation.”

He left immediately afterward. Rosey, still fuming, shot Zara one last glare before hurrying after him.

Hours passed. Zara worked until her eyes could barely stay open. She had meant to take a quick nap at her desk, but exhaustion claimed her entirely. By the time she woke, the office was nearly empty. Her heart skipped. She didn’t want to be alone here again, not after the last time.

She packed quickly, rushing out as the clock ticked late into the night. “Is he still here?” she wondered. “Why do I even care?”

Outside, she tried to find a cab  none in sight. She sighed and started walking a short distance from the company, her heels clicking softly against the pavement. Then came the noise.

Shouts. The sound of glass breaking.

Her pulse quickened. Around the corner, a group of men were yelling, waving banners  a riot, about corruption. “This late?” she muttered under her breath. “No good comes from this…”

Before she could turn back, ten rough-looking men noticed her.

“Hey look at her shirt. She works for Voss Holdings!” one of them shouted.

Another sneered. “Those rich pigs, they could’ve said something about corruption, about the taxes! But they just sit in their offices and stay quiet!”

Zara’s breath caught in her throat. They began to close in, forming a tight circle. Fear rooted her to the ground.

Then a voice cut through the chaos  sharp and firm.

“Stop.”

The men froze. Zara turned and gasped in relief. Adrian was standing there. He strode straight into the circle, pulling her gently behind him.Zara held his arm like her life depended on it .

“If you hurt this woman,” he said coldly, “will that make your taxes go down?”

The leader smirked. “So you do have a voice. Get him!”

They lunged. Adrian  grabbed Zara’s hand, pulling her into a run. The streets were filled with panic  stones flying, people shouting, the smell of smoke in the air. Zara stayed silent, trembling as they weaved through the chaos.

When they finally reached a quieter alley, Adrisn turned to her, breath heavy.

“Why are you so careless, Zara? It’s late! What if I hadn’t gotten the call from my friend about the riots? What if I hadn’t seen you leave? What if I didn’t come?”

His tone was harsh, but his worry was clear. Zara’s lips quivered. She wanted to argue to tell him she hadn’t meant for any of this but before she could, something heavy struck him from behind.

A man had swung a stick straight at Adrian’s  head.

Adrian  staggered, his hand reaching instinctively to the back of his head. When he pulled it away, it was smeared with blood. His vision blurred. He stumbled then collapsed forward onto Zara.

“Adrian !” she cried, trying to support his weight, but he was too heavy. They both fell to the ground.

“Adrisn, wake up! Please wake up!”

Tears streamed down her face as the chaos of the city raged around them.

And for the first time, Zara realized how terrifying silence could be when the person protecting you no longer answered at the time you need them.