Chapter 88: Crash Out

Leah’s POV

I continue staring at Brianna in stunned silence.

My mind goes blank.

How long had she been standing behind the door before she walked in?

How much did she hear?

“B-Brianna,” I stammer.

Her face is completely twisted now. Her eyes, which were once wide with disbelief, have narrowed into a glare. Her brows are deeply furrowed, and her jaw is clenched so tightly I can see the muscle ticking beneath her skin.

The last time I’d seen her this upset was at her wedding, and even then… this is somehow worse.

“You knew?” she repeats, searching my face for some sign that I’d misspoken.

When she doesn’t find one, her expression hardens.

“How did you know?!”

My mouth opens but no words come out.

Without thinking, my eyes dart to Dominic. Maybe because some desperate part of me hopes he’ll say something. Do something. Anything to stop this before it gets worse.

But he just fixes his gaze on Brianna, like he’s trying to read her and understand why she’s so upset.

The room falls silent, leaving nothing but the uncomfortable tension hanging in the air. Brianna begins walking toward me, her heels slowly clicking against the floor.

“How did you know?” she demands.

I instinctively take a step back.

“Answer me!” Her voice echoes through the office.

She keeps closing the distance between us until her face is only inches from mine, forcing me to stumble back again.

It’s only when she raises her voice even louder that Dominic finally steps forward.

“Brianna, calm down.”

“No!” She doesn’t spare him so much as a glance. Her eyes stay fixed on mine, and my stomach churns.

I know exactly what’s making her this upset. That much is obvious.

She’s just figuring out that I’d known about Dominic and Cassie’s affair.

But the question now is… why is all this anger directed at me?

What had she expected me to do once I found out? It wasn’t my secret to tell, and it’s not like she would’ve believed me if I’d tried to tell her.

“This is what you wanted, isn’t it?” she says, her voice shaking. “Are you finally happy?”

“What?” I shake my head. “No, I—”

“Don’t.” Her voice cracks as she cuts me off. “Don’t lie to me.”

She points a trembling finger at me. “You’ve been waiting for this.”

“No.” I choke out again, “Brianna I would never—"

“You’ve been waiting to see me humiliated.” She continues, “You love that he cheated, right? You finally got what you wanted.”

Love that he cheated? Got what I wanted?

What is she talking about?

I struggle to find a response, but she takes another step toward me, making me instinctively flinch. Her eyes are wild now, her breathing uneven, like she’s barely holding herself together.

“Tell me!” she screams. “Tell me how long you’ve known. Weeks?… Months?”

She huffs out a laugh, shaking her head. “It must’ve been hilarious, huh?” Her voice cracks. “Watching me walk around like some clueless idiot while you knew Dominic was fucking that whore!”

The office falls deathly silent. I don’t dare move. I don’t even think I breathe.

I watch as tears glisten in Brianna’s eyes, but she stubbornly blinks them away. She stands there glaring at me, every muscle in her body trembling as though she’s fighting to keep herself under control.

I’m too stunned to process the words that just came out of her mouth. More than that, I’m terrified because I honestly don’t know what she’s going to do next.

“Brianna, enough.” Dominic finally steps between us, placing himself squarely in her path. “You need to calm down.”

She whirls around to face him. “Stop taking her side!”

“I’m not taking anyone’s side.”

“Then stop defending her!”

Dominic lets out a frustrated sigh, dragging a hand down his face before meeting her eyes again.

“I’m not defending her, Brianna. You just need to calm down. We’re at the office. Don’t make this worse and cause a scene.”

“Worse?” She lets out a disbelieving laugh. “What could possibly be worse than you cheating on me?!”

The room quiets down again. For a split second, no one says anything.

Dominic then releases a slow breath. “Brianna…”

“No!” she shouts. “I don’t want to hear it. And don’t tell me to calm down again!”

She shoves at his arm, trying to push past him.

“I want to talk to her,” she says through gritted teeth.

“Brianna…”

“Move, Dominic!”

My heart pounds harder.

I can’t just stand here anymore. Every instinct is screaming at me to get the hell out of here.

Dominic is holding Brianna back, but I don’t know for how much longer. She’s not thinking straight anymore, and I’m suddenly not so sure she’d stop at just yelling at me.

I need to leave.

I shift my weight toward the door, but Brianna notices immediately.

“Don’t you dare.” Her head snaps toward me. “Don’t you fucking walk away from me!”

She tries to push past Dominic again.

“Leah!”

Dominic catches her before she reaches me.

“Brianna!”

“Let me go!” She struggles against him, trying to pull free. “She’s not allowed to leave!”

“Enough!” Dominic says firmly, tightening his grip on her.

Brianna keeps fighting against him. As he tries to hold her back, his eyes find mine. The message is clear before he even speaks. “Go. Now.”

I don’t need to be told twice. I turn and hurry toward the door, Brianna’s voice chasing after me.

“Don’t you dare leave!”

“Leah!”

“Stop!”

I don’t even think of stopping. My hands are shaking so badly I nearly fumble with the handle before yanking the door open and rushing outside.

As I hurry past the open office, Nick immediately looks up from his desk.

A crease forms between his brows the moment he sights me. He’s probably upset with me for getting him into trouble with Dominic.

“Leah,” he calls after me but I ignore him.

I don’t even bother to look back.

Then I hear his chair scrape against the floor as he hurries after me. My heart lurches. I increase my pace, and the moment I reach the elevator, I repeatedly jab the up button.

Come on.

Please.

The elevator doors slide open just in time. I slip inside moments before Nick reaches me.

His glare follows me until the doors slide shut, sealing him off.

The gentle hum of the elevator fills the silence as it begins its ascent. I lean back against the wall and let out a shaky breath. My heart refuses to slow down.

What the hell was I thinking?

Why did I come here at all?

This was stupid. Very stupid.

In fact, this has to be one of the dumbest things I’ve done since joining Harrington Group.

God, I should’ve stayed out of it.

I should’ve minded my own business and let Cassie figure this whole thing out on her own.

Dominic had just started keeping his distance. After I found out about his affair, he’d been reasonably quiet, but now… now I might’ve just ruined that.

I squeeze my eyes shut in frustration.

The dreadful scene I’d just escaped from flashes through my mind.

There’s no way Brianna’s going to let that anger go.

I know for a fact she’s going to be coming after me now.

“Shit,” I whisper.

The elevator keeps moving, but my mind is still in a spiral. A soft chime echoes through the box as it comes to a stop. The doors open and I barely glance up before I stop dead.

Nathan stands on the other side, dressed in a dark blue suit. A slim black folder rests in one hand while his phone sits in the other, like he’s on his way to a meeting.

The moment he sees me, he pauses too.

Our eyes meet, and he studies my face for a long second. Slowly, his brows knit together. The folder in his hand lowers slightly.

“Leah?” He takes a cautious step toward the elevator. “What’s wrong?”

I instinctively press a hand against my chest. My heart is still pounding beneath my palm.

The elevator doors begin to close again, so Nathan quickly steps inside before they can shut.

I automatically move back to give him room.

Instead of stopping, he takes another step toward me.

“Leah.” His voice is quiet now, laced with concern.

I must look like a complete mess because the minute our eyes meet again, his gaze softens with growing worry, lingering as he tries to piece together what must have happened to me.

Then, without a word, he gently wraps a hand around my arm.

“Are you okay?” he asks softly. “Do you… Do you need anything?”

I stare blankly at him.

For a second, everything else fades into the background. The office… Brianna… Dominic…

All I can feel is the warmth of his hand against my arm and the soft care in his eyes.

But, the feeling is gone as quickly as it came. Reality rushes back in.

I gently pull my arm from his grasp and take another step back.

“Y-Yes.” I clear my throat. “Yes… sir.”

I force out a small nod. “I’m fine.”

The elevator continues moving. My eyes drift to the floor indicator.

“Oh.” I blink, blurting out. “I missed our floor.”

I quickly press one of the buttons on the control panel, stopping the elevator at the very next floor. I don’t bother to check to see where we’ve stopped.

I just need space.

Space to process what the fuck I just did.

The doors open and sparing Nathan only a brief glance, I quietly say before stepping out, “Excuse me, sir.”

Then I head straight for the nearest restroom.