Chapter 43: The Bad News

As I continued to stare at the men who had just walked boldly into the office, each dressed in sleek, black suits with discreet earpieces, projecting an air of professionalism, my heart skipped a beat. But when I felt Brandon's palm on mine, I took a deep breath and relaxed.

As the men sat down, one of the men who had entered last stood behind the first person who walked boldly into the office. His intense gaze was too loud to ignore.

"Ms. Coleman," one of the security agents said with an unsmiling face.

" We got a tip that you have something concerning national security that you'd like to share with us. Please speak up and don't hold anything back," the security agent said.

"I... um..."

The person standing behind him took a deep breath, and I slowly lifted my eyes to look at him. He was wearing a black T-shirt with a faint white inscription on it. I squinted and could barely make out the words

"Silence or Son."

I quickly averted my gaze and my heart started racing.

"Ma'am, what is it?" the security men asked. Meanwhile, Brandon, who was sitting in his chair with his eyes covered, squeezed my palm. I couldn't tell if he was urging me to speak or keep my mouth shut.

"I... I'm surprised I can't remember anything," I sputtered, my veins instantly appearing on my forehead.

"Just tell us what you remember," the security personnel urged, but I vigorously shook my head.

Just then, Brandon's phone started ringing incessantly.

"Guys, you can go now. I'll call you back when she remembers everything," Brandon said, pulling his phone closer to answer the call.

As the men turned to leave, I noticed another bold inscription on the back of one of the security agents. It read,

"The silent path - the only safe exit."

Although a voice inside me tried to convince me that these words were not intended for me, I couldn't bring myself to believe it.

"What's going on, Dave?" Brandon asked and stood up as soon as he accepted the call.

"Boss, Eleanor's mansion is on fire. We called the fire service and they're on their way," one of Eleanor's assistants said urgently on the phone.

I opened my mouth to scream, but Brandon quickly pulled me close to him. He pressed my head against his chest to muffle my cries. I was in a total panic and kept struggling, trying to break free from Brandon's firm grip.

"Oh, my God!" Brandon muttered under his breath.

"Did you evacuate all the staff?" He asked.

"They're trapped inside! The fire's too big, we can't help them!" the voice replied in desperation.

"I'll be there in five minutes," Brandon said, disconnecting the call. He held my face firmly and lifted my face to meet his eyes.

"Jewel, calm down. I had a feeling this morning that Rachel might try to run off with Julian, so I moved him, Eleanor, and a few of her assistants to a secret location. Wait here! I'll be right back," Brandon said urgently. I felt a bit relieved.

"I'm going with you," I said, grasping his hand tightly. We rushed towards the elevator, Brandon holding onto my hand tightly.

"I get why you don't want to talk to those guys. I saw the inscription too, but don't worry," Brandon said.

"Are you sure Eleanor and Julian are safe?" I asked, ignoring the topic.

"I'm positive," Brandon assured me as we jumped into his car parked in the lot.

I gripped Brandon's waist tightly as the car pulled away. I had always known the people chasing him, desperate to claim his inheritance, were dangerous, but I hadn't fully grasped their level of desperation until I left Malmö to be with him.

During his time living with us, I often pondered why Brandon couldn't confront them himself. Now I understood. They were like a bunch of mafias, having eyes and ears everywhere. To take them on, one needed to be cunning.

Brandon gently ran his fingers through my hair as we drove down the bustling road.

"With you beside me, I'll conquer my enemies. Thoughts of you have been my only distraction, but now that you're here with me, I'm ready to catch whatever they throw at me," Brandon said.

He tilted my head up, locking his gaze with mine, and murmured, "Never walk through the silent path. You are safe with me." My eyes squinted and I nodded in agreement, tightening my grip around his waist to reassure him that we would always be together.

As we arrived in front of Eleanor's grand mansion, my heart sank. Despite the fire department's presence, attempting to extinguish the flames, the entire building had been reduced to ashes.

"Wait for me," Brandon said and I nodded and remained in the car.

"You're quite the smart one, huh?" a voice sneered behind Brandon. I looked and recognized the figure approaching Brandon. It was Jonah Winterberg, Rachel's older brother, who was around the same age as Brandon.

"You have twenty-four hours to reveal the whereabouts of my sister's son, or else you'll face some serious consequences, possibly even legal actions! Twenty-four hours, Brandon!" Jonah barked, attempting to storm off.

"Wait a sec, Jonah," Brandon retorted. "Did you set my house on fire?" Brandon growled, his voice dripping with danger.

"I didn't," Jonah laughed mockingly, shrugging casually.

"Oh, hold up... I…I… didn't, did you, Rachel?" Jonah winked playfully at his sister who walked majestically towards them.

"You can check the surveillance camera. Oh, I forgot my sister's friends deactivated it," Jonah chuckled again. He moved closer and whispered something into Brandon's ear and I noticed Brandon's countenance fell immediately Jonah did. He patted Brandon's shoulder and strode towards his car while his henchmen rushed to open the door for him.

"I want to see Julian, and I also want us to go to the marriage license office to sign a legitimate marriage certificate. Otherwise, I will make this war public, and the whole world will hear that you raped your friend's daughter and got her pregnant! The whole world will hear what you did to someone who saved your life!!" Rachel yelled in frustration.

"What happened to the marriage license we signed?" Brandon asked and folded his arms across his chest.

"I…we…"

"He's stopped fucking you since your plans failed, hasn't he?" Brandon whimpered.

"She has started brainwashing you again, hasn't she?!" Rachel retorted.

"Rachel, Julian is not your son and if I found out you set this house on fire, I'm gonna return the favor," Brandon whimpered and turned, then got into the car.

"What did Jonah say to you?" I immediately asked as he entered the car. Brandon remained silent and continued to look out the window. He was clearly unhappy, and it made me feel terrible.

"Bran, what did he tell you?" I asked, my tone becoming cold. When Brandon turned to look at me, I noticed his eyes were already red, though he hadn't shed any tears. My heart broke at the sight.

Slowly, with raw vulnerability, Brandon leaned in, his lips softly caressed mine. In that single shared breath, I felt the weight of his pain and the depth of his love for me. As he continued eating my lips slowly, my hand rested firmly at the back of his head while our hearts whispered a thousand unspoken promises.