After the Affair Falling into a Billionaire's Arms novel Chapter 67

**Clocks Lie To Hearts** by Asa River Flint

**Chapter 67**

With a flick of her wrist, Louisa dismissed the conversation as if it were nothing more than an annoying fly buzzing around her head.

In that fleeting moment, Flora felt a palpable shift in the atmosphere, a dangerous undercurrent that sent a shiver down her spine. She had been entrusted with a vital task, a responsibility she had failed to fulfill. When her eyes met Julian’s piercing gaze, the weight of her failure threatened to overwhelm her, and she fought back the urge to cry.

“It’s not that I’m unreliable!” she exclaimed, her voice tinged with desperation. “She just refuses to go to the hospital!”

From the time they were children, Flora had harbored a singular fear, and that was Julian. His quiet intensity had always intimidated her, a stark contrast to her own anxious disposition.

Julian, however, seemed unfazed by her protest. He simply inquired, “Can you still walk?”

“I can walk. I’ll be at work tomorrow,” Flora asserted, her voice firm but laced with an undercurrent of uncertainty.

Teddy, Flora, and Sadie exchanged glances filled with unspoken concern. Was Louisa really so desperate for money that she would prioritize work over her health? It was a troubling thought.

But deep down, Julian understood the true meaning behind her words: starting tomorrow, she would be free.

Later, as the entire group stepped into the same building, they found themselves crammed into the elevator. Julian’s presence loomed over them, filling the confined space with an almost tangible tension that made Flora and Sadie stand rigidly, afraid to make a sound. Teddy, too, kept a respectful distance, well aware of his boss’s aversion to close proximity.

As the elevator ascended, Louisa was the only one who appeared unsteady, her body swaying slightly as if she were on a tightrope. She fought to keep herself together, but the effort was exhausting, and her mind began to blur, clouded by fatigue.

In a moment of desperation, she leaned against the wall for support but instead collided with Julian.

A familiar, crisp scent enveloped her, a fragrance that always seemed to appear in her darkest moments, wrapping around her like a protective blanket, making her feel secure.

Without thinking, she leaned closer, her head finding its way onto his shoulder, seeking comfort in the warmth of his presence.

Three pairs of eyes in the elevator widened in disbelief at the unexpected scene unfolding before them.

Teddy’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. ‘Is my CEO really being compromised by a woman?’

Flora and Sadie were equally taken aback, their thoughts racing, ‘Wow, Louisa really knows how to play her cards.’

Julian, however, stiffened at the sudden intimacy.

He glanced down at Louisa, trying to block out the astonished stares of the others, and instinctively wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, concern threading through his voice.

Louisa remained silent, allowing herself to be cradled. As her forehead grazed against his neck, Julian felt the alarming heat radiating from her body.

His brows knitted together in worry as he pressed his hand against her forehead. “You’re burning up,” he murmured, his voice dropping to a low, urgent whisper.

Julian noticed the reaction. “Is it serious?” he asked, his voice tight with apprehension.

“Not serious,” Leroy replied, “but I’ve just never seen someone cut their wrists this deeply before. How desperate was she to die?”

Julian’s gaze hardened as it settled on Louisa’s pale face, his typically icy demeanor softening with genuine concern. “She wasn’t trying to die. She was trying to live.”

Leroy, puzzled by Julian’s words, knew better than to press for clarification. He had never fully grasped the complexities of Julian’s mind anyway.

He pulled out his medical supplies and reached for Louisa’s arm to position it for treatment. However, the moment he touched her hand, she reacted violently, swatting his hand away as if it were a mosquito.

He tried again, only to be met with the same resistance.

“Don’t… touch me,” she mumbled deliriously, her arms flailing as she adamantly rejected any stranger’s touch.

Leroy looked helplessly at Julian, silently questioning, ‘So why am I even here?’

But Julian’s attention remained solely on Louisa. He grasped her slender arm gently with one hand while using the other to stroke her forehead soothingly. “It’s okay. I’m here. Don’t be afraid.”

Everyone in the room watched in awe as Louisa immediately calmed at his words, her body relaxing against the sofa, her struggles fading away.

Julian extended his hand toward Leroy. “Give me the supplies.”