The Abandoned Wife Dumped Him First (Victoria and Elias) novel Chapter 47

Since the building hadn't been initially equipped with a backup power source, the elevators were also out. Fortunately, Team Three's office was only on the ninth floor, not too high up. Victoria felt her way along the wall, found the emergency exit door, and pushed it open. Standing on the landing, she peered down.

The stairwell yawned below her, all darkness and dead quiet.

Images from horror movies flashed through her mind, and her nerves tightened. She gripped the railing, biting her lower lip.

She was never scared when watching those movies.

But when a person is in a confined, dark space, all their senses become heightened, breeding a primal fear.

After a long moment, she summoned her courage and started down, one step at a time.

The further down she went, the darker it got. She nearly missed a step several times, forcing her to count the flights of stairs in her head to keep track. Perhaps due to the stress and fear, the pain in her injured back grew worse.

Suddenly, she heard the faint sound of footsteps from below.

She froze, her voice trembling as she called out, "Is someone there? Who is it?"

Victoria waited, but there was no reply.

She told herself she must have imagined it, pressed her lips into a thin line, took a deep breath, and continued down.

BOOM—

The thunderclap felt like it was right beside her ear.

At the same time, a flash of white light illuminated the stairwell, revealing a figure standing just a short distance below her.

"Ah!"

Victoria's breath caught in her throat. Her foot slipped, her balance shifted backward, and she was about to tumble down the stairs.

Suddenly, the figure moved. A strong arm wrapped tightly around her waist, pulling her into an embrace. Victoria’s eyes slammed shut, her mind a complete blank as she unconsciously gripped the front of his shirt.

In the dead‑quiet stairwell, a slow, steady beat thudded against her, calm and unshakable.

It took her a second to realize—it wasn’t hers.

Victoria's mind snapped back to the present. She was in someone's arms.

"Don't move."

A deep, familiar voice rumbled from above her.

Victoria froze. Was she hearing things? That voice...

Just then, a crisp, familiar woody scent wrapped around her.

He tilted her chin up, his eyes filled with a frosty glare. "Who knows what kind of scheme you'd pull to cling to me, just so you can keep being Mrs. Shawn after our year is up."

Victoria went rigid. Elias's cold breath washed over her, making it hard to breathe. The spot where his arm was wrapped around her waist was exactly where she had been injured, and the searing pain was a sharp reminder that she couldn't show any weakness, couldn't back down.

"You don't have to worry, Mr. Shawn. I have no intention of breaking our one-year agreement," she said, taking a deep breath and looking straight at him. "Now, could you please let me go?"

Elias's face darkened instantly. Her response did nothing to quell the fire inside him; in fact, it burned hotter, and the veins on the back of his hand pulsed.

After a moment, he released her, scoffing, "You'd better keep your word."

The pain in her back finally eased a little.

Victoria let out a small sigh of relief. When she looked up, Elias had already left her behind and was heading down the stairs.

Remembering the pitch-black darkness, she didn't dare to linger. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she followed him down, using the light from his phone to see.

But every step felt like a nail being driven into her lower back.

After descending two more flights, the pain was so intense that cold sweat began to form on her back.

Realizing she couldn't keep up, she grabbed the railing and stopped, her head bowed.

Suddenly, the darkening stairwell grew brighter. A pair of leather shoes came into view, followed by Elias's cold, merciless voice.