Now You Want Me? Too Late

Elena finally regained her senses and fumbled into her bag. She pulled out her phone and called the police.

"He-Hello..." she stuttered. "Please come to Southern Avenue."

Tears filled her eyes as she looked at Elias’s bleeding arm. "Two drunk men attacked us. My husband has been stabbed. He is bleeding."

On the other end, Elias gritted his teeth and raised his head. His eyes were terrifying. The injury had not weakened him. It had only made him angrier.

"You shouldn’t have touched her." His voice was low, deadly.

The two of them froze.

"What? Hey, kid. You can barely stand. And you still think of challenging us. You should run away."

"Run away?" Elias smiled, a murderous glint in his eyes. "How can I before I punish you for what you did?"

The moment he finished speaking, he attacked, this time more fiercely.

He punched the man who had just spoken, sending him crashing onto the ground. Then he seized the other one by his collar and drove his knee into his ribs.

The bone-cracking sound pierced the air. The impact shook the man’s entire body. He coughed up blood.

Elias wasn’t done yet. The punched him again and again.

The man crumpled onto the ground, barely conscious.

The first attacker tried to stand.

Elias kicked him down.

The two attackers lay sprawled on the ground. Their faces were bruised and swollen. Their body ached all over. Neither of them tried to fight back. Their strength gave out.

Elias finally relaxed. The adrenaline faded. His legs trembled. He dropped to one knee and breathed heavily.

"Elias!" Elena rushed over and knelt beside him. "You are hurt."

Despite the pain, a faint smile curled his lips. "I am fine. Don’t be afraid." His voice was hoarse.

"It’s my fault." Fresh tears streamed down her face. "I shouldn’t have run off alone."

Guilt consumed her. "You are hurt because of me..."

"No..." Elias interrupted her. He lifted his uninjured hand and gently cupped her cheek. "Don’t blame yourself. The only thing that matters is that you are safe."

Elena sobbed harder. The tenderness of his voice only made her more emotional.

Just then, police sirens echoed through the street. The patrol car arrived.

Two officers rushed over.

Elena stood and explained everything that had happened.

The officers quickly handcuffed the two men and dragged them into the car.

One officer approached Elias. "Sir, you should go to the hospital."

Elias shook his head. He didn’t want to go to the hospital and alarm his grandfather.

"My house is a little away from here. I’ll call my family doctor instead.

The officer cast him a wary look but didn’t press.

After completing the necessary procedures, the police left.

Soon, Elias and Elena returned home.

The family doctor arrived shortly afterward. After examining the wound carefully, he finally relaxed.

"Fortunately, the cut isn’t deep." The doctor cleaned and bandaged the wound. "Just make sure the bandage stays dry. No getting the wound wet. Otherwise, it may become infected."

"I’ll make sure of it," Elena said.

After giving a few more instructions, the doctor left.

Silence settled over the room.

Elena sat beside Elias on the bed. Her eyes were still red from crying. Guilt had not disappeared yet.

Elias watched her. When he noticed the redness on her cheek, his anger resurfaced.

A crease appeared between his brows.

He regretted not killing those men. The next moment, his expression softened when he saw the tears in her eyes.

"Does it hurt?" He reached out and caressed her bruised cheek.

Elena shook her head. "No..."

She turned to him, her gaze landing on the bandage around his arm. "I should have asked that. You are the one who is injured."

Elias wiped the lingering tears from the corners of her eyes. "You heard the doctor. The wound isn’t deep."

He offered her a reassuring smile. "It will heal in a few days."

"I know," she whispered, taking his hand in hers. "From now on, I’ll take care of you until you are completely healed."

Joy and satisfaction crashed into his heart. The thought of being cared for by her made the injury feel worthwhile.

"Alright." He gently pulled her into his embrace. "I’ll let you take care of me. But..."

His voice softened further. "Don’t tell Grandpa anything about this.

Elena immediately understood.

Arthur would worry himself sick.

"I won’t." She leaned into his embrace.

~~~~~~~~~

A few days passed.

During those days, Noah sent Elena gifts and flowers every single day. He also bombarded her with messages, apologizing repeatedly.

But Elena never replied.

She didn’t need his apologies. She no longer cared about him. And she certainly didn’t want anything from him. Every gift he sent was returned.

Knock-Knock...

The office door knocked twice before it pushed open.

Elena looked up to see a woman entering with a bouquet in her hands.

It was her secretary, Nina.

"Another bouquet," Nina said with a teasing grin on her face.

Elena didn’t even glance at the flowers. She returned her focus to the file in front of her.

"Throw it away," she said bluntly.

Nina hesitated. Looking down at the flower, she couldn’t help but shake her head.

Every day, flowers arrived for Elena. And every day, Elena threw them away without a second thought.

"These flowers are so beautiful," she said. "You can keep them to decorate the office."

She grinned. "I can bring a vase. What do you think?"

Elena looked up at her. "If you like them, keep them. Put them on your desk. But I don’t need them."

The smile on Nina’s face vanished.

"From now on, don’t bring anything Noah Sinclair sends into this office," Elena issued a command coldly. "Do you understand?"

Nina swallowed. "I’ll throw them away right now."

She turned and left.

As soon as the door closed, Elena’s features twisted with barely restrained irritation. She grabbed her phone and started typing.

’Stop sending me gifts and flowers, Noah. None of these will earn my forgiveness. You are only irritating me. Don’t trouble me again.’

She hit the send button, fuming under her breath.

Noah’s phone buzzed. The moment Elena’s name appeared on the screen, his eyes lit up.

A grin spread across his face.

"You finally decided to message me."

With excitement lacing his voice, he opened the message. All the joy and enthusiasm vanished the moment he read it.

"What?" he muttered. A look of disbelief crossed her face.

For days, he had been sending flowers and gifts to her without fail. Every single one had been returned, yet he had stubbornly continued, hoping his persistence would soften her heart and gradually melt away her anger.

But he was wrong.

She didn’t want anything from him.

A wave of frustration washed over him.

"Why won’t you give me a chance?" he muttered under his breath. "We were together for so many years. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?"

Deep down, he already knew the answer. The years they had spent together meant far less than the pain he had caused her.

For a moment, he stared at the message in silence.

"No... I won’t give up."

As long as Elena had not completely erased him from her life, he still had a chance. And he intended to hold onto that chance, no matter how slim it was.

"Noah..." The door burst open, and Tessa barged in without knocking.

Noah’s eyebrows furrowed in rage. "Can’t you knock on the door before entering?"

"Oh, I am sorry." Her steps faltered for a moment. But the smile lingered on her face. "I was so excited that I forgot everything."

She paused, her lips stretching from ear to ear. "I secured an appointment with Ryan Brook, the CEO of Novacrest Global."