CHAPTER 140: DEEP END

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It was still early in the afternoon, but Georgia had no strength left to fight Mel’s insistence that she go home. She had been firm. Rest, recover from the day’s shock, and return tomorrow with a clear mind. Yet rest was a luxury Georgia couldn’t afford.

Mel is older than her and has been with their company since she was young. She helped her brother and ran it when their father died, and she’s like a family member to them.

However, instead of heading straight home, she made quiet, desperate decisions to keep her business alive—pulling funds, redirecting accounts, anything to buy them another month of survival.

Her mind was a haze of numbers and panic, so much that she absentmindedly told the cab driver to stop five blocks from her house. By the time she stumbled through her front door, she barely remembered how she’d gotten there.

The sight of Ella sitting with Katie in the living room, reading as if the world was safe and whole, shattered her remaining hold of her composure completely.

She is home, and these people are her comfort zone.

"You’re back early!" Ella’s warm, reassuring smile cut straight into Georgia’s defenses.

The fragile dam holding her emotions broke. Georgia’s body trembled as hot tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks.

"Georgia?" Ella’s eyes widened in alarm as she rushed to catch her before she collapsed, holding her as though she might shatter.

The sound of Ella’s panicked cry brought Wendy and Liam running from the kitchen.

"Oh my God, what happened?!" Ella demanded, her voice breaking as she held her best friend tighter.

"All... all funds are gone..." Georgia choked out between sobs, her voice filled with despair.

"What do you mean? What funds?" Ella pressed, trying to steady her, her own heart racing.

"Oh dear, let me get some water," Wendy uttered.

"Georgia, breathe. You might faint if you continue like this," Liam said and started patting her back.

Katie’s small, trembling voice suddenly pierced the room. "Aunt Georgia?"

The innocence in that voice snapped through Georgia’s spiraling panic, forcing her to rein herself back. With trembling hands, she drew Katie into a hug, masking her breakdown with a forced smile.

"I’m sorry, sweetheart. I just... had too much ice cream before dinner. My stomach hurts. Go upstairs with Nanna Wendy, okay? Auntie Ella and Uncle Liam will take care of me."

Wendy handed over a glass of water, and Georgia forced herself to drink it to calm down.

Katie hesitated, but nodded, clutching Wendy’s hand as they disappeared upstairs.

When the room quieted, Ella pressed a tissue into Georgia’s hand, her gaze fierce and tender all at once. "Now," she whispered, brushing away the stray tears from Georgia’s cheek, "tell us what really happened."

Georgia told everything to Ella and Liam, her voice trembling even though she fought to hold back more tears. She laid it out just as Mel had explained to her earlier.

"I sold my car... and the jewelry I had with me today," Georgia confessed, her tone soft but steady, as though speaking the words aloud made the sacrifice more real. "That will cover the employees’ salaries for the next payday. Thank God the lease isn’t up for another eight months—we still have that much breathing room."

Ella’s worried eyes searched hers, her voice filled with tension. "And next month? What will happen then?"

Georgia swallowed hard, lifting her chin as though bracing herself for war. "I told my staff to offer longer contracts to the seafarers—we’ll save on expenses and increase profit margins that way.

Starting tomorrow, I’ll make sure we process papers faster so we can dispatch more men as quickly as possible. The sales team and I will double down, chase every contract, and squeeze every opportunity. Somehow... I’ll find a way to secure next month’s expenses."

The determination in her voice was fierce, but Ella caught the tremor underneath it—the fragility of a woman burning herself alive just to keep everyone else warm.

"And the two runaways?" Ella pressed, her voice sharp now, protective.

Georgia’s eyes clouded, her fists clenching on her lap. "I don’t want to assume... but Mel and I already reported them to the police. Still, we need to find them first, alive or dead, to know the truth.

If they did take the money, I’ll file a criminal case myself. But a part of me wonders if someone else is pulling the strings—forcing them, or worse... silencing them. They are newlyweds, so I want to think that they did not do this of their own accord since they have a bright future ahead of them."

Her voice dropped, weighted with both fear and fury. "I’ll get the police update tomorrow."

Ella leaned forward, fire flashing in her eyes. "No. I’m certain it’s them. Don’t you see? They were recommended by Raymond to David. Yes, those two are very skilled and helped the company a lot.

However, birds of the same feather flock together. He knew you left him for good, Georgia. This—" she gestured with trembling hands, her voice fierce with conviction "—was his move. He’s been planning it all along, setting the pieces so he could have leverage over you."

The words struck like a blade. Georgia’s breath caught, her chest rising and falling faster, fury igniting behind her exhaustion. Ella’s hand slid over hers, gripping tight, comforting and holding her together before she shattered again.

"If that’s the case, let’s call Ollie. He’s got a team who can dig deeper than the police ever could," Liam suggested with a sharp, steady tone, like a man already planning the battlefield.

"Wait, Liam." Georgia’s voice broke through, her hand gripping the armrest. "Oliver is one of the best and one of the most expensive lawyers out there. I’ve already drained most of my savings just to cover the company’s expenses. I can’t afford him."

Liam’s lips curved in a half-smirk, that playful defiance flashing in his eyes. "Worry about that later. This is the least I can do for you. Besides..." He leaned closer, lowering his voice until it was rich enough to make Georgia’s skin prickle. "If I don’t do something, do you think my brother would forgive me? He’d strangle me on the spot."

He winked before stepping out of the room, his phone already pressed to his ear as he called Oliver.

The moment Liam disappeared, Ella turned to Georgia, her expression softening. Her fingers reached out, brushing the back of Georgia’s hand with a deliberate tenderness. "I have money. And you haven’t even withdrawn your earnings from my company yet. Take it. Or better yet, let me lend you what you need. No time limit. Pay me back when you can."

Georgia’s lips parted, touched but conflicted. "Ella... thank you, but that won’t be necessary. At least, not for now." Her gaze sharpened, a teasing glint pushing through her exhaustion. "But tell me—what exactly is Liam doing here, hmm?"

The question struck Ella like lightning. Her eyes widened, and heat crept up her cheeks until her face was crimson. She lowered her gaze, fumbling with her hair, tucking it nervously behind her ear. "Oh, well... I—"

Georgia leaned in, her voice low, sultry, daring. "Are you two... dating in my house?"

Ella’s face turned beet red, her lips parting in a breathless stammer. That short moment of teasing her best friend somehow made Georgia feel lighter, even though she was already in the deep end of a tunnel that she didn’t know how to get out of.