CHAPTER 80: LET HIM SLEEP ON THE FLOOR

Elara sat on the couch in her living room, her knees pulled close to her chest as she read the script to get familiar with all the scenes, since the second round was the next day and it included an emotional scene.

She read a few lines and was about to stand to make some coffee for herself when she felt a whoosh of wind and turned abruptly, her knife in her hand in a second to counter whoever was going to attack.

"It pains me," the man’s familiar voice reached her, and her stance eased immediately.

She placed the knife back in its scabbard and looked at the man who sat in the boss’s chair near the window, leaned back, and relaxed as if he had always belonged there.

"What does?" she asked casually, wondering if she should even bother asking what he was doing here at this point.

Her cheeks reddened slightly just at his sight as her mind replayed the kiss they shared on that hospital bed when he lost control.

That kind of intensity... that kind of obsession and possession...

Elara arched her brows.

"You are always in fight mode. It’s like I have never seen you relax," Daniel said.

His deep words caught Elara off guard for a second, and she struggled to come back with a reply. Why? Because it was true.

"Are you not the same?" Elara finally asked after a drawn-out silence.

Daniel looked at the woman and nodded.

"It’s true. I am just like that. And because I am like that, you can relax in my arms." Daniel stood and walked to where she stood, her hands crossed before her chest.

He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ears before smiling, the kind of smile that said he would always be there for her in thick and thin, and he wasn’t saying that just for the show. He meant every single word.

Daniel didn’t need to assure Elara. For some reason, his intentions were clear through his eyes.

"I heard what happened tonight. I had planned to go there, but when I arrived, everything was a mess," Daniel said.

Elara nodded. "But at least I am free now. I am, right?" She asked, unsure what she even wanted to hear at this point.

"Can I share something with you?" Daniel asked.

Elara looked at him briefly before asking him if he wanted to have some coffee. When the man nodded, she walked to the kitchen, indicating he should continue speaking.

When the man didn’t start immediately, she turned to see what he was doing, and her pupils dilated when she saw he was about to open the file that Justin had dropped an hour ago.

The file contained the new information about their next project, and Elara quickly rushed to his side, snatching the file from his hand.

Due to the impact, her foot became entangled with Daniel’s, and she was about to fall when the man quickly held her hand to save her.

However, it was too late. He twisted their bodies so he was below her and took the major blow while she landed on top of him.

"Fuck!" Daniel groaned, the wound on the side of his abdomen almost feeling like it was sprinkled with salt.

"I... I am sorry. It’s just—" Elara started to stand, not wanting to make him more uncomfortable.

But the man held her shoulders in place, stopping her from moving.

"Stay. I can bear a thousand such wounds and related pain if you stay like this. Please. This is peaceful," Daniel whispered, tightening his hold around her as he hugged her.

Elara didn’t know what to do, lying on top of him. She didn’t want to stay like this. It was inappropriate, but with his steel-like grip, removing his hands would hurt him even more.

Left with no choice, she placed her head on his chest. Hearing his rapid heartbeat, for some reason, made her smile.

"Don’t laugh at my heart. I can’t control it when it comes to you," Daniel whispered before he closed his eyes.

"What did you want to ask?" Elara asked.

"Mm," the man hummed but didn’t say anything else.

Elara didn’t say anything either. She thought about everything that happened and couldn’t help but feel that one hug could help her, too. It was calming.

And his arms, they were strangely comfortable, always giving her the sense of protectiveness that no one ever provided her in this way.

After what felt like an eternity, and as her body started to turn sour, she looked up angrily, ready to berate the man for trying to take advantage of the situation, when she noticed his eyes were closed and his breathing was soft.

No wonder his heartbeats were calm.

The man had fallen asleep.

With a sigh, she gently removed his hands from around her and stood.

It felt illegal to have such a man sleep on the carpet. Should she ask him to move to the bed?

Wait. Why would she allow him on her bed? Elara thinned her lips, hugging loudly with her fists on her waist, angrily.

She was about to poke the side of the man’s hand with her toenail when she heard the sound of vibration.

She looked around and saw his phone on the chair he had been sitting on.

ALEN

The name in bold letters appeared on the screen, and knowing the man was Daniel’s closest secretary, she picked up, hoping he would come here and take this wolf away.

"Hello?" She spoke.

Alen, who was standing beside Kevin, who nearly had the nozzle of his gun in the culprit’s mouth, froze for a second.

A woman was picking up their boss’s phone? How was this possible?

"Miss Elara?" He tested, and when Elara hummed, he visibly relaxed before walking out of the torture room to talk to her.

"Where is our boss, Miss Elara?" Alen asked.

Elara looked at the man on the floor, who had his brows furrowed, and her heart skipped a beat.

"He is on the floor," she said.

Alarm bells rang in Alen’s head, and he panicked.

"My boss is on the floor? What happened? Is he in pain? Who attacked? How dare they? I am coming," Alen said.

Seeing the man panic, Elara pressed her lips into a thin line.

"He is sleeping," she added.

Alen, who was already walking towards the building’s exit, stopped.

Sleeping? Their boss was sleeping? At this time? It was just 10 pm. For someone who had insomnia, it was indeed a miracle.

"How is this even possible?" Alen asked.

And Elara, who gave her plush teddy bear to Daniel so he could hug it, smiled when the man hugged her so close. It almost looked like he hugged it, thinking it was her, and the thought alone made her blush hard.

"You can come and see if you don’t believe me. Honestly, come and take him away. He is interrupting my schedule," Elara said.

Alen’s lips trembled in fake pity.

How can you say that, Miss Elara? Our boss is so innocent when it comes to loving you. You are even making the man sleep on the floor, and he isn’t saying anything about it. How can you be so cruel?

Alen sniffed.

"I can’t hear you. Hello? Hello?" Alen ended the call before wiping his fake tears.

"What happened, sir?" Terry walked to him when he saw their superior being so emotional.

"Nothing. I am just so happy for my boss, but he is sleeping on the floor. The trillionaire whose worth is even more than the presidents of many countries is sleeping on the floor," Alen said before hugging Terry.

Terry didn’t understand what was happening, but didn’t interrupt his boss either.

On the other hand, Elara clicked a photo of the man hugging the teddy bear and brewed some coffee for herself, but not before covering him with a comforter.

Once she was done, she was about to go to her room when she looked at the man and sighed.

She lay down on the couch but found it uncomfortable and couldn’t help but look at Daniel again.

How was he sleeping so peacefully on the ground? She wondered and lay beside him, covering herself with a different comforter.

She looked at his face, tracing his features with her fingers without touching him. A smile appeared on her lips when he scrunched his brows.

She supported herself on her elbow and kissed his forehead, shocking herself.

Her eyes widened as she realized what she had done, and she couldn’t help but gulp.

In fear she would wake him up, she turned around to face the other side.

Daniel, who had woken up the moment she was tracing her fingers around his face, an instinct he developed over the years after being involved in the mafia, where anyone can attack you at any time, smiled as he looked at her small back.

He noticed the teddy bear in his hands, raised his brows, and threw it aside.

He wondered if he should stand, but if he did, she would demand that he leave. Thus, with a sigh, he placed his hand on Elara’s abdomen and pulled her back into his embrace, making her heart skip a beat.

But, thinking he had done it in his sleep, she didn’t say anything.

They weren’t even sleeping in the same bed, so why was he getting so close? She pouted for some minutes, but the tiredness from the day soon took over, and she fell asleep.