Natalie shook her head and checked her phone again.
‘Should I talk to him about something? Gosh, this silence is embarrassing.Anyway, we often chat online,’ thought Natalie.
She glanced at the LED screen and abandoned the idea.
‘We have reached the fifth floor.I can soon run away from this embarrassing scene.After all, we won’t meet again.”
Just as Natalie was lost in thought, the elevator jerked and stopped. The lights in the elevator went out, and darkness consumed them.
“What happened? Why did the elevator stop?” Natalie anxiously shouted.
The elevator had come to a jerky halt just as she thought she could escape soon.
Natalie was not in the mood to care about Brandon anymore.She reached out to touch the buttons of the elevator.
Just then, she accidentally touched a slender hand.
“Sorry.” She heard Brandon’s resonant voice.
It looked like their hands had collided as the two had reached out to press the buttons.
“It doesn’t matter.I…I just wanted to press the emergency button.”
Frightened, Natalie withdrew her hand.She could feel Brandon’s breath blowing against her.She guessed Brandon was standing right behind her.
After a moment’s pause, Brandon said, “I guess something has been wrong with the circuit ever since the power went off yesterday.”
Then, he pressed all the buttons, including the emergency button.But there was no response.
“What should we do now? Should we call someone?”
Natalie looked at her phone and was about to call for help but stopped on second thought.She thought maybe Brandon could be the one to make the call.
After all, he was the CEO of the Larson Group.
Since he was trapped in the elevator, the staff would take it more seriously and come to their rescue immediately.
“Hmm.” Sebastian turned around, took out his phone, and called someone for help.
He briefed the situation and hung up the phone.
“Don’t worry. The maintenance personnel said they would arrive soon.” Natalie shrank in a corner and hugged her bag.
“Okay.”
Sensing the dread in her voice, Sebastian comforted her, “Don’t worry.The elevator has a vent up there, so there is no risk of running out of fresh air.Just wait patiently for a while.”
Natalie nodded.
Her fear had subsided after she heard him talk over the phone.
After all, the CEO of the Larson Group was trapped with her.
The company would act immediately and make sure nothing happened to him.
Therefore, she would also be rescued along with him.But the sudden darkness suffocated her.
When Natalie was a child, Lauren despised her.
Every time Cassie bullied her to tears, Lauren would lock her in a dark cabinet.
Natalie wasn’t claustrophobic, but the darkness seemed to bring back bitter memories of the past.
The two remained in the dark elevator; none of them spoke.
The silence made Natalie uncomfortable.
“How about I turn on the flashlight of my phone? It’s too dark here.”
Just as Natalie was about to turn the light on, she felt a strong grip on her wrist.
“Don’t waste your phone’s power.”
Sebastian couldn’t let her turn on the flashlight.
Otherwise, she would see his face and find out his secret.
He didn’t know how to explain himself if Natalie found out now that Brandon Larson was actually Sebastian Klein.
Sebastian knew Natalie was a sensitive person.He wasn’t sure if she would be mad at him for concealing his true identity.
Besides, his two brothers had already taken action.
If they followed the clues and found that he was Brandon, it would cause an earth-shattering storm.
Sebastian felt it would be better if Natalie didn’t know his true identity for now.
Sensing something was wrong, Natalie said, “Well, since people are coming to rescue us, I think we will be out soon.Besides, you’re the CEO of this company, Mr.Larson.I’m sure they’ll come and rescue you soon.”
‘Well, the battery in both our phones put together would last for a few hours.Won’t we be out by then?’ she thought.
“Just in case,” he said indifferently.
Sebastian had to say something to dispel her doubts.He stood in the darkness, staring at Natalie’s silhouette.
Sebastian wished he didn’t have to conceal his identity.He wanted to walk to Natalie and hug her.
Kissing her in a dark elevator would be thrilling.
All his senses would be amplified, making it all the more pleasurable.
“Okay.” Natalie sighed.
Her doubts and worries vanished in an instant.She reasoned the CEO was a cautious man.
Since her boss had asked her not to waste the battery, she decided to humor him instead of arguing.
The two continued to stand silently in the darkness.
Natalie wanted to take out her phone and call Sebastian.
However, Brandon was standing right beside her, and he wasn’t using his phone.
As an employee, it would be inappropriate to ignore her boss’s order and fidget with her phone.
Natalie decided not to use her phone now and explain the situation to Sebastian once she got home.
Silence pervaded the elevator except for the rhythmic breathing of the two people.
The awkwardness made Natalie uncomfortable.
Unable to hold it any longer, she quietly looked at the tall figure and asked, “Mr.Larson, do you usually work this late?” “It depends.”
“I haven’t had the chance to meet you before. You have been taking good care of me ever since I started working for your company. Thank you for everything.”
“You’re welcome.” “By the way, why did you take the common elevator?”
Natalie’s face flamed with embarrassment.She felt like a chatterbox.
“My private elevator isn’t working.” The man’s terse response made Natalie wonder if he didn’t want to talk to her.
Natalie wracked her brains to think of a topic to keep the conversation going.
Since Brandon sounded like he didn’t want to talk to her, Natalie reckoned she had to hold her tongue.She had learned to cope with his erratic moods and behaviors.
Brandon didn’t seem aloof when they chatted online.
He spoke to her normally, and the two seemed to get along well with each other.
Natalie couldn’t help but wonder if all the CEOs were unpredictable like him.
Sebastian didn’t know what Natalie was thinking.
His throat hurt as he altered his voice every time he spoke to her.
Besides, he didn’t want to talk and garner Natalie’s suspicion.
It would only lead to unnecessary problems.
Therefore, he tried to remain silent.
Just then, there was a commotion outside the elevator.
Sebastian’s phone vibrated as someone called him.
“Mr.Larson, our rescue team has arrived and is trying to open the elevator.But the elevator is stuck between two floors, so it’s taking longer than expected.Please give us some time. We’ll get you out, Mr.Larson.Sorry for the inconvenience.”
“Okay, hurry up.” Natalie stole a glance at Brandon.
The elevator was pin- drop silent, so she could hear the muffled voice of the man from the other end of the line.
She felt that Brandon was not a friendly boss.
Everyone who spoke to him seemed to tremble with fear and respect.
A few minutes later, a loud noise sounded from outside the elevator.Faint voices in a heated discussion could be heard.
