“Mr.Larson? We’re going to force the elevator door open.Please take a few steps back and make sure no one’s near the door.” Someone’s voice came from outside the elevator.
Brandon replied to acknowledge him and obediently retreated to a corner.
More chaos ensued outside, as though the maintenance personnel were prying the elevator door open with some tools.
Some time passed, but there seemed to be no progress.Just then, the elevator shook violently.
“Ah!” Natalie shrieked, her heart dropping to her stomach.
The elevator’s sudden movement made her lose her balance.
Just as she felt as though she was going to hit the ground, a powerful pair of arms caught her in the darkness.
With a low grunt, Brandon pulled her up and held her close.
Natalie’s back was pressed against the wall, while Brandon’s body was pressed against hers.He lowered his head until his lips brushed against her ear.
Natalie could feel his breath sweeping across her bare skin.
Despite him saving her, Brandon’s act made Natalie even more anxious than the shaking of the elevator.She immediately tried to shake him off.
“Mr.Larson, please let go of me.I can stand on my own feet.”
She was so panic-stricken that she tried to push Brandon away, but then the elevator shook even more violently all of a sudden.
“Don’t move!” Brandon barked, grabbing her shoulder forcefully.
His low voice was strong yet steady, and it had the power to snap people back to their senses.
Natalie managed to calm down somewhat, at least enough to gather her bearings.She was still very nervous, and her heart pounded against her chest uncontrollably.She just hated being touched by men.
Sebastian was an exception.He always had a mature and reliable temperament, which made Natalie feel an inexplicable sense of security.He also had a strong aura and anyone in front of him would seem weaker.
But now that she thought about it, Brandon also made her feel this way.
Even though she couldn’t see his face, she could feel that the man before her was decent and reliable.
For some reason, he made Natalie feel that she could put her trust in him.
In fact, Natalie thought that it all felt a little familiar, as though it was Sebastian standing in front of her.She lowered herself and wrapped her arms around herself protectively, trying to keep some distance from Brandon.
The elevator shook for another ten seconds before it finally stopped.
Brandon held Natalie so tight that she broke into a cold sweat.
The fabric of her dress got wet, which made her very uncomfortable.
Finally, a ray of light pierced through the crack in the elevator door.
The rescue workers finally pried the door open a centimeter.
Raising her head, Natalie asked in a low voice, “Can you let go of me now?”
“Oh, right.I’m sorry.”
Brandon’s tone was a little stiff.He immediately let go of Natalie and took two steps back to put a safe distance between them.
Simultaneously, on high alert, Natalie retreated to the farthest corner of the elevator.
Leaning against the opposite side of the elevator, Brandon sighed silently.He rubbed his eyebrows and squinted Natalie in the darkness.
“I’m sorry.I didn’t mean to offend you.I just…wanted to make sure you were safe.”
“It’s okay.And thanks.I was really scared just now,” Natalie said in between deep breaths.
While she didn’t feel offended by Brandon’s behavior, she did feel a bit taken aback.
After all, her boss didn’t look like the type of guy who would treat a woman this way.
When he held her in his arms just now, his movements were very natural, as if he had done this sort of thing countless times.
“Are you scared of me?” the man in the darkness suddenly asked.
Sebastian, whose fingertips were still tingling from touching the woman across the elevator, felt that Natalie’s body was stiff just now.She seemed scared.
Whenever they kissed, she would always go limp in his arms.
But now, she went and did the opposite.
“Well, a little.But Mr.Larson, I’m not blaming you or anything. It’s all just too sudden.”
Even though they were kind of friends, Natalie didn’t dare to tell Brandon to stay away from her.He was her boss after all.
If she wanted to continue to work in the Larson Group, she had no choice but to swallow the pride and show Brandon some respect he deserved.
Still, she was confused with the way Brandon treated her.
Was he interested in her? No.That couldn’t be it.
Natalie frowned slightly in the dark, wondering if she was overthinking: Well, whatever the reason Brandon behaved like this, she just couldn’t understand what kind of person he was.
As she mulled it over, Brandon didn’t say anything more.A hush fell over the elevator.
Suddenly, a grating noise sounded from the elevator door and light came flooding in.
The rescuers had finally pried the door open! Several fully armed rescue workers in orange uniforms reached out their hands to them.
“Grab on!” Natalie squinted from the sudden light.
Before her eyes could adjust, Brandon walked behind her and said, “You go first.”
Then he put his hands under Natalie’s arms and lifted her up from behind without hesitation. He held her up and handed her to the rescuers.
The rescuers quickly pulled Natalie up.It was noisy outside.
A group of people had gathered in front of the elevator.
Most of them were the employees of the Larson Group.
They probably rushed there when they heard the news that something had happened to their CEO.
“Quinn, are you okay? Go home already. It’s almost 1 o’clock. Your family’s probably worried sick!” Garrett’s smiling face came into Natalie’s view.He pushed her towards the exit without scruples.
Before Natalie could protest, she was pushed out of the gate.
“Well, I guess I’ll go home then, Mr.Harding.”
She deliberately turned around to look at Garrett and smiled.She reasoned that Brandon should have been pulled out of the elevator by now.She wanted to take this opportunity to peek inside and see what Brandon looked like….She had always been curious about the CEO of the Larson Group.
