ELLA.

Without hesitation, Lurgard stepped forward and swept me into his arms in a bridal style, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

My breath hitched instantly.

Heat rushed straight to my face so fast that my cheeks burned red in embarrassment.

Seriously?

What was wrong with this man?

Lurgard was completely unpredictable. He acted first and thought later. He never cared about asking for permission or considering what the other person wanted.

One moment he was threatening me, the next moment he was carrying me like I belonged in his arms.

"Put me down!" I cried out immediately, my voice lowering into a whisper halfway through as panic settled in my chest.

What if someone saw us?

What if one of the workers walked in?

Lurgard shot me a sharp glare instantly, his eyes dark and filled with warning.

"Stay still, Theresa," he growled deeply.

The tone of his voice alone made my heart skip nervously.

I frowned at him immediately, but despite my irritation, I stopped struggling for a moment because of the tight grip he had around me.

He held me firmly against his chest as he walked toward the elevator without sparing me another glance.

His expression remained cold and unreadable, but the way his arms tightened around me whenever I moved slightly told another story entirely.

"Lurgard..." I muttered through clenched teeth.

He ignored me completely.

Gosh!

How could someone be this impossible?

We finally reached the elevator, and the moment we stood before it, he looked down at me briefly.

"Press the button," he ordered calmly.

I blinked twice before quickly doing as he said.

Honestly, I didn’t want to risk anyone walking past and seeing us in this position. That alone would be enough to fuel gossip for weeks.

I pressed the elevator button quickly and immediately inputted the floor leading to his office.

The elevator doors slid open almost instantly, and Lurgard carried me inside without hesitation.

The moment the doors closed again, sealing us inside the quiet space, I released a slow breath.

Maybe now his anger had subsided.

Maybe now he would finally put me down.

"Put me down," I said again, this time more firmly.

But Lurgard remained silent, and there was not even a reaction from him.

I frowned harder.

"Can you at least try to behave properly?" I asked in frustration. "You can’t just keep carrying people around whenever you feel like it."

Lurgard still didn’t say a single word.

The only sound inside the elevator was the soft mechanical hum as it moved upward.

I shifted slightly in his arms again, preparing to continue arguing with him until he would finally lose patience and drop me.

But before I could speak again, Lurgard’s gaze suddenly lowered. It moved from my eyes, and then to my lips.

My breath caught instantly and the intensity in his stare made my stomach tighten nervously.

It wasn’t just a look, It was a warning—A dangerous one, like he was silently telling me to stop talking before he did something reckless again.

I swallowed hard immediately.

The memory of the kiss on the staircase flashed across my mind so vividly that my chest tightened.

Gosh.

Why was he looking at me like that?

I bit down lightly on my lower lip, trying desperately to stop myself from speaking again.

That seemed to catch his attention even more, as his eyes darkened instantly and suddenly the atmosphere inside the elevator became unbearably hot.

I quickly looked away from him, pretending to focus on the glowing numbers above the elevator door, as I wrapped my hands tightly around his neck.

But it didn’t help, not when I could still feel his gaze fixed on me so intensely, not when Nyx was stirring excitedly inside me again.

After a while of suffocating silence inside the elevator, the doors finally slid open with a soft sound.

I released a breath I didn’t realize I had been holding.

’Thank goodness.’ I muttered under my breath.

The moment we stepped out, loud voices echoed through the hallway immediately—shouting, arguments and something crashing loudly against the surface.

Lurgard’s expression darkened instantly.

Without warning, he set me down on the ground so abruptly that I nearly stumbled backward.

I quickly adjusted my clothes awkwardly, smoothing down the creases on my trouser while trying to regain my balance.

But Lurgard wasn’t paying attention to me anymore, as his entire expression had changed. Every trace of restraint disappeared from his face as anger clouded his eyes.

And then he stormed straight toward Lawrence’s office.

I frowned instantly and hurried after him.

The office door was partially open, and the atmosphere around it already felt tense and chaotic.

Lurgard didn’t hesitate for even a second, he pushed the door open forcefully and the loud bang echoed through the room.

The moment his eyes landed on Bernard, his face twisted with fury.

Pure fury.

Before anyone could even react properly, Lurgard lunged forward violently, his fist connected directly with Bernard’s nose with a sickening punch.

The sound alone made me flinch.

"What the—"

Bernard staggered slightly backward from the impact, but Lurgard didn’t stop there.

"How dare you show up here?" Lurgard growled furiously, his voice thick with rage and frustration.

Honestly, the look in his eyes was terrifying. It was the kind of anger that looked deeply personal, like he genuinely wanted to rip Bernard apart.

Meanwhile, Bernard calmly lifted his hand and wiped the blood dripping from his nose, and unbelievably...he chuckled.

"You still haven’t tamed that temper of yours," Bernard said amusedly, as if he found the entire thing entertaining.

My brows furrowed instantly.

What exactly was wrong with him?

Was he a psycho?

"If you know what’s good for you, Bernard, disappear from my sight the same way you did six years ago!" Lurgard yelled again.

His chest rose and fell heavily with anger, the veins on his neck were already visible but Bernard only laughed shortly again.

"No way, Lurgard," he replied casually. "You should prepare to welcome me instead."

What a psycho!

Honestly, who says something like that after getting punched in the face?

"You—" Lurgard roared angrily and tried lunging at him again.

But this time Leonard and Lawrence reacted quickly, as they grabbed him immediately before he could reach Bernard.

"Calm down, Lurgard!" they echoed in unison while trying to restrain him.

For a moment it genuinely looked like the office would be destroyed.

Lurgard struggled against their hold angrily, as his eyes never left Bernard for even a second.

And Bernard?

He still looked annoyingly calm, like he was enjoying every bit of Lurgard’s reaction.

Eventually, Lurgard forcefully pulled himself away from his brothers’ grip.

"You better ensure I don’t see you around me again!" he spat furiously at Bernard.

The atmosphere instantly turned colder, even I could feel the tension pressing heavily against the room.

And before I could even process what was happening next, Lurgard suddenly grabbed my wrist tightly.

"Lurgard—"

But he didn’t listen.

He dragged me out of Lawrence’s office immediately and headed straight toward his own office.

The hell?

I nearly lost my balance trying to keep up with his angry steps.

Honestly, I already knew where this was going, he was furious and somehow I was the unfortunate person closest to him right now.

Great.

Just great.

I can’t believe I was about to become the vessel for him to pour all his anger on.