-ˋˏ ༻Chapter 7༺ ˎˊ-

The ride to the company was silent, each mile passing in a tense and awkward atmosphere. Sean stared out the car window, his expression unreadable, while Layla stole frequent glances at him, her guilt and regret eating away at her. As the car pulled up to the company building, Sean finally spoke, his voice low but edged with bitterness.

"You don't have to pretend like you care."

Layla's heart ached at the coldness in his tone, but she knew she deserved it. She opened her mouth to respond, but Sean cut her off with a wave of his hand.

"Just drop it, Layla. You don't need to pretend anymore, alright? I'm already used to it so it's fine." There was a hard edge to his voice, a hint of anger and exhaustion evident beneath the surface.

He stepped out of the car without waiting for her response, the door closing behind him with a loud 'thud'. He started walking towards the building, his back straight, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. Layla hesitated for a moment before following him, the regret and sadness etched on her face.

As they walked into the company building, the hustle and bustle of office life filled the air. Employees moved around them, talking and laughing, oblivious to the tension between the two. Sean kept his gaze straight ahead, ignoring the curious glances from his coworkers and the worried looks from Layla.

They made their way to their respective offices, the silence between them like a physical barrier. Sean headed toward his cubicle, ignoring the curious looks and whispers from his coworkers. He sat down at his desk, taking a deep breath as he tried to ignore the knot of anxiety in his stomach.

As Sean settled into his desk, he heard a familiar voice next to him.

"Hey, Senior," Sophia, one of his colleagues, greeted him with a relieved smile.

"You're back already? how's your feeling? you looked so sick last time so I've been worried, you didn't even reply my texts."

Sean let out a soft sigh, his shoulders relaxing a bit at the sight of Sophia's familiar face. He turned to face her, forcing a small smile.

"Yeah, I'm back. Feeling better, thanks for asking, Sophia. Just got mild fever and didn't have time to check on my phone, sorry for that."

"mild fever? A whole four days and it's just a mild fever? Stop joking around senior. It was definitely more serious than that"

Sean's attempt at a smile faded a bit as he was called out. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to downplay the situation.

"Eh..well, you know me. I tend to tough it out when I'm sick. It wasn't that bad, I swear."

As Sean spoke, Sophia's sharp eyes spotted something on his wrist - a bruise, just visible beneath his sleeve. She raised an eyebrow, her expression becoming concerned.

"What's this?" she asked, gently grabbing his hand to get a closer look at the bruise.

"Did you hurt your wrist or something?"

Sean froze for a moment, his body going rigid. The evidence of last night's event still visible, but he sure as hell wasn't about to tell Sophia, or anyone, about the truth. He quickly tried to pull his hand away, avoiding Sophia's questioning gaze.

"It's nothing," he said quickly, his voice casual, though his eyes flicked away for a moment. "Probably just a small injury from tripping on something, you know how clumsy I can be."

Sophia's eyes moved up, her gaze locking onto the plaster on Sean's lower neck. Her expression turned more puzzled and concerned.

"And this one?" she asked, pointing to the plaster.

"What's with the plaster?"

Sean's hand instinctively came up to touch the plaster, a slight fluster in his eyes. He tried to maintain a nonchalant tone, though it was obvious he was uncomfortable.

"Oh, this? Ah, that. Just, eh, a small bug bite. Nothing serious. You know me, clumsy and all."

His explanation was half-hearted, and Sophia's eyes narrowed. She had a nagging feeling there was more to his injuries than he was letting on. His casual demeanor and vague response only fueled her suspicions.

"Senior Sean, I'm sorry if I were crossing the line...." she began, a hint of accusation in her voice,

"But I'm sure you're not telling me the truth—"

"Look, I know when you're downplaying and you're definitely downplaying right now. What's really going on?"

Sean tensed, his casual facade fading slightly at Sophia's accusation. She was always perceptive, he knew he shouldn't be all that surprised she'd catch on. He sighed, rubbing a hand across his face, the exhaustion and stress finally seeping through his usual calm demeanor.

"I-" he started, trying to come up with a believable excuse. But before he could even muttered full sentence, someone slammed stacked documents on his table causing him to flinch.

"Chatting on work hours is not allowed miss. Sophia"

Sean and Sophia are both surprised, snapped back by the sudden interruption. As they turned their heads towards the voice, they see Layla standing there with a disapproving glare and crossed arms.

"Finish these by today." She ordered, then turned to walked away.

Sophia looked sheepish, murmuring an apology and hastily returned to her own cubicle, shooting a last concerned glance at Sean. Sean watched her go, and almost slipped out a mocking scoff.

'pft— and I here I thought she still feel guilty. How funny, I almost fell for her apology.'

He checked the documents and as always, it's not something a mere regular officer should handle. It's usually the Manager's job, but he just sighed in resignation.

'I'll have to start putting on a all nighter again I guess.' He thought.

Once Layla arrived at her spacious and sophisticated office, Layla sat down behind her desk, sighing as she took in the familiar surroundings. The nameplate on her desk read 'Layla Johnson, CEO', a constant reminder of her position and responsibility. However, today, the nameplate seemed to taunt her, like a symbol of the guilt and anxiety she couldn't escape.

She intended to give the works on the manager as it's supposed to be. but after seeing how close Sean's with Sophia earlier, she became jealous. And out of habit and impulse, she gave him the work instead. The thought of Sean's hospitalization and the cause behind it made Layla's stomach churn. She could no longer deny that she was the reason, and the guilt was eating away at her. But instead of facing it head-on, she had chosen avoidance and drinking, only to make things worse with her actions last night. Sitting in her office, the weight of her actions settled heavily upon her shoulders.

"Fuck!"

As she sat brooding in her office, the image of Sean's bruised wrist and the sound of his weary sigh echoed in her mind. It was a stark reminder of the pain she inflicted, both physical and emotional. She clenched her fist, feeling the guilt gnawing at her heart.

"God damn it," she muttered under her breath.

"Right! I just need to take back the documents..."

She decided to get back the documents after lunch time, and plan on saying it was a mistake.

After a few hours, lunch time approached and Layla steeled herself, getting up from her seat and stepping out of her office. She felt the gazes of her employees follow her as she passed, their eyes filled with curiosity and gossip-mongering whispers.

But she paid them no mind, her mind focused on one thing: to take back those documents she gave to Sean earlier.

Layla walked over to where Sean's cube was, expecting to see him there. But to her surprise, he wasn't present. The cubicle was vacated, the chair empty, and the desk tidy with no signs of anyone working there. Her heart sank a bit, the guilt and worry growing inside her. Her gaze shifted to the employee sitting in front of his cube, a frown forming on her face as she tried to keep her composure.

"Where's officer Sean?"

The employee, caught off guard by the unexpected presence of the CEO, quickly straightened up and greeted Layla with a respectful nod.

"Good afternoon, CEO Layla," he began, his tone polite.

"Officer Sean has gone out on the call of the chairman."

Layla's heart skipped a beat at the employee's words.

'Father? why would father called him? for what reason?' She took a deep breath, trying to hide her anxiety.

"I see... Do you know how long he'll be gone?" she asked, her voice steady despite the inner turmoil she was feeling.

The employee shook his head, his expression somewhat apologetic.

"No, sorry, CEO Layla. Officer Sean didn't say how long he would be out. Just that he had received a call from the chairman and needed to leave right away."

Layla's heart sank further. She fought against the worry and unease rising within her.

"Understood. Thank you for informing me." With a nod of thanks, Layla turned and walked away, her mind racing with a mix of worry and confusion.

'I need to follow him to Father's house as soon as possible.' She made up her mind.

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